Let the Music Flow From the Soul
by CocoGirlRevised
Summary: Rizzo is a mage of the well known Fairy Tail guild, which she had joined after losing everyone from her old guild except for her flying, feline Sanjū. Over the years, Rizzo grew into a talented young mage with a gift for causing destruction like a certain Salamander. Follow her on her journey as she goes through life dealing with a crazy guild like hers and a certain ice mage.
1. The Fairy Tail Guild

**IMPORTANT!**

Coco: Hey, **CocoGirlRevised** , and I used to go under the account named **ChocolateIsMyWeakness**! My last account was all screwy, so I moved to this one, and I brought my stories with me. So before you started messaging me that I'm stealing stories, I'm not because I'm the same person. I will most likely delete all the stories from my first account, but after I move them to this one.

Again this is a Fairy Tail story, and the pairing is Gray/OC.

Declaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, but I do own Rizzo and any other OCs I add. Also the cover art was made by **Derpulies** , who is a very dear friend of mine, and she has even more fabulous art to check out on her deviantart page under the name **TheQueenOfDerping** , so go check that out.

P.S. Oh, and I would love to see some reviews this time around guys. If I continue not getting them I'll stop posting for this story. I want to hear from you. Even if it's just a small little review.

* * *

"Rizzo, as you know, there are many types of magic in our kingdom of Fiore." An elderly man named Roscoe Sweeney said to the six-year-old girl standing in front of him.

The girl, Rizzo, had mocha light skin with wide striking green eyes. Her curly hair was a bubblegum pink color that fell messily around her face.

"It can be used as a tool by many, but for our family it is an art." Roscoe continued. "Why is that, little one?"

"Because we're a family of mages, Granddaddy!" Rizzo said as she smiled.

Roscoe chuckled nodding his head as he pat Rizzo on top of her own head, which had her smile growing.

"That's right." Roscoe said. "We're a family of mages who use their magic for good. However, there are some who would use magic for bad deeds."

"Why?" Rizzo asked frowning. "Magic isn't supposed to be used for bad! It's to help people and make them happy!"

Roscoe smiled softly at his granddaughter who spoke with such conviction in her tone.

"There is no true reason why people do bad things, little one." Roscoe said. "You just have to remember for every bad deed done by magic, you have to perform a good deed, which is why you have to train hard and join a guild someday."

Rizzo nodded her head with a look of determination coming over her young face.

"I will, Granddaddy!" Rizzo said. "I'll become really strong, and use my magic to help people. I'll make you proud, I promise."

Rizzo held out her pinky finger to Roscoe, and the old man laughed as he linked his pinky with her.

"I know you will, little one." Roscoe said. "Now, being from a family of Magic Holder mages, you need to pick an item to put your magic into, and I think I have just the thing."

Rizzo blinked curiously as Roscoe got up to pick up his son's old guitar out of the corner of the room. His son, Link, had died during a job he took on from his guild, and this guitar was something he used to focus his magic through.

"Daddy's guitar?" Rizzo asked with wide eyes. "Really?"

Roscoe nodded his head while holding out the guitar to her. Rizzo took it carefully while stumbling a bit since it was a bit big for her small young body.

"I'm sure you can do great things with this, Rizzo." Roscoe said. "And I'm sure your daddy would want you to have it. Just promise me to take good care of it."

"Of course, Granddaddy!" Rizzo said nodding. "I'll become a great mage like you, Daddy, and Mommy! I'll continue the family tradition of using magic through music!"

Roscoe smiled at Rizzo as she sat down on the floor with the guitar resting in her lap. She smiled hugging the instrument carefully. She'd get strong no matter what! To help people with her magic.

* * *

ELEVEN YEARS LATER

Mirajane hummed lightly to herself as she was cleaning up the bar counter. The members of the Fairy Tale guild were as lively as ever. Everyone was laughing and joking as they downed large amounts of alcohol. When the doors opened, everyone paused a moment to see if a member of their guild was returning. A young woman with captivating green eyes and a light mocha skin tone walked in through the door. She had bumble pink hair that was shaved on the right side, but on the left side it curled down over her left eye. She was medium in height, and she had a well-endowed figure.

She had on a neon green sleeveless crop-top under a black jean jacket that had the sleeves ripped off. She then had on a pink mini skirt with a skull design stitched in the bottom. She also had on fishnet tights that were went into black combat boots. She had fishnet wrist bands that went half way up her arms, and on her hands were black fingerless gloves. Each of her ears were triple pierced with small silver hoops. On her back was a guitar case that seemed a bit large for just a guitar, and the strap connected to the case went diagonally across her chest.

"Ah, Rizzo, you're back!" Wakaba called out as he grinned.

Rizzo raised her hand in a wave, and Cana, who had looked away from her drink, saw that Rizzo's muscles twinged a bit due to the motion.

"How was the job?" Cana asked. "Did you get hurt or something?"

Some of the guild members looked towards Rizzo in concern, but she smiled in a reassuring manner.

"I'm fine." Rizzo assured everyone. "The job was pretty easy, but the scumbag I was fighting tried to use a little kid as a shield. I had to take a few hits before I was able to get the kid away from him."

"Using a child is just awful." Mirajane said frowning. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Rizzo nodded her head as she went to take a seat at the bar. She set her case leaning against the bar to her right. Someone sat next to her, and she turned her head seeing Gray in just his boxers, which wasn't an unusual sight.

"I told you not to take that job." Gray said. "The profile warned you that the bastard was known for using people as shields, and we both know how you get when innocent people are pulled into a fight."

Rizzo rolled her eyes as Mirajane placed her usual drink in front of her. It was non-alcoholic of course since she's underage, and unlike all her underage friends, she abides by the law against underage drinking.

"Gray," Rizzo began as she looked at him. "…your clothes…"

Gray gasped looking down to see that he was only in his boxers again. Rizzo snorted before taking a sip from her drink.

"Hey, don't change the subject." Gray said after realizing she was trying to distract him.

"A girl can try." Rizzo said innocently.

Mirajane giggled in amusement as she started cleaning glasses that were done being used.

"And that piece of information on that man is the reason why I took the job." Rizzo said. "He needed to be stopped and the pay was good."

Gray shook his head then just asked Mirajane to pour him a drink. He could continue this debate with Rizzo until he was blue in the face, but he'll just not waste his time.

"Hey, it's kind of quiet." Rizzo said. "Well, not as loud as usual, I mean. Where's Natsu?"

Gray frowned at the mention of that fire-munching idiot as Rizzo glanced around the room.

"He got word of a salamander in another town." Mirajane said as she gave Gray his drink. "He went with Happy to check it out."

"He must think it's Igneel." Rizzo said. "But why would a dragon be in the middle of a town?"

"Idiot probably didn't think about that." Gray said.

"You probably didn't think about it until I said something." Rizzo deadpanned.

Gray looked away bashfully, but he said nothing as he chugged the rest of his drink. Rizzo chuckled with her lips turning up in amusement. Gray got up to go do whatever the hell he does on his own, which left Rizzo to drink in peace. Suddenly the door was kicked open loudly.

"We made it back alive!" A familiar voice shouted.

"We're home!" Another voice echoed.

Everyone turned seeing Natsu walking in with Happy with him. Rizzo smiled at the pinkette and the little blue cat. Mages called out greetings to the young mage.

"Welcome home, Natsu!" Rizzo called out as she waved.

Natsu turned his head seeing Rizzo there, and a large grin pulled across his face.

"Rizz, you're back!" Natsu said.

"Rizz!" Happy called out as he jumped up and down.

Rizzo chuckled then noticed that Natsu and Happy had returned with a new face. Rizzo blinked at the blonde girl curiously. Did she come here to join their guild?

"So, I heard you went all out in Harujion, Natsu." Krov called out. "Had to go starting troub—"

He never finished his sentence since Natsu kicked him right in the face. Everyone was quite used to stuff like that, so most of them didn't even blink.

"You lied about that Salamander!" Natsu snapped. "I'm going to kick your butt!"

Krov sat up from where he had been kicked into a table, which had smashed into pieces due to the impact.

"Don't get mad at me!" Krov retorted. "I'm just passing along a rumor I heard!"

"It was just a rumor?!" Natsu demanded.

"You wanna fight?!" Krov demanded.

"Let's go!" Natsu accepted the challenge.

Chaos broke loose in the building, and Rizzo laughed as a lot of the members got pulled into the fight. She remained at the bar watching as everyone was causing a ruckus. Happy tried to calm Natsu down, but he got sent flying instead.

"Gees, not again." Cana said as she sat down next to Rizzo. "Can't they control themselves?"

Rizzo shrugged her shoulders while happy with the familiar surroundings. This is where she felt most at home. It's the place where her extended family was.

"So, Natsu finally made it back, huh?" Gray asked turning around.

Rizzo blinked noticing that Gray was still only in his boxers, but as long as he wasn't butt-naked, she'd leave him alone.

"It's time we settled things once and for all." Gray said as he walked forward.

"Gray, your clothes." Cana called out.

"I don't have time for that!" Gray snapped.

Cana shook her head in annoyance as the blonde girl looked around seeming extremely bothered. Rizzo almost felt bad for her. However, if the blonde planned to join, she'd have to get used to all of this.

"Ya see, I don't date the men here because they have no class." She said.

She then proceeded to pick up a large barrel of alcohol to tilt it back to chug the content.

"Yeah…no class." Rizzo murmured sweat-dropping.

Gray challenged Natsu, but the pinkette refused to fight him since he only had on his boxers.

"It's only noon, and you boys are whining like spoiled babies." Elfman said as he walked up. "I'm a real man. Want me to prove it to you?"

His answer were two fists in the face courtesy of Natsu and Gray, which sent him flying through the air over the chaos. Loke then got involved, which just caused even more noise.

"What the heck is wrong with these people?" the blonde asked. "There's not a sane one in the whole place."

"You think so?" Rizzo asked as she stood up to step up beside the blonde.

The blonde looked at Rizzo with wide eyes as Rizzo put her arm on the blonde's shoulder to use her as a leaning post.

"Y…You're Rizzo Sweeney!" The blonde gasped. "You've been in Sorceress Weekly magazine a few times."

Rizzo shrugged modestly since she didn't care much if her name was known or not. She was doing her job as a member of the Fairy Tail guild that's all.

"Nice to meet you…" Rizzo trailed off since she didn't know the girl's name.

"Oh! I'm Lucy!" The girl said smiling brightly.

Rizzo nodded her head then had to dodge a bottle that was thrown in her direction. Lucy's mouth fell open in shock, but Rizzo's expression didn't change.

"Oh, Rizzo, do we have a new member?"

Both girls turned to see Mirajane standing there with a kind smile on her face.

"It's Mirajane!" Lucy gasped. "In the flesh!"

Rizzo leaned away from Lucy feeling a little bit creeped out by Lucy's reaction towards Mirajane.

"Actually, Mira, I don't know." Rizzo said. "The girl came in with Natsu. Said her name is Lucy."

Mirajane nodded with her smile growing a bit as she turned towards the blonde.

"Um, don't you both think we need to stop them?" Lucy asked.

"It's always like this here." Mirajane said. "I just leave them alone. Besides—"

She was cut off when Elfman, who had been sent flying again, hit her at full force. She landed on the ground with him on top of her, but she continued smiling.

"It's kind of fun, don't you think?" Mirajane asked.

She then passed out with Lucy starting to fuss overher with wide eyes. Rizzo snorted shaking her head in amusement. They were really getting into it now. Gray then hit Lucy, which sent them both to the floor. Rizzo frowned when seeing that Gray lost his boxers now leaving him butt-naked. Rizzo's eyes brow twitched in annoyance. She put up with a lot with a smile and laugh, but what she wouldn't put up with is Gray's nudeness.

"Hey, give me back my underwear, jerk!" Gray snapped at Natsu who was laughing.

Lucy cried out 'covering' her eyes, so not to look at Gray's naked body. He walked over to her.

"Excuse me, Miss, may I please borrow your underwear?" Gray asked.

Before Lucy could even react, Gray was socked right in the jaw by Rizzo who had a dark look on her face. Gray hit the floor then rolled right into a table that hadn't been broken yet, but his impact made it break into pieces. Gray sat up holding his aching jaw as Natsu laughed at his misfortune. Lucy's mouth dropped open in shock. She thought Rizzo might actually be somewhat sane!

"Gray, you pervert!" Rizzo snapped. "Have you no shame?!"

"It's not my fault!" Gray retorted. "Natsu stole my underwear!"

"Don't blame Natsu for your bad stripping habit!" Rizzo yelled.

She attacked him as Lucy watched with wide eyes at how brutal Rizzo was being. Lucy was suddenly swept off her feet by Loke.

"All these guys are so insensitive." Loke said. "A woman has needs."

Loke was then punched in the face by Elfman, who had managed to get up, which caused Loke to drop Lucy.

"Real men speak with their fists, Loke!" Elfman said.

Natsu kicked him in the face to send him flying once more across the room into someone else.

"I told you to butt out!" Natsu snapped.

Rizzo then went tumbling into him when Gray managed to get her off of him.

"Oh, hey, Rizz." Natsu said smiling. "Missed having you around."

As if a flip was switched, Rizzo's annoyed expression was instantly switched with a kind smiling one.

"Aw, Natsu, I've missed you too." Rizzo said.

"Hey, how come you never beat him up?!" Gray demanded after pulling on his boxers. "It's his fault I lost my underwear!"

Rizzo's annoyed expression returned as she turned to look at Gray who looked just as annoyed as her. Before she could reply, Cana spoke up over everyone.

"That's enough, you guys." Cana said as she pulled out one of her cards. "I suggest you knock it off."

"Oh yeah?" Gray asked. "Says who?"

He brought his hands together with the magic circle forming as he built up his magic. Elfman activated his magic as well while looking ready for a fight.

Rizzo flipped back over to her guitar case, which remained unscratched during the entire ordeal. She pulled out her electric guitar, and once she put the strap around her, she strummed some cords, which formed a green magic circle in front of her.

"Get ready to get your asses kicked." Rizzo warned. "There won't be much left of you once I'm done."

She grinned almost evilly, which had Lucy's mouth dropping open in fear.

"You punks can be such a nuisance." Loke complained as he activated the magic in his ring.

Natsu, who wasn't about to be outdone, activated his magic as well the fire forming on his fists.

"I'm ready for ya." Natsu declared.

"They always fight like this?" Lucy asked holding up Happy as if he was a shield.

"Uh-huh." Happy said while smiling.

"You don't seem worried!" Lucy pointed out.

Everyone came to a halt when a large dark figure jumped down into the room from the upper floor. Lucy squeaked in surprise as everyone looked towards the figure.

"Would you fools stop bickering like children?!" He demanded.

The guild members, who had been fighting, all looked away sheepish or coughed nervously.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Mirajane said. "I didn't know you were still here, Master."

"Did she just say Master?!" Lucy freaked out.

Natsu bust out laughing cutting through the tension in the air as he placed his hands on his waist.

"Man, talk about a bunch of babies." He teased. "Looks like I won this round you—"

He never finished his sentence since he was stepped on by Master Makarov, which had Lucy jumping in shock.

"Hmm, seems we have a new recruit." Makarov said.

"Yes, sir!" Lucy said nervously.

Rizzo snorted at how jumpy the new girl was as Makarov shrunk down to his usual room. He smiled at the blonde while raising his hand.

"Pleased to meet you!" Makarov said.

"He's tiny!" Lucy said. "This little guy is in charge here?!"

"Hey!" Rizzo snapped making Lucy jump. "Show more respect to Master Makarov."

Lucy nodded her head vigorously as Mirajane and Makarov both laughed in amusement.

"It's alright, Rizzo." Makarov said. "I'm sure she meant no harm."

Rizzo nodded her head, but she still had an irritated look on her face as she frowned.

"Sorry about that." Mirajane said. "Rizzo just has a high deal of respect for Master."

Lucy 'ahh'ed in understanding as she watched Rizzo put away her guitar. Makarov proceeded to jump into the air to flip towards the upstairs' railing, but he hit his head. He righted himself while coughing as he pretended that didn't happen. Makarov cleared his throat, and everyone in the guild was sure they were about to hear a small lecture for the letters sent by the Magic Council.

"You fools did it again!" Makarov snapped. "Look at these letters I received from the Council!"

He shook the papers at them, and some of them actually looked a bit sheepish.

"First, Gray," Makarov began.

Gray looked up with a frown wondering what the Council had to complain about him now.

"Good job on sweeping out that smuggling organization." Makarov said. "But you walked around naked in town afterwards, and ran away after stealing underwear that was drying."

Many of the guild sweat-dropped even though they were used to Gray's stripping problem.

"But wouldn't it be worse if I had been naked?" Gray asked.

"What were you doing naked in the public in the first place, Perv?" Rizzo asked. "Seriously, you probably scarred some poor people."

Gray glared over at Rizzo, who stuck out her tongue in return, which had his eyebrow twitching in annoyance.

"Will you two calm down?" Elfman asked.

Rizzo and Gray turned their annoyed looks onto him, which had Makarov sighing.

"Elfman, you had a mission to escort a VIP, but you _assaulted_ him during the mission." Makarov said.

"He said 'men are about education', so…" Elfman trailed off seeming sheepish.

Makarov shook his head as he shifted through more papers sent by the council.

"Cana Alberona drinking 15 big barrels of alcohol, and charging it to the council." Makarov continued, which had Cana frowning since they found her out. "Loke…flirting with councilmember elder Reiji's granddaughter…a certain talent agency charged us for damage compensation, too."

Loke looked away with a drop of sweat going down his cheek. Makarov shuffled through more papers.

"Rizzo," Makarov began. "You successfully stopped that bank-robbing mage, but you ended up destroying half the town of Wiesel. There is also a great deal of complaint from citizens about busted eardrums."

"Sorry, Master." Rizzo said smiling sweetly. "That guy really pissed me off, and I did tell the people to run because I was going to literally rock the place down. So, you see, totally not my fault~"

Lucy's mouth dropped open in complete shock that Rizzo could say something like that. It was clearly her fault! Makarov just heaved an even louder sigh as he hung his head.

"Of course, it isn't." He said sarcastically.

Makarov then pulled out the last of the papers as he looked at Natsu who was still laying on the ground.

"And Natsu," Makarov said. "You destroyed the Devon Thief family, but you also destroyed seven other houses that belonged to the townspeople…leveling a historical clock tower in Tully Village. Burning down a church in Freesia. Damaging parts in Lupinus Castle. Nazuna Ravine observatory collapsed and thus stopped operations. Destroying half of Harujion's port."

Rizzo let out a low impressed whistle. It seemed Natsu had been busy since she's been gone.

"Alzach, Levy, Krov, Reedus, Warren, Bisca, etc." Makarov continued.

Everyone he called out looked away unable to meet his gaze because they did feel bad about causing trouble.

"Have you lost your minds?!" Makarov demanded. "All you kids are good for is getting the higher ups mad at me…however,"

The papers burst into flames in his hands, which confused Lucy. Was it okay for him to do that?

"I say to heck with the Magic Council." Makarov said as he tossed the flaming papers into the air.

Natsu jumped into the air chomping his mouth down on papers as if he was a dog jumping for a treat. He landed on his feet to continue munching on the flames.

"Now listen up, any power that serves past its reason still comes from reason, right?" Makarov inquired. "Magic isn't some kind of miraculous power. It is a talent that only works when the flow of energy inside of us and the flow of energy the natural world are in perfect sync. To perform magic one must have a strong mind, and the ability to focus. It should take over your being and come pouring out of your soul. If all we do is worry about rules then our magic will never progress. Don't let those blowhards on the Council scare you. Follow the path that you believe in because that's what makes the Fairy Tail guild number one!"

He held up one finger, and everyone cheered while holding up their one pointer fingers. Rizzo laughed grinning broadly. This is why she loved this guild so much.

* * *

Coco: Remember to review.


	2. Lullaby

Rizzo walked into Fairy Tail with her hands stuffed into the pockets of her black jean vest. She knew she just got back from a job, but she was already itching for a new one.

"Good-morning, Rizzo." Mirajane greeted smiling.

"Morning, Mira." Rizzo replied. "Any requests on the board that are worth attention?"

"There was, but Natsu took it along with Happy and Lucy." Levy said. "It was a book stealing gig, and apparently it's a 2 million jewel gig."

Rizzo's eyes widened when hearing that. 2 million for a book? It must be a really important book, or perhaps…it was dangerous? She frowned thinking there was something really fishy about the gig Natsu and the others took.

"What's with the face?" Gray asked. "Don't think that fire-muncher, Happy, and Lucy won't be able to handle a simple book stealing gig?"

"It can't be real simple if 2 million jewels are involved." Rizzo retorted. "However, I am certain Natsu, Happy, and even Lucy will be okay. Still, that gig…some things just don't add up."

She then shrugged her shoulders trying to brush off the feeling. Gray frowned seeing that she was still a bit worried.

"Anyway, hopefully there's something interesting to take on." Rizzo said.

She turned towards the Request Board with her eyes scanning over it for anything interesting. She frowned not seeing anything that really quirked her interest.

"Why not just stay around here for a few more days?" Gray asked as he appeared behind her.

Rizzo tilted her head back to look at Gray who was once again only in his boxers. She wonders if there's a spell she could use to glue his clothes to him, or at least make it impossible for him to undress in public.

"Why?" Rizzo asked grinning. "Do you miss my company?"

Gray snorted rolling his eyes though since he didn't verbally deny her claim Rizzo took that as her being right.

"He is right." Mirajane said. "You should stay around for a bit. You've been doing job after job. You can take a break, you know. I'm sure you have enough jewels to do you a while."

Rizzo frowned though that was true. She had a very large amount of jewels put back from jobs. She always likes to keep her bank account full in case of emergencies, which is one reason she takes so many jobs. That and the promise she made to her grandfather.

"Alright…I guess I can take a break." Rizzo said.

"Good." Mirajane said nodding. "By the way, Gray, nice skivvies."

Gray gasped in shock when seeing he was once again in just his underwear. Rizzo shook her head at Gray, and this guy was supposed to be one of her close acquaintances.

* * *

"Hmph, that jerk." Rizzo grumbled. "Tells me to hang around, and he takes off on a job."

Mirajane chuckled as Rizzo sat at the bar counter with her arms crossed over her chest.

"If I didn't know any better, Rizzo, I'd say you're missing Gray." Mirajane said.

Rizzo's cheeks warmed up a bit, but her mocha shaded skin kept the blush from being seen.

"Tch, like I'd miss that perv." Rizzo said. "It's just rude that he left after asking me to stay."

"Right." Mirajane said with a knowing smile.

Rizzo frowned at Mirajane then downed the rest of her drink. Not only was Gray off on a job, but Natsu wasn't back yet with Happy and Lucy. Rizzo sighed with her shoulders slumping.

"I'm bored." Rizzo complained.

Mirajane pat Rizzo on the head as the younger woman set her head on top of the counter.

"I need to be kicking someone's ass, or I need to be destroying something." Rizzo said.

"I don't think Master could handle it if you destroyed anything else after recently destroying half a town." Mirajane.

Rizzo 'bleh'ed with her tongue sticking out as her expression turned deadpanned. She might just take a job to give her something to do. She couldn't sit her on her ass much longer. She'd go insane. The door opened to the Fairy Tail bar with Natsu giving his usual greeting when making it home. Rizzo jumped up with a large grin on her face.

"Natsu, Happy, Lucy!" Rizzo called out. "You're home!"

She zipped over to them to practically tackle Natsu into a hug. Most of the guild laughed as Natsu stumbled back a bit. He kept his footing though as he laughed putting his arms around Rizzo. Lucy blinked wondering if perhaps Natsu and Rizzo were dating or something.

"Hey, Rizz, miss us?" Natsu asked as Rizzo pulled away.

"It's so boring around here without you." Rizzo said. "That bastard Gray convinced me to stick around a few days before my next job, and then he ditched me!"

Natsu grinned putting his arm around Rizzo's shoulders to lead her back towards the bar counter.

"Then let's have some fun!" Natsu declared. "Where is that icy loser anyway? I thought he'd make it back before us. We ran into him earlier."

Rizzo shrugged her shoulders as the two of them went to sit at the bar counter together.

"Natsu and Rizzo seem really close." Lucy said as she watched them chat and laugh.

"That's because they're the best of friends." Happy said. "Practically siblings. They've trained together, fought together, and have stuck together. They've teamed up before many times, but then Master told them they probably shouldn't team up anymore after causing severe damage to not only one town but three. They're a destructive duo."

Lucy's mouth hung open while not completely surprised, but it was still a bit stunning. Rizzo was just as destructive as Natsu?!

"How did they become friends?" Lucy asked.

"Well, it was like the second they met they knew they were kindred spirits." Macao, who had overheard Lucy and Happy's conversation, said. "Or as if they were long lost friends finally seeing each other after many years of separation. No one can really explain how their friendship happened, but we all know that the two share a strong bond."

"Aye." Happy said nodding.

Lucy tilted her head still watching as Natsu and Rizzo conversed at the bar counter. Natsu was making wild gestures as he was telling Rizzo something, and she was laughing so hard it brought out tears. Lucy smiled at the happy atmosphere when the doors opened behind her. She turned seeing Gray walking in…in just his boxers.

"I'm home." Gray called out.

A shape went flying past Lucy, and she jumped in surprise when Rizzo's feet connected with Gray's face.

"Muoaf!" Gray grunted as he hit the ground with Rizzo's feet planted in his face.

The others laughed as Lucy took several steps away from Rizzo as she dug her heels in Gray's face.

"Gray, you jerk!" Rizzo snapped as she jumped off of his face.

Gray sat up holding his bleeding nose to look up at Rizzo with wide eyes. What the hell did he do now?!

"You tell me to stick around and then you ditch me!" Rizzo ranted. "Do you realize how bored I'm been?! I thought I was going to go crazy."

Gray blinked before a smirk pulled away his face as he looked up at Rizzo who was fuming.

"Oh, so you've missed me, huh, Rizzo?" Gray asked smugly as he stood up to dust himself off.

Rizzo blushed though hid her embarrassment by punching Gray right in the face.

"As if I'd miss you." Rizzo said as Gray groaned holding his already aching nose. "I'm just pissed off because of you I've been bored!"

Gray rolled his eyes while starting to wish he hadn't asked her to stick around.

"Whatever." Gray said. "Anyway, Rizzo, I've heard Erza is going to be due back soon."

Everyone in the guild froze in fear when hearing that, which had Lucy more nervous about meeting Erza. However, unlike everyone else, Rizzo just seemed annoyed.

"Tch, really?" Rizzo asked. "Really should have taken a job then."

Lucy blinked curiously wondering why Rizzo seemed to have a problem with Erza. Based on what Lucy has heard, Erza is quite scary, but Rizzo didn't looked afraid at all. In fact, her expression kind of reminded Lucy of the expressions Gray and Natsu made at each other when they're fighting.

"Try not to pick a fight with her, Rizzo." Macao said. "You remember what happened last time, right?"

"Yeah, yeah." Rizzo said. "I remember."

Everyone sighed knowing that there would most likely be a fight between Erza and Rizzo when Erza gets back.

* * *

Rizzo plucked strings on her guitar over at a table in Fairy Tail as everyone enjoyed the day.

"Rizzo, you still haven't found a job that interests you?" Cana, who was sitting with her, asked.

"Nope." Rizzo said. "All of them seem pretty boring."

However, she's getting so bored around here that she might just take a small gig.

"You can't be so picky." Gray said as he joined them. "Your money will disappear before you know it."

Rizzo rolled her eyes though didn't grace him with a reply as she started up a song with her guitar.

"You can't find anything interesting?" Lucy asked Rizzo. "What about hunting a volcano demon?"

"Been there, done that." Rizzo said. "Natsu and Happy helped me out with it. Town was nearly completely destroyed during the fight."

Lucy looked at Rizzo with wide eyes as Rizzo continued playing her guitar.

"Oh, Rizzo, I'm sure you would find a job if you would be more open-minded about the requests." Mirajane said. "And if you do let me know because Master is away at Conference."

Rizzo nodded her head though she knew she most likely wouldn't be taking a job today. She'd look tomorrow morning when fresh requests are posted.

"What kind of conference?" Lucy asked.

"One for guild masters." Mirajane explained. "Every once and a while they get together to talk about the state of things. It's like the Magic Council, but not."

Mirajane then borrowed a light pen from Reedus, so she could show Lucy in more detail how the guilds work and such. As she was doing that, everyone else continued on with their business.

"Wow, I didn't realize all the magical guilds were interconnected like that." Lucy said after Mirajane explained.

"It's very important we cooperate with each other otherwise our whole system would come apart." Mirajane said.

Natsu came up behind Lucy to light up his face in a creepy way with a small flame.

"And then the men in black would show up." Natsu said creepily.

Lucy squealed in fear, which had Natsu busting out in laughter at the look on her face.

"Hahaha, that was almost too easy." Natsu said pleased with himself.

"Are you trying to scare me too death?" Lucy asked.

Mirajane wrote with the light pen once more to place a separate space for guilds that weren't part of the system.

"Seriously though, the guys Natsu are talking about exist." Mirajane said. "They're the dark guilds."

Rizzo frowned at the mention of the dark guilds as she stopped playing her guitar. Gray looked at her with a questioning quirked brow, but she ignored his look.

"They've chosen not to join any of the leagues." Mirajane said. "They're the bad apples, and most of them are involved in magical crime."

"They're utter scum." Rizzo said getting Lucy's attention. "Anyone who would use their magic to harm those unable to defend themselves or to kill for money has no right to use magic."

Lucy noticed the utter disgust in Rizzo's voice as she glared at the air in front of her as if one of those dark mages were in front of her. Rizzo then shook her head to look at Lucy.

"Anyway, don't stand around here." Rizzo said. "Pick a job. You need the money, right?"

Lucy 'oh!'ed remembering what she had been doing before being sidetracked.

"Right, pick one already!" Natsu said grinning.

"You've got to be kidding me." Lucy said. "What makes you think I want to do that?"

"Well, we are a team now, aren't we?" Natsu reminded her.

"Yeah, and we picked last time." Happy said. "It's your turn to pick, so get to it."

Lucy frowned at the two of them while not liking Happy's demanding tone at all.

"Just forget about it, Cat." Lucy said. "As far as I'm concerned, our team has been disbanded. Besides, it's not like you actually want me. You just needed me last time because I'm a blonde."

"Don't be ridiculous." Natsu said. "That's not the only reason we chose you. We picked you because you're so nice."

Lucy blushed a bit as she looked away from Natsu's grinning face feeling as if she might cave.

"Hey, Lucy, I wouldn't stay with those losers if I were you." Gray said. "I'm sure you'll get offers from other teams. However, I would team up with Rizzo if I were you. She's almost as bad as Natsu. "

Rizzo smiled a not so friendly smile at Gray before accidentally slamming her drink down on his hand. He yelped jerking his hand away from Rizzo.

"Oops." Rizzo said with her smile turning 'innocent'. "Sorry, it was an accident."

Lucy sweat-dropped because that was so not an accident from where she was standing.

"Why I oughta." Gray grumbled as she glared at Rizzo.

"Gray, your clothes." Cana said before he could start arguing with Rizzo.

He gasped looking down to see he was only in his underwear…again. Rizzo shook her head. This problem of his really needed to be looked at.

"Jerk." Natsu said with a snort.

Gray turned to glare at the slightly Natsu before he got up to butt heads with Natsu.

"Did you just call me a jerk, Dragon-boy?" Gray asked.

"So what if I did?" Natsu asked. "What are you going to do about it?"

They started swinging insults at each other as Rizzo finished off the rest of her drink. Lucy was watching them with a deadpanned expression before Loke walked up to her to put his arm around her shoulders.

"Why don't you just join the team of love, Lucy?" Loke asked. "Just the two of us tonight?"

"What?" Lucy asked.

"You're so stunningly gorgeous that I've got to keep my shades on to look at you, or I'll be blinded by your dazzling beauty." Loke flirted.

"Does that really work with girls?" Lucy asked looking to Rizzo.

"Just the ones that usually follow him around." Rizzo said. "Doesn't really work with women of the Fairy Tail guild because they actually have brains. Isn't that right, Loke?"

Loke pouted at Rizzo because she was always teasing him as he flirted with other women, or hitting him if he was flirting with her. Loke then noticed the keys hooked to Lucy's belt.

"You're not a Celestial mage, are you?!" Loke asked freaked out.

"Yeah, she's got cows and crabs and stuff." Happy said over the fish he was munching on.

Loke let out a freaked out screaming, which had people looking at him in concern or as if he was a weirdo…which he kind of is.

"Curse you, Fate!" Loke shouted. "Why must you torture me so?! I'm sorry, my dear, but we can't be together!"

He then took off running right out of the guild. Rizzo blinked after him. She'll never get used to his freak outs whenever he meets a Celestial mage.

"What got into him all of a sudden?" Lucy asked.

"Loke has a bad history with Celestial mages." Mirajane said. "Rumor is he dated one, and it didn't end very well."

Lucy was about to reply, but she was caught off when Natsu was thrown into her, which sent them into the floor.

"Why can't you two just knock it off?" Lucy grumbled to Natsu and Gray.

"Natsu started it." Gray said. "I'm just following through."

Gray was knocked hard in the back of the head with Rizzo's guitar, which sent him rolling across the ground.

"And I'm finishing it." Rizzo growled as she rested her guitar across her shoulder.

Gray growled jumping up to his feet to glare at Rizzo. The two of them bumped heads as Natsu flipped back onto his feet, and Lucy sighed when seeing Rizzo and Gray arguing now.

"Why are you always jumping to Natsu's defense, Bumble-Gum Head?" Gray asked.

"Because he's my friend, Rocks-For-Brains." Rizzo replied. "Why, you jealous?"

"Tch, as if, music girl." Gray retorted.

"I think you are, ice boy." Rizzo shot back.

"What's with those insults?" Lucy asked.

"They run out of them sometimes." Happy said. "Same goes for when Natsu and Gray butt heads."

When hearing Natsu's name Gray remembered he still had a bone to pick with the pinkette. He turned his head to the side, and since he and Rizzo had their foreheads pressed together, she fell on her face when he moved.

"Oaf!" She grunted.

"Oi, stupid, you hurt Rizz!" Natsu growled as he and Gray went back to bumping heads.

"She's fine!" Gray snapped. "Not like a hit to the head could do any damage that hasn't already happened."

Rizzo's head shot up to glare at Gray with her eyes practically aflame in annoyance.

"What was that, ya bastard?" Rizzo asked as she jumped up.

Lucy sighed as everyone else laughed in amusement at the familiar sight of those three getting into it. Though it was really two against one since Natsu and Rizzo never fight. The doors then burst open with Loke returning from where he had run off.

"I've got bad news!" Loke said. "It's Erza! She's on her way here!"

Almost every single member of the guild started freaking out as Lucy stood there with wide eyes as she watched everyone else's reaction. Natsu and Gray instantly stopped fighting as Rizzo growled in annoyance.

"Whoa just mention her, and the entire place freaks out." Lucy said.

"Well, she is the strongest mage we've got in Fairy Tail." Mirajane said. "She's more than a bit intimidating."

"She's a pain in the ass." Rizzo corrected as she sat down with a huff.

The sound of footsteps soon reached the guild as almost everyone sat on edge.

"That must be her." Laki said.

"Sounds like her footsteps." Wakaba added.

"The air has gone completely still." Macao said.

Due to everyone else's reactions, Lucy started to feel scared at the thought of meeting Erza. Said woman finally walked into the building while carrying what looked like a large horn or claw. She sat it down with a loud thud.

"I have returned." Erza said. "Where is Master Makarov?"

"Welcome back, Erza." Mirajane said. "Master's away at a conference right now."

"I see." Erza said as she looked around the room.

"What's that humongous thing you've got there?" Someone asked.

"It's the horn of a monster I defeated." Erza said. "The locals were so grateful that they decorated and gave it to me as a souvenir. Do you have a problem with it?"

Everyone answered immediately that it wasn't a problem as Rizzo rolled her eyes. Some started to whisper nervously together.

"Now listen up, while on the road I heard a few things." Erza said. "Word is Fairy Tail is causing nothing but trouble as of late. Master Makarov may not care, but I most certainly do. Cana,"

Cana, who had been drinking a large barrel of alcohol, froze after bringing the drink away from her mouth.

"Start controlling your drinking." Erza ordered. "Vijeeter, please take the dancing outside."

Rizzo frowned because there was nothing wrong with Cana enjoying her alcohol or Vijeeter expressing himself through dance. It was even part of his magic! It'd be like asking her not to play her guitar.

"Wakaba, get rid of that filthy habit!" Erza ordered.

Wakaba exceled using smoke in his magic like Vijeeter used his through dance. If Wakaba 'quit' that 'filthy habit' he'd have to find some kind of other magic for himself.

"Nab, I knew I'd find you doddering in front of the Request Board." Erza said. "Just pick a job!"

But what if he's having trouble choosing one? Rizzo shook her head. It always annoyed her how Erza could boss people around like she does, which is why Rizzo can't stand her.

"Macao," Erza began then sighed. "I don't even know where to begin with you. You cause so much trouble, I've almost given up."

Macao hung his head, and everyone felt sympathetic towards the man. It was bad when Erza rebutted you, but it was worse if she didn't even know what to say.

"She's really tearing into everyone." Lucy whispered. "It's like she's taken over."

"That's Erza for you." Happy said.

"Even so, she's still saner than everyone else here." Lucy continued. "I don't understand why everyone's so afraid of her."

Rizzo snorted because once Lucy gets to know Erza, she won't be saying that much longer.

"Are Natsu, Gray, and Rizzo here?" Erza asked.

"Aye." Happy said.

Rizzo glanced over her shoulder at Erza while wondering what the redheaded wanted with her.

"Hey there, Erza." Gray said as he shook with Natsu. "We're just hanging out as good friends tend to do."

"Aye!" Natsu said nervously.

"Why is Natsu acting like Happy?!" Lucy asked freaking out.

She's never seen Natsu act like a scared little kid, and Gray looked as if he might pass out.

"That's great." Erza said. "I'm pleased to see you two getting along so well. However, it's usual for even the best of friends to lock horns every now and then."

"I wouldn't call us the best of friends." Gray said.

"Aye." Natsu added.

"What's gotten into Natsu?" Lucy asked.

She couldn't handle all this weirdness. She felt disturbed by how the two were acting.

"He's scared." Mirajane said. "A few years ago, he challenged Erza to a fight, and got beat up pretty bad."

"That was a stupid thing to do." Lucy said.

"After that she found Gray walking around naked, so she decided to beat him up too." Macao explained.

"And let's not forget, she also beat up Loke for trying to hit on her." Cana added. "He totally deserved it though."

Rizzo gagged not understanding why anyone would flirt with Erza. Sure she was pretty, but she had a horrible personality. Hearing her gag, Erza turned towards Rizzo.

"Oh, Rizzo, there you are." Erza said then frowned. "You really shouldn't sit in such an unladylike manner while wearing a skirt."

"Bite me." Rizzo replied.

Everyone stiffened when Rizzo said that, and Natsu and Gray were quick to grab Rizzo to pull her up on her feet. She frowned as they squished her in between them.

"She means welcome home!" Gray said laughing nervously.

"Aye!" Natsu said nodding.

"No, I meant what I said." Rizzo said. "Want me to say it again?"

"NO!" Everyone shouted.

Lucy jumped at the loud shouting, and Rizzo rolled her eyes still not looking scared. She knows Erza could kick her ass, but Rizzo refused to be afraid of her. Erza narrowed her eyes at Rizzo.

"Rizzo, Natsu, Gray, I need you to do me a favor." Erza said.

All three people blinked in confusion as they stood up straighter. However, the boys did keep a hold of Rizzo as if they expected her to go up and smack Erza, which has happened before.

"While traveling I overheard something that has me worried." Erza said. "Normally, I would consult with the Master before acting, but he isn't here. And this is a matter of at most urgency. The three of you are some of the strongest mages here. I could really use your help."

Everyone started murmuring in surprise as said three mages exchanged glances.

"We'll meet at the train station tomorrow morning." Erza declared.

"Who said we'd even agree?" Rizzo asked as she pulled her arms away from the boys to cross over her chest. "Honestly, I don't want to go anywhere with you."

Everyone froze really hoping a fight didn't break out as the two girls stared at each other. Rizzo stood her ground through the stare out, and Lucy felt awed at Rizzo's strong will. After seeing how everyone else reacted to Erza, Lucy could see it too a lot of guts to stand up to the redheaded woman.

"Besides, I'm sure you three can handle it." Rizzo said as she went to put away her guitar into its case. "If not, maybe you don't belong here, Erza."

Mouths dropped open in shock at Rizzo's words. Natsu frowned looking at his friend softly while knowing why she said that. Rizzo started walking away with guitar case on her back. Erza sighed calmly as she looked after Rizzo.

"I know we have our differences, Rizzo, but I could really use your help." Erza said. "Innocent people could get hurt."

Everyone instantly noticed how Rizzo stopped walking at the mention of innocent people getting hurt. They all knew she wasn't able to turn her back on people that need help.

"Tch, see you in the morning." Rizzo said while walking away again.

Lucy watched Rizzo go as she wondered why Rizzo seemed to deeply dislike Erza.

* * *

Rizzo arrived at the train station the next morning with one suitcase in hand and her guitar case on her bag. She found Natsu and Gary bumping heads as Lucy and Happy were sitting off to the side. Rizzo tilted her head at the odd snowman looking creature in Lucy's lap.

"Lucy, why are you joining us?" Rizzo asked curiously.

Lucy gasped looking over at Rizzo surprised to see her all of a sudden because Lucy hadn't heard her arrive.

"Ah, Mira, asked me to come to watch Natsu, Gray…and you." Lucy admitted. "She was hoping I could keep you all from fighting."

Rizzo blinked then looked over to the two fighting boys…Lucy isn't doing a good job, is she? Rizzo shrugged not really caring.

"Keeping Rizzo and Gray from fighting won't be hard while Erza is around." Happy said. "Because Gray is too scared to anger Erza, and Rizzo is too busy getting annoyed by Erza to care about Gray…as long as he keeps his clothes on."

Lucy nodded her head while praying that Erza and Rizzo didn't get into a fight. She definitely won't be able to break them up.

"I hope we can finish this fast." Rizzo said. "The less time I have to deal with Erza the best."

"Hey, don't go pissing her off." Gray said. "The last time you both fought the guild had nearly been completely destroyed. You can't beat her anyway, so I don't see why you try."

Rizzo punched Gray right in the face, which had Lucy jumping. They weren't going to fight now, are they?!

"Speaking of Erza, where the hell is she?" Rizzo asked acting as if she didn't just punch Gray.

Gray growled getting up from the ground while looking ready to attack Rizzo.

"Sorry, I'm late." Said woman said as she showed up. "Have you been waiting long?"

Gray and Natsu jumped in fright as everyone turned to look at Erza before the two boys put their arms around each other as if they were best friends.

"No, not at all." Lucy said.

Lucy's mouth then dropped open in shock when seeing all the luggage Erza brought. Rizzo opened her mouth probably to make some rude quip. However, Gray grabbed her before she could, and brought her close in his arms, so her back was pressed against his chest.

"Don't piss her off." Gray whispered in her ear.

Rizzo frowned while trying to ignore how her face heated up when Gray's lips brushed against her ear.

"Gray, personal space." Rizzo said.

"Yeah, let her go." Natsu hissed under his breath. "I don't want you passing on some disease to my friend."

Gray frowned at Natsu looking ready to start a fight, but when Erza, who was speaking with Lucy, glanced back at them, they both hugged Rizzo, which squished them together. Rizzo's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. Once Erza looked away, Natsu and Gray started butting heads with Rizzo still in between them. Gray even still had his arms around Rizzo. Erza glanced back at them again, and they were back to buddy-buddy with Rizzo getting more annoyed by the second. When Erza looked away this time, Rizzo punched Gray in the gut hard enough to make him double over.

"Anyway, shouldn't we get going?" Rizzo asked nonchalantly as she straightened her clothes.

"Actually, Erza, I'll come with you, but only on one condition." Natsu said.

Rizzo blinked curiously as to what Natsu might want from Erza. Said woman also looked curious as well.

"Shut-up!" Gray hissed at Natsu.

"Alright, let's hear it." Erza said.

"Kay, let's have a rematch once we get back to Fairy Tail." Natsu said grinning.

Rizzo smiled with a small laugh leaving her lips as Gray looked at Natsu as if he was crazy.

"What's wrong with you?" Gray asked as he placed his hand on Natsu's shoulder. "You got some kind of death wish?

Rizzo grabbed Gray's wrist to pull his hand off of Natsu. Gray looked at Rizzo curiously, but she just smiled at the pinkette.

"I'm a lot stronger than I was last time." Natsu said. "This time it will be way different cause I'm going to beat you."

"Yes, I can tell you've imported." Erza said. "As whether you can beat me, we'll just have to see. I accept your challenge."

"Oh yeah," Natsu said. "I'm fired up!"

* * *

Rizzo, who was sitting in between Natsu and Gray with Happy in her lap, looked at Natsu sympathetically as he groaned while holding his stomach.

"I swear, you're totally pathetic, Natsu." Gray said. "One minute you're picking a fight, and the next you're like this."

"I think your little problem is more pathetic." Rizzo quipped. "At least Natsu's condition isn't mental."

Gray frowned at Rizzo though said nothing, so he wouldn't bring down the wrath of Erza on them.

"Must be tough on him getting place to place." Lucy said.

"Don't worry." Erza said. "Come sit next to me."

Rizzo frowned thinking that was a very bad idea. Lucy and Natsu traded places, so now that Lucy was besides Rizzo and Natsu beside Erza.

"Now just relax." Erza said as Natsu leaned against her.

"Aye." Natsu said weakly.

Erza then punched Natsu right in the gut to knock him out. Rizzo looked ready to attack, but Gray put his arm around her to stop her from jumping up.

"That should make the trip a little easier on him." Erza said smiling.

Rizzo's eye brow twitched in annoyance as Gray prayed she didn't start a fight with Erza on the train.

"Erza, I think it's about time you start filling us in." Gray, who still had his arm around Rizzo, said. "I mean, what kind of mission are we going on here?"

"Of course." Erza said. "I have reason to believe that the dark guild Eisenwald is planning something big. I'm not certain what exactly, but it has something to deal with a magical item called Lullaby."

Rizzo stiffened all of a sudden, which didn't go unnoticed by her guildmates. Gray looked at her curiously as she gripped his jacket as her body shook.

"L-lullaby?" Rizzo asked.

Erza frowned with a bad feeling in her stomach when seeing how shaken up Rizzo was. Rizzo wasn't shaken easily, so to see her react like this wasn't good.

"Rizzo, what is it?" Gray asked as he tightened his hold on her.

"Lullaby…my grandfather told me about it." Rizzo said. "It's…a murder by curse item, or at least it used to be."

Rizzo looked down with her eyes narrowing as she thought about what her grandfather told her.

"Rumor is…that it was turned into something much stronger." Rizzo said. "By what my grandfather said…Lullaby is capable of mass murder."

Everyone froze looking at Rizzo with wide eyes. Her hand dripped Gray's jacket even tighter.

"Are you certain of this, Rizzo?" Erza said.

Rizzo nodded her head as she let go of Gray's jacket, so she could hug Happy to her for comfort.

"My family…they have been mages using sound magic in the form of instruments for years." Rizzo said. "They spent years making and collecting magical instruments. My grandfather told me that an ancestor of ours heard about Lullaby, and wanted to find it before anyone could use such a power on a large group of people. Our ancestor, who was the guild master of the guild my family belonged to, left the guild with a group of the most capable mages from our guild…none of them came back alive because someone…had played the song to them."

Lucy's mouth fell open while not believing what she was hearing. The Lullaby killed a guild master and its most capable members. Rizzo sat there frowning. The Lullaby...she can't allow something like that to be in the world where any dark mage might try to use it. No matter what...she had to stop Eisenwald.

* * *

Rizzo walked ahead of everyone with her hands stuffed in her black vest pockets. She wasn't listening as the others spoke behind her. She was lost in her own thoughts. Has been ever since hearing about the Lullaby.

"Hey, wait, where's Natsu?" Happy asked getting Rizzo's attention.

Everyone turned seeing the train departing, and they all knew that Natsu had to be on it. Rizzo face-palmed rather hard that it left a red mark. She was so deep in her thoughts she forgot about her best friend!

"Uh-oh, there he goes." Happy said.

He waved after the train as Rizzo face-palmed once more while mad at herself.

"I was so busy that I forgot about him." Erza said. "I am such a fool. Natsu hates all forms of transportation. This is all my fault. I need one of you to come and hit me for my penitence."

Rizzo silently raised her fist to hit Erza, but Gray grabbed her before she could do that.

"You need to stop grabbing me, Gray." Rizzo growled.

"Hey, don't blame me." Gray said. "I have to grab you to make sure you don't do anything stupid."

"But she wants to be hit." Rizzo said. "Hey, Erza, come here, and I'll kick ya."

"No!" Lucy and Gray shouted in unison.

Rizzo frowned in annoyance, but she went slack in Gray's arms. He looked at her a moment to make sure she wouldn't do anything before letting her go.

"Whatever." Rizzo said. "Let's go find the emergency break. We need to stop that train."

"You're right." Erza said. "We need to get Natsu back."

"Do we really have to?" Gray asked.

The answer he got was a round-the-house kick to the jaw from Rizzo who didn't even blink.

"I'm sure the control room is this way." Erza said while not even acknowledging Rizzo's act of violence.

They were soon able to find the control room, and without hesitation, Erza pulled the emergency break. As she was speaking with the man in charge, Lucy hung her head.

"I'm now starting to realize that the mages of Fairy Tail are all a little insane." Lucy said.

"Hey, not all of us." Gray, who 'lost' his clothes again, said.

"Oh yeah, where is your clothes?!" Lucy demanded.

"A touch of insanity is good for the soul." Rizzo said as she shrugged.

"No, it's not!" Lucy argued.

* * *

Rizzo stood on top of the Magic Mobile managing to keep her footing thanks to her magical boots she put on that help her stick to any surface. while Gray gripped her legs to keep from falling off. Rizzo narrowed her eyes when seeing the train getting closer.

"Natsu!" Lucy shouted.

Said guy came out one of the train windows while shouting, and as he was heading their way, Rizzo broke away from Gray to duck out of the way. Just in time too since he hit Gray head on. They both fell off the Magic Mobile, so Erza quickly hit the brakes.

"Natsu, are you alright?" Erza asked as Rizzo jumped off the roof of the Magic Mobile.

She glared after the train as it got farther away from them. Behind her Gray was yelling at Natsu as Erza, Happy, and Lucy joined them.

"Shut-up, ya Icy Freak!" Natsu snapped. "How come you guys left me on the train?!"

"Sorry, Natsu." Rizzo said smiling at him. "We got distracted by discussing the job."

Natsu blinked noticing that Rizzo's smile didn't reach her eyes. He frowned wondering what was wrong with his friend.

"I'm just thankful you weren't badly injured." Erza said. "I apologize, Natsu."

She gave him a hug that hurt more than comforted him since his head hit the hard metal breastplate of Erza's armor.

"It's okay." He said as she let go. "Well, I'm shaken up pretty bad. I got attacked by a weirdo on the train."

"Are you serious?" Lucy asked.

"I think it was the dude that dragged away the guys that were going to eat Happy." Natsu said. "Said he was with Eisenwald."

Erza snapped at Natsu while slapping him across the face as the others watched. Rizzo's eye twitched in annoyance because Erza should know they don't have time for this crap.

"What was this guy like?" Gray asked Erza left Natsu alone to get the Magic Moblie.

"He didn't seem like someone from a dark guild." Natsu said. "But he did have this strange flute thing. It looked like a skull except it had three eyes."

Rizzo stiffened as she stared at Natsu with wide eyes. Did she hear him correctly?

"Rizzo?" Lucy asked in concern when seeing Rizzo shaking.

"There's no doubt." Rizzo said. "That flute is definitely the Lullaby…the demon flute."


	3. The Case of Many Instruments

Rizzo sat on top of the Magic Mobile while putting her feet on the bar in front of her, so she was able to keep herself from falling off. Gray had gotten inside of the Magic Mobile after the mishap of falling off because of Natsu.

"Want to switch out, Erza?" Rizzo asked the older girl. "If you keep it up, you won't even be able to fight with us."

"Oh, Rizzo, is that concern I hear?" Erza teased.

"Nope, a simple observation." Rizzo deadpanned. "If you suddenly collapse due to exhaustion, you might put the rest of us in danger."

Erza chuckled with a grin on her face, but she didn't reply to Rizzo's first inquiry. She just kept going down the dirt road. Rizzo shrugged guessing she'd just have to cover for Erza if she did use too much magic. Something then caught Rizzo's attention.

"Hey, Erza, stop for a moment." Rizzo said.

Erza stopped as Rizzo leaned over to look down into the canyon below them where a small train station sat.

"Why'd we stop?" Lucy asked sticking her head out the window.

Happy popped his head out as well as Erza looked to see what had caught Rizzo's attention. Below them citizens were speaking with some soldiers that had shown up. They were all talking about dark guild punks and a man with a scythe.

"It looks like the Eisenwald guild took over the train." Rizzo said.

"I can understand cars and boats, but why would they want to high jack a train?" Lucy asked.

"It doesn't seem like a very good choice for getaways since it can only follow the track." Happy added.

Rizzo hummed in agreement before she decided to slide into the Magic Mobile with the others. She sat herself across from Gray who was in his underwear…again. Rizzo looked sympathetically at Natsu who had his head resting on the seat beside Gray.

"Yes, that's true, but they are quite fast." Erza said as Rizzo moved out of her seat.

Rizzo gently lifted Natsu's head up before placing it into her lap, so she could stroke his head. Hopefully this could help him.

"Then I guess it's up to us to figure out where those Eisenwald guys are going in such a big hurry and why." Gray said.

"You're naked, Gray!" Lucy snapped.

"Oh, am I?" He glanced glancing down at himself.

Rizzo shook her head at Gray while wishing he'd just learn to keep his clothes on.

"The military's already been called into action, so it should only be a matter of time before somebody catches them." Lucy said.

"I hope that's the case, Lucy." Erza said then started up the Magic Mobile again.

Rizzo frowned thoughtfully. Truly she didn't want any of the military catching up to Eisenwald. The second they heard the Lullaby they'd all drop dead. Only mages had a chance of getting the Lullaby back. Sure, if they hear it then they'd die too, but Rizzo was already coming up with a plan that just might work.

* * *

Rizzo gasped along with everyone inside the Magic Mobile as Erza made another sharp turn. Natsu grabbed onto Rizzo's skirt as his head continued to lay in her lap. She stroked his head while looking up at the ceiling wondering if Gray was alright up there. He went back outside…fully clothed this time…and was most likely hanging on for dear life.

"Slow down, Erza." Gray said. "You're going to blow up the SC plug!"

"There's no telling how many people will die if the Lullaby's song is played." Erza said. "I can't slow down. We have to stop Eisenwald before it's too late."

"But at this rate you're going to use up all your magic before we even start fighting!" Gray pointed out.

Rizzo snorted because she had said something along those lines already to Erza.

"Well then, I'll just have to rely on hand-to-hand combat." Erza said. "Besides, I've got you, Natsu, and Rizzo as backup."

Inside the Magic Mobile, Natsu let out another groan while wishing the ride would stop.

"I feel as if I had something important to tell you, Lucy." Happy said suddenly.

"Oh, really?" Lucy asked. "What was it?"

"I don't remember." Happy said honestly. "It was just something about something I was supposed to tell you. You're…"

"Totally sick for real." Natsu mumbled.

"That's it!" Happy said.

"Are you kidding me?!" Lucy snapped.

Rizzo would have laughed at that moment if Natsu hadn't decided to hang halfway out the window. Rizzo quickly grabbed him before he could fall out.

"I guess he needed some fresh air." Rizzo said laughing.

"Don't laugh! You could drop him." Lucy said.

Rizzo just continued laughing as she soothingly rubbed Natsu on his back. She really wished there was a way to help him with his extreme case of motion sickness. As Rizzo was helping Natsu, Happy was mumbling to himself as he tried to remember what he wanted to tell Lucy, and he kept coming back to the word weird.

"Why are you saying I'm weird?" Lucy asked frowning.

As Rizzo was pulling Natsu back inside the Magic Mobile, she noticed smoke up ahead.

"What's that up ahead?" Erza said.

Rizzo narrowed her eyes seeing that it appeared to be Onibana Station…and smoke was rising out of it. Erza pulled up outside of the station, and Rizzo was quick to get out. She pushed past the large crowd to get to one of the workers who was trying to get the people to go away.

"What's going on?" Rizzo asked him.

"Why would I tell you?" He retorted.

Rizzo narrowed her eyes then kicked the man in the face, and he went flying through the air. Mouths fell open in shock as the man hit a wall with it cracking. Rizzo turned to the next man who jumped in fright. Erza appeared behind Rizzo to place a hand on her shoulder.

"Rizzo, calm down. Violence won't get us anywhere." Erza said. "Allow me."

Rizzo frowned though moved away to stand with the others as Lucy was holding up Natsu.

"Now, what's going on?" Erza asked the man.

He didn't answer fast enough, so she head-butted him to knock him out, which had Lucy sweat-dropping. Rizzo's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. She thought this wasn't the time for violence. Erza asked another person, who didn't answer fast enough either, and she head-butted him.

"Her way of questioning seems counter-productive." Lucy said.

"Erza's got her own way of getting things done." Gray said simply.

"Where are your clothes?!" Lucy snapped.

Rizzo just shook her head as Erza finally got someone to answer her question.

"The Eisenwald guild's inside." Erza said. "Let's go."

"Right." Gray said then gasped when Rizzo just took off without them. "Rizzo, what the hell?! Get back here!"

Rizzo didn't listen as she ran ahead of the group with the intention of getting the Lullaby away from Eisenwald…and to destroy their little guild while she was at it. As she was running, Rizzo saw that the military had already been taken out. She ran up some stairs then paused beside one of the bodies to inspect it.

"Rizzo, don't go running off!" Erza ordered as the others caught up.

Rizzo didn't reply as she looked over the body as if looking for something specifically.

"Lullaby didn't do this." Rizzo said. "Eisenwald has to be planning something big. I won't let them use the Lullaby. My ancestor died trying to stop it. I won't let his or those other mages' deaths be in vain."

Lucy looked at Rizzo looking a bit taken back by the seriousness in Rizzo's tone. Rizzo stood up then hurried forward with everyone following. They made it to the inner station where the Eisenwald guild was waiting for them.

"Welcome." Erigor said. "Step into our parlor, Fairy Tail flies."

Rizzo narrowed her eyes at Erigor while already picturing kicking his ass because that's the only way things were going to end here. She didn't care how many mages he had with him.

"Whoa there's so many of them." Lucy said looking freaked out.

"You fiend!" Erza said. "I take it you're Erigor."

Erigor just chuckled in a creepy manner as Lucy was trying frantically to wake up Natsu. One of the men seemed to recognize Natsu.

"Hey, you." He called out. "It's your fault I got into trouble with Erigor. Get up."

Rizzo frowned highly doubting it was Natsu's fault this guy got in trouble with his boss, and her fellow pinkette wouldn't be moving anytime soon.

"We're not threatened by any of you." Erza said. "Tell me what you're planning to do with Lullaby!"

"Oh, you haven't heard yet?" Erigor asked in a mocking tone.

He jumped into the air with a breeze taking him up high, so they had to tilt their heads back to look at him.

"What do all train stations have?" He asked.

Rizzo was pretty sure trains would be an answer, but maybe that's just the smartass in her making a sarcastic thought.

"He flew." Lucy said in awe.

"Wind magic." Happy explained.

Erigor used his magic to land on top of the speakers that were placed on a high pole.

"You plan to broadcast the Lullaby's song?!" Erza demanded.

Rizzo's teeth grit together roughly as she glared up at Erigor. She couldn't let him broadcast that song. Who knew how many would die if he did!

"Thousands of nosy onlookers have flocked to this station to get a glimpse of the action." Erigor said. "Who knows, if I raise the volume enough, I may be able to extinguish the entire city with my melody of death."

Rizzo was shaking in anger by now, and Gray reached out to place a hand on her shoulder, so she wouldn't do anything brash.

"What reason do you have to commit such a heinous crime against the innocent people of this town?" Erza questioned.

"This is a cleansing of all the fools out there who fail to appreciate the lives they hold so dear." Erigor said. "They who play ignorant to those who have had their rights stripped away. They committed the sin of turning a blind-eye to the world's injustice. Therefore, the Reaper has come to punish them!"

This guy was seriously asking for it, and if Rizzo had a say in the manner, she was going to give it to him.

"But killing them isn't going to get you your rights back." Lucy pointed out. "It's only going to make it worse. That's the whole reason you were kicked out of the Mage League in the first place."

"At this point we've given up trying to regain our rights." Erigor said. "We want power then we will be able to wash away the sins of the past, and take control of whatever happens in the future!"

"You guys are completely insane!" Lucy said.

The man, who spoke earlier, knelt down on the ground to place his hand where he cast a shadow.

"We're calling in a new age of darkness." He said. "Of course by the time it gets here, you flies, will be long gone."

The shadows shot out towards the group before forming up in the air as fists above them. While Lucy gasped in worry, Rizzo didn't even look up at the threat. There was no need to worry, and she was right because Natsu, who was feeling better, took care of the shadows with his fire as he stood in front of Lucy.

"Eisenwald dude, I knew I recognized that voice." Natsu said.

"You're back to normal." Lucy said happily.

She really thought it would be another ten minutes before Natsu would be ready to get up.

"Wow, looks like we've got ourselves a party here, huh?" Natsu commented.

"No, Natsu, these are the guys we have to fight." Lucy said.

"He knows that." Rizzo said grinning. "Fighting them is what makes it a party."

Lucy shook her head not believing these two. How could they be so carefree? However, if she took a moment to really look at Rizzo, she'd see that Rizzo's grin was too tight and that her body was shaking a bit in barely controlled anger.

"This is the strongest team Fairy Tail has to offer." Lucy said. "You better be ready!"

Rizzo looked at Lucy wondering if the girl even planned to fight. Rizzo doesn't wish to be mean, but Lucy doesn't seem much like a fighter. Of course she could be wrong.

"I leave them to you." Erigor said as he went higher into the air before disappearing.

"He disappeared!" Lucy and Happy said in unison.

Rizzo growled because she couldn't let that man get away. She just couldn't. She had to stop him.

"Natsu, Gray, go." Erza ordered. "I need you to stop him. If you two work together, not even Erigor the Reaper can defeat you. I'm leaving him in your hands."

Rizzo glared at Erza wondering why she had to stay here. This was all personal for her. She had to finish the work that her ancestor started. Rizzo felt a hand on her shoulder, so she turned her head to Natsu.

"Don't worry, Rizz." Natsu said. "I'll stop him, I promise."

Rizzo offered Natsu a smile even if it didn't fully reach her eyes. She knew she could count on him…even Gray. They could do this.

"I'm counting on you." Rizzo said then looked to Gray. "…the both of you."

Gray seemed a bit surprised Rizzo, who was still smiling weakly, said that to him. However, he nodded in the end before running off with Natsu.

"They're running off!" One of the Eisenwald men said.

"They must be going after Erigor!"

Two men broke off to pursue, but the three girls and Happy remained in place to look at the rest of the guild.

"We'll catch up with them once we've finished off everyone here, okay?" Erza said to Lucy and Rizzo.

"Three girls against an entire magical guild?!" Lucy asked.

"More like two." Rizzo said. "Erza's practically spent because she used so much magic on the Magic Mobile."

Lucy gasped realize that Rizzo was right. Would Erza even be able to fight properly after using so much magic?

"Don't write me off so soon." Erza said. "I'm sure I can take out more of them than you."

Rizzo's eyebrow twitched in annoyance due to Erza's words, and Lucy leaned away when Rizzo let out strong killing intent. Erza smirked knowing she struck a nerve.

"Oh, really?" Rizzo said. "We'll see about that."

Erza and Rizzo then turned their eyes back onto the Eisenwald guild as they grinned menacingly at them.

"My momma told me to never hit a girl, but I'll make an expectation." One said.

"Sorry, Ladies, but you're not going to be as pretty once we're done with you." Another one threatened.

Rizzo scoffed not feeling scared of these guys at all. She would take them all on by herself, but she doubted Erza would let her.

"But without my stunning good looks I'd be completely helpless." Lucy said worriedly.

"This isn't the time for daydreaming, Lucy!" Happy said.

"Let's do this." Erza said as she held up her hand.

Her red magic formed in front of her before it shot up to form a magic sword that Erza grabbed hold of.

"It came out of thin air!" Lucy said. "A magic sword."

"If you insult the Fairy Tail guild again in my presence, I swear none of you will live to see tomorrow." Erza said.

"That's my line." Rizzo said then snapped her fingers.

Her guitar case flew off of her back before hovering in the air behind her. When it opened, Lucy could see there was nothing inside of it. It was like a black void within the case.

"Sanjū, guitar if it isn't a bother!" Rizzo called out.

Lucy frowned wondering who 'Sanjū' was. She was then surprised when Rizzo's usual guitar came flying out of the case. Rizzo caught the guitar with ease then put the trap around her just as the Eisenwald guild attacked. Some went towards Erza while the rest went at Rizzo.

"Get ready to have your eardrums busted." Rizzo said. "Because it's about to get loud! Sanjū, let's throw in some speakers."

Behind her giant speakers shout out of her case to land behind her with a thud.

"How did those fit in there?!" Lucy demanded.

Rizzo played aggressively on her guitar, and the sound shot out of the speakers with amazing power. While it didn't affect her, the men in front of her were blown off their feet, and the ground cracked due to the force.

"Whoa!" Lucy gasped when the aftershock shot back blowing her hair everywhere. "What kind of magic is this?!"

Happy had to grab onto her, so not to be blown back into the wall behind them.

"Music magic!" Happy said helpfully as Rizzo continued ripping up the join as she continued playing. "It's almost like sound magic. However, unlike regular sound magic Rizzo puts her magic through musical instruments. If played in a certain way, the instruments can give off different magic, like, elemental type attacks like Natsu and Gray, or even something wilder. What she's using now is just simple sound magic, and she's using the speakers behind her to amplify the noise."

"But where did those speakers come from?" Lucy asked.

"Well, Rizzo's guitar case is actually a portal to connect wherever Rizzo is to where she keeps all her collected instruments." Happy said. "Sanjū is actually a cat like me. She doesn't come along much because she doesn't like conflict, but she tries to help by tossing Rizzo the instruments or other music equipment she needs."

Lucy nodded her head while wondering if she'd ever meet Sanjū in person one day.

"And what about Erza's magic?" Lucy asked.

"Oh, that's Equip magic!" Happy said. "Equip magic actually isn't that different from your celestial magic, Lucy. The user can summon weapons they keep stored in another dimension. And when they use their switches between weapons it's called reequipping."

"Wow, they're both incredible." Lucy said.

"You haven't seen nothing yet." Happy said. "Erza and Rizzo are just getting warmed up."

Lucy blinked wondering how much more the two women could do. They've already taken a large chunk out of the guild.

"It's time for me to kick butt too!" Lucy declared.

"Awe, why do you have to try and steal the spotlight from them?" Happy asked.

He shook his head while knowing Rizzo and Erza wouldn't need the help. In fact, Rizzo might even get annoyed if Lucy interferes.

"Open: Gate of the Giant Crab!" Lucy said while using one of her gold keys. "Cancer!"

Cancer appeared from a golden ball of light, and Rizzo actually paused in her playing to look over curiously.

"You need me to fight these dudes, baby?" Cancer questioned.

"Yeah, kick their butts!" Lucy ordered.

Rizzo sweat-dropped thinking that this celestial spirit seemed kind of lame. Or maybe it was just her.

"I've never seen such a horrible hairstyle!" One of the men said.

"You look like an idiot!" Another shouted.

That didn't seem to set well with Cancer, and he quickly went to take care of the men with his scissors. Their weapons fell into pieces and they were all suddenly sporting bald heads. Rizzo's brow quirked. Hmm, it was interesting at least.

"That was impressive." Erza said.

"It was different that's for sure." Rizzo said.

"Thanks, but it's not big deal." Lucy said while blushing then turned to the side. "Alright, I totally scored points with them!"

Rizzo shook her head really not understanding this girl, but at least she was entertaining.

"However, this crab spirit of yours, the way he calls you baby…I find it rather insulting." Erza said.

"Not to mention it takes away the cool factor of him being a crab man." Rizzo said. "Actually…totally uncool."

"That's what I said!" Happy exclaimed.

Lucy and Cancer looked away both looking bothered.

"Points unscored." Lucy said.

"Whoa…ba-bam." Cancer murmured.

Rizzo laughed thinking she was going to like having Lucy around as part of their group.

"Still so many." Erza said. "I thought we took care most of them."

"Obviously not." Rizzo said. "If you're starting to get overwhelmed, Erza, then you can sit the rest of this out. Sanjū, violin, please."

Lucy watched in awe as the speakers were sucked into the case despite their urge size. The guitar went next before a violin and its bow came flying out into Rizzo's awaiting hands.

"Don't worry about me." Erza said. "It's annoying, but I can take them out."

The red magic circle appeared under Erza as her entire body started to glow. Her clothes disappeared, which had the Eisenwald guild to hoot and holler like perverted monkeys. Rizzo rolled her eyes at the men's reactions.

"Most magic swordsmen can only swap their swords, but Erza can switch into mage armor to enhance her abilities." Happy said as Erza's armor finished reequipping. "It's a talent that only she possesses. That's what makes her magic special. A technique called…the Knight."

Rizzo frowned feeling as if she was totally being shown up here. She couldn't have that, so she prepared her violin as Erza prepared her swords.

"Now, dance my swords," Erza began as Rizzo was saying, "Time to play a melody."

"Circling swords!" Erza shouted.

"Song of the Dancing Wind!" Rizzo called out as she played vigorously on her violin.

As Erza's swords shot forward, a blast of magic wind flew out of the magic circle in front of Rizzo's violin. The attacks merged with a bright light appearing that blinded everyone for a second. When the light cleared, Lucy gasped when seeing only two men were still standing.

"Whoa, they nearly wiped out the entire guild!" Lucy said.

One of the men went running towards Erza as the other called out that he should stop. The man was taken care of by Erza with ease. The last guy just ran off.

"I imagine he's going after Erigor." Erza said. "You two should follow—"

She didn't finish because Rizzo, who had put away her violin and had the case back on her back, was already running after the man.

"Come on, Lucy, Happy!" Rizzo called out over her shoulder.

"Ah, yes, ma'am!" Lucy said running after her with Happy going with her.

"We're going to stop this!" Rizzo said. "Do you hear me, Erigor?! I won't let you use Lullaby!"


	4. The Maiden in Chains

"Where the hell did that bastard go?!" Rizzo demanded as she slammed her fist against the wall.

Lucy jumped when the wall cracked a bit once Rizzo's fist made contact with it.

"I don't know." Lucy said. "We can't find him anywhere."

Rizzo growled getting ready to forget the fatty, so she could go track down Erigor.

"What do you say we head back to where Erza is?" Lucy asked.

Happy let out a scream while landing on the ground as he leaned away from Lucy as if she said the earth was ending. Rizzo shook her head at the blue feline.

"What's with the reaction?" Lucy said.

"Erza, gave you an order to go after the fat man, so you have to do what she says, Lucy." Happy said. "Ignoring an order from Erza is never a good idea. She's going to be super angry with you…both of you, and if I have to watch her punish you, it might scar me for life."

Lucy looked freaked out by Happy's words, but Rizzo snorted not looking scared at all.

"Technically Erza never gave an order because I was already in pursuit." Rizzo said. "Also, I'm the one who told the two of you to come with me. Thirdly, Erza can kiss my ass."

Happy and Lucy looked at Rizzo as if she had a death wish, which had Rizzo sighing. Suddenly the building started to shake, which had the three of them looking up.

"Why is the building shaking like that?" Lucy asked.

"Must be Natsu." Rizzo said then pouted. "He's destroying the place without me. I'm feeling a little hurt."

Lucy frowned glad the two of them weren't in the same room at the moment. The station probably wouldn't be left standing if they were. The shaking continued before it gave one large shudder with some of the ceiling cracking.

"Definitely Natsu." Rizzo said.

Lucy and Happy nodded in agreement while wondering if Natsu had managed to find Erigor.

"Let's go." Rizzo ordered.

She took off running as the other two ran after her while trying to hurry to the others. They started going up stairs until they found destroyed rooms that Natsu had left behind before finding the group themselves. Rizzo frowned in confusion as she watched Erza shake one of the Eisenwald guys who looked in pretty bad shape.

"Bad timing." Lucy said.

"What the hell is going on?" Rizzo demanded.

Gray looked away from Erza to look at the pinkette, who was not looking happy at the moment, and he sighed knowing her mood was going to get worse.

"Erigor isn't here anymore." Gray said. "His plan wasn't to use the Lullaby here. He trapped us in here using a wind barrier…so we couldn't stop him from his real plan."

Rizzo frowned now wanting to even think what Erigor's real plan was. Just trying to figure it out had her stomach tightening uncomfortably.

"We'll explain more outside." Erza said as she stood. "Come along."

They all moved outside, and Rizzo frowned as she looked at the twister of wind that prevented them from leaving the station.

"Now are you going to explain?" Rizzo asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Gray sighed then turned to face Rizzo, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy directly since they didn't know what was going on.

"Erigor wants to use the Lullaby in Clover…where the Guild Master conference is going on." Gray finished.

The air seemed to still completely as Rizzo and Lucy's eyes widened in utter shock. The Guild Master conference? He's planning to kill the Guild Masters? Master Makarov was there!

"What? Is Erigor really planning to use the Lullaby on the Guild Masters?!" Lucy asked.

"We have to stop him!" Natsu said.

"That's easier said than done." Erza said. "Erigor cut off any means of reaching Clover, and is heading there by air."

Well, Rizzo wasn't about to stop here. She would catch up to Erigor no matter what, and she was sure Natsu was feeling the same way.

"I'm sure we could catch up to him on the Magic Mobile." Gray said. "But we can't do anything until we figure out how to get beyond this barrier."

"How do we do that?" Lucy asked.

Suddenly Natsu gave a yell as he ran forward wish his fist engulfed in flames. He hit the barrier then shot backwards hurt from trying to breakout.

"See? That's what happens when you try to bust through." Gray said.

Rizzo knelt down beside Natsu to pat him on the head for a good try even if it didn't do anything.

"Kage, wake-up." Erza, who was knelt beside the wounded Kage, said. "We need you."

Natsu jumped up bounding at the barrier refusing to give up on trying to get out.

"We have to save Makarov!" Natsu growled.

Natsu got sent flying again, and Rizzo's grit her teeth wishing brute force was the answer.

"Cut it out, you idiot." Gray said. "Obviously brute force isn't going to do you any good."

"Well, we have to figure out something because that Hikariyama guy, or whatever his name is, is useless at the moment." Rizzo said frowning.

Gray sighed knowing that was true, but they didn't have many options here at the moment.

"Can't you freeze it, and Natsu like melt it?" Lucy asked.

"I would have tried that already if it was possible." Gray said.

Natsu, who was determined to bust out, ran at the barrier again to try and break free. He didn't even use fire this time as he hit the barrier.

"Natsu!" Gray and Rizzo shouted.

Natsu just yelled as he tried to push through the barrier.

"Would you stop trying to be the hero?!" Lucy demanded. "You're going to be torn to shreds!"

Rizzo cursed opening her case thinking she'd have to play her violin to use the Song of Dancing Wind spell, so to counter the wind Natsu was pressing against. It would keep him from getting torn to shreds. However, Natsu was shot back from the wind, and Lucy grabbed him.

"Just stop it!" Lucy begged.

Natsu frowned then his eyes widened a bit as he turned to look at Lucy who blinked in confusion.

"Wha…what is it?" She asked.

Natsu cried in a 'ah-ha!' moment, and he waved his arms widely, which shoved Lucy back.

"We can use your spirits." Natsu said. "Back at Everlue's mansion I was pulled from one place to another through the spirit world!"

"But normal people would suffocate to death if they did that." Lucy said. "They can't breathe in there. Besides, celestial mages can only open a gate wherever they're standing!"

Which means that's a bust. Rizzo couldn't use her case either because it only connects to where she's standing to her room in Fairy Hills.

"Huh?" Natsu asked.

"Okay let me simplify this for you." Lucy said.

Of course her next explanation didn't mean a thing to Natsu, and the two ended up arguing about it. Gray sighed in exasperation as Rizzo ran her hand through the longish hair she had. Happy then let out a scream that had the others jumping. Rizzo latched onto Gray, and his arms seemed to almost instinctively wrap around her.

"I just remembered, Lucy!" Happy said.

"Remembered what?" Lucy asked.

"WHAT I WAS TRYING TO TELL YOU ON THE WAY HERE!" Happy shouted, which had Lucy leaning away from him.

Rizzo blinked wondering what Happy was going on about. She then realized something. Her eyes moved up, and they locked with Gray's eyes. She felt her cheeks heat up when she realized she was holding onto him. She shoved him away to put distance between them. Gray frowned adjusting his clothes as he ignored the blush on his cheeks.

"Here!" Happy said pulling out a key.

"What the heck did you get your paws on Virgo's key?!" Lucy demanded then grabbed Happy's mouth. "Didn't anyone ever teach you it's wrong to steal things?!"

"But I didn't steal it!" Happy said with his voice sounding funny. "Virgo asked me to give it to you!"

Lucy let go of Happy's mouth seeming surprised that Virgo wanted Lucy to have her key. Rizzo frowned not really understanding.

"Come on, we're wasting too much of our time listening to this nonsense." Gray said.

"Who's Virgo?" Natsu muttered. "Oh wasn't she that big gorilla made?"

Rizzo tilted her head to the side really confused by now. She thought Virgo a celestial being known as a maiden not as some oversized monkey.

"Apparently her contract with Everlue was broken the moment he was arrested." Happy said. "When we all left that day, she came up to me, and said she wanted to make a new contract with you, Lucy."

"Great, I get a big ugly spirit." Lucy said. "Anyway, thanks for letting me know, but I'll have to deal with that later. If you didn't realize it, we need to find a way out of here."

"But—" Happy was cut off by Lucy who went all demonic.

Natsu and Gray leaned away feeling uncomfortable by the dark energy Lucy was giving off. Rizzo just blinked as she watched Lucy pull on Happy's cheek.

"She can be pretty scary, huh?" Gray murmured.

"Guess she learned it form Erza." Natsu said.

"We don't need another Erza." Rizzo deadpanned.

Natsu and Gray nodded their heads in unison as Happy crawled away from Lucy with tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry." Happy said. "I just thought that since Virgo can drill roles that she can dig through the ground to get us to the other side of the barrier."

Everyone looked at Happy with wide eyes when those words left his furry little mouth.

"She can?" Erza asked.

"Seriously?" Gray and Rizzo asked in unison.

"You're right! She can!" Lucy said suddenly turning happy as she held Happy up in the air. "You're so smart, Happy! Why didn't you mention that sooner, silly kitty?"

Rizzo blinked starting to wonder if Lucy might have dissociative identity disorder (previously known as multiple personality disorder).

"Because someone was pinching my face!" Happy said.

Lucy got down on her knees to bow deeply to Happy who was still holding the key.

"My most sincere and heartfelt apologies." Lucy said with tears running down her cheeks. "I promise to make it up to you. Just please let me have the key!"

"Give me some fish and all is forgiven!" Happy said cheerily.

Rizzo, Natsu, and Gray watched the two with sweat falling down the back of their heads. After Lucy got the key from Happy, she went away from the others.

"I call upon thee in the world of the celestial spirits." Lucy said as a golden light shined in front of her. "Now I beckon you at once. Pass through the gates…Open: Gate of the Maiden, Virgo!"

The light got more intense before a small pink haired maid with chains on her wrists appeared. She landed in front of Lucy, placed her hand over her heart, and bowed.

"You summoned, mistress?" Virgo asked. "What can I do for you?"

Lucy just looked at Virgo in shock as Rizzo tilted her head. Didn't Natsu say Virgo looked like a gorilla?

"Who are you?" Lucy asked.

Natsu just smiled as he went up to Virgo as if she was all old friend of his from way back.

"What's up, burger?" Natsu asked. "Man, you look great. You've lost some weight."

"My name is Virgo." She said. "I apologize for any trouble I might have caused you."

"She didn't just lose weight, Natsu!" Lucy said.

Gray and Rizzo, who were standing on either side of Lucy, turned to look at the blonde curiously.

"What do you mean?" Gray asked.

"She's a totally different person!" Lucy said.

"I'm a very loyal spirit who will do anything to please her mage." Virgo explained. "So I take on whatever form my mage would find most appealing."

Huh, well, that's a neat trick, Rizzo supposed. She's never really seen celestial magic up close, so seeing Lucy use it and seeing her spirits was all something interesting to Rizzo.

"Does this mean Lucy finds girls in maid costumes attractive?" Rizzo asked. "And what's with the chains? Is it some kind of fetish? Lucy, I had no idea you were into the kinky stuff."

Gray coughed poorly to hide a laugh as Lucy's face turned beet red.

"WHAT?! No, that's no it at all!" Lucy said. "What gave you that idea?!"

"The maid said she took on the form her master would find appealing." Rizzo said while blinking innocently.

Lucy hid her face in her hands as Rizzo continued to look at her in confusion.

"I don't know." Natsu said. "I kind of liked it when you were big and tough looking."

"Did you really?" Virgo asked. "Well then…"

Virgo shifted into this large gorilla looking woman with a manly face, and Gray and Rizzo jumped back in shock.

"Don't listen to him!" Lucy ordered. "I'm your mage, and I like the other form better!"

Virgo switched back, which had Rizzo relaxing because that other form was just scary.

"As you wish, Mistress." Virgo said obediently.

"I'm afraid we don't have much time." Lucy said. "Can we work out the contract details later?"

"Of course, whatever you'd like, Mistress." Virgo said.

Lucy sighed turning away from the celestial spirit as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Do you really have to call me mistress?" Lucy asked.

"Would you rather I call you queen?" Virgo asked.

"No." Lucy denied immediately.

"What about princess?" Virgo asked.

"Oh, yes, that's more like it." Lucy said happily.

Natsu, Gray, and Rizzo watched on while not believing how almost superficial Lucy seemed to be.

"Princess? Yeah, right." Gray said.

"Please, just hurry it up, Ladies." Natsu begged.

Rizzo nodded her head in agreement because they didn't have time for all of this.

"Yes, sir." Virgo said as golden light appeared at her feet.

She then drilled down into the ground at an amazingly quick speed, which had Rizzo smiling.

"Wow, look at her go." Gray said smiling.

"Nicely done, Lucy." Erza said 'hugging' Lucy.

In reality, she smashed Lucy against her chest plate, which would definitely leave a bruise later on Lucy's head.

"Alright, you guys, it's time to bust out of this joint." Gray said.

Rizzo snapped her fingers with her case flying towards her before it strapped itself onto her back. Rizzo and Gray heard Natsu grunt, so they turned seeing that Natsu was supporting the still unconscious Kageyama.

"What are you doing, Natsu?" Gray asked curiously.

"I know he's one of our enemies, but I'd feel guilty if we just left him here to die." Natsu said.

Rizzo and Erza smiled at Natsu's kindness as Gray frowned clearly not understanding.

"I think we can make room in the Magic Mobile." Rizzo said.

"Yeah." Natsu said grinning at her.

They all then went into the tunnel that Virgo had dug for them. Once they were all out, they looked back to the station, which was still consumed in wind.

"Looks like we made it out." Gray said.

"Let's head towards, Clover!" Erza called over the wind.

Rizzo was all for hurrying to Clover because they had to stop Erigor who had a huge lead on them.

"Whoa, this wind is crazy!" Lucy complained.

Rizzo had to agree there. She was having trouble keeping her skirt from flying up.

"Princess!" Virgo called then held down Lucy's skirt. "I'll keep your panties from showing."

"You just worry about your own!" Lucy said to the spirit whose skirt flew up to flash her panties at Gray who blushed.

He then heard shriek from beside him, and his head turned in time to see Rizzo's skirt fly up to reveal her very revealing black lace underwear. His face got even redder, and Rizzo blushed when seeing he saw.

"You pervert!" Rizzo snapped then punched him right in the face.

He hit the ground holding his nose, which was gushing blood. They then heard a chuckle that had them looking at Kageyama.

"It's not use." Kageyama said. "You'll never be able to catch up to Erigor. You can't stop us. We've won."

Rizzo frowned down at Kageyama feeling insulted. Who did he think he was talking to? Forget being kind to the guy. He doubts Fairy Tail. He is now on Rizzo's S.O.L. list.

"Where's Natsu?" Erza asked.

Rizzo's eyes widened before she looked around see that Natsu and a certain blue kitty-cat was missing.

"Happy's not here either." Gray said.

Rizzo bit her thumb nail worriedly while already having an idea where Natsu and Happy were heading.

"He's definitely went after Erigor." Rizzo said. "We need to get the Magic Mobile."

Erza nodded quickly going to fetch it where they had left it parked earlier, which thankfully wasn't caught in the wind barrier.

"We also need to throw this doubting-jerk into the Magic Mobile." Rizzo said pointing at Kageyama. "I want him there to watch as we beat the shit at out of Erigor."

Lucy sweat-dropped wondering if that was the only reason Rizzo wanted to take Kageyama along. Shouldn't it be because Rizzo wants to see that his wounds are taken care of by a doctor? Erza then appeared with the Magic Mobile, and Lucy went in first.

"Gray, put those muscles to work and throw him in." Rizzo ordered.

Gray sighed then picked up Kageyama even if he knew Rizzo would have no problem picking up Kageyama herself. He placed the wounded mage inside. He turned towards Rizzo while holding out his hand to her. Rizzo blinked in surprise then reached out to take his hand, so that he could help her inside. He followed her inside then shut the door behind him, and as soon as it was shut, Erza took off.

* * *

"So, tell me, why are you taking me with you?" Kageyama asked.

Rizzo sighed shaking her head as she looked at Kageyama who was sitting beside Gray.

"Like I said, I want you there to see us kick your boss's ass." Rizzo said.

"No, we're taking you with us, so you can see a doctor." Lucy corrected. "I'm sure the one in town ran off, which means you'll have to see one in Clover. Try to show some gratitude."

Rizzo 'bleh'ed with her tongue sticking out. Honestly, she didn't care if he got medical treatment because he doubted them. She can't stand people who underestimate them or any other member of the Fairy Tail guild.

"I don't understand." Kageyama said. "Why are you helping me? We're enemies."

Rizzo rolled her eyes wishing the guy would just shut-up already. She didn't want to listen to him all the way to Clover.

"Oh, I get it." He said. "You're taking me hostage, so you can try to make a deal with Erigor. Well, you can forget it. He could care less about me or any of his men."

Lucy hung her head feeling a bit of sympathy towards Kageyama even if he was the enemy. Rizzo just frowned feeling depressed by all the depressed moods in the Magic Mobile

"Geez, lighten up, dude." Lucy said.

"Yeah, totally bringing down the mood." Rizzo added.

Gray didn't even bat an eyelash at all the bowed heads in the Magic Mobile as he continued to look out the window.

"If you wanna die, we can make that happen." Gray offered.

"Chill out, Gray." Lucy said.

"Seriously, it's already depressing enough." Rizzo said. "A dead body would just make it worse."

"That's not the point!" Lucy snapped.

Kageyama frowned wondering what was up with these people. He's heard Fairy Tail has some odd characters, but he never pictured them like this.

"There's a lot more to this world than just life and death, ya know." Gray said. "You should try to look for the positive. You and your Eisenwald pals."

Kageyama frown looking away from Gray as he closed his eyes for a moment. Suddenly, the Magic Mobile shook violently, which sent everyone in the air. Lucy's butt went into Kageyama's face, and Gray's head hit something soft and bouncy. Once they were righted, Lucy jumped away from Kageyama as Gray blinked. What was his head resting on?

"Gray, you mind moving?" Rizzo asked frowning.

Gray looked with his eyes widening when he saw his head was pressed against Rizzo's chest. They felt…nice…so soft. He blushed at his thoughts then jumped away from Rizzo as she sat up. She dusted off her clothes as she sat back down in a seat.

"What happened?" Gray asked.

"It's okay!" Erza called back. "Everything's fine now."

Inside the Magic Mobile, Kageyama was holding his face that had Lucy's butt in it earlier.

"I am so sorry." Lucy said.

"Could your butt be any bigger?" Kageyama complained.

"Sexual harassment!" Lucy shouted turning to her two friends. "Kill him, Gray, Rizzo! He said I had a big butt."

Rizzo covered her ears trying to drown out Lucy's shouting since it was giving her a headache.

"Geez, so much for trying to have a serious moment." Gray said.

Rizzo then frowned as the Magic Mobile shook again. She looked towards where Erza would be sitting on the outside of the cab. She should be running out of magic by now. This could be troublesome.

* * *

Coco: Please review! Pretty please!


	5. Lullaby's True Form

When the group finally caught up with Natsu, he had already defeated Erigor.

"Natsu!" Lucy called out.

"Hey, you guys just missed seeing me beat Erigor!" Natsu said.

Rizzo smiled as she got out of the Magic Mobile. She's just glad that this was all over. Rizzo then glanced at Erza to see she was totally spent as the others climbed out of the Magic Mobile.

"I'm proud of you." Erza said as Lucy was helping her down from the Magic Mobile.

Rizzo shook her head knowing that Erza should have let Gray and her take over earlier with the Magic Mobile.

"Are you going to be okay?" Lucy asked worriedly.

"Yes, don't worry about me." Erza said smiling.

Rizzo then noticed the Lullaby on the ground near Erigor. She walked forward to kneel down in front of it. She reached down to pick it off the ground before standing up.

"So, this is what you had been trying to protect from falling into the wrong hands, Ancestor Tevye (character from fiddler on the roof)?" Rizzo murmured.

Rizzo frowned when the eyes in the flute started glowing because that wasn't a good sign. She wondered if she should tell the others, but when she looked up, she saw Gray and Natsu were too busy arguing.

"I can't believe you had such a hard time with this guy." Gray said to Natsu.

"I never said that." Natsu said. "I took care of him, didn't I?"

"I was kind of worried for a while there." Happy confessed.

Natsu just continued grinning because he still beat Erigor without help from Gray.

"Whatever." Gray said. "You look pretty stupid wearing a scarf when you're half naked."

"Like you have room to talk." Natsu snarked.

He then turned to the girls as Lucy continued to hold up Erza, so the older girl wouldn't fall over.

"Hey, Lucy, give me your clothes!" Natsu said.

"In your dreams!" Lucy snapped.

Erza chuckled in amusement as Rizzo removed her black vest off of her to toss at Natsu who caught it.

"Here, make do with that." Rizzo said. "Take care of it though, Natsu."

"Right!" Natsu said grinning as he put it on. "Thanks!"

He left the vest unbuttoned even if it fit him well enough that it could be buttoned. He was of a slim-ish build anyway, and the vest was actually big on Rizzo.

"Anyway, well done, Natsu." Erza said. "Thanks to you all the Guild Masters will be safe now."

Rizzo looked down at the flute in her hand while wondering what they should do with it. She didn't know how to expose of it.

"Well, we should probably continue on to the conference." Rizzo said. "Master Makarov and the other Guild Masters will want to know about this. Besides, one of them might know how to properly deal with the Lullaby."

"Might as well since we're so close to Clover." Happy said nodding.

Suddenly Rizzo felt herself being grabbed, and she cried out in shock when she was lifted high in the air. Everyone gasped looking up to see Kageyama had high jacked the Magic Mobile with his shadows, and one of the shadows was restraining Rizzo and the Lullaby.

"Kage!" Erza shouted.

"What are you doing?!" Gray demanded.

"You bastard, set Rizzo down now!" Natsu roared.

Lucy and Happy looked up worriedly as Rizzo tried to break free, but was unable to.

"Lullaby is mine now!" Kageyama shouted as the Lullaby was ripped out of Rizzo's hands. "Now, here's your friend back! She's useless to me."

He tossed Rizzo into the air, and even tossed her guitar case out of the Magic Mobile. Gray and Natsu gasped before running forward to catch Rizzo. They both jumped up at the same time, and Gray snatched Rizzo out of the air, so Natsu grabbed her guitar case. Gray landed on his feet then looked down at Rizzo as she opened her eyes, which she had clamped shut when being tossed into the air. Gray's eyes reflected worry as the looked over Rizzo's body to make sure she wasn't injured.

"Shouldn't have let your guard down, Flies!" Kageyama shouted while they were distracted by trying to see if Rizzo was alright.

Kageyama then went speeding down the train tracks. Leaving the others far behind. Natsu growled in anger, but instead of hurrying after Kageyama immediately, Natsu turned to Rizzo.

"Are you alright?" Natsu asked her.

"Yeah." Rizzo said. "But we have to hurry after the Lullaby now! Before it's too late."

Everyone nodded as Gray set Rizzo on her own two feet. Natsu handed her the guitar case, and she put it around her.

They all started hurrying after the Magic Mobile as it carried away Kage and the Lullaby.

* * *

"Are we getting closer?" Lucy asked.

"Yes, the conference building should be just over the hill." Erza said.

The group went over the hill towards where the conference building should be, but paused when seeing their very own master in front of Kageyama.

"There he is." Gray said.

"Master!" Erza and Rizzo said in worry.

Suddenly Bob the Guild Master of the Blue Pegasus appeared in front of them to shush them. They all jumped back in fright while grabbing onto each other.

"We're just about to get to the good part." Bob said.

Natsu and Gray then grabbed onto each other when Bob smiled creepily at them.

"Well, aren't you two boys yummy?" He hummed. "So adorable."

They practically cried wishing Bob would leave them alone. They were really getting freaked out.

"Who is that guy?" Lucy asked as she hid partially behind Erza.

"Master Bob." Erza replied as the boys hid behind Rizzo.

Rizzo sighed patting them both on the heads to give them some comfort, but it wasn't helping them much.

"Oh, Rizzo sweetie, you've turned into quite the young woman." Bob said then looked to Erza. "And you, Erza honey, have really filled out."

"Thank-you, Master Bob." Rizzo said. "You're looking well."

"Oh, stop it." Bob said making a weird giggling sound.

Lucy frowned feeling even more disturbed than before as Bob held his blushing cheek.

"You're telling me this weirdo is the master of the Blue Pegasus guild?" Lucy grumbled.

Rizzo then looked back to where Makarov was with Kageyama, and her eyes widened when seeing he was about to play. Seeing that she was distracted, Bob grabbed onto Natsu and Gray who cried out.

"Oh, no!" Erza said.

"Can you guys keep it down over there?" Goldmine asked as he leaned against a tree. "We're just about to get to the good part."

"He's with the Quatro Cerberus guild!" Lucy said.

"Master Goldmine." Rizzo said. "Haven't seen you in a while."

Goldmine glanced back at Rizzo with a smile on his face. The last time he saw Rizzo she was still a little girl.

"You've really changed, Rizzo." Goldmine said. "It's good to see you. We'll have to talk later though. Just listen for now."

Rizzo frowned in confusion before walking forward to look down where Makarov was still standing in front of Kageyama who was showing hesitance.

"Nothing will change." Makarov said suddenly. "You can't change the fact that those who are weak will forever remain weak. Now maybe it's just me, but I don't think that's a bad thing. I mean, we humans are weak creatures by nature. Our insecurities are the reason guilds even exist, and they're why we have friends. When we're surrounded by allies it's easier to stay positive about the future. Think of it this way, if we're clumsy we might stumble and fall into things, but as long as we have faith in our future, we continue marching forward. Our inner strength emerges on its own. But we have to choose that path, and pledge to live our lives to the fullest. Don't let that silly flute get in the way."

It was silent for a moment before the flute clattered to the ground. Kageyama then fell to his knees to bow his head.

"I surrender." He said.

The young Fairy Tail mages' eyes widened in shock, but then they smiled at their guild master's accomplishment.

"Woohoo!" Rizzo cheered then started running down the hill towards Makarov.

The others laughed before running after her as Makarov turned around in surprise.

"Master!" Erza called out.

"You did it!" Natsu shouted.

"Good job, Gramps." Gray said.

They all reached him, and Rizzo knelt down to give Makarov a large smile.

"How did you kids end up in Clover?" Makarov asked.

He then cried out in pain when Erza hugged him, which meant his head was slammed against her armor.

"Master Makarov." Erza said. "You're words touched me so deeply that I was almost moved to tears."

Rizzo jerked Makarov away from Erza to give him a hug herself, and he sighed happily as his head was rested again her soft bosom.

"You're amazing, Master!" Rizzo said then set him down.

"Yeah." Natsu said while patting him on the head much to his chagrin.

As they were congratulating him, Lucy was checking on Kageyama who still had his head bowed.

"Looks like we got ourselves here in time to see Gramps talk his way out of another one." Gray said grinning.

Erza nodded her head in agreement with a small smile on her face as she watched Rizzo and Natsu speak excitedly with Makarov who was grinning at the two of them. Suddenly dark laughter filled the air as a blackish-purple smoke came out of the Lullaby.

"I've grown tired of you cowardly mages and your antics!" It said.

Everyone froze in surprise as they looked down at the flute wondering if it really just spoke. A large dark magic circle covered the shy as more of the smokey substance left the flute.

"Something came out." Happy said.

Soon sparks of electricity followed the smoke into the sky towards the magic circle.

"I can no longer hold back!" The voice continued. "I shall come forward to devour your souls!"

A large wood like demon with three eyes appeared, and it stood five times taller than the conference building.

"I shall feast upon your pitiful souls!" It growled.

"It's huge!" Lucy shrieked.

"Thanks for stating the obvious." Happy said sarcastically.

Rizzo just stood there silently as she looked up at the large demon. Was this the evil her grandfather told her lay within the flute? He always told her that the flute wasn't just any magical instrument, which is why their ancestor Tevye had wanted to find the flute, so no one could unleash such an evil power onto the world.

"What is that thing?!" Kageyama asked. "Erigor never said anything about a monster!"

Rizzo doubted that Erigor himself knew about this demon. Even if he did, Rizzo didn't think it would have stopped him.

"We're in a pickle." Bob said.

"It must be a demon from the book of Zeref." Goldmine said.

As they stood there, many of the guild masters fled from the conference building to get away from the demon.

"Why did the flute turn into a monster?" Lucy asked.

"That's what Lullaby's true form looks like in the flesh." Goldmine said. "It's forbidden black magic, living magic. Zeref's specialty."

Rizzo stared up at the creature with her hands clenched into fists. She had no idea that her grandfather was speaking of this monster when he warned Rizzo of the evil of Lullaby…Zeref's flute.

"Living magic?" Erza asked.

"Who's Zeref?" Gray asked. "Wasn't he some ancient mage?"

"He's the most evil mage the world has ever known." Bob said. "He was very powerful in his day, but never in my wildest dreams did I think his evil dark legacy would pop back up again."

The demon grinned menacingly as it leaned forward towards the mages on the ground.

"Now then, which of these delectable souls shall I dine on first?" It inquired.

Rizzo and the others glared up at the demon as they stood ready to use magic if needed.

"Delectable, huh?" Natsu asked then smiled. "Do you really think souls are that tasty?!"

"How should I know what they taste like?" Gray asked looking annoyed.

"Always thinking about eating!" Lucy said in exasperation.

Rizzo snorted in amusement as a small smile appeared on her face. They're facing a demon, and Natsu still has time to think of his stomach.

"Natsu, Gray, and Rizzo, get everyone to a safe place." Erza said.

"Quit barking orders." Natsu said surprisingly brave.

"Yeah, you're not the boss of us." Gray added.

Rizzo just glared at Erza not about to leave her to fight this thing head on. She'd get herself killed.

"Just do it!" Erza ordered.

"Aye!" The two said in unison as they ran off.

Rizzo still didn't move as she crossed her arms over her chest. Those guild masters didn't need a bunch of young mages like them for protection. They would be fine on their own.

"Rizzo." Erza began.

"Just shut-up already." Rizzo said. "The guild masters don't need us holding their hands. Do you really doubt them that much?"

Erza frowned not liking that Rizzo wasn't listening to her, but Rizzo had a point. Suddenly the demon let out an attack towards the mountain. Rizzo could hear shouting over in that direction, and she wondered who was over there. She then heard retreating. Oh, it had been the Fiore Army…and they ran off.

"I have no need for those pathetic humans." The demon said. "I prefer the taste of the mage's soul, and I am going to consume all of you."

Rizzo glared up at the demon as she, Erza, Gray, and Natsu stood there ready to face it. The guild masters and Lucy had all backed up.

"Oh yeah? I'd like to see you try." Natsu said. "Bring it on, big guy!"

"Good luck." The guild masters called out from a safe distance away.

Rizzo shook her head wondering why the guild masters were backing up. She then shrugged because the four of them didn't need their help.

"Can those four defeat Lullaby on their own?" Lucy asked worriedly.

"You should help them." Happy said.

"Normally, I would, but none of my celestial spirits are available at the moment." Lucy said. "And I'd probably get in the way."

"Good excuse." Happy said.

"Don't judge me, Cat!" Lucy snapped.

Happy just shook his head at Lucy, who was frowning at him in return, as the other four prepared to fight. The demon let out a loud roar as a large magic circle appeared above it. Rizzo narrowed her eyes it because it looked as if it's getting ready to attack. Rizzo snapped her fingers with her case rising to float behind her as Erza had her swords appear.

"Listen, I have a plan." Rizzo said. "If we can't defeat Lullaby before its ready to play, there is still something we can do to make sure it can't play its song."

Her three companions looked at her curiously as she placed her hands on her hips.

"We have to make as many holes as possible in the demon." Rizzo said. "With too many holes inside of it, it won't be able to get the right notes, which means it won't be able to play the death song."

"Hmm, I see." Erza said. "Fine, then that's our plan."

Gray and Natsu nodded their heads in unison before they all turned to face the demon once more.

"Ready?" Erza asked.

"Oh yeah." The other three said.

They all rushed forward to attack the demon in front of them. Erza brought out her Heavenly Winged armor before attacking the demon. A clarinet came out of Rizzo's case, and she caught it as she jumped high into the air.

"Song of the Cascading Notes." She said then started playing.

Literal musical notes came out of the bottom of the clarinet before they started raining down like hail onto the demon that roared in pain when the notes cut into its wooden form. Gray then took his turn as he put his closed fist in the palm of his other hand.

"Ice Make: Lance!" He said.

Ice like spears shot out to stab the demon that continued to snarl at the mages attacking it.

"Now, it's my turn." Natsu said as he bumped his fists together before jumping forward. "Fire Dragon: Iron Fist!"

He punched the demon in the face as the guild masters watched in awe at their magic.

"You're making me angry!" The demon shouted as it swung at them.

They all jumped out of the way in time, so the demon didn't hit any of them. Erza attacked once more to live more holes into the demon as Rizzo continued playing her clarinet with roots shooting out of the ground to stab the demon from below. Gray shot icy arrows at the demon as Natsu prepared for another attack.

"I'm not done with you yet." Natsu said as he threw his arms back. "Fire Dragon: Wing Attack!"

He moved his arms forward with the fire rushing forward to strike the demon. The demon let out a loud roar as it started to get ready for its attack. The plants started dying around them, which had Rizzo's teeth grinding together. She really hoped all those holes that made in the demon would prevent the song from playing.

"Just one note, and your souls will be mine!" The demon growled.

The let out a roar as he tried to play his song, but only odd whistling noises came out of the demon.

"What happened?" Lucy asked.

"Nothing happened!"

Rizzo smiled seeing that her idea was a success, which meant no one was dying via Lullaby's song.

"I don't understand!" Lullaby shouted. "Why can't I play my melody of death?"

"It must have been because of all those attacks!" Kageyama said.

"They punched so many holes in that thing it totally messed up its sound!" Lucy said. "All that build up for this? Talk about going out with a whimper."

"Yeah, flutes are pretty lame to begin with." Happy said.

Rizzo frowned a bit because she didn't think flutes were lame. In fact, she loved playing the flute from time-to-time.

"You dare mock me?!" It demanded then kicked a mountain.

Gray hurried to get in front of the guild masters and the others to form a shield of ice to block the fiery explosion.

"That boy's maker magic is spectacular." One of the guild masters said.

"What's maker magic?" Lucy asked.

"Its users can give magic a tangible form." Happy said. "However, there's another type of magic that can destroy it."

Lucy looked at Happy wondering what the cat was talking about. What kind of magic?

"I will kill you all!" The demon shouted.

The fire it had created was then sucked away due to Natsu sucking it up into his mouth.

"Oh yeah?" Natsu mocked as he finished eating all that fire. "Now I've got a fire in my belly."

"You're not human!" The demon shouted. "You're a monster!"

It swung at Natsu, but the pinkette jumped onto its arm to run up it. He then jumped into the air above it as Erza changed her armor.

"Her armor is lovely." One guild master said.

"It's called black winged armor, and it amplifies the power of her attacks." Another said.

"I'm not about to be left out of this." Rizzo said from beside Gray. "What about you, Gray?"

Gray grinned at Rizzo as she swapped out her clarinet for her guitar and larger speakers than what she used at Onibana station.

"I'm game if you are." Gray said as he started forming ice in his hands.

Rizzo grinned as she hooked up her guitar to the large speakers. Lucy automatically covered her ears.

"Sound magic: Sonic Wave!" Rizzo said slamming on the chords as Gray shouted, "Ice Make: Saucer!"

A sonic blast shot out of the speakers with a large saucer shaped piece of ice with razor edges following after. The sonic blast hit the demon causing it to teeter off balance before the ice attack ripped into it as Erza sliced its face.

"Natsu, now!" Erza, Gray, and Rizzo shouted.

Natsu grinned while slamming his fists together as he got ready for his final attack.

"I've got this." Natsu said. "The flames of my right hand, and the flames of my left. Put the two together."

Both of his hands were engulfed in hot red flames before bringing them together to form a large ball of fire.

"And this is what you get!" He said as the fireball got bigger. "Fire Dragon: Brilliant Flame!"

He threw the fireball down onto the demon ultimately defeating the Lullaby. It disappeared with a bright light shooting up into the dark clouds above. Magical sparks then fell down from the sky once the light disappeared as the flute laid harmlessly on the ground.

"Well done." Makarov said.

"You're amazing~" Bob cooed.

"You kids, made defeating Zeref's demon look easy." Goldmine added.

Rizzo smiled just glad that it was all over. She let her speaks and guitar get sucked back up into the case before she placed it on her back.

"I can't believe how strong they are." Kageyama said as the dust cleared to reveal Gray, Rizzo, Erza, and Natsu. "Are all the Fairy Tail mages as powerful as these four?"

"There's no doubt about it." Lucy said. "This is the strongest team."

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

"We're an awesome guild, aren't we?!" Makarov bragged.

Rizzo chuckled in amusement as Lucy congratulated them on their job well done.

"Thanks, but it wasn't a big deal." Natsu said.

"Yeah, piece of cake." Gray said.

The others laughed, and even Erza cracked a smile as she watched her guild smile and laugh.

"We did good work." Rizzo said. "And we only destroyed one building this time!"

The others all froze before turning to look to see that Rizzo was right. Where the conference building had been was gone, and it was replaced with a large gaping whole.

"The conference building has been destroyed!" Lucy said gasping.

"Aye, and there's even a couple of mountain tops missing." Happy.

"Oh, you're right." Rizzo said then laughed. "I didn't notice those! Ah, and now that I think about it, we didn't leave Onibana in good shape either."

Lucy looked at Rizzo as if she was insane because none of this was a laughing manner. Makarov stood there for a moment before his soul went leaving his body.

"Master!" Lucy screamed.

"Something came out!" Happy said pointing at Makarov's soul.

Natsu just laughed as he threw his arm over Rizzo's shoulder, which had her grinning at him.

"We really made a mess of the place, huh?" He asked looking proud of that fact.

Behind them Erza was begging for forgiveness as she went flying after Makarov's soul. They also ignored the angry guild masters that looked ready to kill them.

"You guys trying to catch somebody?" Natsu asked when he finally saw all the angry faces. "We'll do it for ya"

He gestured to himself and Rizzo as the two grinned widely at the angered guild masters.

"You're the ones we're after!" One of them shouted.

"Oh yeah, that's right!" Natsu said.

"Run!" Rizzo said while laughing.

The others were already ahead of them, and Erza had to even carry Makarov as they ran. Natsu and Rizzo laughed as they ran at the back of the group. Rizzo then picked up her pace while feeling in a chipper mood. She turned around to run backwards to smile at her friends, and despite the trouble they were in, they all, besides Makarov, smiled back at her. All in all, not a bad way to end a mission.


	6. Nightmare

Coco: Yo! Just a heads up that I will be adding my own Arc to the storyline. Since Gray, Lucy, and Erza have like their own personal arcs, I knew I just had to write one for Rizzo. It's only fair. So, after the Galuna Island Arc, I'll be putting in my own arc, which I am calling the Pied Piper Arc. There will be new OCs to meet, and to lead up to the arc in the Galuna Island Arc, Rizzo will be having dreams and flashbacks of her past. Also, there will be more pairings to add on. I do like Juvia even if she is an overly obsessed stalker most of the time, so one of my new OCs will be her new love. I don't know if I'll pair the other OCs with anyone, but I've been playing around with the possible pairings. Just not sure yet.

* * *

 _Flames danced dangerously around a young Rizzo's face as she looked around the burning building around her. Why was this happening?_

 _"Rizzo! Rizzo, answer me!" Rizzo heard a familiar voice calling to her._

 _"Breccan!" Rizzo called back._

 _A young boy pushed through one of the back doors of the burning building. He had dark purple hair, pale skin, and striking silver eyes that saw Rizzo's leg pinned under a fallen beam. He ran over to her._

 _"Breccan, where's my granddaddy?" Rizzo asked with tears running down her cheeks._

 _"I think Master Roscoe is outside fighting with the others to defeat that dark guild." Breccan said then went to try and lift the beam._

 _He grunted in effort, but his little arms weren't able to lift the beam all on his own. He growled in anger while swearing that he would not leave Rizzo here to die. He refused._

 _"Alright, let's try this again." Breccan said as he took a deep breath as he closed his eyes._

 _His hands started to light up, which had Rizzo's eyes widening. He was going to use his magic?_

 _"Okay!" Breccan exclaimed as he opened his eyes._

 _He touched the beam trapping Rizzo's leg, and it suddenly splinted into a million pieces. Rizzo turned her head away from the splintering wood. Once the splinters had fallen, Rizzo turned to look at Breccan in awe. He's never been able to focus his power like that._

 _"Let's go." He said while holding out his hand._

 _Rizzo nodded reaching out to take his hand, and the second her hand touched his, he held on firmly. Pulling her along, the two of them left out the way Breccan had came in. They made it outside where their guild was fighting off the dark guild that had attacked them._

 _"Rizzo! Breccan!"_

 _The two kids turned their heads seeing Rizzo's grandmother, Mercury, running towards them. She had Rizzo's guitar case in her hand. Her other hand was holding onto a young boy who seemed about Rizzo's age. He had messy red hair that fell partially in his face and lightly tanned skin. One of his eyes were covered, but the visible eye was a deep green._

 _He was holding the hand of a seemingly younger boy who was having a bit of trouble keeping up. The second boy had platinum blonde hair that fell in a mess around his face. His eyes were a lilac color and they glistened with tears._

 _"Mercury-san, what is it?" Breccan asked._

 _The first boy, Craylee, took in deep breaths as Mercury let go of his hand. Rizzo looked at Craylee in worry when seeing the bit of blood running down his face. She then looked at the blonde, Sven, as he shook in fear. Rizzo reached out to squeeze his hand, and he stepped closer to her._

 _"Hey!"_

 _The group turned seeing another boy running their way. He had sandy brown hair that fell to his shoulders and he had dark tanned skin. His pale yellow eyes were wide as were the rest of theirs. He made it to their sides. Resting on top of his head was a pink feline who panting as she looked around with crazed eyes._

 _"Jaser, Sanjū, there you are." Mercury said sighing in relief._

 _She then knelt down in front of the children and feline that she's raised in the absence of their parents._

 _"All of you must run." Mercury said as she handed Rizzo her guitar case. "Go into the mountains to get away from this town!"_

 _Rizzo was about to protest when she heard her grandfather cry out in pain. Rizzo looked past Mercury, and her eyes widened. It seemed as if time froze around them except for her grandfather who was falling to the ground with blood pouring out a deep wood. Rizzo and the rest of the Treble Chamber guild watched in horror as Roscoe hit the ground._

 _"Roscoe!" Mercury screamed._

 _"Master Roscoe!" Members of the guild cried._

 _"G…Gra…Granddaddy!" Rizzo wailed in despair._

Rizzo shot up in her bed with a cold sweat rolling down her body as it shook violently. She tried to relax when she realized it was just a dream. Or more like a horrible memory. She felt that her cheeks were wet, so she reached up to touch them. When she pulled her hand back she saw the telltale sign of tears now wetting her fingers.

"Rizzo," A voice called from outside her bedroom door. "Is everything alright?"

Rizzo knew immediately it was Sanjū at the door, and the feline had probably heard Rizzo when she jerked up in bed. Rizzo took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

"Everything's fine, Sanjū." Rizzo said in an almost completely steady voice. "I'll be right out."

"Okay." Sanjū replied back then walked away.

Rizzo waited a few more seconds before she pushed her covers off of her. She climbed out of bed then went to go to her bathroom. She really hoped having that dream wasn't an omen that things were going to be bad today.

* * *

"HEY, RIZZ!" Natsu shouted as he entered one of the windows to her large room in Fairy Hills.

He blinked when seeing that Rizzo didn't automatically call back to him as usual.

"Do you think she's alright?" Happy, who was hanging onto Natsu's shoulder, asked.

Natsu frowned feeling a bit worried when Rizzo still didn't make an appearance.

"Rizzo, is in the shower at the moment." A soft voice said.

The boys turned seeing a fluffy pink cat standing on two feet. She had a long bushy tail, fluffy cheeks, and pointed ears like Happy. She also had turquoise colored eyes. She had on a white sleeveless dress with a light green cardigan over it, and in front of her right ear was a matching green bow.

"Sanjū, hey." Happy said waving at her.

"You missed all the fun in Clover." Natsu said grinning.

Sanjū sighed shaking her head at the two of them almost looking as if she was disappointed in them.

"I heard." Sanjū said. "I also heard about all the damage you lot caused. Really, why must everyone in this guild be so violent or just plain destructive?"

"Ah, come on, it's fun." Natsu said.

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

Sanjū snorted obviously not agreeing. Just then Rizzo's bedroom door opened with said girl walking out dressed for the day.

"Oh, Natsu, Happy, good-morning." Rizzo said smiling.

Natsu frowned immediately noticing that Rizzo's smile lacked its usual happy light. Natsu finished climbing in through the window, and Happy jumped off of his shoulder to land in front of Sanjū whom he started conversing with.

"You okay, Rizz?" Natsu asked. "You seem…sad."

Rizzo sighed while not really surprised that Natsu could tell something was wrong with her.

"I had that…dream." Rizzo confessed.

Not even having to say another word, Natsu brought Rizzo into his arms to give her hug. Rizzo smiled slightly as she leaned into Natsu's embrace. He always knew how to make her feel better. Just a simple hug could make all her worries go away. As Natsu was hugging Rizzo, he thought about her past. The past that she had confided in him. He remembers how much pain she was in before he was able to show her that he'd always be by her side.

"Are you going to be okay?" Natsu asked as he pulled back.

"Yes." Rizzo said smiling more naturally this time. "Now, isn't today a special day? Today's the day you're going to beat Erza, right?"

Natsu's face immediately brightened as he nodded his head, and Rizzo laughed in amusement at his excitement.

"Do you think Lucy will come?" Natsu asked.

Rizzo smiled nodding her head, which had Natsu looking even more excited. Rizzo ruffled Natsu's hair, which had him grinning.

"I'll go get her myself." Rizzo promised. "Knowing her, she probably forgot. Don't worry, Natsu, we'll both be there."

"Alright!" Natsu said. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck!" Rizzo called out to him as he and Happy went back out the window.

Rizzo's smile dimmed a little once Natsu and Happy were gone. Rizzo then snapped her fingers with her case appearing.

"Come on, Sanjū, it's time you meet the newest member of Fairy Tail." Rizzo said.

Sanjū nodded her head then popped wings from her back. She flew into the air to follow after Rizzo who left Fairy Hills. They walked into the town in the direction that Natsu had said Lucy's apartment was. As she was walking, Rizzo spotted Gray up ahead of her, and as usual…he was in his boxers. She shook her head.

"It looks like Gray is still up to his usual antics." Sanjū commented.

Rizzo nodded her head as her loyal companion perched on the top of her guitar case.

"Hey, Gray!" Rizzo called out.

Gray paused to turn around and see Rizzo and Sanjū as the prior walked towards him.

"Oh, hey, Rizzo, Sanjū." Gray said. "I'm surprised you're not at the guild to watch Natsu and Erza's fight."

"I'm going to get Lucy." Rizzo explained once she caught up.

"Huh, really? Me too." Gray said. "I figured she forgot or something."

Rizzo nodded her head because she had been thinking the exact same thing. The two Fairy Tail mages started walking again as Sanjū rested on top of the guitar case. Gray finally stopped outside a building.

"I think this is it." He said then got the door to open with ease.

He motioned to Rizzo in first, and she nodded her thanks before walking in. Gray shut the door behind him as Rizzo went into a living room area. Lucy was sitting at a desk writing, and Rizzo motioned for her companions to be silent, so to let her work. Rizzo sat down in the other chair after taking off her guitar case. Sanjū flew to rest on her shoulder as Gray took the other chair. They had to wait a few minutes, but Lucy finally set her quill down.

"Maybe I'll do a little shopping later today." She said to herself as she stretched. "Saving the world from evil and all is cool, but sometimes it's nice to just relax at home."

Rizzo nodded her head in agreement, but actually…she didn't relax much at home. She preferred going to job-after-job.

"Man, 70 thousand jewel a month is dirt cheap for a place like this." Gray said causing Lucy to whirl around. "You totally scored, Lucy."

"Intruder alert!" Lucy screeched.

Lucy then preformed an actually very nice round house kick on Gray, which Rizzo would give a seven.

"No stripping in my house, buddy!" Lucy snapped.

Gray held out his hands in self-defense before Lucy could take another swipe at him.

"Hey, give me a minute to explain, would ya?" He requested. "I was naked when I got here."

"That's true." Rizzo said nodding.

"Get out." Was all Lucy said.

Rizzo blinked wondering what had Lucy all upset. Sanjū sighed shaking her head. She knew that most of the Fairy Tail guild didn't know that barging into someone's house uninvited was rude.

"But, Lucy, we came to get you." Rizzo said. "Did you really forget about today?"

Lucy looked at Rizzo in confusion then noticed the pink fluffy cat wearing a dress in her arms.

"We figured you'd forget, which is why we're here." Gray added.

"What'd I forget?" Lucy asked.

"Well, let us try to jog your memory." Gray said.

"Today's the day Natsu and Erza are going to fight!" Rizzo cut in. "Natsu challenged Erza before we left for Onibana, remember?"

"Yeah, the rematch is about to start." Gray said.

Lucy was suddenly gone out of the room, which had the three still left in her apartment blinking.

"Oh, wait!" Lucy suddenly reappeared again to shake Sanjū paw. "I'm Lucy. It's nice to meet you. You must be Sanjū."

"Pleasure to meet you as well." Sanjū replied.

Lucy nodded before zooming off again, which had Rizzo laughing in amusement as Gray rolled his eyes. Rizzo grabbed her guitar case then left Lucy's apartment with Gray in tow.

"So, you betting on Natsu, right?" Gray asked.

"Of course!" Rizzo said as they walked towards the guild. "As if I'd bet on Erza."

She made a face while shaking her head. She wouldn't bet on Erza in a million years. Rizzo then saw a flash of dark violet hair, which had her freezing in her tracks. She whirled around to look around. Gray stopped to look at her questioningly.

"Rizzo?" Sanjū questioned sounding worried.

Rizzo stood there a moment as her eyes landed on woman with the hair she had seen. She sighed shaking her head.

"Rizzo, what is it?" Gray asked.

"Heh, nothing." Rizzo said grinning though it didn't reach her eyes. "We better go before we miss the fight."

Rizzo started walking, and Sanjū landed on Gray's shoulder as they watched Rizzo go ahead of them.

"What's up with her?" Gray asked.

"Rizzo woke from a nightmare this morning." Sanjū said. "I will say no more than that because it is not my place."

Gray frowned standing there a moment as he watched Rizzo's retreating back. There was still a lot of Rizzo's past unknown by most of the guild. Only a select few seem to know what happened to her in the past. Gray only knows bits and pieces, but Natsu knows all of it. He wonders if Rizzo would ever trust him enough to let him know of her past. Of course, Gray hasn't shared everything about him either, which is why he's never pushed for information. However, there are times like this where Rizzo seems to be almost in pain…and he feels useless when he can't help her.

* * *

Rizzo stood among her fellow guildmates as Erza and Natsu stood across from each other.

"You can do it, Natsu!" Rizzo cheered. "Give it all you got!"

Natsu grinned over at Rizzo while giving a thumbs up, which had her smiling brightly.

"Please, Natsu is so going down!" Krov said.

He then grunted in pain when Rizzo punched him right in the face, which had him dropping to the ground. Mirajane laughed as Rizzo continued cheering for Natsu as if she hadn't just punched Krov in the face.

"They're not seriously going through with this are they?" Lucy asked.

"Of course." Sanjū said as she stood beside Rizzo. "Really…there's no need for violence."

Lucy blinked because she wasn't used to members of Fairy Tail saying such things.

"Oh, hey, Lucy." Mirajane said.

"So, they're really going to fight?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, well, if those two value their manhood then they better go through with it." Elfman said.

"Erza's not a man." Mirajane pointed out.

"But you got admit she's manly." Macao said.

Rizzo snorted believing that was the truth. However, she has to admit that Erza has her girly moments. She does like pretty clothes and delicately eatting fancy cakes.

"Aren't you afraid this fight will tear our strongest team apart?" Lucy asked.

Gray and Rizzo blinked at Lucy in confusion because they have no idea what she's talking about.

"What are you talking about?" Gray asked. "Our strongest team?"

"You, Natsu, Rizzo, and Erza, ya dummy." Lucy said. "You're the four strongest mages in the guild."

"We are?" Rizzo asked looking even more confused.

She looked at Gray to clear things up, but he looked just as confused as she was at the moment.

"Yeah, right." Gray said. "What idiot fed you that lie?"

"Had to be a complete moron." Rizzo added.

Gray nodded in agreement as he started chuckling. Mirajane suddenly started crying, which had Gray and Rizzo freaking out when they realized it was her.

"Ah, Mira, don't cry!" Rizzo said hugging her. "We're very flattered you think so highly of us!"

Gray nodded in agreement as Lucy, Elfman, and Macao shook their heads at the scene.

"Smooth, guys, smooth." Lucy said sarcastically.

Rizzo continued consoling Mirajane who continued sobbing as if someone told her that Christmas was cancelled for the rest of forever.

"I'll hand it to Natsu and Gray, they're tough little dudes, but neither of them are even close to being the strongest." Elfman said. "There are guys in Fairy Tail that are stronger than both of them combined. Like this one!"

"Then why do they beat you up constantly, Elfman?" Rizzo asked _innocently_.

Gray snorted in amusement when Elfman blushed while looking embarrassed.

"Calling Erza the strongest female in Fairy Tail is a pretty safe bet." Levy said. "Rizzo is definitely stronger than me and quite a few other women in the guild, but she isn't even close to Erza. I'd say Rizzo is the third strongest female, but there's a large gap between her and second place."

Lucy blinked wondering who the second strongest female was in the guild.

"One day that'll be different." Rizzo said determinedly. "I'll become the strongest female mage in the guild sooner or later, and then Erza will see that my magic is the superior magic."

"Yeah, you keep dreaming, Rizzo." Gray said.

He proceeded to pat Rizzo on top of the head as if she was a small child, which had her growling in annoyance. Gray cried out when Rizzo kicked him in the shin.

"What the hell?" Gray growled.

The two started arguing while not even paying attention to the rest of the conversation about who were the strongest in Fairy Tail.

"Gotta say I'm pretty excited to see how this fight turns out." Elfman said.

Remembering that Natsu and Erza were going to fight, Rizzo stopped fighting with Gray. Said guy sighed when seeing she had completely forgot about what they were even yelling at each other for.

"Oh yeah?" Gray asked. "I'm sure Erza will end up moping the floor with him."

Rizzo frowned at Gray because Natsu was a lot stronger than before. He had some kind of chance of winning!

"It's been a while since we've squared off like this, hasn't it, Natsu?" Erza asked.

"I was just a little kid back then." Natsu said. "Today's going to be different because I'm taking you down, Erza!"

"Well, I'm not going easy on you." Erza said. "In fact, I have the perfect armor for this occasion."

She quickly reequipped her armor, and everyone's eyes widened when seeing what armor she chose for the fight.

"That's Flame Empress Armor." Macao said. "Good choice for going against fire magic."

"So, now Natsu's flames will only be half as strong." Laki added.

"Come on, Erza, at least give the kid a fighting chance." Wakaba said.

Rizzo shook her head because people needed to stop automatically assuming this fight was already won by Erza. Well, at least Natsu had her, Sanjū, and Happy in his corner.

"Put me down for Erza in the first round." Happy said.

Rizzo nearly fell over in shock as Lucy couldn't believe Happy was betting against his own friend.

"Why are you guys picking sides?" Lucy asked. "I don't want either of them to lose!"

"Get into the spirit, Lucy." Gray said.

"Yeah, make a bet." Rizzo said grinning. "I already put down quite a bit for Natsu to win."

Lucy sighed hanging her head. Why couldn't they just cheer for both their friends? Wait, Rizzo doesn't like Erza, and Gray doesn't like Natsu…So really they weren't picking sides against friends, were they?

"Flame Empress Armor, huh?" Natsu asked grinning. "Good news for me. That means I can turn the heat as high as I want to!"

He had his hands engulf in flames as everyone waited for the match to begin already.

"Round 1 start!" Makarov declared.

Erza and Natsu jumped at each other to start the fight. Natsu took a swipe at her with his fire, but her armor prevented any damage. Natsu had to flip out of the way as Erza tried to slice off his head. They flipped around each other some more before Natsu let out his fire breath that got a bit close to the spectators.

"Yeah, you get her, Natsu!" Rizzo cheered as she waved pompoms in the air.

"Where the heck did you get those?!" Lucy asked in shock.

Rizzo just continued cheering for Natsu, and even Sanjū waved a pompom in the air. When the two continued fighting, Lucy watched in awe.

"Whoa." She said.

"See, it's a good fight, huh?" Elfman asked.

"This fight sucks." Gray said.

"Woohoo!" Rizzo cheered from beside him.

He glanced at her as she continued to grin broadly while cheering for Natsu loudly. He sighed shaking his head, but he felt his lips twitch up into a smile. Just as Natsu and Erza were about to clash there was a loud gong like noise that brought everything to a stop. Everyone turned seeing a large female frog wearing clothes and walking upright.

"This fight is over." She declared. "May I have your attention, please? I've come here on behalf of the Magic Council."

"No way." Levy said.

"Seriously?" Jet inquired.

"Why would the Council send her here?" Droy questioned.

Rizzo frowned wondering what the Magic Council wanted with them now. It was nothing ever good when it concerned them.

"Am I the only one who's noticed she's a frog?!" Lucy asked.

No one replied to Lucy as they looked at the Magic Council representative. Rizzo had a bad feeling in her gut as they waited to hear what the council wanted.

"As the result of the Eisenwald incident, a member of your guild has been charged with eleven counts of property damage." The representative said. "Erza Scarlet, you are under arrest."

Everyone looked at the representative in complete and utter shock.

"She's under a-what?!" Natsu demanded.

* * *

Rizzo sat silently at the guildhall with the rest of her guildmates. No one was drinking or even talking expect for Natsu who was turned into a tiny fire lizard to keep him from doing anything brash. Rizzo didn't like Erza much, but knowing a member of her guild was arrested made her feel sick. She sighed as she rested her head on Gray's shoulder while holding Sanjū in her lap. Gray glanced down at her while noticing her bothered expression. He silently put his arm around her. As she sat there, she hoped everything worked out.

"Hey, this isn't fair, guys!" Natsu shouted. "Let me out of here already!"

He banged on the glass of the cup he was being trapped in on top of the counter.

"Natsu, try to calm down." Mirajane said.

"Let me out! Pretty please!" He begged. "I'm begging here!"

"You'll go on a rampage!" Mirajane pointed out.

"I'll be good, I swear!" Natsu argued. "Now please, just turn be back to the way I was before!"

Mirajane sighed as she leaned down to get at eye-level with little lizard Natsu.

"The second we turn you back you'll run off to save Erza." Mirajane accused.

"Give me a break!" Natsu growled in aggravation. "I couldn't care less what happens to her."

Rizzo sighed knowing that was a lie. Natsu cared about every member of the guild even if someone of them were jerks. And if he didn't cool it, things won't end well.

"Even if we wanted to help her it's not like we can face off with the council." Gray said.

"Don't those jerks on the council realize that Erza did what she had to do to save the lives of the guild masters from the bad guys and their death flute?" Natsu demanded.

Rizzo raised her head partially to look at the lizard as he pressed his scaly hands against the glass.

"Natsu, if the Magic Councils says someone is guilty then the person is guilty." Rizzo said. "None of them care about what we have to say, or what the exact details are."

Everyone in the guild murmured in agreement as Rizzo placed her head back on Gray's shoulder.

"I just don't get it." Elfman said. "We've destroyed plenty of stuff in the past, and they've never made a big deal of it."

Yes, which is one of the reasons why Rizzo was so confused. If they cared so much about things being destroyed, they would have arrested one of them sooner.

"I know it doesn't make any sense." Laki agreed.

"It's like…there's some other reason for this." Lucy said.

Rizzo hummed in agreement as she tightened her arms around Sanjū who was looking up at her in worry. Rizzo and Erza usually didn't get along, but Sanjū knew Rizzo held every member of the guild closely to her heart. Knowing one was in danger, even if it was Erza, bothered her deeply. Everyone sat in silence longer as they wondered what would happen of Erza. Lucy suddenly stood up.

"This is wrong." Lucy said. "We should be there to testify."

"But, Lucy," Nab began.

"We're not going to court." Makarov cut in.

Rizzo looked at their master knowing he had to have a reason for them to remain here and not help Erza. Rizzo knew going to help had little chance of making a difference, but it was unlike Makarov to leave one of his fairies on their own unless he had a reason.

"Why not, Master?!" Lucy demanded. "We all know she's innocent. We can't just sit here and let them lock her away."

"Even if we left this very second there's no way we'd make it there in time." Makarov pointed out.

Well, Jet could make it there in time, but he hadn't been there to witness the Eisenwald incident, so the council probably wouldn't even listen to him.

"But—" Lucy was cut off by lizard Natsu.

"I've been stuck in this stupid glass all day, you guys!" Natsu shouted. "It's getting hard to breath! Come on, let me out of here!"

"Are you sure you want out?" Makarov asked.

Natsu got very quiet, and Rizzo frowned looking down at the table. Did Makarov figure it out?

"What the matter?" Makarov asked when 'Natsu' continued to remain quiet. "You've seemed to lose the fire in your belly."

He then blasted the cup, which sent 'Natsu' into the air. When the smoke cleared, Macao was the one to be revealed.

"Crap." Rizzo whined under her voice. "The ruse is up."

Gray looked at her with a frown. Had she really known about this all along?

"It's Macao!" Levy said in shock.

"That was you?" Lucy, Laki and Elfman demanded.

Macao smiled sheepishly as he stood up while scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah, sorry, guys." Macao said. "I owed Natsu a favor. I turned myself into a salamander, so that everyone would think I was him."

"And I'm sure Rizzo was a great help since she cast a magical sound charm on Natsu that kept his escape silent." Makarov said. "Isn't that right, Rizzo?"

Rizzo laughed with a bit of sweat traveling down her brow as everyone turned towards her.

"Sorry?" She said though it sounded more like a question.

Gray sighed as he stood up from the table. He couldn't believe these two knuckleheads.

"Do you know where he went?" Lucy asked.

"I bet he went after Erza, didn't he?" Gray guessed.

"Uh-huh." Rizzo and Macao said as they nodded.

Gray shook his head thinking that Rizzo should know better. However, he forgot to think about how loyal Rizzo is to Natsu. The two would probably help the other even if murder was involved!

"You've got to be kidding me?!" Elfman shouted. "That idiot will probably try to fight the whole council!"

"Will everyone just calm down?" Makarov asked. "We'll just have to wait and see what happens."

* * *

"Bored~" Rizzo whined when the next day rolled around. "I want Natsu back!"

She started crying comically, and Lucy started freaking out as she tried to comfort her. Some of the others chuckled at the scene while others shook their heads.

"Then you shouldn't have let him go off on his own." Gray said from where he sat next to her. "You probably just sent your best friend to jail where he'll rot till the end of his days."

He then winced when realizing his mistake. Rizzo whimpered like a kicked puppy, which had everyone in the guild frowning at Gray. He glanced at her seeing that she was looking at him with those big green eyes as they filled with tears.

"Aw, she looks so sad!" Lucy said. "Look what you did, Gray!"

"You're a real jerk, Gray." Loke said shaking his head.

"Gray, real men don't make women cry!" Elfman said.

Gray frowned as the tears started leaking out of Rizzo's eyes. Crap, he didn't know how to handle a crying female.

"Fix your mistake, Gray." Mirajane said firmly.

Gray frowned even more before he put his arms around Rizzo to bring her against chest. Rizzo's hands clenched the front of Gray's shirt as she trembled. Did she really mess up this time? Was Natsu going to never going to come back because of her?

"I'm sorry." Gray said. "I'm sure Natsu and Erza will both be back soon."

Rizzo sniffled a few times trying to reign in her tears. She didn't like crying in front of people, but the thought of Natsu not coming back hurt. Gray stroked her hair while trying not to blush due to all the people watching.

"Come on, Rizzo, don't cry." Gray said. "You believe in Natsu, right?"

Rizzo sniffled again as she pulled back while rubbing at her eyes. She nodded her head to Gray's question.

"Then you know he'll come back with Erza in tow." Gray said. "He wouldn't leave you. He promised, right?"

Rizzo nodded again while starting to feel a bit better. Gray was right. Natsu was really strong and extremely stubborn. He wouldn't let even the magic council keep him from returning home.

"Feeling better?" Gray asked.

Rizzo nodded her head once more as the tears slowly started to stop falling from her eyes. Suddenly the door burst open with the very boy and girl they were talking about standing there.

"NATSU!" Rizzo cried zipping out of Gray's arms to go to her friend.

Natsu gasped in surprise as Rizzo managed to tackle him right to the ground as she put her arms around his neck. Members of the guild chuckled as Natsu blinked in confusion.

"Natsu, I'm so glad you're back." Rizzo cried. "I was worried! I should have went with you."

Her tears hit Natsu's chest, which had him looking at Rizzo softly. He reached out to put his arms around her.

"Hey, it's okay." Natsu said smiling as Rizzo peeked up at him. "I'm back, aren't I? I'd never leave you, Rizzo. And look, mission accomplished. Erza is back too!"

He gestured to said redhead who was smiling softly at the pair of mages on the floor. Rizzo sat up rubbing at her eyes before she stood up from the floor. The next thing to happen was something amazing. Rizzo hugged Erza, which had everyone dropping to the ground in shock. Erza stood there stunned by the hug.

"Don't get used to this." Rizzo grumbled while blushing. "I still can't stand you, but you are a member of this guild, which means you're my family….so welcome home, Erza."

Erza got over her shock just as Rizzo let go of her. Rizzo then grimaced at her clothes.

"Now I have to burn these and take a bath." Rizzo complained.

She went walking off while trying to ignore everyone who was staring at her. Erza watched her go before a smile pulled across the older mage's face.

"What are you all staring at?" Rizzo snapped finally tired of the staring

Everyone jumped turning away from the pinkette in fear. Natsu, who sat up, just laughed happy to be home. He really hated that prison cell.

* * *

"Msytogen, came over?" Rizzo asked as she was toweling out her hair.

Gray, who had invited himself over, nodded his head as Rizzo, who was just in her towel, sat down across from him. He was trying really hard not to stare, but it was proving to be difficult. The towel was barely covering her chest that looked as if it would pop out of the white towel any moment.

"Yeah, he got a job and left as always." Gray said as he kept his eyes anyone but Rizzo.

Rizzo hummed wondering if anyone besides Makarov would ever know what Msytogen looks like.

"Laxus then made an ass of himself as always." Gray said. "Challenged Natsu, but Gramps wouldn't let Natsu accept."

Rizzo frowned really wishing Laxus would just cool it. He was always belittling everyone, or making a comment to get a rise out of them when he knows they can't or won't fight them.

"One of these days he'll get his ass kicked." Rizzo said.

Gray chuckled while certain he would love to see something like that. He'd even pay for it.

"Anyway, what are you doing here?" Rizzo asked curiously. "You usually don't come over. Technically you shouldn't be here since you're a guy."

Gray rolled his eyes because if Natsu and Happy could come over then he could if he wanted.

"I came to properly apologize." Gray said finally looking right at her. "…for what I said earlier. I shouldn't have said it even if I wasn't being serious. I know how much you care for _Natsu_ …and saying that Natsu might not come back because of something you did wasn't right of me."

Rizzo seemed shocked to hear Gray apologize like that as he looked away looking embarrassed that he had to apologize. Rizzo then smiled as she got up from her chair. Gray looked over at her, and his eyes widened when Rizzo jumped into his lap to hug him.

"Apology accepted." Rizzo said as she continued hugging. "And just so you know, I don't just care for Natsu. I care for you too, Gray."

She pulled back to smile at him, and he felt his cheeks heat up. He snorted looking away trying to play off that he wasn't blushing.

"You do know you're only in a towel, right?" Gray asked.

"ACK!" Rizzo cried out realizing he was right.


	7. The Cursed Island

_"There isn't anyone left." Rizzo said as tears ran down her cheeks. "They're gone."_

 _Rizzo was laying on the ground looking up at the burning forest with a tiny Sanjū in her arms._

 _"We've lost everyone!" Rizzo cried._

 _Sanjū had tears running down her own furry cheeks as she thought about Jaser who had disappeared into the flames with Craylee, Sven, and Breccan._

 _"I don't know what to do." Rizzo said. "That dark guild…it took away everything."_

 _After saying that there was a glow coming from off to the side. Rizzo raised her head then turned it to look the guitar left to her by her family. Rizzo sniffled then scooted over to the guitar case. She carefully set Sanjū beside then reached out to touch the case as she remembered her grandfather's words._

 _ **"There is no true reason why people do bad things, little one."**_ _Roscoe had said to her._ _ **"You just have to remember for every bad deed done by magic, you have to perform a good deed, which is why you have to train hard and join a guild someday."**_

 _That's right…she promised she would get strong to use her magic for good. To make people happy and to keep them safe. All tears left Rizzo's eyes as her face set in determination._

 _"Sanjū…we have to get stronger." Rizzo said getting the feline's attention. "Strong enough to help people…and to avenge the ones we have lost. From now on we will train, so that someday we will be able to end all dark guilds! Besides…"_

 _ **"Promise us…that you'll live your life to the fullest for us."**_ _Breccan had asked of her._

 _"I have a promise to keep." Rizzo said._

Rizzo's eyes slowly opened as she laid in her bed. Another dream of the past. Why was she having those all of a sudden? She sighed as she sat up in bed with a somber look on her face. Rizzo brushed her bangs back then stood up from bed.

"Well, time to get ready for the day." Rizzo said.

By the time that Rizzo left her bedroom, she was dressed and ready for the day. She had on a black corset crop top that stopped above her bellybutton. with a pink jacket over it. The jacket stopped below her breasts, and the sleeves were folded up just past her elbow. Her mini skirt was pink-and-green checkerboard patterned, and it stopped above mid-thigh. She had on fingerless fishnet gloves. She also had on black stockings with green music notes on them, and on her feet were black heeled ankle boots.

"Time to see if there are any jobs." Rizzo said as she grabbed her guitar case from where she kept it. "Sanjū, are you staying here?"

Sanjū, who was drinking tea, nodded her head while not moving from her pillow. Rizzo chuckled then left her room before leaving Fairy Hills. The walk to the guild didn't take long, and when she arrived, Makarov was in a tizzy.

"What'd I miss?" Rizzo asked.

"An S-class quest is missing from upstairs." Levy explained.

Rizzo's eyes widened as her eyes instantly swept the room for one certain person. When she didn't seem him, her eyes widened even more.

"Where's Natsu?!" Rizzo shouted. "And Happy?! And what about Lucy?!"

Everyone froze realizing that Natsu, Happy, and even Lucy weren't with them.

"You don't think he would…do something that stupid, do you?" Jet asked.

"I be they would." Laxus said. "I saw a little blue cat fly up here and rip it off the board last night."

All color drained from Rizzo's face when realizing Natsu, Happy, and Lucy went off on an S-class gig together. How could they do something so reckless...without her?!

"It was Happy?" Mirajane murmured.

The entire guild started talking at once as they tried to wonder what possessed those three to go do something like that.

"That's a serious breach of the rules." Laxus said casually. "Hey, Gramps, a stunt like that will get you kicked out of the guild, am I right? Not that it matters. Not like those three losers will make it back from an S-class quest."

Rizzo's face contorted in anger when she realized that Laxus purposely let Happy get away. Does he want those three to die?

"Laxus, if you knew, why didn't you stop them?" Mirajane asked as she stepped onto the second floor.

"Oh, lighten up." Laxus said. "All I saw was a blue cat flying off with a piece of paper in its mouth trying to act all sneaky. I had no idea it was Happy. Besides, Natsu isn't cleared for S-class. I never dreamed that he'd break the rules."

Mirajane gave Laxus a dark glare with her eyebrow twitching a bit. Laxus grinned at her when he saw the look.

"You haven't given me that look in a while." Laxus said.

Without even thinking Rizzo went up to the second floor, and everyone froze when she grabbed the front of Laxus's shirt.

"Where the hell did that job take them?" Rizzo demanded. "Tell me now, Laxus."

Laxus just grinned at her in a taunting manner, which made her blood boil in anger. Freed appeared beside Laxus, and he placed his blade against Rizzo's neck. She barely gave him a glance.

"Or what, little girl?" Laxus said as he waved Freed off. "You're just an average classed mage. You can't make me do anything."

Freed, who wasn't pleased, removed his blade from Rizzo's neck, but he stayed beside Laxus. Evergreen and Bickslow stayed back in the background with their eyes trained on Rizzo.

"I might not be able to beat you, Laxus, but believe me, you would not leave unscratched if we got into a fight." Rizzo warned darkly.

"Rizzo, don't do anything crazy!" Macao called up to her.

"Shut-up!" Rizzo snapped turning her eyes on the guild below.

Everyone froze when seeing the look in her eyes that held clear warning. If anyone got in her way of finding Natsu, Happy, and Lucy, they'd find themselves in a world of pain.

"Now, now, _Rizz_ , control that temper." Laxus mocked.

Rizzo turned her glare back onto Laxus, but before she could really start a fight, Mirajane grabbed her shoulder to pull her back.

"That's enough, Rizzo." Makarov said sternly. "Now, which job was it?"

"For lifting the curse on Galuna Island." Mirajane replied while still glaring at Laxus.

Everyone gasped with their whispers become frantic. They can't believe what kind of stupid stunt Natsu and Happy decided to pull now. To make it worse they pulled Lucy along with them.

"Laxus, go and fetch them at once!" Makarov ordered.

"Yeah, right." Laxus scoffed. "I've got better things to do, Gramps. And besides, everyone in Fairy Tail is supposed to take care of themselves, right?"

"I don't care how you feel about Natsu!" Makarov snapped. "You're the only one strong enough to bring him back by force."

Rizzo let out a growl before she jerked her shoulder out of Mirajane's grip. She jumped over the railing on the top floor to land on the bar counter, which she jumped off of next.

"Sorry, Master, but I have to disagree." Rizzo said as she walked towards the door. "If Laxus wants to sit on his ass then let him. I'll bring those three back by myself if I have to."

"You don't have to do it by yourself." Gray said as he stood up. "I'll come with you."

Rizzo paused by the door to look back at Gray to see he was completely serious about helping her. Rizzo nodded her head to him. Gray went to catch up to her, and the two of them left the guild. Once the doors closed, everyone started murmuring.

"Did you see that look on her face?" Levy asked. "I felt my entire soul shake."

"I never thought anyone could be scarier than Erza." Loke said. "But that look…"

"I'm surprised I didn't drop dead." Macao said honestly.

Makarov frowned knowing that Rizzo would hurt anyone who dare put a member of the guild in danger even if it was Laxus who was technically a member himself. She was especially protective of Natsu, and anyone who hurt him would be six feet under once she was done. He sighed hoping they all came back soon.

* * *

"You do know that we might have to fight Natsu to get him back to the guild, right?" Gray asked Rizzo.

Rizzo frowned as she continued to walk alongside Gray. She knew it was true, but she didn't like it.

"I'll do anything to keep Natsu safe." Rizzo said. "Even if I have to fight him."

Gray sighed when seeing that Rizzo seemed torn up at the thought of having to fight her best friend outside of a friendly spar or training session.

"Just leave Natsu to me." Gray said. "You can make sure Lucy and Happy don't get in the way."

Rizzo didn't reply as the two of them continued on towards Harujion port where they were sure they'd find their three wayward guildmates. Rizzo blinked when she spotted the three they were looking for the moment they got to the port.

"There they are." Rizzo said pointing. "I think they're trying to get a ride."

Gray nodded in agreement as he and Rizzo made their way towards their guildmates.

"We found you." Gray said in a slight singsong voice.

The three all cried out in surprise before whirling around to see that Gray wasn't alone.

"It's Gray and Rizzo!" Lucy exclaimed.

"What are you two doing here?" Natsu asked.

"Master Makarov found out about your scheme, and sent us to come to bring you back." Rizzo said as she placed her hands on her hips.

Gray nodded in agreement as he stood beside her with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Why?" Natsu asked. "We're not in danger yet."

Rizzo sighed because that totally wasn't the point of them coming to get them.

"If you come back now, you might not get kicked out of the guild." Gray said. "Maybe."

"Kicked out?" Lucy asked.

"That's right." Rizzo said. "Taking an S-class gig without permission from Master Makarov is a serious offense."

Lucy looked like she'd start crying as she wished she never came along with Natsu and Happy.

"Well, I don't care!" Natsu said. "We're going on this S-class quest."

"Man, you are totally out of your league here." Gray said. "Just come home. If Erza finds out about this, she's going to be so angry."

Natsu, Happy, and Lucy all froze with terrified expressions on their faces. Rizzo frowned not needing Erza's help to bring these three home. Happy then flew over to Gray and Rizzo to perch on the latter's shoulder.

"Please, Gray, Rizzo, you've got to save me." Happy pleaded. "I told them this is a bad idea, but they forced me to come along!"

"You're such a liar!" Lucy snapped.

"Yeah, Happy, and Laxus spotted you stealing the paper off the board last night." Rizzo said. "So the entire guild knows you're on board with all this."

Happy hung his head not believing his luck. Wait, if Laxus saw him, why didn't Laxus try to top him?

"I've got to show my power to Erza." Natsu said. "Like it or not, I'm doing this."

"Natsu, usually I support you in everything, but even I have to say this is a really bad idea." Rizzo said sighing. "You three are not strong enough for S-class."

"Besides, Master ordered us to bring you home." Gray said. "I'll drag you back to Fairy Tail if I half too."

He then collected ice on his hand while ready to fight Natsu if he had to, so to get him back to the guild.

"Don't make me hurt you, buddy." Gray said.

Fire then engulfed Natsu's hand as he glared at Gray determined to get to Galuna Island.

"I'd like to see you try!" Natsu shouted.

Natsu was then surprised when Rizzo brought out her guitar with the green magic circle appearing when she strummed the strings.

"Rizzo?" Natsu asked.

"I'm sorry, Natsu, but I'm not going to let you get yourself killed." Rizzo said.

Natsu frowned really not wanting to fight his closest friend, and by the look in her eyes, he could tell Rizzo didn't want to do this either.

"Excuse me, but are you mages?" The man in the boat asked.

The mages and Happy turned towards the man when he stood up in his boat.

"Have you come to lift the curse on the island?" He asked.

"Yeah!" Natsu said.

"Well, maybe." Lucy said more uncertain.

"Not gonna happen." Gray and Rizzo said in unison.

Gray sounded annoyed though while Rizzo sounded more upset about the entire thing. The man hesitated for a moment then gestured to his boat.

"Get in!" The man said.

"What?/Seriously?" Lucy and Natsu asked in unison.

"No way!" Gray said.

Natsu smirked before giving a surprise kick to Gray's head, which knocked him out. Then before Rizzo could react Happy ripped her guitar from her grip. After a moment of hesitation, Natsu jumped Rizzo. He pulled her case away from her then tied her up with some rope by the man's boat.

"Sorry about this, Rizz." Natsu said. "But we have to do this."

* * *

Rizzo sat beside Gray, who was also tied up, as the boatman took them towards Galuna Island.

"Okay, now, I'm starting to get scared." Lucy said.

"Well, look at the bright side." Gray said sarcastically. "At least you're not tied up."

Rizzo nodded in agreement as she gave a sigh. She had an itch on her nose, and she couldn't scratch it.

"This is your fault too, buddy." Gray said. "Why'd you decide to let us on?"

"My name is Bobo if you must know." The man said. "I used to be a citizen of Galuna Island, but I had to flee. I just couldn't take it anymore."

Rizzo frowned narrowing her eyes a bit a Bobo. Was it really that bad on the island?

"I should warn you that tragedy falls upon anyone who falls upon the island." Bobo said. "There is no avoiding it. That is unless you are able to lift the curse."

He pushed back his cloak to reveal that one of his arms and one of his legs was turned into disfigured black limbs.

"This vile demon's curse." Bobo asked.

"Whoa, your arm." Gray said. "What happened to it?"

"Is that…the curse?" Lucy asked.

If it wasn't then Bobo really needed to go see a doctor ASAP about his arm and leg.

"We're almost there." Bobo said then looked towards an island. "That's Galuna Island."

Rizzo looked towards the island with a frown on her face when seeing the glow at the top.

"What's with the freaky glowing?" She murmured.

Gray frowned not sure, but he knew he didn't like the sight of it. It didn't look good. Suddenly the boatman disappeared.

"Whoa, where'd he go?" Lucy asked freaked out.

"Did he fall out?" Gray guessed.

"It's like he disappeared!" Happy exclaimed.

Rizzo's frown deepened. She didn't like any of this, but it wasn't like there was any going back now. Rizzo then heard a rumbling noise along with the others.

"What's that sound?" Lucy asked.

Rizzo turned her head with her eyes widening when she saw the giant wave coming towards them. She used her foot to lightly kick Gray. He looked at her then followed her line of sight with his own eyes widening.

"Ah…Lucy." Gray said.

Lucy turned around when he said her name, and her eyes instantly fell on the wave.

"Ah, tsunami!" Lucy cried.

"Now don't panic!" Gray said. "Just hold on."

"How?! We're tied up!" Rizzo reminded him.

Gray frowned because this wasn't good. Both of them being tied up meant they wouldn't be able to hold on or swim if the boat flips over. Everyone screamed as they were sucked into the water.

* * *

Rizzo groaned as light penetrated her eyelids. Her eyes fluttered open with the world being a bit blurry before it all cleared up. She looked up seeing palm trees and a clear blue sky above her. She's alive. She then blinked when realizing that her arms weren't tied anymore. She sat up seeing that the others were getting up as well. Rizzo shook her head never wanting to do that again. Rizzo got onto her knees to crawl over to Happy, whose head was buried under ground, and after giving a pull, she was able free his head.

"Thanks, Rizzo." Happy said.

Rizzo smiled at Happy then set him down on his own paws before standing onto her own feet. She saw Gray had her guitar case, and she caught it when he tossed it to her.

"Looks like we made it, you guys!" Natsu said.

"We're lucky that wave washed us ashore." Lucy said.

"I don't know if I'd call that lucky." Gray grumbled.

"Look on the bright side, we're not dead." Rizzo said smiling.

Gray frowned at her because this wasn't how things were supposed to go. They were supposed to be back at the guild by now with Natsu, Lucy and Happy in tow. However, it didn't look like they'd be leaving the island until the job was done. Maybe the villagers would lend them a boat if they helped.

"I can't help but wonder what happened to the guy that brought us here." Lucy said. "Right after he told us about the curse he vanished."

Which was all very suspicious in Rizzo's book, but they'd have to figure that out later because it looked like Natsu was ready to go.

"Forget that stuff for now!" Natsu said. "Let's go exploring!"

"Aye!" Happy agreed as he jumped up and down.

"We've been here for thirty seconds, and you've already forgotten about the mission?" Lucy asked.

Rizzo chuckled in amusement as she fastened the strap of her guitar case around her. After reminding them about the mission, the two calmed down enough for Lucy to look at the request sheet to get more information.

"Apparently there's only one village on the entire island." Lucy said. "The village chief is the one to originally put in the request. So I guess we need to try and find him."

"Not so fast." Gray said getting their attention as he got up from the ground.

"Give it up, Gray." Natsu said. "You can't take us back to the guild now that our boat's been destroyed."

All very true, which means they need to find this village even more to get the job out of the way, and then ask for a ride back. Rizzo would feel bad just asking for a way off the island without having done something for the villagers in return.

"You're right." Gray said as he stood beside Rizzo.

"Which is why we're coming with you." Rizzo finished as she placed her hands on her hips.

Natsu, Happy, and Lucy looked shocked to hear this as Gray was nodding in agreement to what Rizzo said.

"There no way I'm going to let you two clowns make S-class before I do." Gray said grinning. "And if you were to get kicked out the guild would be pretty boring."

"Besides, this could all be fun." Rizzo said laughing. "And if we pull this off, Master won't be able to stay mad for too long."

Lucy, Natsu, and Happy all smiled glad to have Gray and Rizzo on board for this mission.

"But, uh, Rizzo, I thought you were scared to be on an S-class mission." Lucy said. "You seemed pretty shaken up back on the dock."

"I wasn't shaken up by the thought of being on an S-class mission." Rizzo said. "I was upset that Natsu came on an S-class mission without me. We're supposed to have each others' backs, and these missions aren't like the ones on the request board downstairs. Knowing that all five of us together will be doing this has put me at ease because as long as we work together we can't lose."

Natsu smiled sheepishly knowing he probably really upset Rizzo by leaving like he had. He hadn't meant to. He had just gotten so excited that he didn't even think about inviting her along.

"Now, shall we get going?" Rizzo asked.

"Yeah!" The others agreed.

* * *

Rizzo and the others stood outside a large wooden wall. She had to tilt her head way back just to look at the top.

"Well, we found the village." Gray said. "Now what?"

Well, Rizzo didn't see a doorbell or a doorknocker anywhere on this thing. Just the sign that read 'keep out'.

"Check out this gate." Natsu said. "When they say keep out they meant it."

"Anyone home?!" Lucy called out. "We came here to help you!"

No one replied to Lucy's calls, and Rizzo didn't see any movement at all. Didn't they have guards patrolling or anything? They couldn't all be sleeping, right? Rizzo tilted her head to the side then exchanged a look with Natsu.

"Let's bust in." They said in unison.

"No way!" Lucy denied.

Rizzo and Natsu both sighed as they crossed their arms over their chests. Gees, Lucy just takes the fun out of everything.

"Who goes there?!" Someone from above called down.

The group looked up spotting that two men had finally appeared at the top of the gate.

"We're mages from Fairy Tail responding to your request!" Lucy called.

"Why weren't we notified when you accepted the job?!" The man called down.

"Must be an error in the paperwork." Rizzo said smoothly when Lucy didn't look sure what to say.

Gray nodded in agreement because he had been thinking the exact same thing to say.

"Then let me see your emblems, right now!" The man ordered.

Rizzo removed her guitar case from her back then turned around where her light green Fairy Tail mark rested on her lower back. Gray had to lift his shirt to show his, and Lucy held her hand high in the air. Natsu turned to show off the mark on his shoulder, and Happy had to move his pack off his back to show his mark.

"They're here!" the guards said in unison. "They're really here!"

Moments later the doors started to open, so Rizzo put her guitar case back onto her back.

"It's like we're walking into a giant monsters mouth!" Happy said.

"Are you trying to freak me out?!" Lucy demanded.

Rizzo chuckled with a grin on her face as Lucy was frowning at Happy for his comment. As they were walking in they saw the villagers, who were all cloaked, there to greet them.

"I'm Moka the Village chief." Said one of the smaller figures. "On behalf of everyone here, I welcome you. Pleasantries aside, there's something you need to see. Now, my people!"

All the villagers shed their cloaks, and Rizzo's eyes narrowed when seeing they all had disfigured limbs or other body parts.

"It's just like what happened to the boat guy." Gray said.

"Oh wow, your sideburns!" Natsu gasped in shock.

Gray and Lucy frowned at Natsu because he was completely ignoring the demonic like arm over…sideburns, really?

"Natsu, I think he's trying to show us what happened to his arm." Rizzo said as she placed her hand on Natsu's shoulder.

The chief nodded as Lucy was glad that at least Rizzo was taking all of this seriously.

"Though I admit, those are pretty impressive sideburns." Rizzo said.

Lucy nearly fell over in shock as Natsu laughed while nodding in agreement. Gray just sighed wondering why he was surrounded by idiots.

"Will you two just focus?!" Lucy snapped.

Natsu and Rizzo practically pouted at Lucy as they wished she'd just lighten up.

"Everyone on the island has suffered horrible disfigurement because of this curse." Moka said. "Not even the animals have been spared!"

Rizzo's eyes lit up as she wondered what kind of monster animals were running around the island. She wondered if she could fight with some of them!

"Excuse me for asking, but what makes you think it's a curse, sir?" Gray asked. "It could just be some kind of infectious disease."

"We've consulted with several doctors, young man." Moka said. "But they all agree that no such disease exist. You see, our symptoms began around the same time the moon fell under an evil spell."

The moon? Rizzo frowned as she looked up at the moon wondering who would have to power to cast an evil spell on the moon. It seemed impossible. Power could be drawn from the moon, but Rizzo had never heard of anyone casting a spell on it.

"What kind of spell?" Lucy asked.

"Since ancient times this island has absorbed the light of the moon." Moka said. "Causing it glow as beautifully as the moon itself. However, several years ago, the moons color started to change, and an eerie purple glow was cast upon the island."

"So the moon turned purple?" Natsu asked.

Rizzo then noticed that a purple light started to peek down from above, so she and the others looked up to see said purple moon coming out from the clouds.

"It's coming out from under the clouds." Happy said.

"It really is purple." Lucy said once the clouds moved off of it completely.

The island then started to glow the same purple, which cast and eerie glow around them. Lucy whimpered a bit while moving closer to Rizzo.

"Man that's creepy looking." Gray said.

"Thank-you, Captain Obvious." Rizzo muttered sarcastically.

Gray frowned at Rizzo as she stuck her tongue out at him. She didn't care if they were on a job request. She shouldn't have to act professional the entire time.

"It's the curse." Moka said. "Stand back. The change is about to begin."

Change? Rizzo didn't like the sound of that one bit, and neither did her guildmates. All the villagers started crying out as their bodies transformed even more. Lucy latched onto Rizzo's arm looking completely freaked.

"They're changing!" Gray exclaimed.

"Yeah, I can see that." Lucy said.

"Why is this happening to them?" Natsu asked.

"I don't know, but we have to find out." Rizzo decided.

Gray nodded in agreement as the villagers finally stopped transforming. The villagers that were once human were now demonic.

"I'm sorry if our appearance frightens you." Moka said.

Rizzo frowned sympathetically towards the villagers as they looked away seemingly ashamed of their appearance.

"It's okay." Gray said. "I'm just completely confused."

"You poor people." Lucy said.

Rizzo nodded in agreement as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Oh man, you guys….look so cool!" Natsu said.

Everyone started at him in shock, but Rizzo turned around trying to hold in laughter. She even fell to the ground hitting the ground as she fought off the laughter. Lucy's mouth dropped open feeling stunned that Rizzo could be laughing at a time like this.

"It's awesome!" Natsu said. "You guys got horns and stuff. I'm so jealous!"

This had Rizzo nearly laughing harder because she always found it funny when Natsu would say something inappropriate at times like these. The villagers murmured together not sure how to take the compliments.

"Natsu, you're being insensitive!" Lucy scolded. "They don't want to look like this."

"Seriously?" Natsu said then chuckled. "My bad. I guess we should help these people."

"That is why we're here." Happy reminded him.

Rizzo then cleared her throat as she stood back onto her feet with a serious look on her face.

"Indeed." Rizzo said nodding. "We don't have time to goof off."

"I don't want to hear it from you!" Lucy said. "You were just laughing two seconds ago."

Rizzo grinned sheepishly as she scratched the back of her head like Natsu who looked equally as sheepish. Lucy hung her head in exasperation.

"Gees, get a clue." Gray grumbled.

Rizzo made a face at Gray as she stuck out her tongue going 'bleh!', and Gray frowned at her. Rizzo then switched back to look professional when Lucy glanced back at her.

"Anyway, as you've witnessed, when the purple moon shows its face in the sky, everyone in the village takes on a horrific demon form." Moka said as some of the villagers started crying. "If it isn't a curse then what else could it possibly be?"

Rizzo was really serious by now when she saw how much these people were suffering. She definitely couldn't leave this island now until they helped these people.

"We'll return to normal once the morning comes and the sun has risen." Moka said. "However, there are some poor souls who can no longer return to their human forms for they have lost their minds."

"That's so sad." Lucy said.

"The fate for them, the unfortunate souls in the grip of madness, we have no choice but to put them to death." Moka said.

Rizzo and the others all stiffened and gasped in surprise. They've had to kill some of the villagers? But…

"But they might change back to normal someday." Natsu said finishing Rizzo's thoughts.

"If we wait for that to happen, the monsters will surely kill us all. We've tried capturing them, but they always poke free." Moka said then brought out a photo as tears ran down his face. "It's no use. Once it takes hold, there's no way to save them. I should know. I was forced to kill my very own son."

Rizzo wasn't the only person to recognize the guy on the photo in Moka's hands.

"It's that guy from the boat." Lucy said. "But we just saw him yesterday. He—"

Gray shushed Lucy as Rizzo reached out to place her hand on Lucy's shoulder. Lucy glanced at them in confusion.

"Now, I understand how he disappeared on us like that." Gray said. "He's dead, but his soul can't rest in peace."

Rizzo frowned because it wasn't impossible for people to hang around after their deaths. However, something was bothering her about this.

"Please, lift the curse from the island." Moka said as he hung his head. "If this goes on any longer, we may all fall victim to it. We'll die."

"We're not going to let that happen." Natsu said. "We'll fix this, I promise you."

"There's only one way this ancient curse can be lifted." Moka said. "The moon…the moon must be wiped from the sky."

The Fairy Tail group looked at the chief wondering if he was being serious. Rizzo didn't even think Makarov could pull off something like that. Besides, the world needs the moon just as much as the sun.

* * *

"I didn't know the moon could be so creepy." Happy said as he looked up at the moon.

Rizzo hummed in agreement as she was pulling down her tank top, which she'd be sleeping in. The villagers had given them a room to sleep in for the night, so they'd be rested up by tomorrow to start their investigation.

"Would you close the window?" Lucy asked. "You heard what the chief said. We've got to stay out of the moonlight. I don't know about you, but I don't want to turn into some freaky little monster."

Rizzo shook her head then had Natsu scoot over in his chair, so she could sit next to him.

"I'm not so sure about this job guys." Natsu said as he put his arm around Rizzo.

She wasn't so sure about this at all either. What did Moka really think they could do?

"Do they really think we can destroy the moon?" Gray asked.

"I wonder how many punches it'll take." Natsu said. "Do you think I can handle it?"

Rizzo let out a laugh that she tried to muffle by placing her hand over her mouth.

"Are you kidding me?!" Gray snapped then sighed. "Don't be stupid man."

"Natsu, there isn't a mage alive who could pull that off." Rizzo said. "Not even Master and his giant magic. Besides, I wasn't planning destroy the moon in the first place."

Her friends look as her curiously as Rizzo crossed one of her legs over the other.

"But, Rizzo, we have to!" Natsu said. "It was the job we were hired to do. If we don't do it, Fairy Tail will look bad."

"What they're asking can't be done." Gray pointed out. "How do you think you're going to get to the moon anyway?"

"Happy." Natsu said matter-of-factly.

Rizzo chuckled again as Happy said that wouldn't be happening. Happy may be able to fly, but not even he can go that high.

"Okay, we can't destroy the moon." Lucy said.

"Which is why tomorrow we're going to investigate." Rizzo said. "If there was a spell cast on the moon then there has to be a way to undo the spell. We just have to find out everything we can."

Lucy nodded in agreement before gasping when a shirt hit her in the face. She pulled it off her face to see Gray was stripping down into his boxers.

"You kids, can do what you want." Gray said. "But after the day I've had, I need some shut eye."

Rizzo frowned at Gray for calling them kids considering he was only a year older than them. Well, not Happy since he was like six, but that's beside the point. Actually, he wasn't even a full year older than Rizzo.

"Please, don't take off anymore." Lucy begged.

"Okay, our investigation starts tomorrow morning." Natsu said then threw himself at one of the beds with Happy. "I'm hitting the sack."

"Me too." Happy said with his voice muffled.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Gray said falling down onto his bed.

Rizzo smiled then took the bed on the right side of Natsu. She climbed under the covers as Lucy went to switch off the light.

"Okay, goodnight." Lucy said.

"Night, Lucy." Rizzo said as she laid down. "Sweet dreams."

* * *

 _Rizzo gasped as she was knocked to the side by another explosion. She groaned in pain as her little body tried to move._

 _"Rizzo!"_

 _Rizzo looked up seeing Jaser had turned around to run back towards her. He helped her off the ground then started pulling her back towards the others._

 _"We need to get out of here." Craylee said once they were all together._

 _"But where do we go?" Sven asked. "Look around us."_

 _He gestured to the surrounding area where explosions were going off as a battle between mages went on._

 _"Our guild is losing." Sven said as his hands clenched into fists. "It's over for Treble Chambers."_

 _Rizzo started crying knowing he was right. Jaser hugged Rizzo to give her some comfort as Craylee fought back his own tears. Breccan, who had his back turned to his friends, frowned knowing that things seemed to be really over for them._

 _"It might be the end for Treble Chambers, but…this doesn't have to be the end of all of us." Breccan said._

 _The others looked at him wondering what he was going on about. Breccan turned around to face them._

 _"Remember what, Gramps, always told us?" He said. "We're the next generation. As long as one of us goes on, there will always be hope for a bright and better future."_

 _Everyone nodded their heads remembering Roscoe telling them that on multiple occasions._

 _"What are we going to do then?" Jaser said. "I don't think running is an option anymore. We're surrounded."_

 _"Like I said, as long as one of goes on, there will be a bright and better future." Breccan said as he looked at Rizzo._

 _Her eyes widened when she realized what he was saying, and the three other boys soon caught on._

 _"Oh, I get it." Craylee said grinning ruefully. "Well, I can live with that."_

 _"Same here." Jaser said nodding._

 _"If it's for Rizzo, I could never say no." Sven said seriously._

 _Rizzo looked at them thinking they were all being crazy. They couldn't be serious._

 _"We still might be kids, but we know enough magic to distract the enemy long enough for you to get away." Breccan said. "It's what Gramps would have wanted."_

 _"No, he would want all of to live!" Rizzo cried. "We have to run, Brec—"_

 _"Rizzo, that isn't an option!" Breccan snapped silencing her then looked at her softly. "This is going to be goodbye. Promise us…that you'll live life to the fullest for us."_

Rizzo shot up on the mattress with her entire body shaking as sweat rolled down the side of her face. Why was she plagued with these dreams lately?

"Rizzo, are you okay?"

Rizzo gasped turning her head to see Lucy looking at her with concern in her eyes. Rizzo mentally cursed that Lucy was seeing her current state.

"I'm fine." Rizzo said as she got up. "We should get going. I'm going to get dressed. Could you wake the boys?"

Before Lucy could reply Rizzo was already walking away over towards her bag. Lucy frowned wondering what Rizzo had been dreaming about.

* * *

"It's so early." Natsu complained as he yawned.

"Yeah, I'm never up at this time." Gray said.

Rizzo chuckled in amusement as Lucy snapped at the boys because they had kept her up all night. Rizzo was used to Natsu's loud snoring, so it hadn't been hard for her to fall asleep. She then sighed. She actually wished she hadn't slept at all last night.

"Anyway, we should get going." Rizzo said.

"Aye." The boys said with no enthusiasm at all.

Lucy then called forth one of her spirits, and Rizzo blinked curiously when seeing it was a giant clock.

"The time is 7:48." It said once it appeared.

Rizzo 'hmm'ed then shrugged her shoulders. Lucy stepped inside the clock, which had Rizzo sweat-dropping. Was Lucy really not going to walk on her own? Rizzo shook her head as she started walking into the jungle with everyone else following after her. They walked for a bit until they were so far into the jungle they couldn't even see the large village gates anymore.

"Do you really think we might find another way to lift the curse?" Natsu, who was feeling more awake, asked.

"We don't have much of a choice." Gray said. "The village might think that the moon is cursed, but everyone else likes it. And destroying it might really mess things up."

"You're right!" Natsu said. "If we didn't have the moon, the tides would get all crazy. And at night the sky would be pitch black!"

"Without it salmon could go extinct, and they're my favorite fish!" Happy said.

Rizzo chuckled in amusement as she reached back to pat Happy on top of his furry head.

" _'Would you guys keep it down?'_ " The clock, Horologium, asked for Lucy. " _'We don't know what's lurking out here, so we shouldn't draw any attention'_ the lady demands impatiently."

Rizzo and the boys turned back to look at Lucy who was sitting inside the walking clock.

"You should walk on your own." Natsu said.

"He's right." Gray agreed. "You just summon your spirits because your lazy?"

"Lucy, how do you expect to get stronger if you don't exercise your body as well?" Rizzo asked. "You're on the 'strongest' team ever, right? That means you've got to work to get as strong as ever. Being lazy isn't going to help."

The boys murmured in agreement as Lucy frowned at all of them. She wasn't lazy.

" _'Listen, this curse is freaking me out. We have no idea what we're up against, and I'm scared,'_ she says nervously." Horologium said for her.

"Are you kidding me?!" Natsu asked as he threw his arms into the air. "This is awesome! S-class quests rule!"

"Yeah, I bet I could freeze that stupid curse." Gray said.

"What? No way, Gray." Rizzo said. "You can't freeze a curse, stupid. Besides, I'll be the one to break the curse!"

"What?!" Gray asked.

The two of them started arguing, which had Natsu laughing. Lucy looked at them wondering why she was stuck with them as teammates.

" _'You three are idiots'_ she retorts desirably." Horologium said for his mistress.

"Aye." Happy agreed.

They went unheard since Rizzo and Gray were still arguing. As Lucy watched them, she thought they were like an old married couple. Then there was a rumbling sound as heavy footfalls hit the ground. Gray and Rizzo stopped arguing as they wondered what's going on.

"What's that sound?" Natsu asked.

The three of them turned around to see a large monstrous shape standing behind them. They all cried out.

"Whoa, what the—?" Natsu exclaimed.

"It's huge!" Gray said.

"Awesome!" Rizzo said with stars in her eyes.

" _'What are you waiting for? Beat it up, you three,'_ she yells frantically." Horologium said.

Gray immediately went to attack, and he used his ice-make magic to put up an ice wall. It didn't help much since the monster shot out some kind of gas. Rizzo coughed as she covered her nose and mouth. Horologium disappeared in a puff of smoke, so Lucy and Happy, who had tried to sneak inside Horologium, got a whiff of the gas.

"Stinky!" They both cried.

"I've had enough of this." Rizzo said as she snapped her fingers to have her case hover behind her. "Flute!"

A flute immediately shot out, and Rizzo didn't waste anytime in snatching it out of the air.

"Song of the Gentle Breeze." Rizzo said then played a light cheerful tune.

A breeze blew in blowing all the foul-smelling gas away from their group who let out a breath of relief. Well, Natsu was knocked out, but at least now he'd have fresh air to breath. The creature that attacked them was also revealed as it let out a creepy cackle. Rizzo's mouth dropped open when seeing it was teal-furred rat wearing frilly clothes.

"It's a rat!" Lucy shrieked.

"Come on, Natsu, get up, man!" Gray snapped.

Natsu only groaned as he continue laying on the ground. The gas had just been too much for him.

"The smell knocked him out." Happy said.

Rizzo frowned then looked up at the rat as it got closer to them. Seriously, what is with this rat?

"Let's go!" Natsu, who suddenly got up, shouted.

Everyone was okay with that as they took off running with the large rat following them. The rat kept blowing out that putrid gas, which they all had to dodge. Gray growled getting tired of running.

"Ice-Make: Floor!" He said as he hit the ground with his hands.

The ice spread out across the ground, and the giant rat slipped on the ice onto its back. Everyone finally stopped running to look at the rat.

"You should have done that sooner." Natsu said.

"Shut-up, Natsu!" Gray snapped.

Rizzo glared at the rat as her flute went back into the case, which returned to resting on her back. She cracked her knuckles as she grit her teeth together in a not so friendly smile.

"Look, there's some kind of building over there." Lucy said as the boys stepped up beside Rizzo looking just as angry. "We should go hide while we have the chance."

"We should kick its butt while we have the chance!" The boys and Rizzo retorted as they attacked the rat.

Lucy sighed watching as the three of them punched and kicked the crying rat.

"Give me a break." Lucy said.

Once the rat was given a proper butt-kicking, everyone finally gave the temple their attention. They all even went over to it to walk inside.

"This place is massive." Lucy said.

"It's falling apart." Natsu said.

"I wonder how old it is." Gray said.

Rizzo touched the stone wall in front of her as she looked up at the moon emblem above.

"Look at all the moons." Rizzo said.

"Makes since…Galuna used to be known as the Island of the Moon." Gray said.

"A moon island, a moon curse, and all the moon symbols…is there a meaning to all of this?" Rizzo murmured.

"Yeah, it has to make you wonder what all this means." Lucy said.

Rizzo nodded in agreement as she let her hand drop from the wall back to her side.

"This place is a wreck." Natsu said as he stomped on the stone. "This floor doesn't even look safe to walk on."

"Then don't go stomping on it!" Lucy said.

It was too late because the ground decided to break right then. Rizzo screamed with the others as they started falling down a deep shaft.

"Natsu, you idiot!" Gray snapped. "Look what you did!"

He then saw Rizzo getting dangerously close to the shaft's wall, so he put his arms around her to pull her close. He tucked her head into his chest as they all fell farther. They hit the ground with Gray taking the fall for him and Rizzo. He grunted in pain as Natsu broke out of some rumble that had fallen on him.

"You guys okay?" Natsu asked.

"I would have been better if you hadn't knocked out the floor." Lucy complained.

"Here's a thought, maybe if you'd think before you act, you wouldn't cause so much destruction!" Gray snapped.

Rizzo only groaned sitting up while rubbing her head. Gray's eyes widened as they turned onto Rizzo who was currently straddling his waist.

"That hurt." She whined.

"Uh, Rizzo…" Lucy began.

Rizzo blinked looking at Lucy, who was blushing a bit, before looking to where Lucy was pointing. Rizzo looked down seeing Gray looking up at her from where she was sitting on him with her thighs on either side of his waist. Rizzo blushed deeply as she squeaked in surprise as she quickly jumped off of Gray.

"What were you trying to do, Pervert?!" Rizzo demanded.

"Huh?!" Gray exclaimed. "If it wasn't for me, you would have hit the wall and scratched yourself up!"

Rizzo blinked remembering that Gray had grabbed her when she had went to close to the wall. She blushed a bit more as she turned her head away.

"…Thanks…" She said bashfully.

Gray blinked seeming a bit surprised that she was thanking him. Lucy smiled thinking it was all pretty cute. She can't wait to tell Mirajane when they get back to Fairy Tail. Natsu just blinked wondering why his friend was acting so weird.

"So…can you fly us out, Happy?" Lucy asked.

"No, sorry." Happy said.

"We're underneath the temple." Gray said.

"Wow, it's a secret cave!" Natsu cheered like a little kid. "This is so cool. Let's check it out~"

He grabbed Rizzo's hand to pull her along while ignoring Gray who shouted after them. Rizzo easily kept up with Natsu as they got to the end of the cave. Both of their eyes widened when seeing what was in front of them.

"Whoa." They said in unison.

Lucy, Happy, and Gray caught up to them while immediately noticing their expressions.

"Natsu, Rizzo." Lucy murmured.

"What, is something wrong?" Gray asked.

"Hey, guys, what's that?" Natsu asked.

The others looked seeing what had gotten their attention, and they gasped as well. In front of them was a large monstrous figure frozen in an even large sphere of ice.

"That's impossible." Gray said.

Rizzo frowned when seeing the freaked out expression on his face as his body shook.

"It's Deliora." Gray said as he walked forward. "But how? How could this happen? Why is it here? What the hell is it doing on Galuna Island?!"

His guildmates looked at him in worry when seeing how bothered he was by all of this.

"You've seen this thing before?" Natsu asked.

"There's…there's just no way." Gray said. "

Gray shook as he continued to stare at Deliora. He didn't snap out of his thoughts until Rizzo put her arms around him.

"Shh, just take a deep breath." She said softly. "It's alright. Just try to calm down."

Gray took a few deep breaths as his hand came up to grip the wrist of Rizzo's hand that cupped the back of his neck as she was holding him. He held it tightly for comfort as Rizzo looked at him worriedly. She's never seen him like this before.

"Can you tell us about it now?" Lucy asked hesitantly.

Gray took a deep breath while keeping Rizzo close since her presence was keeping him anchored to the present at the moment, and not those horrible memories in the past.

"It's Deliora the Demon of Destruction." Gray said.

"Demon of Construction?" Natsu asked.

"Destruction." Happy corrected.

Gray gave another shake, which had Rizzo worried. She didn't like seeing him like this.

"But why is it here?" Gray asked. "It doesn't make any sense."

Lucy heard footsteps coming in behind them, which had her turning her head. Lucy quickly had the group hide behind some rocks. Rizzo peeked over one of them to see a short man with blue hair and then one who had animal like features.

"The voices seem to come from down here." The blue-haired man said. "I hate being awake during the day."

The man with him just made a growling noise as they continued walking on past the group in hiding.

"So, Toby, were you exposed to the moon drip?" The man asked. "You've got those pointy ears."

"I already told you! They're a fashion statement, you jerk!" Toby snapped.

"Oh, lighten up, I was just teasing you." Blueberry head said.

"You don't have to be so mean about it." Toby said.

Rizzo frowned when hearing about this 'moon drip'. Was it some kind of magic? She knew it had to have something to do with what was going on here. A third person then came into the room. It was a woman who looked a bit distraught.

"Yuka, Toby, something terrible has happened." The woman said.

"What now, Sherry?" Yuka asked as Toby growled.

By the sound of his tone, Sherry has come to them with many problems before.

"It's Angelica." Sherry said. "She's been attacked, and I'm sad."

"You're moping around because somebody beat up your stupid pet rat?!" Toby demanded.

"She's not a rat." Sherry said. "She's a brave hunter that prowls the jungle to protect us. She is…love~"

Rizzo sweat-dropped wondering what was with these people. There are weirdos in Fairy Tail, but these guys…were nutty.

"I don't know who these people are, but they're a bunch of weirdos." Lucy said. "Especially the girl with the pet rat."

Rizzo nodded her head in agreement because she had been thinking the exact same thing.

"With the scent I picked up off them…they're not from the island." Natsu whispered.

"And they don't look like they've got the demon curse." Happy added.

And if they're behind all of this then they've been here as long as the curse has been going on. They should show some signs of the curse even if have happened to be careful all this time.

"Intruders you say?" Yuka asked getting their attention.

"And it's almost time to start collecting moonlight again." Sherry said. "All this makes me so sad. This news will displease the Cold Emperor. We should get rid of them before he finds out. Yes, we must find them before the moon's first light."

"Agreed." Yuka said as Toby growled.

"Since they've seen Deliora, we can't allow them to live." Sherry said. "We'll give them the gift of eternal rest. We'll give them…love."

Rizzo really wanted to hit her head against the rocks in the hopes of knocking herself out, so she wouldn't have to listen to this girl anymore.

"You mean death, right?" Toby asked.

Rizzo shook her head then motioned for Happy to go create a distraction or something. Happy nodded knowing what she wanted, so he went to make some noise to get the people away from the area. After they were gone, Happy returned with Lucy telling him good job. He smiled glad to be of some help.

"Come on, we should have grabbed them and beat some answers out of them." Natsu said.

"Not yet." Lucy said. "We've got to do some investigating."

Rizzo nodded even if she was more a person of action, she still knew they needed some more information before going straight to the source.

"Man, this job keeps getting more and more complicated." Natsu said.

"Yeah, like who is this Cold Emperor guy?" Happy asked.

Well, Rizzo had no idea, but she planned to find out. Anyone who used magic for bad would have to answer to her. She made it her personal mission to stop all bad magic.

"Deliora." Gray said. "I still don't understand what anyone would want with it. And how the hell we're they even able to find it?"

Rizzo looked at Gray with the worry from earlier returning, and her stomach churned along with the feeling.

"Was it hidden somewhere?" Lucy asked.

"It was sealed away." Gray said. "In a glacier in the Northern Continent. A decade ago this immortal demon ravaged Isvan. Countless people lost their lives. The woman, who taught me to use my magic, my master Ur, sacrificed everything to seal it away. I don't know if it has anything to do with the curse on this island, but I do know that it doesn't belong here. This Cold Emperor. We have to find out who it is. If they tarnish my master's legacy, they're going to regret the day they were born!"


	8. The Cold Emperor, Lyon

Coco: Just wanted to thank everyone for the reviews, favs, and follows. I hope you continue to like my story.

 **SPECIAL SHOUT OUT**

 **Derples** , thanks so much for your review because it led to quite the lovely conversation :D I also feel more confident in this story unlike before. I had really thought about taking it down since I wasn't sure if I was doing okay considering the lack of responses towards it in the beginning. That doubt is gone now, and it's thanks you, so thanks a million~

* * *

"Deliora." Gray growled.

He pulled away from Rizzo, who had gravitated towards him without knowing, to walk closer to the chunk of ice that held Deliora.

"Are you sure this is the same demon your master sealed away?" Natsu asked.

"There's no doubt about it." Gray said.

"I wonder why he was transported all the way from the Northern Continent to Galuna Island." Happy said.

Rizzo didn't know, but she really wanted to find out, so they could figure out a way to stop it all.

"You don't think this demon could have anything to do with this island's curse, do you?" Lucy asked.

"I wouldn't be surprised if it did." Gray said. "It might be enclosed in ice, but that thing's still alive."

"Sweet!" Natsu said. "Give me a go at it! I'm not afraid of stupid demon!"

He wound up his arm with an eager grin on his face. Rizzo, who stood on the other side of Gray, wondered how much magic it'd take to defeat the demon.

"You know, brute force isn't the only way to solve a problem, Natsu." Lucy said.

No, but it usually gets things done quicker than without brute force does. Beside brute force is much more fun because then breaking things is involved, and Rizzo liked breaking things.

"A little fire ought to do the trick." Natsu said.

A millisecond later Gray viciously punched Natsu across the face to send the pink-haired mage to the ground. Rizzo, Lucy, and Happy gasped in shock as Gray glared down at Natsu darkly. Rizzo was so surprised by the look that she couldn't even move to Natsu's defense.

"What's the deal?" Natsu asked. "What'd you hit me for, Gray?!"

"I don't want you and your flames anywhere near it." Gray growled out. "If that ice melts and Deliora is revived, there's no way we'd be able to stop it."

Natsu groaned in aggravation as he got back onto his feet while glaring at Gray.

"Come on," He complained. "Do you think a chunk of ice like that would be easy to melt?"

Gray seemed surprised by Natsu's question, but he then composed his features.

"No." Gray said.

Lucy frowned in concern then went up to Gray to place her hand on his back.

"Hey, are you okay?" Lucy asked.

"I'm the one who got hit for no good reason!" Natsu pointed out. "Watch your temper, Man!"

"You're one to talk." Happy said.

Rizzo pat Natsu on top of his head as he continued to glare at Gray heatedly.

"Many years ago my master, Ur, cast a spell called Iced Shell on this demon." Gray explained. "Enclosing it in a form of ice that can't be melted. It's so strong that even the most powerful flame spells have no effect on it. If they knew the ice couldn't be melted, why'd they bring it here?"

Rizzo walked up to the ice run her finger down it, and when she pulled back water dripped off of her finger.

"They must have found some way to melt it, Gray." Rizzo said. "It's slick with fresh water."

Gray's eyes widened when he heard that and he stepped up himself to touch the ice. He pulled his hand back to see it was indeed wet.

"What the hell?!" He growled.

Lucy jumped back in fright as Rizzo even leaned away from the glare that Gray sent her way. It wasn't like she's the one who did this.

"Who could be doing this?" Gray asked. "And why?"

Rizzo shrugged because she had no idea. It wasn't like she was all knowing or something.

"We need answers." Natsu said. "Let's go find those guys."

"Yeah." Lucy agreed.

"No." Gray said firmly. "We're going to stay here and wait."

Rizzo and the others looked at him in confusion as he continued to glare up at Deliora.

"Wait here for what?" Happy asked.

"For the moon to come out." Gray replied.

Rizzo blinked wondering if she had heard him correctly. They were going to wait that long?

"The moon?!" Natsu demanded. "But it's the middle of the afternoon. Forget that! If I have to hang out here all day, I'll die of boredom."

"Why does the moon matter?" Lucy asked while ignoring Natsu.

Natsu frowned at being ignored as he crossed in arms of his chest in annoyance.

"I have a feeling the curse on this island and Deliora are connected to it." Gray said. "And I heard those guys we saw earlier say something about collecting moonlight."

Rizzo sighed guessing that meant they really didn't have a choice in the matter.

"I heard that too." Lucy said.

"Yep." Rizzo said sighing. "I guess we have no choice but to wait even if it's the most boring thing to do."

"I'm not waiting!" Natsu snapped. "We've got work to do!"

He then fell backwards snoring, which had Rizzo chuckling in amusement. Lucy just sweat-dropped.

"Well, that was fast." Lucy said.

"Aye." Happy agreed.

Rizzo shook her head then glanced back at Gray as he sat away from the group. She sighed knowing he was trying to be a tough guy. She walked over to him, and at the sound of her approach, Gray looked up at her. His eyes then widened when Rizzo sat awfully closer to him. She hugged his arm then rest her head on his shoulder.

"Don't look so pathetic." Rizzo said. "It doesn't suit you."

Gray blinked before he snorted with a tiny half grin on his face as Rizzo's eyes closed. She planned to take a nap herself.

"We're here for you, Frosty." Rizzo said then lightly yawned.

Gray looked down at the ground then used his right hand to cover Rizzo's hands as they held onto his left arm. He rest his head on top of hers while not noticing how Lucy was watching them with a smile. Rizzo smiled with her eyes stilled closed. Due to her lack of sleep from the previous night she quickly fell into a slumber.

* * *

 _Rizzo stood outside the Fairy Tail guildhall with Sanjū in her arms. Standing beside her was a young blonde in his teens. He had come to pick Rizzo up at the train station by order of Makarov. He had grabbed Rizzo's things since her small frame couldn't carry them without tripping._

" _Ya going in or not, kid?" The blonde, Laxus, asked._

 _Rizzo bit her lip before she pushed open the door. Her eyes widened at what the sight that greeted her. The entire place was in chaos with people and inanimate objects flying around the room._

" _Idiots." Laxus scoffed._

 _He felt Rizzo grab his pants leg, so he looked down to see her nervous expression. He shook his head then gently nudged her inside, and once the door shut behind them, things went still for a moment. However, it soon returned to chaos as the guildmates continued fighting._

" _Oh, Laxus is back." A little white-haired girl said smiling. "And he's brought guests!"_

 _The little girl ran up to Rizzo and Sanjū as a pink-haired boy and a dark-haired boy followed her. On top of the pink-haired boy's head was a blue feline like Sanjū who was blinking curiously at Sanjū as she blinked at him._

" _Hi, I'm Lisanna and these guys are Natsu and Gray." Lisanna said smiling sweetly. "And the little kitty is Happy."_

" _Hello, my name is Rizzo and this is Sanjū." Rizzo said giving a slightly nervous grin. "We will be joining Fairy Tail today. I hope we can all get along."_

 _Laxus snorted in amusement when he saw how nervous Rizzo was. If this was how she usually is then she is nothing like her grandfather or even her father who he has met before when Makarov brought Laxus along with him to visit the Treble Chambers guild. He had actually met an even younger Rizzo back then, which is probably why Makarov had sent him to pick the girl and her cat up at the station._

" _Heh, your hair is like mine." Natsu said smiling brightly. "How awesome is that?"_

 _Rizzo blinked seeming a bit surprised that he said something like that so randomly. Gray rolled his eyes thinking Natsu was being stupid as always. Laxus shook his head at the younger members of the guild before he went over where Makarov was with Rizzo's things in his hands. Rizzo then grinned more naturally at Natsu._

" _Yeah, it is pretty awesome." Rizzo agreed giggling._

" _Want to be friends?" Natsu asked still smiling. "I bet we'd make great ones!"_

 _Natsu held out his hand to Rizzo, and without even having to think about it, Rizzo placed Sanjū on top of her head then took Natsu's hand. She was still hurting from the tragedy that happened not even a week ago, but something about Natsu made herself feel happy and safe. Maybe it was his sincere smile, or that he offered friendship when she needed it the most. She almost felt as if she's known him for a long time, and it has just been a while since they last say each other._

" _Hey, don't leave us out." Lisanna said as she placed her hand over Natsu and Rizzo's hands. "Right, Gray?"_

 _The group looked at Gray, and even if Natsu looked annoyed he didn't say anything. Gray looked at Rizzo as she looked at him with those captivating green eyes. He felt his hand moving to cover Lisanna's before he consciously made a decision._

" _Yeah, close friends." Gray said finally as he grinned._

 _Rizzo smiled at him brightly, and Gray felt his cheeks heat up. He looked away quickly while hoping Rizzo didn't notice his blush. It didn't seem he had to worry since she had already moved her eyes back onto Natsu as Sanjū and Happy leaned forward on Natsu and Rizzo's heads to place their paws together._

" _Welcome to Fairy Tail, Rizzo." Lisanna said smiling. "As long as you're here, we'll all remain friends. That's a promise, right, guys?"_

" _Yeah!" Natsu and Gray agreed._

Rizzo's eyes snapped open, and she pulled away from Gray, who had been snoozing, until her movement woke him. Gray looked towards her curiously as she rested her forehead in her hand.

"Something wrong, Rizzo?" Gray asked curiously.

"Nothing's wrong." Rizzo said turning her head to smile at him. "Just had a dream of an old memory is all."

"What memory?" Gray asked.

"The day when I joined the guild." Rizzo said. "I met you and Natsu…and all our friends on that day."

Gray nodded his head remembering the day that Rizzo had come to join the guild. It was the first and only day where they got along without trying to kill each other at least once. Rizzo sighed as she leaned against him again. He didn't seem to mind since he rested his cheek against the top of her head. In fact, he felt oddly calmed with her so close. Yeah, the two argue constantly, but Gray knew that Rizzo would always be by his side whenever he needed the extra support. Rizzo glanced over at the others to see they were all out cold.

"Do you think it's almost nighttime?" Rizzo asked softly, so not to wake their sleeping friends.

"Close." Gray said as he looked up at the roof of the cave.

Rizzo let out a soft breath as she stared forward at the demon that was frozen in ice in front of them.

"It's almost been six years." Gray said suddenly. "Since you joined."

"Yeah." Rizzo said realizing the same as him. "I joined on my birthday."

The ground then suddenly started shaking rather hard, which woke up the others.

"What's that weird noise?" Lucy asked as she woke up.

"Is it night yet?!" Natsu demanded as he sat up quickly.

A purple beam of light shot down onto the frozen form of Deliora, which had the group jumping onto their feet.

"It's a beam of light." Lucy said.

"Shining down from the ceiling." Natsu added.

"But why is it purple?" Gray asked. "It must be moonlight."

"What's going on?" Happy asked trembling. "I'm getting scared, Gray."

Rizzo knelt down to scoop Happy into her arms, and the small feline hugged up to her.

"So, those people are using the moonlight to melt the ice it would seem." Rizzo said. "Or they're trying to."

And it would see that they've been somewhat successful since water was dripping off the ice containing Deliora.

"We need to go." Gray said. "We have to find out where the light is coming from."

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

All five of them quickly left the cave, and found a set of stairs that took them higher and higher through the temple. They made it to one level to see another magic circle that was glowing with purple light.

"Why would someone cast a magic circle inside this old temple?" Gray asked.

"Let's find out." Natsu said.

They went to the next set of stairs that took them to the very top of the temple. There they found a circle of people in full robes chanting to the moon, which was bringing in the purple moonlight. The group quickly hid behind some rubble.

"The moon." Gray murmured.

"It looks like those robe freaks are chanting something to collect the moonlight like Rizzo thought they were." Natsu and.

"Yeah, to shine on Deliora." Lucy added. "But what for?"

Rizzo frowned wishing she hadn't been right. She didn't like the thought of a demon known for destruction being woken up after being frozen for so long. It'd probably be cranky and hungry, and they'd all suffer for it.

"It's a dispelling spell called Moon Drip."

Rizzo blinked in confusion at the new voice then turned her head to see…Little Bo Peep?

"What are you still doing here?!" Lucy growled.

Oh, it was one of Lucy's weirdo spirits. Rizzo tilted her head wondering if all of them were so nutty. One was a lame crab man that called Lucy baby. Then one was a maid that could turn into a gorilla, and according to Happy the bull man was a huge pervert, and the fish lady had major anger management issues.

"Uh, who's this?" Rizzo asked.

"Oh, uh, this is Lyra." Lucy asked then sighed. "Who I still don't know why is still here."

Lyra didn't even bat an eyelash at Lucy's annoyance, which made Rizzo wondered if any of Lucy's spirits actually noticed when their owner was annoyed with them. Or perhaps they just got so used to it that it doesn't faze them anymore.

"I see, that's what they're trying to do." Lyra said.

"Okay, Tease, fill us in." Lucy said.

Rizzo nodded in agreement since she wanted to know what exactly was going on. She was hoping her theory wasn't right.

"They're using the Moon Drip spell to melt the ice around that demon underground, so that they can resurrect it." Lyra explained.

"What?" Natsu and Rizzo hissed.

If that demon was revived who knew what kind of damage it could cause to not only this island but the mainland as well if it ever got that far.

"They can't!" Gray whisper-yelled. "Ice used in an Iced Shell can't be melted."

"I'm sorry to say, but that's not exactly true." Lyra said. "While the ice used in Iced Shell is strong it can be melted by the Moon Drip. Focused moonlight can break any magical spell."

"Oh, no." Happy murmured.

He climbed into Rizzo's lap for comfort, and the pinkette hugged Happy to ease him.

"Those idiots have never witnessed the wrath of Deliora!" Gray snapped.

Rizzo placed one of her hands on his shoulder, and he tried to relax his body when he felt her supportive touch.

"I think what the islanders think of as a curse against them might actually be side effects of the Moon Drip." Lyra continued. "Concentrated moon energy can contaminate the body. I'm afraid these islanders have been exposed to too much of it."

"I'll make them pay." Natsu growled.

He went to move, but Lucy told him to hold it as she took a cheap shot to his face. Natsu fell backwards into Rizzo and Happy.

"Someone's coming this way." Lucy said.

Rizzo and Happy, who were helping Natsu sit up, looked up as some guy in armor and those weirdos from earlier came into view.

"What a waste." That Yuka guy said. "I lost so much precious sleep for nothing. We searched all day for those intruders, but found no trace of them."

"Maybe there wasn't any!" Toby, who had been sleep walking, snapped.

Rizzo frowned really thinking someone needed to muzzle that dog if he kept snapping.

"I'm afraid we have some sad news, Cold Emperor." The weirdo love girl, Sherry, said. "We thought that we had some intruders during the day, but it seems as if they got away somehow. I cannot speak of love in this situation."

Lucy and Rizzo exchanged a glance while both mentally agreeing that they lucked out that they didn't have to listen to Sherry spout out more love crap.

"Intruders?" The man asked.

Gray stiffened while pretty sure he recognized the voice of the man under the metal helmet.

"So, he's their leader, huh?" Natsu murmured.

Rizzo nodded while already planning to go for him first. Once a leader is taken out of commission the flunkies always panic, which would make it easier to take them out.

"He's trying to act all high and mighty wearing that stupid looking mask." Lucy said.

"I don't know." Happy whispered. "I think it looks kind of cool."

Rizzo chuckled softly as she pat Happy on top of his head while the feline admired the Cold Emperor's metal mask.

"Has Deliora been awakened yet?" He asked.

"It should be later tonight or tomorrow." Sherry assured the Cold Emperor.

"Which one, girl?!" Toby demanded.

Yeah, that doggy really needs to be muzzled. His outbursts were starting to really bug Rizzo.

"The time has almost come." The Cold Emperor said. "If you see those intruders again, kill them. I don't want anyone getting in my way."

Whoa, talk about cold. Rizzo then noticed that Gray was practically shaking, which had her looking at him in worry.

"They must have been villagers." Sherry said. "They're the only other people on this island."

"Then destroy the village." The Cold Emperor ordered.

His three flunkies were too quick to accept his order, which had Rizzo's gut churning. This is why she hated dark mages. They don't care who gets hurt as long as they get what they want.

"What?" Natsu hissed.

"But the villagers had nothing to do with this." Lucy said.

Rizzo frowned because this was their fault. It was them that came here, not the villagers. She couldn't let them pay for what her and her friends have done.

"Yeah, we gotta stop him." Natsu growled.

"It's a shame there has to be bloodshed." The Cold Emperor said.

He then smirked, which showed he obviously didn't care if innocent bystanders were hurt or worse. Rizzo shook in anger. She really, really hated dark mages.

"That voice." Gray murmured, which caught her attention. "It can't be."

Natsu jumped up suddenly from their hiding place, and to say Rizzo wasn't surprised was an understatement.

"I've had enough of this sneaking about business." Natsu said then collected fire into his mouth.

He let out a ball of fire into the air as Rizzo stood up guessing there was no point in hiding now.

"If it wasn't already obvious, your intruders are right here, and we're not villagers." Rizzo said casually as if discussing the weather.

"Yeah!" Natsu agreed.

Lucy stared at the two of them with her mouth hanging open in shock. Why the hell did they do that for?!

"Gees, I guess there's no turning back now, huh?" Lucy asked reaching for her keys.

"I want to help out too!" Lyra said excitedly. "Want me to sing?"

Lucy hung her head as the vein in her forehead pulsed vigorously due to her annoyance.

"No, I want you to go back." Lucy said.

"Awe~ you're no fun." Lyra whined.

Lyra disappeared back to the spirit world as Rizzo's guitar case snapped off of her back. It floated behind her while opening up to reveal the black void within. The villains then noticed the mark of Natsu's shoulder as a trumpet came out of the case to Rizzo without her having to call for Sanjū. She honestly didn't need Sanjū to toss out her instruments for her. Sanjū just liked being helpful.

"I know that mark." Sherry said. "They're from Fairy Tail."

"Interesting." Yuka muttered. "Those villagers must have gone to the magical guilds for help."

And Rizzo was going to make sure they got the best help that they could get since Fairy Tail was here to help.

"Don't worry about them." The Cold Emperor said. "Go eradicate the village."

Rizzo's eyes widened as Natsu and Lucy asked the Cold Emperor why he still wanted to hurt the village. Rizzo didn't understand herself. He had the intruders, which were them, right in front of him. He didn't need to hurt the villages.

"Anyone who stands in my way whether deliberately or not is my enemy." The Cold Emperor said.

"Say WHAT?!" Natsu demanded.

"That's some pretty messed up logic, Man." Rizzo said.

Natsu nodded in agreement then rushed forward, but Gray overtook him. He looked really, really pissed off.

"Why you!" He frowned then jumped into the air as he formed ice in his hand. "Stop this crazy ceremony right now!"

He slammed his hands to the ground with ice shooting out across it towards the villains while getting bigger as it went. The Cold Emperor jumped into the air and then used the same magic as Gray only with one hand as he landed on the ground with his hand slamming down. Rizzo gasped with the others in surprise at the attacks hit therefore cancelling each other out.

"He's an ice mage too?!" Happy asked in disbelief.

Rizzo frowned in concern as she caught the livid expression on Gray's face as he glared at the Cold Emperor.

"Lyon." Gray growled.

His friends all stiffened in surprise when realizing that Gray knew the man behind the mask.

"How could you?" Gray asked. "Do you have any idea what you're doing?"

The man across from Gray merely smirked as if he found Gray's anger towards him amusing.

"Oh, Gray, it's been quite a while, hasn't it?" The Cold Emperor, or rather Lyon, asked _pleasantly_.

"Why would you try to revive Deliora?" Gray demanded.

Lyon ignored Gray's question once more as he gave Gray and his team a sweep to see what exactly he was up against. He almost wanted to laugh since they didn't seem like much. As if knowing that he was judging them, Rizzo glared at the guy while ready to kick his ass.

"To think you were one of the mages called to this island to help those _poor_ villagers." Lyon mocked. "Did you come knowing you would find me? Or is this just mere coincidence? Not that it makes any difference to me."

Gray just continued to glare at Lyon while feeling his anger growing with every passing second.

"An acquaintance of yours, Cold Emperor?" Yuka asked as Toby made growling noises.

"Do as you were ordered." Lyon said smoothly. "I can handle the intruders on my own."

"Yes, sir!" They said.

They then disappeared in a flash, and Rizzo growled knowing she couldn't let them get away.

"Rizzo!" Natsu shouted.

"Right!" Rizzo said.

The two started running forward while ready to kick Lyon's ass, so to go after the other three.

"Rizzo, Natsu, no!" Gray shouted. "Don't go near him!"

It was too late. Lyon cast an icy spell that started freezing both Natsu and Rizzo.

"Rizzo!" Gray shouted seeing she was freezing faster.

"Oh, you sound panicked, Gray." Lyon said smirking. "Does this girl mean something to you? Maybe I should freeze her solid."

Lyon raised his hand freezing the air around Rizzo even more, which had the ice not just freezing in a sphere like it was around Natsu. No it started freezing her from her toes before creeping up towards her head.

"No!" Natsu roared. "Leave her alone!"

"Happy, get Lucy out of here!" Rizzo shouted as the ice got to her neck "Now!"

Happy quickly picked Lucy up to fly her out of there as the ice went completely solid around Natsu like a ball. It continued on creeping on Rizzo until it covered her head.

"Rizzo!" Gray shouted. "Lyon, I'm going to get you for that!"

Lyon smirked as he looked at Gray and Natsu who looked ready for a fight. Rizzo could watch on even if she was frozen, but she started to feel herself drifting off. She lost complete consciousness just as Gray kicked Natsu off the temple.

 _…Gray…_

* * *

Coco: Oh, cliffhanger! Don't you just love those? I know I don't. Teehee~ Anyway, please remember to review. The more reviews I get will bring in faster updates.


	9. Soulmates and Zombies

Coco: Hey, readers. Here's a new chapter. Fast update, huh? Don't get used to it because not all of them will be as fast as this XD Anyway, hope you enjoy!

* * *

ACACIA TOWN (SOUTHWEST PART OF FIORE)

In a large hidden cove there was a young man looking up at the moon. The cove was covered all around by rock walls, but it had a large opening at the top that gave a perfect view of the sky. The man had a cigarette between his lips with the smoke rising off the end of it slowly.

"It's getting near that time." He murmured to himself.

The man appeared to be in his early twenties. He had dark violet hair that went down to his shoulder in a mess. He had small goatee on his chin with sideburns that nearly touched the edge of his jaw. His eyes were a striking silver color, and under the left eye was a dark scar that stood out against his pale skin. He was on the lanky side with his clothes fitting him loosely since they were a one size took big except for his jeans. There was a tattoo on the side of his neck that looked like a treble clef, and it was a dark violet color, so it matched his hair perfectly.

He had on a loose fitting maroon shirt that went a bit past his hips, and the sleeves went down to his wrists. Over the skirt was a white jacket that's sleeves were fastened back to his elbows by buttons. He then had on black skinny cut jeans that went over black boots with a pointed tip. Around his waist was a white belt that went over his skirt. Going around his neck was a long black scarf. He had a few black rings on his fingers, and there was a black choker around his neck. Hanging from his left ear was a black feather earring, and in his right ear was a simple small silver hoop.

"Hey."

The man turned his head seeing a younger man standing there with his hands in his pockets. The man looked to be in his late teens with sandy colored hair that was partially hidden under a scarf wrapped around his head. He was tall in stature with a muscular physic. In the center of his forehead was a small golden shaped four sided diamond mark. His skin was a naturally dark tan with a few scars showing on his torso and right arm. On his left arm was a dark tattoo of a dragon with it's tail starting at his wrist before wrapping around his arm where the dragon's head stopped at his shoulder. His pale yellow eyes looked almost like liquid gold as they shined in the moonlight.

He had on a sleeveless white sherwani (coat like garment) that he keeps opened at all times to show off his bare torso, and it has golden embroidery on the edge. Then he had on white tight fitting churidars (pants) that fasten above his ankles by buttons. On his feet are brown sandals with golden colored straps. Around his waist was a golden colored shawl that tied in the front before falling behind him nearly to the back of his knees. Wrapped around his head was a matching gold silk scarf, and the excess material fell to the right of his face to his shoulder. On his wrists were gold bangles and in his ears where two large golden bead earrings that hung down nearly touching his shoulders. Then around his neck was a golden beaded necklace that fell to rest against the top part of his chest.

"You're going to run out of cigarettes if you keep smoking them as fast as you are." The man said teasingly as he grinned. "And we both know you get cranky when you don't get your daily dose of cancer."

The first man snorted then finished off the cigarette he had been using. He let it drop to the ground where he promptly snuffed it out with the toe of his boot.

"Hmm, for once I agree with the idiot." A third man said as he joined them out in the middle of the cove with the water a few feet away from them.

This guy appeared to be the same age as the second, and he was a bit shorter than the other men. He had messy red hair, but instead of falling around his face, it spiked up like a horrible case of bed head. Some could argue that his hair defied the natural law of gravity. His left eye was forest green and his right eye was completely grayish-white with a scar running over it. He had a more slim body instead of a muscular though it was hard to be completely certain. In his mouth he was biting on what looked like a needle that would be used for sewing.

He had on simple white dress shirt that he had tucked into a pair of red plaid pants. The shirt's sleeves stopped at his elbows where they were neatly folded. Over his white dress shirt he had on a black vest and tucked into the vest was a red tie. The pants were being held up by a black belt that had a silver ring around one of the belt hoops with a chain attached. The chain connected to something that was in his right pocket. He wore a pair of black combat boots, which his pants were tucked into. His ears were both pierced, but only one had a chain that stopped from the top of the ear went along the edge of the ear then stopped in his earlobe.

"Man, do you have to be so mean?" the second man practically whined. "We're friends, right?"

"Close acquaintances, and that's stretching it quite a bit." The third man said coolly.

"Man, that's just cold." The second man said.

There was a boyish giggle from behind them, so they turned to see a boy sitting on a large rock in the cove.

"Amusing as ever, you two." The boy said.

The boy had platinum blonde hair that fell around his face in scruffy manner, but there was a neatness to it at the same time. He had rather pale skin that made his lavender eyes pop. He had the body of a boy at age twelve yet he sat there with the confidence of an adult. He looked to be about 4'11" to 5 foot, and be probably weighed no more than a hundred pounds if that. He had one noticeable scar going along the right side of his neck, and he had a birthmark near the left corner of his mouth.

He had on a simple orange t-shirt that had sleeves he had rolled up to his shoulders. He then had a jean vest over the shirt with a black hood attached. He had on black cargo shorts that had many large pockets. On his feet were simple tennis shoes and socks, and on his wrists were black arm warmers. Around his neck was simple chain necklace, and he also a brown messenger bag that rest on his left hip as the strap went across his chest.

"You both know you're the closest of friends." The little boy said.

The second man laughed as he put his arm around the shoulders of the third man whose brow twitched in annoyance.

"We're all the best of friends for sure." The second man said.

"Remove your arm, _Acquaintance_." The third man ordered.

"So cold." The second man said hanging his head.

He went over to a corner to pout, which had the little boy laughing in amusement. The third man scoffed obviously not caring if he hurt the other guy's feelings.

"This isn't the time to be goofing off." The first man said. "It's getting near that time. What is the status on Devil's Lament?"

The three others instantly became serious as they stood next to each other to face to the first man.

"Devil's Lament was last seen in Shiratsume, and they were heading for what appeared to be Oshibana." The second man said. "They will most likely get on a train there to take them to Magnolia."

The first man frowned because it didn't take that long to get to Oshibana from Shiratsume. They would only have to cross Mt. Hakobe then the rest of the journey would be easy. This gave the four of them three days…four at most.

"And any news on Rizzo?" The first man asked.

"She's still away on her mission to Galuna Island." The little boy said. "I heard that Tatiana Erza was sent after Rizzo and her group to bring them back by force if necessary."

If Erza Scarlet was on the job then Rizzo should be brought back to Magnolia in a day or two. That meant they would have little time to get her from Magnolia to avoid the Devil's Lament's guild.

"We're moving out immediately." The first man said. "Sven, get the transportation we need. Jaser, you will come with Sven and me in case things get rocky. Craylee, remain here, and make sure everything will be ready by our return."

"Of course, Breccan." The third man, Craylee, said while dipping his head. "The magic circle will be complete and the ceremony will be performed a week from now."

Craylee walked off leaving Jaser, who was the second man, and Sven, who was the little boy, with Breccan as he returned to looking up at the moon.

"It's nearly been six years." Breccan murmured. "I wonder just how much you've grown…Rizzo."

* * *

 _Rizzo stood by the riverside in Magnolia as the sun was starting to set. She was breathing really hard with her a violin in her hand as her guitar case floated behind her. Rizzo grit her teeth as her free hand clenched into a tight fist._

 _"I couldn't do it." Rizzo said. "I couldn't pull off the elemental music magic."_

 _Which means she couldn't stop training just yet. She still had enough magic in her to give it one last go. She placed the violin underneath her chin, and then the bow over the strings. She started warming up to the spell by starting slowly on the song to build up her magic. The wind started to stir around her. It tickled the ends of her shoulder length hair, and lifted the edge of her dress a bit. Rizzo closed her eyes focusing on everyone note…the flow of the music. She started speeding up the song with the wind picking up a bit around her. Finally she reached the actual tempo of the song, and the wind had really picked up around her by now. Yes…she could do this._

 _"Song of…the Dancing Wind!" Rizzo said with her eyes snapping open._

 _A green magic circle appeared in front of her violin, and wind shot out of it to dance around her in the form of spinning cyclones. They danced along with the song until she hit the last note. As soon as she lifted her bow, the wind dispersed with an fwoosh! Rizzo's entire body shook as she tried to take in gasping breaths to quell her burning lungs. It felt as if she had just run a marathon at top speed._ _Sanjū, who was watching her, clapped her paws together for Rizzo's accomplishment._ _Rizzo grinned even as her legs gave out, which sent her back towards the ground._

 _"I…did…it." She said just as she hit the ground._

 _She looked up at the pinkish-orange sky with the grin growing on her face. She probably looked ridiculous laying there all dirty and sweaty with that grin on her face, but she didn't are. She finally pulled off the highest form of elemental music magic. Sanjū went over to Rizzo to climb onto her torso to sit down._

 _"Are you going to be okay, Rizzo?" Sanjū asked._

 _"Yeah." Rizzo said as she lifted her head a bit to look at Sanjū. "I just need to catch my breath."_

 _Sanjū nodded her head as Rizzo laid her head back down to continue to look up at the shy. Suddenly her view of the sky was blocked when Gray's face appeared above her as he was leaning over her._

 _"You really did it this time, Rizzo." He said frowning. "You used up all your magic energy."_

 _Rizzo was too weak to come up with an actual retort, so she stuck her tongue out at him instead. Gray snorted shaking his head. He knelt down beside Rizzo as her violin and bow went flying from her hand into the guitar case, which promptly closed and fastened up before resting on the ground beside Rizzo. Rizzo looked at Gray with a look that clearly asked what he was doing here._

 _"If you've failed to notice, it's getting late." Gray said. "When you hadn't returned to Fairy Hills Erza came to Master Makarov worried. She won't admit she was worried though."_

 _Rizzo rolled her eyes highly doubting that Erza really was worried about her. The two couldn't stand each other._

 _"So, Master asked some of us to search for you." Gray continued as if he hadn't noticed Rizzo roll her eyes. "Good thing I knew to come here. I'm surprised the stupid firebug isn't here already."_

 _"RIZZO!"_

 _"Spoke too soon." Gray grumbled._

 _Rizzo tilted her head back to see Natsu running their way with Happy flying behind him. Rizzo raised her hand in a weak wave as she grinned at Natsu. Her fellow pinkette came to a skidding halt on Rizzo's other side._

 _"What'd you do to her, Gray?!" Natsu demanded looking pissed._

 _"I didn't do anything, moron!" Gray snapped. "This idiot here used up all her magic from pushing herself too hard in training."_

 _"Rizz isn't an idiot, but you are, Freezer Head!" Natsu retorted._

 _This started one of their usual spatting matches with the two cats standing off to the side to watch them, and as they argued and butt heads above Rizzo, the musical mage's grin widened. Just another normal day with her two closest friends._

"Ah!" Rizzo gasped with her eyes shooting open.

She sat up while looking around her to see that she appeared to be in some kind of tent. She let out a shuddered while wrapping her arms around her. She felt like she had been submerged in a tub of ice. What happened to her? Rizzo groaned holding her head as what happened last night started coming back to her. That's right…that bastard Lyon had froze her in ice.

"Oh, you're awake."

Rizzo turned her head seeing one of the villagers, who was in human form, standing there at the entrance of the tent.

"Your friends were getting really worried about you." She said as she came in. "Miss Erza said your body didn't do well in the cold, and that we were to keep you by a fire and put blankets over you."

Erza? What in the name of Mavis was Erza doing here on Galuna? Rizzo frowned knowing the redheaded devil was probably waiting to scold Rizzo about the rules and other bullshit.

"Where are they?" Rizzo asked. "My friends."

"They went running towards the temple." The villager explained. "About thirty minutes ago or so."

Rizzo's eyes widened in surprise. They went to attack the enemy without her?! Those jerks! She had a bone to pick with that bastard Lyon. If he thinks he can get away with freezing her then he has another damn thing coming. She's so pissed off that she was taken out so easily like that. She has to redeem herself by kicking butt now. Rizzo shoved the blankets off of her legs, and she got up from the ground. She nearly toppled over as the feeling in her legs was still trying return.

"Ah, what are you doing?" The villager asked as Rizzo grabbed her guitar case.

"Going after those jerks who left me behind, of course!" Rizzo said. "Think they can just leave me here, do they? I'll kick all their asses!"

The villager leaned away in fear when Rizzo gave a murderous grin. The villager did not want to get in Rizzo's way at all, so she didn't even try to stop Rizzo as the pinkette went running from the tent.

"LYON, I'M GOING TO DESTROY YOU!" She shouted up to the sky as she ran in the direction of the temple.

* * *

As Lyon was fighting with Natsu, he paused to sneeze rather loudly. What the hell? Was someone talking about him? And why did he feel as if someone stepped on his grave? Suddenly the ice next to them started shattering, which confused Natsu. The ice ruptured completely to reveal Gray there with a determined look on his face.

"Oh, it's Gray." Natsu said.

Natsu then frowned. Was Rizzo still not up? He knew that the answer was probably no. She wouldn't have let Gray come here without her because she would most definitely want to beat up Lyon after that stunt he pulled by freezing her entire body.

"Leave him to me." Gray said as he stepped up in between Lyon and Natsu. "It's time we settled things once and for all."

"No way, Man!" Natsu said. "You already lost to him once!"

Which meant Lyon was fair game, and Natsu really wanted to kick Lyon's ass for what the ice mage did to him and Rizzo. If his friend couldn't be here to get her own payback then Natsu was going to do it for her.

"And it won't happen again." Gray said. "I'm ready to end this now."

"You seem awfully confident." Lyon said. "Oh, and before I forget, how is that girl doing? Was she unfrozen in time? Or perhaps there was nothing you could do to save her."

He smirked tauntingly at Gray and Natsu as the two of them growled in anger. When Natsu last saw Rizzo last night, she was unfrozen and unresponsive. She had been carried away with Gray by the villagers, and that was the last time Natsu saw her. He didn't know her current condition.

"Gray, how is Rizzo?" Natsu asked.

"She was still unconscious when the others and I left to come here." Gray said. "She didn't even respond to Happy when he tugged on her hand."

Natsu's hands clenched into fists. Rizzo's body didn't do well in the cold. She was from a very warm part of Fiore, and her body wasn't used to cold temperatures, which is probably why she doesn't get along well with Gray.

"Then perhaps it really is too late for the girl." Lyon said casually.

"You don't know what you're talking about." Gray said with a smirk. "Rizzo is as stubborn as a mule. There's no way she'd let anything keep her down for long."

Even if he looked confident on the outside, on the inside Gray was completely worried. He had no idea if Rizzo really was going to pull through.

"So certain, are you?" Lyon asked looking skeptical.

Gray just kept a straight face while knowing he didn't have time for this. It was time to get to the fight.

"You were right, Lyon. I'm the one to blame for our master's death." Gray said then spread his legs to get into a stance. "But you're no better. You've threatened my comrades. Brought harm to the villagers, and now you're trying to destroy what Ur gave her life for. It's time we accept our punishment together."

Gray got into a stance with his arms crossed out in front of him, and Lyon's eyes widened when he realized what Gray was going to do.

"That stance." Lyon said. "Not the iced shell!"

"Ice shell?" Natsu murmured.

Natsu then remembered Gray mentioning something about the Iced Shell. Natsu's eyes widened realizing it was the spell that killed Ur and sealed away Deliora.

"Are you insane?!" Lyon demanded. "You wouldn't dare."

"If you wanna live, change the villagers back to their human forms." Gray ordered. "And then leave this island, and never return!"

A large blue magic circle appeared under Gray, and it made the entire room glow blue as well.

"If you agreed to that, I'll stop." Gray said. "If you don't…then this is the end."

"That so?" Lyon asked smirking. "Well, I don't believe a word of it. You're bluffing."

The magic exploded around the room with an icy wind twirling around blowing back Lyon and Natsu's clothes.

"No, I'm not." Gray said.

"You'll die!" Lyon warned him as he raised his hand to try and use magic to counteract the Iced Shell.

However, he was just sent flying back because the magic Gray was using was much stronger.

"Don't do it!" Natsu shouted.

"All these years I've been lying to myself." Gray said as he ignored Natsu. "I didn't want to admit Ur died because of me, but she did. And it's time I took responsibility. So I will here and now. I'm not afraid to die if that's what it takes."

Gray's entire body started to turn white as if he was becoming ice and his skin started to crack.

"Stop this now!" Lyon ordered.

"What's it going to be, Lyon?" Gray asked. "Are as going to live or are we going to die?"

"You're not brave enough to give your life!" Lyon said. "You're nothing but a coward."

"Just watch me." Gray said.

He started building up his magic even more as Natsu yelled at him to stop. However, Gray wasn't going to listen. He had to do this.

"NO! Gray, stop this!"

Gray's eyes widened when he heard her familiar voice scream his name in a panic. Suddenly two slender arms wrapped around his body. He turned his head seeing Rizzo there with her eyes wide as tears leaked out the corners and froze the second they rolled off her cheeks. Ice started to collect on her body as she continued to hold onto Gray.

"RIZZO!" Natsu shouted in shock.

Rizzo was really here right now, and she was clinging onto Gray so tightly as if he was some kind of lifeline. The ice mage couldn't believe his eyes, but he soon snapped out of his shock when seeing more ice cover Rizzo body.

"Rizzo…Rizzo, what are you doing?!" Gray demanded. "Let go!"

"I won't!" Rizzo refused. "I won't let you do this, Gray! I won't let you leave me!"

Gray's eyes widened even more as Rizzo yelled that at him. He then quickly stopped the spell before Rizzo could be turned into an icicle again. Rizzo huffed as her arms tightened around Gray even more. Her head was ducked down, but he knew the tears were falling even harder now. He felt some of them falling onto his shoulder.

"You're…an idiot." Rizzo said. "How is dying going to fix whatever score you're trying to settle? It won't, and you know that. So why…why were you trying to do something like this?!"

She looked up with her eyes showing just how upset she was, and Gray felt his heart clench. He caused her these tears. Knowing this made him feel like the worst kind of jerk in the world.

"You're basically running away." Rizzo said as she hid her face against his shoulder. "And the Gray I know isn't a coward. And he isn't the kind of guy to leave the people who love and care about him behind for such a stupid reason such as giving his life to settle a score."

Gray stood there a moment before he slowly put his arms around Rizzo, which had her gasping in surprise. Her head snapped up once more to look him in the eye, and she felt herself flush when seeing the intensity in his stare.

"…Rizzo…" Gray murmured. "I—"

He never finished his sentence because the entire temple started to shake and groan.

"What now?" Natsu asked sounding annoyed.

The temple started to tilt back into place, and Gray tightened his hold around Rizzo as he tried to keep on his feet. Natsu growled in aggravation then started randomly kicking and hitting stuff. He worked hard to get this temple to tilt. Why the hell was it going back into place?

"This is bad." Gray said. "Now the moon is going to shine on Deliora."

Yeah, this really wasn't working in their favor. Rizzo frowned while quickly wiping away any remaining tears in her eyes. This wasn't the time to be crying. They still have a job to finish.

"We have to stop them." Rizzo said.

"Hey, uh, Rizz, how'd you get here so fast anyway?" Natsu said. "Gray said you were still unconscious when he and the others left."

"Once I woke up and learned what was going on, I immediately made my way towards here." Rizzo said. "I ran the entire way, and I guess my anger made me go faster than usual."

She shrugged laughing, and as Gray sweat-dropped, Natsu nodded since that made perfect since to him. Gray shook his head at the both of them. Rizzo had some messed up logic.

"You two are idiots." Gray said.

"Oh, and Erza cleared me a path when I came upon the fight she, Lucy, and Happy were in." Rizzo added as if Gray hadn't spoken.

"ERZA?!" Natsu screeched.

He started sweating bullets while wondering when Erza had gotten here. Oh man, they were so dead! Suddenly a short middle-aged man wearing a mask ran into the ice coated room with a young man wearing a similar mask right behind him.

"Pardon the interruption." The man said.

"I should have known." Lyon said. "I take it you did this."

"Indeed I did, sir." The man said. "The moon will be out soon, so I thought I'd take the liberty of straightening the temple for you. And my apprentice made sure everything was prepared on top of the temple to begin the Moon Drip ceremony."

Great, things just kept getting worse and worse, didn't they? Rizzo stepped away from Gray while ready to battle it out when the time came. There was no way she was going to fail a job. She never has failed one ever since she took on her first job.

"That weirdo fixed it all by himself?" Gray asked.

"And after I went through all that trouble to mess it up too." Natsu said. "Hey, what'd you do to fix it, huh?!"

The man blinked over at Natsu curiously before he busted out laughing, which pissed of Natsu.

"Tell me how you did it, you jerk!" Natsu snapped.

The man just continued to ignore Natsu, and Rizzo pat him on the head to make him feel better.

"Now that everything is in order, my apprentice and I should commence the Moon Drip ceremony." He said. "Let's go, Silk."

"Yes, Master Zalty." Silk said.

The two then started running away, which had Natsu exploding in anger…and fire.

"Would you quit ignoring me, you demon-eyed freak?!" Natsu roared.

He started running after the two, and Silk paused a few feet away from the entry way with Natsu running past him since the Dragon Slayer only wanted to beat up Zalty. He smirked challengingly at Rizzo in a manner that instantly pissed her off. He then started running off in the opposite direction of his master and Natsu.

"Get back here!" Rizzo yelled as she ran after him. "What was that smirk about, huh!? ARE YOU MOCKING ME?!"

"Natsu, Rizzo!" Gray shouted.

The two, who were almost out of sight, paused to look back at Gray with determined looks on their faces.

"Listen, we have our own fights to worry about, Frosty." Rizzo said.

"Yeah, we'll just let you deal with this icy guy." Natsu added. "It will look back if you lose again, and not just you…"

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Gray said.

"But for all of Fairy Tail." He, Natsu, and Rizzo said in unison.

They all exchanged a grin before Natsu and Rizzo went after their respected opponents.

"You're going down, Silky guy!" Rizzo shouted as she left the room.

Gray chuckled glad to see she was okay. If she had this much energy then she was going to be just fine.

"Hmph, your girlfriend seems to be a wild one." Lyon said.

Gray's eyes widened, and he felt his entire face heat up. Lyon blinked wondering why Gray was making such a weird face.

"S…She's not my girlfriend!" Gray shouted with his voice cracking a bit.

* * *

Rizzo followed Silk to an underground chamber, but it had to be away from Deliora because she didn't sense a chill, which she did around that large sphere of ice. Silk finally came to a stop to turn and face Rizzo.

"I think we're far enough away to commence with our battle." Silk said. "I'd hate to get in Master Zalty's way."

Rizzo frowned while snapping her fingers with the guitar case immediately going to float behind her like a loyal battle companion.

"Hmm, I've heard about you, Rizzo Sweeney." Silk said. "I'm quite the avid reader of Sorcerer's Weekly. Someone is quite destructive, isn't she?"

He tutted as if scolding her while wagging his finger at her, which had her eyebrow twitching in annoyance.

"Ah, shut your trap, Silky guy!" Rizzo snapped.

"It's just Silk." He said grinning. "Pleasure to meet you, Rizzo Sweeney."

He gave a grand bow to Rizzo as she kept her eyes on him. She didn't know what this guy's magic was or how strong he was, so she had to be careful.

"Now, I suppose it's time to get this fight started." Silk said as he came out of the bow. "Really I don't see the point in hurting such a pretty face. So how's about we just have a bit of fun instead of having an all-out battle, hmm?"

Rizzo just silently held out her hand with her violin coming into her hand. It was honestly her most powerful instrument. Her brass instruments had power behind them, but her violin could do many different spells that most of her other instruments couldn't. Besides being able to use elemental magic with her violin, Rizzo can play songs that spell her opponent dance like her own personal dancing monkey. However, spells like that are much stronger, and Rizzo hasn't mastered them as of yet.

"Hmm, you look so serious." Silk said. "I really don't want to hurt you, but you seem determined to fight. Very well, I suppose I can entertain you for a bit. All I need to do is distract you long enough for Master Zalty to complete the Moon Drip ceremony and revive Deliora."

"That's not happening." Rizzo said as she glared sharply at Silk.

Silk's brow quirked and his lips turned up into an amused smirk that made Rizzo's blood boil.

"Oh really?" Silk asked with a tilt of his head. "And how did you come to that conclusion?"

"Easy." Rizzo said while smirking this time. "Gray and Natsu are going to win their fights without a problem, and I plan to kick your ass right here and now. We won't let you or your comrades revive Deliora."

Silk chuckled finding this girl amusing, but he did like her spunk and determination. Poor girl didn't know that she was completely unmatched. However, he supposed he could humor her. He knelt down on the ground, and Rizzo tensed as he placed his hand on the ground. Dark magic started forming around his hand.

"Come to me, my undead servants!" He ordered. "Resurrección Víctimas!"

Rizzo really did not like the sound of that spell. She knew she was about to be unpleasantly surprised by something. She was proven right when suddenly rotting looking corpses came popping out of the ground.

"Kyah!" She screamed jumping back in shock. "Zombies!"

"That's right." Silk said grinning. "I use a kind of lost magic called the Arc of Resurrection. Neat, huh?"

"Creepy is more like it!" Rizzo retorted.

Silk chuckled in an amused manner as Rizzo wondered what to do now. How can she defeat zombies? She set her jaw in determination knowing she just has to attack and try to find weaknesses. Rizzo readied her violin as the dozen or so zombies started coming her way. Her magic started to build up as she started playing aggressively on her violin. Silk looked around curiously as the cave seemed to start heating up. Magic circles started to form around the cave to cover every angle of the cave, and one even formed under Rizzo, but it glowed golden instead of green like the others.

"Song of the Phoenix's Rage." She said.

Fire started shooting out of the magic circles around the room, and Silk had to flip and twirl out of the way. He laughed excitedly as the fire roared around the room as if a vengeful phoenix was really billowing around the area. Where Rizzo was standing was the only place where the fire wasn't touching. It moved around her as if protecting while it burned her enemies, which were the zombies. He stared at her feeling in awe at her skill. The bow moved expertly and smoothly across the strings as Rizzo poured emotion into her music, which gave power to her magic. It was mesmerizing to watch the young girl play. Silk felt his heart thump oddly as he continued to watch her.

"Impressive." Silk said. "So this is part of the power of Rizzo Sweeney."

His zombies all started falling over with their already rotting flesh turning black or melting off their bones due to the intensity of the heat. The song slowed down with the fire starting to go out. Once the last note played the fire was all gone. Rizzo stood there a moment to take in what kind of damage she had caused the zombies. They were squirming on the ground, but it appeared that the heat had been so intense that their flesh melted onto the ground…now they were glued there unable to move. Silk started clapping, and Rizzo's eyes snapped up to him.

"Marvelous!" He said. "Bravo, little maestro. Really, I am captivated by your breathtaking magic. Ah, the way you play is just so beautiful, and the fact you can make magic through song is a true talent."

Rizzo blushed a bit while surprised that her opponent was praising her as he was. Was he planning to defeat her by smothering her in compliments?

"Ah, my heart is beating fast." Silk said. "No woman has ever moved me as you have with your magic. Is this…love?"

"WHAT?!" Rizzo cried out in shock.

"Oh, it must be." Silk continued not seeming to notice Rizzo's outburst or her horrified expression. "It is the only explanation for this feeling. My fluttering heart, my warmed cheeks, and knotted stomach can only point to love. Oh, Rizzo-chan, how you have captured me~"

"Stop talking crazy!" Rizzo snapped while leaning away from him.

Silk looked at her with a loving smile, and she shuddered uncomfortably. This guy was completely nuts. He snapped his fingers with the cooked zombies disappearing.

"Oooh~ are you shy, Rizzo-chan?" Silk asked coyly. "How cute. I could just eat you up."

Rizzo found herself blushing when he winked indicating he meant a sly innuendo. She wanted to start crying. Where was Natsu or Gray when she needed them? Hell, she'd take Erza right now. Anyone to get this weirdo away from her!

"I'm not shy!" Rizzo finally snapped with her face still aflame. "And you can't just love someone you just met, buddy!"

Silk chuckled his head the smile on his face growing, and even if she couldn't see his eyes because of his mask, Rizzo had the feeling that he was looking at her fondly, which creeped her out even more.

"Have you never heard of love at first sight?" Silk asked. "Or perhaps soulmates? Miss Sweeney, I believe our meeting was destiny! Please, I do not wish to continue our fight. I could not bring myself to seriously fight with you because I cannot stand the thought of hurting you, Rizzo-chan. Let us go away from this place together."

He placed his hand on his heart while holding out the other hand to Rizzo. The pinkette looked at the man as if he had a screw loose or something. Before she could tell him to get lost, a roar rang through the entire cave. Rizzo winced nearly dropping her violin to cover her ears. The cave shook, and she gasped when a large chunk rock came falling down towards her.

"Rizzo-chan!"

Suddenly Rizzo felt herself being lifted off of her feet. She gasped looking up at Silk, who had picked her up, and then just before the rock could squish them, Silk got them out of the way. There a moment of silence after the rock smashed against the cave floor.

"Are you alright?" Silk asked Rizzo gently.

"Uh…yeah." Rizzo said. "Please…just put me down."

"In a moment." Silk said bringing her closer. "Please, allow me to enjoy having you so close, Rizzo-chan."

Rizzo started crying as she wished this freak would just leave her alone. Why did she have to be so damn loveable?!

"Oh, Rizzo-chan, please do not shed tears." Silk said. "You are safe. As long as I am here, I won't allow you to be hurt. I will be like your knight in shining armor."

Speaking of shining armor, Rizzo really, really wished that Erza was here right now. She'd totally kick this guy's ass.

"Put me down!" Rizzo demanded.

"As you wish." He said.

He set her down, and Rizzo adjusted her clothes before she let her violin got back to her gutiar case.

"Now, what was that horrible noise?" Rizzo said.

"It must have been Deliora." Silk said. "It appears Master Zalty was able to distract Natsu Dragneel long enough for that mutt upstairs to finish this ceremony. But not don't worry, Rizzo-chan, I will protect from the demon~"

He then grunted in pain when Rizzo's forehead connected to his nose. He fell backwards onto his back as Rizzo put her guitar case on her.

"I don't need protection!" Rizzo snapped. "Now leave me alone!"

She took off running in the direction she was sure that Deliora was. She hoped she got there to try and help Natsu and Gray with the demon. They couldn't allow it to leave the island. Silk sat up from the ground, and smiled after Rizzo as she disappeared around the corner. He had a bit of blood running down his nose.

"Aw, she's so shy~" He cooed.

* * *

Coco: I hope you liked the new chapter. And I hope you liked the newly added OCs ;D Silk won't be making an appearance much after this arc, but you'll see him again on Tenrou Island.


	10. Wipe the Moon From the Sky!

As Rizzo was running through one of the tunnels, Silk caught up to her without much of a problem.

"Don't worry, Rizzo-chan, I will come with you to assure you are protected from the demon." Silk said smiling at her with his teeth practically twinkling.

Rizzo screamed jumping back in shock at his appearance. Why was he following her?!

"Listen, just leave me alone." Rizzo said. "I don't need protection. I can take care of myself."

Silk chuckled then put his arm around Rizzo, which had her stiffening under his touch. He brought her close, which had her shuddering uncomfortably.

"There is no need to put on a brave face." He said while cupping her chin to tilt her head up. "I want to see every side of you, my Rizzo-chan. Let me see your vulnerable side. Your happy side…your…loving side."

He leaned as if to kiss her, and Rizzo screamed like a typical girl before she elbowed Silk in his gut. He grunted holding his gut, which allowed Rizzo to get away.

"Gray, Natsu, Erza!" Rizzo screamed. "Somebody, help me!"

"Ah, Rizzo-chan, do not fear!" Silk said running after her. "I am here to protect you. What is it that frightens you?"

Rizzo nearly wanted to pull at her hair, but she loved her hair too much to do that to her hair.

"You do, ya creep!" Rizzo shouted over her shoulder.

"Oh, is it the mask?" Silk asked.

Rizzo wanted to shout that it wasn't the stupid mask, but before she could shout, Silk removed his mask. He was revealed to be a young man with maroon colored locks that were put back into a neat bun. His eyes were a turquoise color, and he was…handsome. But that didn't make him any less creepy.

"Are you at ease now, Rizzo-chan?" He asked.

"No, because it wasn't the mask that was freaking me out!" Rizzo snapped.

Silk blinked seeming confused before he seemed to have an epiphany. He took Rizzo's hands into his own.

"Is it that you have never had a lover, so you do not know how to react to such affection?" Silk asked. "Am I…your first?"

Rizzo's mouth practically unhinged as her cheeks went completely red. Silk grinned when seeing he was right.

"I am right~" Silk said. "My beautiful musician is still as innocent as an untouched lily. I am honored to be your first lover, Rizzo-chan. I plan to be the last as well. Let us have many little ones together that are as beautiful as you!"

"No!" Rizzo snapped.

Another roar rang out through the air, and this one was much more powerful. It sent Rizzo and Silk both off their feet, and tumbling to the ground. Rizzo squealed in surprise as Silk practically landed on top of her with his head landing on her bosom.

"Ah, so soft." He cooed as he put his arms around her. "Better than I imagined."

"Get off of me!" Rizzo demanded trying to shove him away.

Silk didn't move completely, but he did place his hands on either side of her head to push him up away from her at arm's length. Rizzo froze as he used one hand to cup her cheek.

"Do not fret, Rizzo-chan." Silk said. "I would never push you into anything. I can wait until they day you are ready to have your sweet white lily plucked."

Rizzo quickly went to crawl away, and managed to get away from the guy. Really he just needed to leave her the heck alone.

"I don't have time for this! I need to get my friends." Rizzo said. "They could be in trouble."

Silk immediately jumped to his feet to follow after Rizzo. She tried to ignore him as she worked on getting to where Deliora was.

"I shall escort you." Silk said. "I would never be able to live with myself if you were hurt, and I could have prevented it."

Rizzo groaned though said nothing more since she had the feeling that it wouldn't do her any good. Rizzo made it to the part of the underground cave where Deliora was, and her eyes widened when seeing that Gray was going to perform the Iced Shell again. Natsu was in front of him seeming to be keeping Gray from doing anything stupid.

"Gray, you moron!" Rizzo yelled as she ran forward. "Stop this at once!"

Before she could get too close, Silk wrapped his arms around her to keep her from getting any closer.

"Let go of me!" Rizzo shouted. "Let go!"

"I cannot." Silk said. "You will get hurt if I allow you to get to closer to Gray Fullbuster as he is performing the Iced Shell."

"I have to stop him!" Rizzo said with tears running down her cheeks for the second time today.

Suddenly Deliora gave another roar as it started to throw its fists towards Natsu and Gray. Words fell short on Rizzo's lips as she watched in horror as the demon's fist got closer to the boys.

"Natsu!" Gray shouted as Natsu went to fight the demon.

He met the demon's fist using his own Fire Dragon: Iron Fist attack. The two fists collided, and Natsu roared as he pumped up the heat. Rizzo watched in awe when suddenly Deliora's body started to crack. Was Natsu's magic really that strong?

"Huh, what the?" Natsu murmured. "I'm stronger than I thought."

Silk chuckled, which had Rizzo looking up in confusion. She was also reminded that he was still holding her, and she really wanted him to let her go.

"It seems our plan was a bust." Silk said. "That woman…Ur…her magic has been killing Deliora this entire time. What a mage."

Rizzo's eyes widened in shock as Lyon was confirming what Silk had said just a second ago.

"Amazing." Rizzo murmured.

Silk looked at Rizzo's awestruck voice as she watched Deliora crumbled into pieces to send the water flowing from the cave.

"Aw, what a cute expression you have, Rizzo-chan." Silk said hugging her tightly.

Rizzo growled in annoyance then looked at Gray who was crying. She felt her own tears pick up and roll down her cheeks. She had almost lost him…twice. Her body shook as she tried to contain the tears, and Silk immediately become serious as he felt her body tremble and felt her tears wet his shirt.

"Huh, Rizzo?!" Natsu called out when finally noticing her. "A…Hey, buddy, what are you doing to my friend?!"

Gray stopped crying when he heard Natsu's angered voice before turning his head to see Silk holding onto Rizzo.

"Hey, you!" Gray shouted pointing at Silk. "Get your hands off of Rizzo!"

Silk's magic flared, and Rizzo froze feeling a sliver of fear run down her spine. She looked up at Silk seeing the cold look on his face. His eyes were narrowed almost into slits as he glared at Gray. His glare honestly frightened Rizzo, and as his magic swirled around them, Rizzo felt as if death was brushing against her. He pulled Rizzo closer to his chest as if trying to shield her.

"Let her go? Why, so that she can return to you?" Silk asked then gently wiped the tears from Rizzo's cheek with one hand. "Do you see this, Gray Fullbuster?! You made this beautiful woman shed tears."

Gray stiffened as Silk carefully lifted Rizzo's face to show the tears staining her cheeks.

"You were so ready to give your life that you didn't even remember the words she said to you when you had first tried that spell?" Silk asked. "I had been standing in the background, and heard her kind words. It is obvious she cares for you deeply. Honestly, I'm a bit jealous."

Gray narrowed his eyes feeling anger boiling up in him the longer he had to see Rizzo in this guy's arms. Natsu was pretty angered himself, but Gray felt like it was personal for him to see Rizzo in some other guy's embrace.

"You do not deserve her love." Silk said. "You obviously treat it like trash by the way you were so ready to throw it away by giving your life for such stupid reasons. Something I cannot and will not forgive. However, I know if I were to hurt you, Rizzo-chan would feel pain. Be thankful because her love is the only thing keeping you alive right now."

"Oh yeah?" Gray challenged. "Big words, pal. Can you back them up?"

Silk was about to reply, but he sensed something coming at him from behind him. He had to flip out of the way, which caused Rizzo to gasp since he kept his hold on her. He landed on top of one of the tall standing rocks in the cave. Rizzo looked seeing that Erza, Lucy, and Happy had arrived.

"Erza, I'm actually so happy to see you!" Rizzo said. "Save me!"

"AH?!" Lucy and Happy exclaimed. "Rizzo is asking to be saved…by Erza?!"

Erza just narrowed her eyes while ready to fight to get her guildmate out of Silk's arms. Silk sighed while bringing Rizzo's face closer to his, which had her blushing.

"My Rizzo-chan, I think we have to say goodbye for now." Silk said. "I have tasks to complete, and obviously your friends, which to part us. I will allow this for now. However, I promise to return for you, my love."

Everyone's mouths then dropped in shock when Silk placed a chaste kiss on Rizzo's silky, plump lips. Rizzo's eyes widened as Silk stole her first kiss from her.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Gray shouted outraged. "You're asking for it, Buddy."

Silk pulled away sighing as he looked down at Gray in annoyance. Rizzo stood there way too shocked to even blink.

"Do you mind?" Silk asked. "I am trying to give a proper goodbye to my love."

"Your what?!" Natsu, Happy, and Lucy shouted.

"That's it!" Gray said while bringing his hands together. "Ice-Make: Lance!"

The ice shot out of his hands like a dozen lances, and Silk had to jump off the rock to avoid being hit.

"Careful." Silk chided. "You could have hit this lovely creature."

"If you don't let Rizzo go, it's going to get really ugly for you." Gray threatened.

Silk rolled his eyes in a mocking manner, which had Gray growling in anger. Silk looked back to Rizzo who was still blushing like mad. He finally let her go much to her relief. He took her hand, however, to caress gently.

"Until we meet again, Rizzo-chan." He said then placed a kiss on her knuckles. "One day we will be able to be together. I wait impatiently till that day where we can be one."

"Stop spouting off that shit, man!" Gray barked.

Silk turned frowning at Gray while becoming very annoyed by his loud outburst.

"Hmph, and you, Gray Fullbuster," He began while pointing at the ice mage. "If I hear that you ever made a single tear fall down these lovely cheeks again, I will be back, and I won't hesitate to kill you."

Gray just growled once more as he glared lividly at Silk as he stepped away from Rizzo. He jumped away from the group while performing some impressive acrobatics over to his fallen master. He picked up Zalty while putting the tiny man under his arm.

"This is where I must leave you, Rizzo-chan." Silk said while bowing his head. "I hope we are not separated for long."

He then jumped up using the rocks and the wall of the cave to get to the opening at the top.

"And, Fullbuster, don't even think of tainting Rizzo-chan's innocence." Silk said. "Her beautiful white lily is mine to take."

Rizzo snapped out of her stupor to glare up at Silk as everyone else looked even more flabbergasted by this guy.

"My 'white lily' is to do with as I please!" Rizzo snapped. "And I am not yours! Now, leave, Silky!"

"Ah, already giving me a sweet pet name, are you?" Silk asked not seeming to hear anything else from her outburst. "Then I think of the perfect one for you while we are separated."

He was then gone as Rizzo stood there with her right eye twitching uncontrollably.

"Is she…broken?" Happy asked innocently.

"Natsu, I was defiled!" Rizzo then cried.

She ran over to her friend, and Natsu immediately wrapped Rizzo up into his arms. She hugged him while sobbing quite comically. He stroked her head while planning to kick Silk's ass if they ever cross paths again.

"When I see that guy again, he is so dead!" Gray snarled.

Lucy blinked starting to finally get over her shock. She suddenly started grinning as she looked at Gray who looked positively pissed off.

"You got really mad when that Silky guy had his hands on Rizzo." Lucy said coyly.

"Yeah, Gray." Happy added. "You must loooove, Rizzo."

Gray blushed turning to look at Lucy and Happy as the two of them chuckled together. Erza was even smirking.

"I…I…Of course, I don't l-l-ove, Rizzo!" He practically squeaked out.

"Someone is in denial~" Lucy sang.

Gray crossed his arms over his chest as he looked away from Lucy and Happy as they continued teasing.

"Let's just get out of here." Gray said.

"Aye, Lover Boy." Happy teased.

"Shut-up, Furball!" Gray snapped.

* * *

Rizzo breathed in the night air deeply while trying to forget all about Silk. If she never sees him again, it'll be too soon.

"Oh yeah!" Natsu cheered. "That's right we won!"

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

Rizzo just hung her head because she didn't do much at all this quest. First she was frozen in ice and next thing she's being defiled by a creep who controls zombies. She was….completely useless. She went to crouch down away from the group to wallow in her despair as her friends celebrated. She didn't even listen as Erza brought down the groups' happy mood by reminding them they hadn't really finished the job yet.

"But I don't understand." Lucy said. "The curse should be lifted now that Deliora's dead."

Rizzo frowned while certain that damn demon had nothing to do with the villagers' transformation. She didn't have any hard evidence. It was just that their luck is so bad that everything couldn't be over so easily. And she really wanted to leave this damn island after everything she suffered.

"Wrong." Erza said. "This curse you keep talking about had nothing to do with the demon. The villagers have been affected by the intense magic energy released from the Moon Drip spell. In other words, Deliora's death isn't going to change their current situation whatsoever."

Yep, it looked like Rizzo was right. She knew this couldn't be all over. Now they have to find a way to reserve the affects of the Moon Drip spell.

"Oh, no." Lucy said.

Rizzo sighed standing up because she better try to help the others finish this quest. She had to do something that was useful after how disgraceful her performance has been so far.

"Well, then we better go change them back." Natsu said as he held his hand up to Happy.

"Aye, sir!" Happy agreed as he gave Natsu a high-five.

At least they could be happy right now. Rizzo just really wanted to get off this stinking island.

"Yeah, but we don't know how." Gray said then looked back Lyon who Gray brought with them. "Lyon, do you know?"

Rizzo frowned at the white-haired ice mage as he sat on the ground with his arms crossed.

"To be quite honest, I don't have a clue." Lyon said.

"You don't know?" Natsu asked looking skeptical.

"What?" Happy added.

Rizzo sighed getting the feeling that Lyon was being honest. He didn't have a reason to lie after.

"But they told us the curse started after you guys go here." Lucy said.

"When we first arrived here three years ago, we were aware there was a village somewhere on the island." Lyon said. "But we had absolutely no reason to communicate with the villagers, so we left them alone, and they never came up to the temple to see what we were up to."

Rizzo's frowned deepened, but this time in slightly confusion. Now, that didn't sound right. For three years the villagers never once tried to see what was going on at the temple? They had to notice the magic coming from there.

"In three years…you've never once met?" Erza asked.

She and Rizzo exchanged a glance with the both of them certain that something was wrong here.

"But I don't understand." Lucy said. "The light from the Moon Drip is so bright that you can practically see it from anywhere on the island. It's kind of weird they saw it every night, and never went to investigate."

"The villagers weren't transformed by the Moon Drip." Lyon said. "It doesn't affect the human body."

Yeah, that was something else that was bothering Rizzo. Lyon and his flunkies all looked perfectly normal (except for Toby), and they've been under the light of the Moon Drip all this time as well.

"Yeah, right." Natsu said. "You're just saying that so you and your lackeys will be off the hook."

"No, Natsu, he has to be right." Rizzo said.

Her friends looked at her in confusion as she crossed her arms over her chest while turning to address them.

"Lyon and his goons have been here for three years and under the same purple moonlight as the villagers, and yet they are still perfectly human." Rizzo said. "And we've been exposed to the moonlight as well even for a shot period. The chief said the side effects happened nearly instantly, but here we are looking no different than usual."

Natsu frowned though he saw what point Rizzo was making. None of them were different from being in the moonlight.

"She's correct." Lyon said. "Hmph, it seems as if you have gotten yourself an intelligent girlfriend, Gray."

Gray and Rizzo both blushed and sputtered incoherently, which had Lucy and Happy snickering off to the side. Natsu just tilted his head wondering why Rizzo was acting so out of character.

"Anyway, I wouldn't trust them." Lyon continued. "Those villagers are hiding something…but I'm sure you _guild_ mages can handle it."

Rizzo rolled her eyes at Lyon wondering why he just doesn't join a guild himself. What does he have against them anyway?

"We're not done with you." Natsu said. "You destroyed the vill—"

Natsu was cut off by Erza as the redheaded mage squished his lips together to keep him from talking.

"That's quite enough, Natsu." Erza said. "They were simply doing what they believed to be right, so there is no need to criticize them for it. Let's go."

Erza started walking away, so Rizzo grabbed her guitar case. Instead of placing it on her back, she decided to carry it in hand as she followed after Erza.

"Any idea how to lift the curse?" Rizzo asked.

"No clue." Erza admitted.

"Oh great." Lucy said sarcastically.

Rizzo snorted starting to feel a bit like her usual self now that she was far away from Silk. She couldn't keep feeling sorry for herself because of one bad job. She knows she'll just have to try harder next time on the next job she takes. Rizzo paused in walking when realizing that Gray wasn't with them. She turned to look back as the others kept walking. She saw Gray speaking with Lyon, so she decided to wait for him as he finished speaking with his old friend. Once he was finished, Gray turned to follow the others, but paused when seeing Rizzo was watching. She smiled at the two of them.

"Did you boys get out your heartfelt goodbyes?" She asked teasingly.

"Shut-up." Gray and Lyon grumbled.

She laughed with her smile widening, and Gray felt himself smile as well. Rizzo then held out her hand to him, which shocked him.

"Come on, Frosty." Rizzo said. "Our friends will start wondering where we are."

Gray smiled once more before taking her hand. The two started walking off together with Lyon watching them.

"Hmph, for not being a couple they sure act like one." He snarked.

* * *

"How did we end up with this?" Rizzo asked.

She was standing in between Lucy and Gray with Happy resting on top of her head. After returning to the newly restored village, Erza had gotten the truth out of the villagers. How they could never reach the temple and whatnot. Now, Erza was in her giant armor as she and Natsu…prepared to destroy the moon. Yeah, Rizzo isn't actually sure how it came to this either. Though something good came out of this, and that was that Rizzo got to watch Erza fall into a pit trap.

"I don't know." Gray said honestly.

"This can't be a good idea." Lucy fretted.

Rizzo hummed in agreement as they watched Erza brought her spear back. Working together with Natsu who timed when to shoot out his flames from his fist, they sent the spear flying into the air towards the sky. Rizzo watched wondering if they would even reach the moon.

"She did it!" Happy said.

"This is bad." Gray grumbled.

"What are they thinking?!" Lucy demanded.

Rizzo shrugged her shoulders having no idea herself. She still wasn't sure the spear would even reach the moon. When the spear hit target causing moon to shatter, Rizzo's mouth dropped open in utter shock.

"NO WAY!" Lucy, Rizzo, and Gray shouted.

Rizzo was then confused when the sky appeared to shatter with the moon as well. Suddenly it was like a hole shattering in glass as pieces of purple sharp edges pieces fell to reveal an un-purple moon in an uncracked sky. Rizzo started up at the sky for a moment before things started falling into place.

"Wait…so…it wasn't the moon after all." Rizzo said. "A membrane of magic had formed over the island."

Gray, Happy, and Lucy looked at Rizzo in confusion as more of that purple stuff fell from the sky.

"The Moon Drip must have given off some kind of gas that crystalized in the sky, which caused the moon to appear purple." Rizzo said. "So, it wasn't the moon causing the villagers transformation, but the membrane of magic that had formed over the island."

However, that still doesn't explain how the villagers were affected since the Moon Drip isn't supposed to affect humans. Rizzo looked at the villagers as they started glowing and after it stopped…they were still demons.

"Oh, now everything has come full circle." Rizzo said nodding. "I get it now."

"Ehhh?" Lucy and Gray hummed in confusion.

Rizzo just smiled when she really understood what was going on. Well, at least they now can say there job was complete, right? Now, all she wanted to do is get some sleep.

* * *

 _Rizzo ran down the dark hall trying to get away from her unknown pursuer. She didn't know who was following her, but she had to get away._

 _"You can't run forever." A voice cooed darkly. "You'll grow tired eventually."_

 _Tears ran down Rizzo's cheeks as she tried her hardest to get away from the man following her. She couldn't give up. She had to keep going._

 _"If you would just hand over the Pied Piper then we won't have to continue this little game of cat and mouse." The voice in the darkness continued._

 _Rizzo shook her head because she wouldn't give this man the Pied Piper. It was entrusted to her to protect. It was the last thing of her family's legacy. She shouldn't let anyone have it. Especially not so they could use it for dark magic._

 _"Stubborn little thing, aren'y you?" The voice crooned._

 _Rizzo just kept running the hallway that seemed never ending. She was growing tired, but she continued to push on. Rizzo then tripped, which caused her to fall onto the floor._

 _"Oh, little mouse has been tripped up." The voice mocked. "Poor little mouse. All alone in the darkness as the predator closes in."_

 _"No…Natsu…Gray…Somebody!" Rizzo cried._

 _Her voice just echoed off the walls making her feel more alone and afraid than she already was. Suddenly she was lifted off the ground by her neck to come face to face with a man with red eyes. He grinned at her in an evil manner that made her blood run cold._

 _"Looks like I win, mouse." He said. "I let you live six years longer than I planned, so be grateful. Now, I'm here to collect the power that should have been mine from the start."_

 _He plunged his hand right through her chest, and Rizzo screamed at the searing pain that shot through her._

"Rizzo, Rizzo, wake up!"

Rizzo felt two hands grab her arms, which made her scream again as she tried to fight off whoever had a hold of her. She then felt herself being brought into someone's arms with a familiar scent hitting her nose. It smelled of mint…and winter.

 _…Gray…_

Rizzo started calming down as she curled herself into the warmth that she knew belonged to Gray. She continued shaking as she tried to forget the feeling of that man's hand in her chest. After another moment of calming down, Rizzo finally opened her eyes. She saw her friends all around her as they looked at her worriedly.

"Rizzo, what's wrong?" Natsu asked.

Rizzo just took in deep breaths as Gray tightened his hold on her when he felt her shaking.

"Bad dream." Rizzo said finally. "A really bad dream. I'm sorry for waking all of you."

"No, it's alright." Erza said. "Are you going to be alright?"

Rizzo nodded her head fell already starting to feel better. She felt safe right now with Gray's arms around her. Her friends didn't really look that convinced.

"Really, I'm going to be alright." Rizzo said giving a not so convincing smile. "Don't worry. Let's all just try to get some sleep."

Natsu looked closely at his friend seeing that she really didn't want to talk about her dream with all of them. He knew she'd most likely talk to him about it once they were alone. He also knew that she didn't want all of them fussing over her.

"Alright." He said falling back onto his mattress where he instantly fell asleep. "Night."

Lucy blinked surprised Natsu could fall back asleep so easily, but Erza understood that Natsu was trying to do what would make Rizzo feel more comfortable.

"I think we should all follow Natsu's example and go back to sleep." Erza said.

Happy shrugged then laid back down next to Natsu, and he was soon back to fast asleep. Erza laid down next while turning out the light. Lucy seemed a little uncertain still, but she finally just laid back down. Gray didn't make a move to let go of Rizzo, and honestly she was glad for that. Gray's arms around her was the only thing making her feel safe at the moment. Gray didn't push her to talk or even asked her a single question at all. He merely held her with her head tucked under his chin.

Rizzo sat there curled into Gray while thinking about her dream. She was starting to understand why she was dreaming of the past so much lately. It was starting to get closer to…that time. The anniversary of the day where she had lost everything she held dear except for Sanjū and her guitar case…She had gained Fairy Tail no longer after, but it doesn't stop the pain…it doesn't make this time of the year any easier for her. Not to mention that this year will be her eighteenth birthday…the year the Pied Piper will wake from its century long slumber.

* * *

Coco: Ah! How suspenseful! Well, anyway, next chapter will be wrapping up the Galuna Island Arc and going into the personal arc I made called the Piped Piper Arc. I hope you all like it because I put a lot of work into and I'm still putting a lot of work into it.


	11. Fleeing from the Devil

Coco: Okay, this chapter is the beginning of the personal Arc I set up. I'm not sure how many chapters it will take to complete, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I hope you like it.

Declaimer: The first part of the chapter is from the canon storyline, which I do not own. What follows is made up by my own imagination.

* * *

The group that left Galuna Island walked down the streets of Magnolia while happy to be home at last. They had gotten back to their town minutes ago, and Rizzo has been silent ever since they prepared to leave Galuna. The others have tried to get her to participate in conversation, but she only replied with shakes or nods of her head. Natsu was really the only one who knew why Rizzo was acting so distant. Erza, Gray, and Happy knew she always got silent around this time of year, but they didn't know the exact reason why.

"We're home!" Natsu exclaimed happily.

"Aye, sir!" Happy said.

Home…Rizzo sighed knowing she probably wouldn't be here much longer. She had things she had to take care of…whether things were going to end badly or not she didn't know.

"I'm kind of bummed." Gray said. "All that time and hard work for a lousy gate key."

"Yeah and that S-class reward was big time money." Happy added.

"Well, I'm sorry it wasn't an official job." Erza said. "Just be glad you got something."

Rizzo wasn't all that upset about not getting the reward. Wasn't like she did much, which means she didn't deserve an award. Besides, as long as the villagers were happy, she could live with not being a jewel richer.

"She's got a point." Lucy said. "Now quit your complaining."

Rizzo shook her head because she was sure Lucy could only say that because she got something for their work.

"That's pretty easy for you to say you got a reward." Happy pointed out. "Can we sell it?"

"How could you even suggest that, Happy?!" Lucy demanded. "You guys just don't get it. They're hard to come by. Sure there are a lot of silver gate keys, but there are only twelve gold Zodiac Keys. And I'm lucky enough to have five."

Lucy held up her head feeling mighty proud of herself for having five out of twelve Zodiac spirits.

"Too bad they're all crazy." Natsu teased.

"You better watch your mouth, you punk!" Lucy warned. "Me and my celestial spirits are going to be stronger than you someday."

Natsu snorted obviously not believing that one. He glanced at Rizzo thinking she'd be chuckling in amusement at Lucy's claim, but his fellow pinkette didn't even blink. He sighed knowing that for the entire day and probably until her birthday passed she would be like this.

"So, which one of the Zodiac keys did you end up getting?" Gray asked curiously.

Lucy blinked forgetting all about Natsu to smile over at Gray as she gave a thumbs up.

"It's Sagittarius the Centaur." Lucy said.

"It's a horseman?!" Gray asked looking a bit excited.

He, Lucy, and Natsu then discussed what Sagittarius would probably look like as they continued on towards the guild.

"You're all so carefree." Erza said cutting into their discussion. "It's almost as if you forgot you face punishment when we get back to the guild."

The younger mages all turned to look at Erza with wide eyes. Well, Rizzo just turned to blink at her while not caring if they faced punishment.

"What why?!" Natsu asked.

"But everything worked out in the end." Lucy said. "Can't we forget about the whole punishment thing?"

"You're right." Erza said. "Everything worked about, but only because I came there and finished the job none of you were qualified to do. Stealing an S-Class quest is a serious offense."

Happy whined landing on Rizzo's shoulder, and she reached back to pet the furball on top his head.

"We said we're sorry." Lucy pointed out.

"If you promise to never do it again then I don't think you need to be penalized by the guild." Erza said. "Unfortunately, I don't have any say in the matter. Your fate is in Master Makarov's hands. So I'm sure you'll be facing punishment."

Happy started shaking as he latched onto Rizzo as if she could protect him from getting punished.

"Now, I'm scared." Happy said. "Do you think he's going to make us do… _that_?"

"Just kill me now!" Gray begged as he crouched down with his back to the group as he clutched his head. "I don't think I could live through _that_ again."

Rizzo sighed crouching down next to Gray to put her arms around him, and he clung to her like a frightened child.

"You guys are freaking me out!" Lucy cried.

"Don't let them scare ya." Natsu said patting her shoulder. "I'll talk the old man out of punishing us. That guy loves me."

Lucy sweat-dropped not looking convinced or comforted in the slightest by Natsu's words.

"I don't think you should do the talking." Lucy said.

"Natsu, you can't talk yourself out of this one." Erza said then smirked. "Good luck with that."

Natsu grinned for a few more seconds before starting to sweat major bullets, which had Lucy freaking out. Erza then grabbed him by his scarf to start pulling him along.

"No save me!" He begged. "No, anything by _that_! Please!"

Lucy blinked looking between Natsu being dragged away, and Rizzo trying to comfort Gray.

"Would someone please tell me what ' _that_ ' is?!" Lucy demanded. "I'm freaking out!"

* * *

Rizzo walked in with the others to the guild to see Makarov sitting where he usually does on the bar counter.

"Master, we're back." Erza said.

Makarov, who was drinking, paused with the cup to his lips. He looked over the group with his eyes lingering the longest on Rizzo who was looking forward with an almost vacant look on her face.

"I see you all made it back alive." Makarov said as he set his drink down. "Now that you're finally home, prepare for punishment!"

Lucy shook in fear since she had no idea if he was going to punish her using _that_! She didn't even know what ' _that_ ' is, but after seeing how the boys reacted to it, she didn't want to know.

"Bad!" Makarov shouted as he whacked Natsu over the head. "Bad! Bad!"

He hit Gray and Happy rather hard on top of their heads, which had Lucy blinking in confusion. She then screamed in surprise when Makarov swat her ass.

"Bad~" He said while blushing. "And bad!"

He swat Rizzo's ass, but she didn't even blink as if she was used to it. Though she hasn't really been responsive all day anyway.

"Master, behave yourself!" Mirajane said.

"Right, right." He said then let out a breath. "Now as for your actual punishment."

The boys grew nervous hoping not to be punished by that. Lucy bit her lip as her body shook slightly.

"Don't worry about it." Makarov said surprising them. "As long as you promise not to do it again, I'll let it slide."

Erza looked at Makarov stunned. He's never let punishment slide for something like this. She frowned wondering if anything was wrong.

"We promise!" The entire group, but Rizzo, shouted.

Rizzo just nodded her head as the group started celebrating getting off the hook, and Makarov looked at the girl softly. He knew this was a hard day for her. It was the day that everything was taken from her. The day that Roscoe and Treble Chambers fell. Roscoe had actually been a member of Fairy Tail once. He had a fallen out with his father, who had been the guild master of Treble Chambers, and had left his hometown to seek adventure.

He had found himself at Fairy Tail, and Makarov remembers the two of them becoming fast friends. Roscoe had went back to Treble Chambers when his father was on his death bed, and after they settled their differences, Roscoe rejoined his family's guild and soon became the master after his father's passing. So Makarov too feels sadness on this day because he had lost a dear friend.

"If we aren't being punished, Master, I think I will be leaving." Rizzo said.

Without waiting for a reply, Rizzo started to leave while not so much as a glance towards her friends. Lucy watched Rizzo's retreating figure worriedly, and everyone in the guild quietened until the doors shut behind Rizzo.

"She's been like this ever since this morning." Lucy said. "Is she going to be alright?"

"She'll be fine." Natsu said. "Once this week is over with she'll be back to how she always is."

"Aye, Rizzo always gets like this around this time a year." Happy added. "It'll pass."

Lucy bit her lip wondering why Rizzo became so silent and cut off around this time of year. Lucy hasn't been here long, so she doesn't know much about anyone's past. She knows Natsu was raised by a dragon, and that Gray lost his family young then was trained under a woman who he lost not long after his family. Rizzo was a complete mystery honestly. Lucy only knew Rizzo's love for her guildmates, music, and her magic. Anything else was really a blank.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to share a bit of Rizzo's past." Makarov said when seeing Lucy's curious expression. "Most actually know of her past…just don't know she was a part of it."

His children looked at him in confusion. Well, Natsu didn't, and he frowned wondering if it was really okay for Makarov to share Rizzo's past. He sighed guessing Makarov was right. What happened in Rizzo's past was well known throughout the kingdom, but not many knew Rizzo was there when it all happened.

"Everyone here knows of the tragedy of Treble Chambers, yes?" Makarov asked.

Lucy frowned because she vaguely remembers a guild named Treble Chambers. She remembers her father reading something about it in the newspaper once, and that the news hadn't been good.

"Yeah, it was a catastrophe that happened six years ago today." Jet said. "Treble Chambers was known as one of the strongest guilds in Fiore until one day a dark guild named Devil's Lament wiped out the entire guild."

"No, not everyone." Loke said shaking his head. "I heard there was one survivor."

His eyes then widened when things started to click in his head. He wasn't the only one either. Realization started appearing on the others' faces as well. Gray's hand clenched into fists as he glared down at the floor. No wonder Rizzo becomes so depressed around this time of year. Makarov nodded his head when seeing his children were already starting to understand.

"Technically there were two survivors." Makarov said as he held up two fingers. "Rizzo and Sanjū. They are all that is left of Treble Chambers. It was actually an ancestor of Rizzo's that formed the guild. Every guild master since the formation of the guild had been a Sweeney. Rizzo's grandfather was the last guild master. He had been a dear friend to me, which is why I immediately had Rizzo sent here to Fairy Tail. Laxus even picked her up from the train station to walk her through these doors."

Laxus, who was surprisingly still hanging around the guild, frowned as he looked up at the ceiling. He remembers that day clearly. Rizzo kept clinging to him the entire walk to the guild. And after that, she tended to follow him around sometimes until she got a bit older, and he had been an ass to get her to leave him alone. Gray looked towards the door where Rizzo left, and silently he left the guildhall.

* * *

Rizzo walked down the main street of Magnolia since she didn't feel like going back to Fairy Hills at the moment. She thought a walk to clear her head would do her some good. She sighed pausing to look up at the bright sky above. She frowned feeling almost angered by the sky…it was too cheerful. She shook her head looking back forward as a man in cloak, which covered the top part of his face, was walking in the opposite direction of her.

"Pied Piper." He said as he was passing her.

Rizzo went completely rigid as her eyes widened. Her body started shaking as she finally made it move to turn around. She looked for the cloaked figure to see he was going around the corner.

"W…wait." She said as she reached out her hand. "Wait!"

She hurried after the cloaked figure who she had lost sight of because she had hesitated a moment. She swiftly went around the corner, and gasped when she bumped right into Gray. Said guy's eyes widened as he reached out to grab Rizzo's arms to keep them both from falling.

"Whoa, Rizzo, what's your hurry?" He asked.

"There was a man in a cloak." Rizzo said as she tried to look past Gray. "Did you see him?"

Gray frowned in confusion then looked behind him, but he didn't see anyone in cloak. He looked back to Rizzo who looked pretty shaken up.

"Did someone do something to you, Rizzo?" Gray asked.

Rizzo just stood there shaking as she wondered where the man had went. He couldn't have just disappeared.

"I have to find that man." Rizzo said as she pulled away. "He knows…he knows."

She kept muttering to herself as she tried to walk around Gray, but Gray quickly grabbed her.

"Rizzo, what is going on?" Gray asked. "What happened? What man are you trying to find? What does he know?"

Before Rizzo could reply the two of them were suddenly surrounded by ten, or so figures all wearing black robes. Rizzo's eyes widened when seeing the familiar mark on their robes.

"Devil's Lament." Rizzo whispered.

Gray stiffened remembering that Jet said it was Devil's Lament that wiped out Treble Chambers.

"Hand over the girl, and things won't have to get ugly, boy." One said as he raised his hand with fire collecting on it.

Gray pushed Rizzo behind him while ready to fight. He put his hands together ready to all their asses. However before he could, the cloaked figure from before jumped between them and their attackers.

"Sand Dragon: Cyclone!" He shouted.

He whirled around with sand swirling around him like a cyclone. It spread out hitting all the Devil's Lament mages. It sent them flying, and people around screamed while running to get out of the cyclone's way. Gray frowned wondering who this guy was. He felt Rizzo grasp the back of his coat to press herself against him, which meant he could feel her shaking. He glanced back seeing her widened eyes as she stared at the man in front of them.

"Gees, I had tried to lead you to an alleyway, so we could make a quieter get away, but then this happens." He said. "But this way is much more fun."

He chuckled as Rizzo continued to stare at him as if she saw a ghost.

"Rizzo, what is it?" Gray asked. "Do you know this guy?"

"Well, I hope she does." The cloak figure said. "I know it's been a while, Rizzy, but you wouldn't forget your favorite older brother, right?"

The figure pulled down the hood from his head to reveal a man who appeared to be a native of Rajasthan, which was an island south of Fiore, which was really a desert island that has been in a civil war for the last four hundred years between the two main tribes on the island, the Sahara Tribe and Gobi Tribe. Gray frowned because it was rare to see anyone from Rajasthan so far away from home. The man grinned at Rizzo as tears entered her eyes to start streaming down her cheeks.

"Jaser." Rizzo said. "Bu-but how?"

"It's a long story that I don't have time to explain." Jaser said turning serious. "Breccan is speaking with your Master right now on what is going to happen, Sven is waiting by our transportation, and Craylee is waiting us far away from here. We better get going."

Jaser stepped forward to grab Rizzo, but Gray blocked his path while narrowing his eyes.

"You're not touching her." Gray said deadly serious.

Jaser sighed because there wasn't any time for a delay. They needed to get out of here as fast as possible. They were on a time schedule. In a flash, Jaser punched Gray hard in the gut, and the ice mage gagged nearly puking. He then cursed as his vision went blurry. He heard Rizzo cry out his name before he passed out. Jaser caught the unconscious ice mage in one arm before setting him down onto the ground carefully.

"Why did you do that?!" Rizzo demanded as she knelt down beside Gray.

"Because we don't have time, Rizzo." Jaser said. "I'm sorry I hurt your friend, but we need to get away from Magnolia. Devil's Lament only sent flunkies this time to try and capture you. Next time they'll send their highest ranked mages under the guild master. If we stay here the people here might be caught up in the crossfire."

Rizzo looked down for a moment while trying to process all of this. Her four friends who she thought were dead for the last six years weren't, and now Devil's Lament was after her. She knew it could only be because that Devil's Lament wanted the Pied Piper. She also knew that they would hurt whoever they saw as an obstacle to get to it. Rizzo looked up at Jaser as he held out his hand to her.

"It's time to return home, Sister." He said.

Rizzo only hesitated a moment longer before she took Jaser's hand. He pulled her up to pull to his chest as more of those Devil's Lament flunkies appeared. He held Rizzo close then raised his hand. Sand shot out to blind the dark mages long enough for them to get away.

"Hurry we can't let the vessel get away!" One shouted. "If Master Lucifer learns we let her get away, we won't live to see tomorrow!"

* * *

"So, you understand?" Breccan asked as he spoke with Makarov privately in his office.

Makarov sighed looking down at his desk while not liking this at all. However, he knew there wasn't much of a choice in the matter.

"Yes, I understand." Makarov said.

Breccan nodded then stood up from the chair in front of Makarov's desk. Breccan looked at the clock on the wall knowing that Jaser must have gotten Rizzo by now.

"A day from now, you may send a group of mages to the caves in the Acacia Mountain range." Breccan said as he turned away from Makarov. "There they will be met by an associate of mine. I don't like pulling in any more people into our problem. However, I am not oblivious to the fact that my associates and I are in need of assistances. Devil's Lament cannot be allowed the Pied Piper. It has to be destroyed once and for all."

"Yes, I know." Makarov said. "I will send some of my best mages to Acacia Town at the agreed time. Not a moment sooner."

"Good because we need Devil's Lament to believe that Fairy Tail will not be joining in on this upcoming battle." Breccan said. "I know they would only attack this town if they knew of our agreement, and I'd rather not have innocents' blood on my hands."

Makarov nodded his head as he looked down at the map that Breccan had given him. Breccan was about to leave, but when Makarov called out to him, he paused.

"Please…bring her home." Makarov said.

Breccan chuckled with a grin finally appearing on his face, which had been blank moments ago. He looked back at Makarov.

"I have kept tabs on Rizzo all this time." Breccan said. "I can see that she truly cares about the people here, and that they all care about her. I will do everything in my power to make sure she returns to Fairy Tail…because this where she belongs."

Breccan then left Makarov's office while pulling his hood back over his face. He walked back to the front where a few mages glanced at him curiously as they had down when he arrived.

"Are you leaving so soon?" Mirajane asked as she smiled kindly at Breccan. "If you trailed a way to see the Master, I'm sure you must be hungry. I could make you something."

"Thank-you, Miss." Breccan said respectfully. "However, I must be going. I'm sure my associates are waiting for me."

"Oh, well, if you ever come again, I'll be sure to have something ready for you." Mirajane said.

Breccan smiled while dipping his head to her before he left the guild, so he could meet up with Jaser and Sven who would hopefully have Rizzo with them. He sighed knowing that their timer started now. In three days' time, the ceremony will performed and the final battle of the last remaining Treble Chambers members will commence between themselves and Devil's Lament.

* * *

Coco: Hope you liked the new chapter. Let me know in a review, k?~


	12. Sacred Ground

Everyone was laughing and chatting in Fairy Tail as they always did when the doors burst open with Gray standing there huffing as if he had ran here.

"Master!" Gray shouted getting everyone to go silent when hearing his urgent tone. "Something has happened to Rizzo!"

It got even quieter if possible, and Natsu, who was holding a mug in his hand crushed it, as his eyes widened. Lucy gasped covering her mouth with her hands. Erza got up from her chair with her gaze harsh as she wondered what happened to Rizzo. Makarov sighed knowing that Gray must have witnessed Rizzo's 'abduction'. Breccan had said they might need witnesses of Rizzo being taken away to convince Devil's Lament that Fairy Tail wouldn't be a part of the Pied Piper's awakening. It was so Devil's Lament wouldn't target Magnolia because they'd try to slaughter the entire town once they fot started.

"What did you say?" Natsu asked getting up. "What happened to Rizzo?!"

"When I caught up to Rizzo, she was freaked out." Gray said. "She kept saying that she had to find someone, and that this person knew something. Then we were jumped by some mages from Devil's Lament."

Everyone gasped in surprise, and Natsu stepped up to grab Gray by the front of his jacket to jerk him close.

"You mean those Devil's Lament bastards showed up, and you let them take Rizzo?!" He demanded.

"It wasn't them that took her!" Gray retorted. "Some guy suddenly showed up. He used dragon slayer magic like you, and then after he defeated those goons, he took Rizzo."

Natsu growled practically seeing red. Erza grabbed Natsu's shoulder to pull him off of Gray.

"Natsu, it's not Gray's fault." Erza said. "Calm down. This won't help us find Rizzo."

Natsu's hands clenched into fists as his body shook in rage. He was really more upset with himself than Gray. He shouldn't have left her alone. He should have went with her.

"We have to start searching immediately." Levy said as she stood up. "Cana, think you could find her with your cards?"

"I might be able to." Cana said as she brought out her cards.

"And what about those Devil's Lament flunkies?" Loke asked.

"When I woke up they were gone." Gray said. "Probably went after Rizzo."

"So, the poor girl has been abducted and some yahoos are chasing her at the same time." Bisca said frowning.

As his children continued talking about trying to find Rizzo and how to deal with Devil's Lament, Makarov sat on the bar with his staff in hand. He sighed knowing he had to put a stop to this.

"Enough." He said silencing everyone while barely having to raise his voice. "No one is going after Rizzo."

The entire guild went a whole new kind of silent as they stared Makarov as if they were praying they hadn't heard him right.

"As from this moment onward, Rizzo Sweeney is no longer a mage of Fairy Tail." Makarov continued.

"WHAT?!" Natsu and Gray shouted in unison.

* * *

Rizzo sat silently on top of the large eagle with Sanjū, who was also having trouble swallowing all of this news, beside her as the wind blew against her face. She was looking down at her hands silently as Sven was steering their ride. Jaser and Breccan were off to the side discussing what Devil's Lament's next move might be.

It was all unreal that the boys she thought were dead were not even three feet away from her. She had sworn she watched all of them go down in a fiery blaze six years ago. She had mourned their deaths, and swore to live life in their place. Now she learns they've been alive and well in her home town.

"Rizzo, are you okay?" Sven asked glancing back at her. "You've been awfully quiet. I know this all must be a shock for you. And I'm sure you must have a lot of questions."

Jaser and Breccan stopped their conversation to look over at Rizzo as her hands clenched into fists in her lap. She frowned as mixed emotions bubbled up within her like a dangerous chemical mixture. She wanted to be ecstatic that her friends were alive, but another part of her was angry that they never approached her until now. To top it off, Jaser hurt her one of her friends after not being in contact for six year. Another part of her just wanted to start sobbing like a child in relief that her friends were with her, but she reigned that part in. She didn't like crying. Even though sometimes she couldn't help it. Like when she thought Gray was going to die and such.

"I guess we owe you an explanation." Breccan said when seeing her expression.

"It'd be nice." Rizzo said.

Breccan nodded his head as he moved to sit closer to Rizzo with Jaser moving in closer as well.

"As you can see we're not dead." Breccan said. "That day when the explosion happened we were thrown back then fell down into one of the many hidden tunnels in the mountain We were pretty hurt, and couldn't move for a few days. Once we could get outside, we went back to the guild where only ashes remained. Everyone was gone...including you. However, we knew you were alive with Sanjū somewhere."

Rizzo looked down at her lap wondering why they hadn't tried to find her once they could have.

"We wanted to get stronger before seeing each other again." Breccan said. "We figured we couldn't face you until we were strong enough to really protect you the next time Devil's Lament showed up."

Rizzo frowned knowing she should have left Fairy Tail earlier before all this could happen. She knew Devil's Lament would return someday for _that_.

"That's right." Breccan said when seeing her expression. "The Pied Piper is no longer safe. The seal will be able to be broken soon. We have to get to it out first and destroy it before it can fall into the wrong hands."

* * *

When they arrived at their cove in Acacia, Craylee was outside waiting. He had an almost impatient look on his face as he stood there with his hands in his pockets.

"You sure took your time." He said as everyone started to get off the eagle. "I don't like to be kept waiting."

Jaser laughed jumping off of the eagle to land in front of Craylee. He put his arm around Craylee's shoulders, and Craylee sighed in annoyance.

"Hey, we got here, didn't we?" Jaser asked. "And look who we brought with us."

Jaser gestured with his other hand up at the top of the eagle as Sanjū was using her wings to fly Rizzo off the eagle onto the floor. They landed in front of Jaser and Craylee. The prior's grin brightened as he looked at the latter.

"It's good to see you again, Rizzo." Craylee said. "I'm very happy that you are with us again."

"Hah!" Jaser said jumping away with his hands in the air. "Craylee used the 'H' word!"

Craylee frowned at Jaser wishing he'd keep it down. Nineteen years old, and he still acted like a child on a sugar high. Sven had a reason for being childish. Jaser did not.

"Could you please try to act your age?" Craylee asked with a tired sigh.

Jaser pouted at Craylee wishing he'd stop being such a stick in the mud. He needed to lighten up. Craylee gave Jaser an unimpressed look at his pout. The two then blinked when hearing a giggle come from Rizzo as Sven and Breccan were joining them on the ground.

"It's good to see some things haven't changed." Rizzo said with a smile.

It didn't fully reach her eyes, but Breccan could see she was working on trying to accept that her foster brothers were all really alive. He also knew that this reunion was shadowed by the ceremony of the Pied Piper looming over them. That damned Pied Piper that was brought into existence by Rizzo's ancestor Raoul a little over a hundred years ago.

"Hmph, yes, I suppose even after six years none of us have grown out of our personalities." Craylee said.

"Rizzo," Breccan began. "Jaser, Sven, and I have some final details we have to see to if Craylee has done his part."

Craylee scoffed looking insulted, and Breccan held up his hands in an apologetic manner.

"Sorry." He said. "As we are seeing to these details, Craylee will take you to somewhere where you can rest, right?"

He looked at Craylee as he asked this, and Rizzo frowned when realizing the time really was nearly upon them.

"Right." Craylee said nodding before looking to Rizzo. "I have room set up for you, and some clean clothes for you to change into."

Rizzo thanked him then let him lead her and Sanjū farther into the cove, which broke off into tunnels that would lead all the way to the center of the mountain in Acacia Town. Rizzo remembers playing in these tunnels as a child with the boys. They even practiced their magic here where no one would disturb them. The locals never came into the tunnels of fear of becoming lost, and Rizzo and the boys had soon learned how to navigate the tunnels until they knew them like the back of their hands.

It was almost nostalgic walking through these tunnels once more with Craylee. The last time they were here together Breccan was kicking all their asses in a game of Mage Hide-and-Seek. Jaser was losing poorly since he didn't like the hiding part of the game. Rizzo was trying hard to get more points than Breccan, but it was Craylee who kept swapping points with the violet-haired mage. As they continued walking, Rizzo noticed that they seemed to remodel a bit in the tunnels. There was one area that could pass as a living room, there appeared to be a kitchen area past the living area, and there were other sectioned off areas.

"We all have our own sectors in the tunnels." Craylee said when noticing Rizzo's curiously gaze. "Where we sleep, spend most of our free time, and train. We control the areas. We've infused our magic into them over the years."

"Why?" Rizzo asked curiously.

"We always knew that we'd have to face Devil's Lament someday." Craylee said. "These tunnels will be the final battle field, so we made our own areas that would help support our magic. We don't know how many they'll send, and there's only five of us including you. However, you will be defenseless, and Breccan will have to be with you during the ceremony. That leaves three of us to fight, so we are making sure to check all our bases."

Rizzo frowned though nodded her head. She didn't like the thought of facing Devil's Lament again, and if they have to, she'd rather be fighting alongside them. However, the ceremony's completion was more important. If it wasn't done on the night of her birthday, the Pied Piper would be able to awaken, and enslave all those who hear its tune. Which means it has to be destroyed. Rizzo was the key to its destruction as prophesized she would be by her ancestor Raoul before his death. What would become of her afterwards…was a mystery.

"Of course, Breccan went the extra mile by enlisting the help of your guild." Craylee said.

Rizzo looked at Craylee in surprise, and Sanjū, who had been flying alongside them silently all this time, nearly fell from the air due to her shock.

"What?" Rizzo asked.

Craylee sighed as he stopped walking while placing his hands into his pockets. He twirled the needle in his mouth around once as he looked back to Rizzo.

"I know you don't want them to be a part of this, Rizzo, but we need the help." Craylee said. "We've trained these last six years to become as strong as we could in that time frame. However, recent information we have gotten shows that Devil's Lament has some powerful players to play. Five of them. Sven cataloged all the information he could about them, but we have no idea what kind of magic they possess. Not to mention their master Lucifer has nearly a hundred men following him. Not even we can handle that."

Rizzo frowned knowing that was all true, but she never wanted to pull her friends into any of this. Devil's Lament already took everything from her once. She wouldn't be able to bare it if it happened again. She looked down at the ground praying to anyone who would listen that no one she loves dies because of Devil's Lament ever again. Craylee started walking again with Rizzo and Sanjū following after him. They finally made it to the spare room that was put aside personally for her.

"I'm sure you're tired." Craylee said. "There's some clothes for you to sleep in there. I'm sure you remember where the hot spring is within the mountain. Feel free to use it to bathe. In the morning, I will have something else for you to wear, and I'm sure by midday that your friends will be here."

Rizzo thanked him, and after a moment of hesitation, Craylee pulled Rizzo into his arms. She pressed herself against his chest as he stroked her head.

"I truly wish this wasn't happening, Rizzo." Craylee said. "But I promise you that I will do everything in my power to make sure that you and your guildmates walk away from this."

He then left before Rizzo could reply. She slowly slunk down onto the bed, and Sanjū flew into her lap. Rizzo held Sanjū close as her body started to shake and her eyes started to fill with years.

"Natsu…Gray…everyone…please, let us all live through this together." Rizzo said crying.

* * *

Gray glared out the window as they traveled by carriage towards Acacia Town, which was the farthest town going west and south.

"I know Master said what he did because Devil's Lament was listening in…but I still feel kind of sick after hearing him say Rizzo isn't part of Fairy Tail." Lucy murmured.

Happy, who was sitting in her lap, nodded in agreement as he looked down with a worried expression on his face. Erza said nothing though she was still shocked over what Makarov said. She knows why he did it, but even so…she hopes to never hear such words from his mouth again. She was sure that he'd never have to say them again either. Once he knew Devil's Lament was gone, he had burst into tears while looking so angered with himself. His last words to them after he had explained the situation to them were still fresh on all their minds.

 _"Bring back Rizzo to us…her family…where she belongs. I beg of you. I don't want to lose any of my children."_

Erza planned to bring Rizzo back. She wouldn't let anything happen to their friend. Natsu, who was laying in the floor sick, was already thinking about what he was going to do to Devil's Lament. He'd make them pay for making Rizzo shed tears in the first place. Then he'd beat their asses before they can ever hurt her again.

"How much longer until we reach Acacia?" Lucy asked.

"Hmm, we should reach there by midday." Erza said. "So I suggest we all get some sleep because we have no idea what situation awaits us once we reach Acacia Town."

Gray frowned because there was no way he'd be sleeping until he saw Rizzo was really okay. Makarov had explained that the man who took Rizzo was actually an old friend of hers named Jaser Sahara. He had to make a scene, so Devil's Lament saw Rizzo being kidnapped. Gray had just apparently been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even so…he let Rizzo be taken in the end. Jaser had taken him out with a single punch. Not even Natsu's punches were that hard. The only reason why it worked on Galuna Island was because Gray had already been pretty beaten up.

"Gray, don't worry." Erza said looking at the ice mage. "We will make sure that Devil's Lament never hurt Rizzo again, and then we will bring her home."

Gray nodded his head though he still had a pensive expression on his face as he turned to look back out the window. The worry wouldn't stop until all this was behind them. The carriage kept going well into the night, and as they others, besides Natsu, who felt into a fitful sleep, fell into a deep slumber, Gray remained awake. The sun started to rise, and he knew they were getting closer to Acacia Town. He just hoped they reached there before Devil's Lament figured out where Rizzo was taken.

He still didn't know exactly why they were after Rizzo. Natsu seemed to have an idea, but he refused to share the information, which pissed Gray off to no end. Now wasn't the time to withhold information, but Makarov had assured him that everything would be explained in detail when they arrived in Acacia Town to be picked up by a young boy named Sven Toblerone. Gray sighed really hoping the carriage managed to get them there faster than was planned. His entire body was on high alert…and he almost felt a part of him was empty because Rizzo wasn't sitting beside him. He just wanted to get her back.

* * *

Rizzo, who was now up and about, walked out of her room dressed in the clothes that Craylee had left out for her. She had on a pink tube top under a bright green leather jacket with sleeves that stopped at her elbows. She then had on a black pair of leather short-shorts and white tights underneath. She had on a white belt around her waist, and on her feet were pink ankle boots. She looked back into the room to see Sanjū was still sleeping peacefully despite it nearly being midday.

Rizzo sighed softly before she walked down the tunnel to go in the direction she remembers the lookout over the ocean being. Once she found it, she looked out of the hidden cave on the side of a cliff. The waves crashed below as the salty sea breeze tickled her hair. She was in deep thought as she stood there with her arms crossed over her chest. She was soon joined by Breccan as he walked up with a cigarette between his lips.

"So, when did you pick up that habit?" Rizzo asked conversationally.

Breccan chuckled with a puff of smoke leaving out of his mouth as he did so.

"Picked up my first one when I was sixteen." He confessed. "It's a horrible habit, but I find smoking relaxing. Takes away the stress."

"You most smoke a lot then." Rizzo said.

Breccan blinked at her curiously while wondering how she would know how much he smokes.

"I remember that you were always worrying over all of us." Rizzo said. "We used to stress you out so much because of our antics."

Breccan chuckled nodding his head. He understands now. Yeah, Rizzo and the other guys used to drive him nuts. Sven was always trying to pick up girls despite his age (his actual age back then), and usually Jaser and Craylee were in fights. Or rather Jaser was trying to be friendly, and it annoyed Craylee to the point that he lost his cool demeanor and attacked Jaser. Rizzo was the most stressful because she had a knack for finding trouble. Put the four of them together, and Breccan had a lot on his hands.

"I might smoke a bit too much." Breccan admitted.

"More like way too much." Craylee said as he walked over to join them. "And we're not that stress inducing."

Breccan snorted begging to different. Craylee rolled his eyes while twirling the sewing needle between his lips. Rizzo smiled feeling warmed at the familiar atmosphere. It was peaceful and quiet with only the sound of the waves crashing against the side being heard. Of course that changed when a certain dragon slayer popped up.

"Good-morning!" Jaser called out loudly as he bounded up. "I see you're finally awake."

Craylee sighed pinching the bridge of his nose as Jaser threw his arm over Rizzo's shoulders. Jaser grinned at Rizzo who smiled up at him in return. Jaser had only been with them a year before Devil's Lament attacked the guild, but he had quickly immersed himself into their family. It was hard to resist his easy-going and cheery personality. Well, hard for everyone but Craylee apparently.

"Yeah, I guess I was more tired than I had previously thought." Rizzo said. "With everything that's been happening…"

Jaser's grin dropped as he nodded his head in understanding. What was going to happen next wasn't going to be pleasant for anyone, but it'd be the hardest on Rizzo and Breccan. Rizzo because the Pied Piper would have to be extracted from her, and Breccan because he had to perform the ceremony, which took a lot of magic energy. Then if Devil's Lament showed up the others would have to do their best to keep them away from the ceremony chamber because if the ceremony was interrupted it could prove to be lethal to Rizzo. Craylee suddenly stood up straighter as he placed two fingers to his temple.

"Sven has just picked up your friends at the main gate in town." Craylee said. "They should be here shortly. His says Makarov sent four mages and one blue cat."

Rizzo knew immediately who they were, and she wasn't surprised that Makarov had sent them. She chuckled humorlessly…of course he'd send Fairy Tail's 'Strongest Team' for a situation like this.

"One of them is that ice mage you knocked out apparently." Craylee said as he looked to Jaser.

"Man, I bet he isn't going to be happy to see me." Jaser said chuckling. "I hope we can be friends."

"I don't see why anyone would want to be friends with you." Craylee said.

"That's just cold." Jaser complained.

* * *

"So you have been friends with Rizzo for a long time, huh?" Lucy asked as Sven was showing the group through town.

Sven nodded while smiling sweetly up at Lucy while holding her hand. Lucy cooed thinking he was absolutely adorable.

"Rizzo is the bestest little sister ever." Sven said. "She's kind, loving, and pretty like you, Lucy-san."

"Oh, stop it!" Lucy said while giggling with a blush on her face.

Natsu and Gray frowned wondering if this guy was trying to pick up Lucy. He's like twelve!

"Wait, you said little sister." Erza said.

"That's right, Erza-san." Sven said as he took her hand. "Gosh, you're pretty and smart!"

Erza found herself blushing as well when Sven gave her an innocent sweet smile.

"So, you're older than Rizzo?" Happy asked as he landed on Sven's head. "How is that possible?"

"It's because of my magic." Sven explained as they kept walking. "I use a holder type of magic called the Children's Storybook. It's a magic that uses the innocence of a child's imagination. A side effect is that the user has to remain a child for their entire life. I look twelve, and I will until I die. However, in reality I am aging. I'm actually twenty."

Mouths fell open in shock, and Sven gave a boyish giggle when seeing their expressions.

"I have to remain an innocent child to use the magic." Sven said. "So, even though I am twenty…I don't feel like it. Not completely anyway. But that's okay! My magic is something special and it makes people happy! Which makes me happy."

"Oh, you are just the cutest thing!" Lucy squealed as she hugged Sven.

His head rested on her bosom, and Sven grinned as he put his arms around her. Gray and Natsu's mouths fell open in shock when seeing that his grin almost looked lewd.

"Innocent my ass!" They snapped in unison.

Sven started sniffling as he held onto Lucy tighter as if Natsu and Gray had frightened him.

"Did I do something bad?" He asked sniffling even more.

"What? Of course not!" Lucy said then frowned at Gray and Natsu. "Look what you two did!"

"Yeah, you made him cry." Happy said disapprovingly as he shook his head.

"Natsu, Gray, be kind to Sven." Erza said sternly. "Despite his actual age he is still like a child. There's no reason to be mean."

Their mouths went slack in utter astonishment when seeing that even Erza was fooled by this guy's act. Erza knelt down, and she placed her hand on his shoulder. He turned towards her while wiping at his eyes.

"I'm sorry about my friends." Erza said. "They didn't mean to frighten you."

Sven sniffed wiping away the rest of his tears before he looked at Gray and Natsu who still looked flabbergasted.

"So, Gray-san and Natsu-san aren't mad at me?" Sven asked.

"Of course not." Lucy said as she stood up. "Right, guys?"

She elbowed them to snap out of their stupor, and they looked at Sven who blinked up at them with wide _innocent_ lavender eyes. They felt their eyes twitch. This 'kid' was obviously some kind of lecher. Erza narrowed her eyes at them when they remained silent too long for her liking. They jumped gulping when seeing her expression.

"N-no, we're not mad!" Gray said.

"Aye!" Natsu added.

Sven's expression turned radiant as he gave a sweet smile to Gray and Natsu.

"I'm glad!" Sven said. "I hope Gray-san and Natsu-san and I can be friends!"

"R-right." Gray stuttered.

"Aye!" Natsu added nervously.

Erza and Lucy smiled seeming pleased that everyone was getting along now. Happy even nodded in approval of Gray and Natsu's agreement to be friends with Sven.

"We better continue going~" Sven said. "Big brother, is probably waiting for all of us."

"Right!" Lucy said. "Lead the way, Sven."

She took his hand, and Erza took the other when he held it out to her. They started walking again with Happy resting on Lucy's shoulder. Natsu and Gray brought up the rear grumbling about brats. Sven turned his head to look at them, and he stuck out his tongue out at them in a childish manner.

"That little…!" Gray growled.

Natsu looked ready to pounce, but when Erza glanced back at them, he and Gray straightened up while smiling. She narrowed her eyes at them then faced forward. As they walked, Sven kept chatting with the girls and Happy. Lucy would occasionally coo at him, and every time she did that, Natsu felt himself get more and more annoyed. They reached the edge of the forest, and after glancing around to make sure that no one was around to see, Sven raised his hand up to the air. He touched something in front of him, and the group gasped when what looked like a keyboard appeared in front of him.

He typed in a combination, and once the keyboard disappeared, a white barrier seemed to appear in front of them. It opened up, so Sven stepped back to gesture them through. Erza and Lucy, who still had Happy on her shoulder, stepped in first. Gray and Natsu followed, and the latter's eyes widened when he was suddenly assaulted with different smells that he couldn't smell before. Sven followed after the group with the barrier closing up behind him before going in visible once more.

"Welcome to the forest of Raoul on the mountain range of Acacia." Sven said. "The cave entrance is just ahead. Stick close once we get inside the cave. It's like a labyrinth inside that travels through the entire mountain range and leads to the coast beyond."

"Whoa, how do you not get lost inside?" Lucy asked.

Sven chuckled as he led them up to the cave entrance, which was partially hidden by foliage.

"My foster siblings and I used to play in the tunnels a lot when we were children." Sven said. "Then my brothers and I have been using the tunnels as our headquarters. We've trained in them, lived in them, and prepared them to be battle grounds. We know them like the back of ours hands now."

Sven then pulled out what looked like some kind of crystal. Once he stepped down into the cave, the crystal alit with white light. Lucy stared at it in awe as their group followed Sven inside. They all kept close as they went farther and farther into the cave tunnel. As they walked, Gray noticed odd markings on the walls.

"What's with the scribbles on the wall?" Gray asked.

"That's old script magic that was put there by Raoul the originator of music magic." Sven explained. "He used to use these very caves back when Acacia Town was just an idea. Those runes on the wall were meant to prevent anyone who wasn't pure of heart from entering a place that is…was considered sacred to the Treble Chambers guild."

Erza could understand to an extent. She knew that Fairy Tail had their own sacred place. Tenrou Island where their first guild master was buried. So this mountain...no, the forest where this mountain rests was Treble Chambers sacred land.

"The originator of music magic?" Lucy asked. "Does this mean that Rizzo is a descendant of Raoul?"

"Yes." Sven said. "His last living descendant. He entrusted everything to her. Including the Pied Piper. However, we will discuss that in more detail once we have joined everyone else."

Lucy bit her lip wondering what this Pied Piper was about. Makarov had only mentioned in briefly, but considering all the effort they were putting in for it…she knew it had to be important. Sven then paused to place two temples to his forehead.

"Yes, I have our guest with me." He said. "We should be arriving to your location shortly."

He dropped his hand to glance back at the group who were looking at him in confusion.

"The others are waiting for us in the main living area of the cave." Sven explained.

"Whoa, you can communicate telepathically?" Happy asked. "That's like our friend Warren!"

"Well, it's a limited form of telepathy." Sven said. "Only to keep my brothers and I connected at all times in case anything were to happen. We will set up a telepathic link with you all as well, so we can keep connected during the battle."

Erza nodded her head because that was strategically a good idea on their part. Sven then continued leading the way until they finally reached a part of the cave that was lit up. Sven put away his crystal as he led them into what looked like a makeshift living room. The group immediately spotted Rizzo and Sanjū as the two of them sat together on a couch. Rizzo was speaking with a man with dark violet-hair, but cut off when seeing they arrived.

"Rizzo!" Happy and Lucy cried happily.

They ran towards her, and Sanjū just managed to get out of the way as Lucy and Happy jumped Rizzo.

"Ack!" she gasped in surprise as they went tumbling into the floor.

"Rizzo, don't ever get kidnapped again, okay?" Happy begged. "You have to stay with us!"

Lucy nodded in agreement with tears in her eyes. Rizzo's gaze softened as she looked at her two crying friends. Natsu grinned crouching down beside them, and she turned her eyes on him.

"You know we're going to have your back always." He said laughing. "And don't worry we'll get you back home soon enough."

As they were having their little reunion, Gray looked at the other guys in the room. He narrowed his eyes at Jaser who was laughing in amusement at the small dog pile in the middle of the floor.

"It's good you're all here." The violet-haired man said. "My name is Breccan. Thank-you for coming."

He held out his hand to Erza, and the redheaded woman stepped back to shake hands with him.

"Not at all." Erza said. "One of our own is danger. We're just came here to make sure she makes it home."

"Of course." Breccan said. "We better get started explaining what exactly is going on. Please, get comfortable. The story of the Pied Piper is a long one."

* * *

Coco: Hope you liked the latest chapter. I had honestly been surprise with how many reviews I got for the last chapter. Let's try to do that again with ore reviews XD


	13. Raoul and Caspian a Feud Between Friends

Everyone, except Craylee who was making lunch in the kitchen, was sitting in the living room together as Breccan prepared to explain to the Fairy Tail mages what exactly was going on. Rizzo was squished between Natsu and Gray on the love seat as Lucy sat on the arm of the love seat beside Natsu. Happy and Sanjū both were sharing Rizzo's lap, and the prior was hugging the latter close since he had been worried about her. Happy and Sanjū were practically siblings like Natsu and Rizzo since they were raised together. Erza sat in a chair beside the love seat, and then Sven and Jaser were sharing the couch.

"All of this started a little over a hundred years ago before Acacia Town was Acacia Town." Breccan said. "No one had ever thought to settle this far west in Fiore before, but two men decided it was a perfect place for a little town. Some had tried to discourage them from building behind the mountain range, but they could not be dissuaded. Their names were Raoul Sweeney and Caspian Turpin. Two old friends and two powerful mages."

Lucy blinked curiously. She remembers reading something in one of her lessons about Acacia Town and how it was founded by two mages. One of whom would later on create Treble Chambers.

"As they were seeing to the town's creation, they were working on developing a new kind of magic." Breccan continued. "Both were experts at sound magic, but Raoul had one day brought the idea to Caspian that sound magic could evolve into something more. He believed that it could be refined into something greater, and he convinced Caspian to work with him to create music magic. For days and nights they slaved away within this very system of caves and tunnels. Until they had reached a breakthrough. The very first musical instrument ever since the creation of the Lullaby was brought into the word. This instrument was known as the Pied Piper."

Breccan paused to take a drag out of his cigarette as Rizzo held Sanjū and Happy close as if for comfort. Gray saw her bothered expression, so he put his arm around her. She stiffened at first, but when she looked at him to see his worried expression, she offered a small smile to be reassuring. Gray didn't buy it for a second, of course. He just pulled Rizzo closer. So close she could feel every breath he took and every strong thump of his heart. It was strangely soothing, so she didn't see herself moving away anytime soon.

"Despite working on the project together Raoul received all the credit, and became known as the originator of music magic." Breccan said as he let the smoke blow out through his nose. "Raoul became famous, and after creating his own guild, which made him Master Raoul, many other guild masters came to congratulate him on all his accomplishments. Even the great Mavis Vermilion who I believe was the first guild master of Fairy Tail."

Erza nodded her head because that was true. Mavis was the very first guild master of their guild, and she was well respected by all the guild.

"Caspian started becoming bitter and became to resent Master Raoul and everything he had." Breccan said. "When Master Raoul had won the heart of a woman they had both loved that was the final straw for Caspian. He started collecting followers…dark mages. They were all greedy mages who wanted the Pied Piper at their disposal, and so the dark guild Devil's Lament was born with Caspian being their first guild master. He was biding his time and collecting the numbers he would need to kill Master Raoul and take the Pied Piper."

"Wait, so he turned on his oldest friend just because he was jealous?!" Natsu demanded in disbelief.

Breccan nodded his head somberly as the information sunk into the minds of the Fairy Tail mages. They could never imagine turning on their friends for anything…let alone over something as petty as jealousy.

"Soon after the marriage of Master Raoul and his wife, news of his wife's pregnancy spread throughout the town." Breccan picked up where he left off. "This angered Caspian even more. He decided to strike on the night Master Raoul's twin sons were born. It had been a hard battle between Treble Chambers and Devil's Lament. As his guild was keeping the dark mages at bay, Master Raoul performed a ceremony that broke down the Pied Piper. It didn't destroy the instrument, but it did turn it into magical particles that fused with the youngest newborn twin's body."

Gray and his friends gasped in surprise as Breccan took another drag from his cigarette. Raoul infused the Pied Piper into his son? Gray looked at Rizzo wondering if the reason why they brought her here was because she Pied Piper's magic particles were swimming in her veins...through her blood. He'd bet jewels that was it. So...that's why Devil's Lament was after her. Well, they'd have to go through him before they even set eyes on Rizzo.

"He didn't have time to destroy the Pied Piper, and he knew that if Caspian got his hands on it that all of Fiore would be put in danger." Breccan said. "So Master Raoul had made sure that Caspian wouldn't be able to use its power. He made sure that no spell would be able to reform the Pied Piper until a time where he hoped it'd be safe. He made it so that the Pied Piper would remain magic particles within his bloodline until exactly one hundred years after his youngest son's birth. And it could only be extracted from a child of his bloodline that was born on the exact same day and the exact same time as his youngest son, which was midnight."

Breccan looked at Rizzo as he said this, and all her friends turned to look at her.

"Rizzo is this child." Breccan said. "Tomorrow on the stroke of midnight will be her eighteenth birthday day. It will be during that time that a ceremony will be performed that will allow me to pull the magic particles out of her body to form the Pied Piper once more. After that it will be destroyed so no one will be able to use it on anyone."

It was silent for a moment as all this information sunk inside the Fairy Tail mages' heads.

"You keep talking about the Pied Piper as if it's some kind of horrible weapon." Gray said. "What exactly is its power?"

"Utter enslavement." Sven said speaking up. "The Pied Piper has the power to enslave the mind of whoever hears it. There are some instruments that can gain control of others, but the spell can be broken if the victim's mind is strong enough. However, you cannot fight off the influence of the Pied Piper. Once you hear the melody you become a slave to whoever is playing, and you don't snap out of the trance unless the player gives you your freedom back."

Mouths dropped open in shock as they wondered why anyone would make such a thing.

"Now, I understand why those dark mages were so eager to join forces with Caspian." Lucy said. "To have that kind of power…it's just scary to even think about what kind of damage they could cause with something like that."

The others murmured in agreement, and now Erza could understand why they had gone to all the trouble to make sure to get Rizzo here.

"What happened to Raoul and Caspian?" Happy asked curiously.

Lucy looked at Breccan because she wanted to know herself. In fact, her and Happy who weren't the only ones who were curious.

"Once Caspian learned what Master Raoul had done, he pulled back his mages, and swore that one day his descendants would come for the Pied Piper." Breccan said. "Unfortunately for Master Raoul, he died because the magic he performed took all of his magic energy. It not only killed him, but his own body dissolved into magic particles. After that this wife Tatia became the next guild master of Treble Chambers until she passed the title to her oldest son Tevye. However after his death, his younger brother Enjolras (Les Misérables), who was the first carrier of the Pied Piper, took the title. He later on passed it onto his son, who happened to be Master Roscoe, Rizzo's grandfather. However, Master Roscoe had left the guild once due to a falling out between himself and Master Enjolras."

"A falling out?" Erza asked.

Breccan nodded his head as he finished off his fifth cigarette in the last twenty minutes or so.

"My grandfather wanted to go after Devil's Lament before the hundred year mark came to pass." Rizzo said finally speaking. "Wanted to make sure there wasn't a threat to the guild or the family. However, Master Enjolras did not wish to start a war between the two guilds considering the law that was passed that no magic guilds could get involved in any form of war. My grandfather tried to convince him that war had already started between them when Caspian betrayed Master Raoul all those years ago. No matter how much he pleaded, my grandfather could not sway Master Enjolras, so he left. He traveled for a bit before coming to Magnolia where he had come across Fairy Tail, which he became a member of shortly after."

"What, no way!" Natsu said. "Your grandfather was a member of Fairy Tail?"

Rizzo nodded her head, and her friends looked at her in surprise. If her grandfather was a member of Fairy Tail then that meant he had to have known Makarov.

"My grandfather remained in Fairy Tail up to the birth of my father." Rizzo said. "After that Master Enjolras had become sick, and on his death bed he had begged for my grandfather to return to Treble Chambers to become its next guild master. He agreed to that, and so be became the fifth guild master of Treble Chambers. He died as the master as well six years ago."

It was silent for a long moment before Craylee came out of the kitchen. He had a stirring spoon in one hand, and his other hand was on his hip. He wore a frilly pink apron that covered from his chest down to his knees.

"Lunch is ready." He said. "Come and eat it before it gets cold."

Natsu and Gray blinked at him before they started laughing. Craylee's eyes narrowed dangerously, and Rizzo quickly yet stealthily got out of the way. Lucy blinked in confusion when Rizzo got herself, Happy, and Sanjū away from Gray and Natsu. Erza reached out to pull Lucy to the side, which confused the blonde even more. Erza didn't know what was going to happen, but considering how fast Rizzo moved out of the way, she had a feeling that Lucy shouldn't be so close to the two laughing boys.

"Man, what's with that apron?!" Natsu asked still laughing.

"Yeah, you look like a housewife!" Gray added.

They then gasped when two steak knives went whizzing dangerously close by their heads. The knives actually cut into the stone wall behind them, and they could feel the cool metal of the knives against the sides of their faces. They looked at Craylee with unhinged jaws and bugling eyes as he looked at them with a bored expression.

"Make sure to wash your hands before you sit down at the table." He said calmly.

* * *

"And what is your strategy for if or when Devil's Lament attacks?" Erza asked during lunch.

Everyone was sitting cramped around the kitchen table, but most of them didn't mind much. Breccan took a swig of beer then looked at Erza.

"I will be performing the ceremony in the center of the mountain where the Pied Piper had been created." Breccan said. "Rizzo will be completely helpless during this time because I will be pulling the magic particles from her body, which means she won't be able to move. I won't be able to defend myself during the ceremony either because once it starts it has to be seen through till the end. Which is why I will need one of you there to guard the ceremonial chamber."

Erza nodded her head in understanding as the others listened while stuffing their mouths. Or rather Natsu and Jaser were stuffing their gobs while everyone else actually ate like people with manners.

"Then we will block all the other tunnels in the mountain except for a select few." Breccan said. "The main entrance, and then three tunnels that lead to the three sectioned off areas. Each section is controlled by either Craylee, Jaser or Sven. They have also been infused with their magic over the years, so they would be ready to aid us in our final battle with Devil's Lament. I want one of you to partner up with one of them to help defend their sections."

It was all sounding like a good plan, and Lucy was impressed at how Breccan was able to put all this together. She knows he's had six years to refine his plan, but it was still impressive.

"We've been keeping tabs over Devil's Lament for the last six years." Breccan said. "They have five strong wizards under the guild master who they only send in if all their flunkies have failed, so I assume that Devil's Lament will try to flood the tunnels with his flunkies. They'll be easy enough to take care of, but it still wastes magic energy on them."

"Agreed." Erza said. "So that's why you want us in partners in case one uses up all their magic energy."

Breccan nodded his head before running his fingers through his longish dark violet hair.

"And what about these five mages?" Lucy asked.

"Unfortunately, we have no idea what kind of magic they possess." Craylee said. "We just know that whoever they go up against doesn't last long."

Lucy shuddered already starting to feel freaked out. So, they had five crazy strong opponents to fight, and they had no idea what kind of magic they use. Which was just great. (Someone out there note the sarcasm)

"I bet we can take him!" Jaser said.

"Yeah, we'll totally kick their asses!" Natsu agreed grinning.

The two laughed sharing a high five, and Rizzo smiled when seeing how well the two were getting along.

"Well, aren't they two peas in a pod?" Breccan asked chuckling.

"One idiot is good enough for me, thank-you." Craylee said.

"Funny, I was about to say the same thing." Gray said.

Said two 'idiots' didn't even seem to hear Craylee or Gray since they were still laughing and talking about how much fun it'd be battling it out.

"If we're going to partner together, we need to understand each other's powers." Erza said. "See who would be best partnered with whom."

"I concur. Of course, we already know all of your powers since we kept such close tabs on Rizzo and who she spends most of her time with." Breccan said.

"We even have a file on Lucy." Craylee said as he held up a file with Lucy's name written across it.

Lucy's mouth dropped open in shock when seeing her file. Jaser chuckled then reached across the table to close Lucy's mouth softly. She blushed lightly while looking away. Rizzo snorted in amusement, and Erza felt herself smirking. Looked like someone had a crush.

"Anyway," Breccan n with a chuckle. "I have the magical power of creating vibrations to whatever I touch. It might not sound like much, but I can cause enough damage when I want. My vibrations can be something small and harmless to something strong enough to create an earthquake. If I focus my vibrations enough, I can stop the motion of other things by counteracting the vibrations their making by moving. I can disrupt sound because all sound is, is vibrations going through the air. I can create enough vibrations in the air to send people flying away from myself or my comrades as well."

To demonstrate a small portion of his power, Jaser tossed a mug at Breccan's head, and without even having to blink he sent a wave of vibrations through the air to send the mug back at Jaser. The Sand Dragon Slayer caught it in his hand then set it down where it belonged.

"You can use your power with just a single thought?" Lucy asked with wide eyes.

"Yes, but when I use my hands, it concentrates the power more, so that I can do more." Breccan said.

Without his hands the power is more unstable and harder to control, which is why he tends to use his hands, so no one gets hurt by mistake. Sven lightly cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

"I use a type of script magic as I've already told you." Sven said. "The Children's Storybook brings to life whatever I write down into it to life. Like I could write a story, and the people caught up in the magic have to go along with what is written. However, the entire story cannot be written to the very end where I can declare myself the victor. Also I have to have certain information about my opponent for a story to take effect. Another weakness is that I cannot write that mu opponent dies. It is a book of innocent imagination after all."

Doesn't mean that it can't cause harm. Sven has been able to perfect his storybook script magic over the years that it can cause some serious harm if needed. However, he never plans to kill someone, and it wasn't like that law of the storybook magic would allow him. The group looked at Craylee next as he was collecting everyone's dishes.

"I use a magical sewing kit with magic thread. Naturally this is holder type magic called Sewing Magic." Craylee said as he bit on his needle. "My thread all have different powers or uses besides being used to stitch things together. Like healing thread that seals up wounds faster. Or thread that can explode. Thread used for binding, and even if the thread is thin it's stronger than iron. There's also thread that if I sew it into your clothes or your skin I can have a bit of control on you. I even have thread that I can reinforce my own clothes with. Make them resilient to certain magic. However, you take away my sewing kit, and the magic leaves the thread I've used."

He shrugged his shoulders as if it wasn't a big deal, and Lucy got the feeling that Craylee wasn't worried about someone taking his sewing kit. Was he confident that he wouldn't lose something so small on a battle field? Natsu then turned to Jaser with a large grin.

"And you're a Dragon Slayer, right?" Natsu asked.

"That's right!" Jaser said puffing out his chest proudly. "I was raised by the Sand Dragon Sabbia until she disappeared seven years ago."

Natsu's face fell when he learned that Jaser's dragon had also disappeared seven years ago. He was hoping to speak with Sabbia to ask if she knew where Igneel was.

"She was a great mother." Jaser said. "Sweet and kind…unless we were training then she was absolutely brutal."

He shuddered as if remembering a painful memory, which had Lucy paling just thinking about it.

"Hmm, so we have two holder type mages and two castor types." Erza said. "One will be performing the ceremony, which means he'll be unable to battle…I think I have the proper pairings for tomorrow."

Everyone looked at her curiously as Craylee was putting the dishes into the sink.

"I will remain with Breccan and Rizzo in the ceremonial chamber." Erza said. "Which makes me the last defense if one of our pairings or all of our pairings are to fall. I believe it would be best to pair Gray and Craylee together, then Lucy and Sven, and finally Natsu and Jaser."

"Why is that?" Breccan asked curiously.

"Because even if their magic isn't the most compatible in all three cases, I believe that those pairings will have the best teamwork." Erza said. "And teamwork will be essential if this is to work."

The pairs looked at each other, and while Gray and Craylee looked indifferent, Jaser and Natsu grinned while sharing a high-five. Sven took Lucy's hands while staring up into her large brown eyes.

"I'm happy to work with you, Lucy-san." Sven said sweetly. "Let's do our best."

Lucy squealed at his cuteness while bringing him into her arms, which had his head pressed against her bosom. Natsu glared at the twerp as Rizzo was laughing behind her hand.

"Hmm, yes, I understand." Breccan said chuckle. "Then I agree. We have our battle pairings for tomorrow…hopefully Devil's Lament won't even show up."

However, no one seemed to hear them since they were watching Sven 'put the moves' on Erza.

"And, Erza-san, please be careful." Sven said. "I'd be very sad if you were to get hurt."

Erza, who had taken off her armor before lunch, smiled kindly at Sven as he looked at her with those _innocent_ lavender eyes. She joined Lucy in hugging the boy, which had two sets of boobs on either side of his face.

"Do not worry, Sven." Erza said. "Everything will be alright in the end."

Sven looked at Natsu and Gray smugly before sticking out his tongue mockingly, which made them snap.

"Control your friend!" Natsu yelled at the other boys.

"Rizzo, you don't hug him like that, right?!" Gray demanded.

* * *

In another part of Fiore, there was a large dark mansion hidden deep inside a forest that the locals believe to be haunted, which is why they never enter. This forest acts as the location for the Devil's Lament guild, and the mansion was their headquarters. Deep within the mansion was a large room where a man sat regally on a dark throne that appeared to be made of bones. He had hair as black as a raven's feather and red eyes that looked like blood. He had a sickly pale complexion, and his frame was thin. He wore a fine black silk suit, and he had a blood red tie with a skull clip in the center of it.

"So you believe they have taken the vessel back to Acacia Town." He said in a deep voice.

"Yes, Master Lucifer." His underling said as he dipped his head. "It is the only place to perform the ceremony after all. It is unlikely after all that they would let the Pied Piper fuse permanently with its host."

The man Lucifer Diaboli hummed supposing that was true. Those filthy cockroaches that managed to survive the attack six years ago were proving to be a thorn in his side. No matter how many times he has tried to have them squashed they managed to survive once again. This time they would end, but not until he ripped the Pied Piper from that damned girl's body and used it to enslave Fiore. He would make them watch Fiore fall, and just maybe after that would he kill them. Or better yet they would be the first he enslaves, so to start his attack on Fiore. Make them help him destroy the very kingdom Raoul had died trying to protect.

"Would you like for me to send out the Legion, Master?" The underling asked.

"No." Lucifer said. "There will be no need. There are only five of them and a cat based on the information you gathered. Two of them will be unable to fight, which only leaves three mages and a cat to defend them. I want to test what is left of the Treble Chambers legacy against the power of Devil's Lament. I will send _them_ out to take care of those cockroaches once and for all."

The underling paled wondering if Lucifer was being completely serious. That was a bit of overkill in his eyes.

"Oh, so we're finally going to see some action after all this time?" A young man asked then gave a demented chuckle. "Good, my blade is thirsting for blood."

The young man appeared to be in his mid to late teens with raven black hair that he had up in a top knot like samurai wore their hair. His eyes were blood red like Lucifer's eyes, but his skin complexion was tanned. He was about average height for a young male and he had a lean body due to hours he has spent practicing kendo. He had on a red kimono like shirt that was tucked into black hakama (pants). On his feet were geta (sandals with two thin wooden platforms underneath them), and he had a white sash around his waist that held his katana that rested in a black lacquer sheath.

"Brother, do not get so excited." Another young man said. "Father is sending us to Acacia Town for a mission not for you to enjoy yourself by fooling around."

This man was a year or two older than the first, and even if there were many similarities between the two there were differences as well. This man's black hair was shaggy and fell messily in his face that his red eyes were almost hidden behind his bangs. He had a paler skin tone than the first man mentioned, and he was taller with a muscular figure. He had on mostly black like Lucifer except he didn't wear a full suit. His dress shirt was blood red, and he had a black tie tucked into a black vest. The sleeves went down to his wrists where they were buttoned shut by skull shaped cufflinks.

"Ah, shut your trap, Sally boy!" A young woman said then suddenly became meek. "I'm sorry, Salem-san!"

The woman appeared to be in her late teens with a petite figure. Her skin was a fair complexion, but not nearly as pale as Salem's skin tone. Her hair was two different colors with the top part being black and the bottom half being pure white (Like Midnight aka Macbeth from Crime Sorcière). It was cut boyishly short with her bangs falling on either side of her face. Her eyes were also two different colors with the left being white and the right being black. She had on a simple white t-shirt under a black vest, a black mini skirt, combat boots, and black arm bands with ringer decorating her ringers. Her nails were painted black and her ears were triple pierced.

"Bad Seraphim has made another appearance." Another man said. "Bad Seraphim scares Dred."

Dred was an interesting character. He had zombie green skin that had stitches covering the surface as if he had been sewn together. There was even stitching on the corners of his mouth, and old wounds on his lips as if his mouth had once been sewn completely shut. His hair, which was cut into a small mohawk, was white and dead looking. His eyes were odd as well since the irises were white with catlike black pupils, and where his eyes should be white were black. He wore a tattered brown half shirt that stopped mid-torso, and a dark brown sleeves vest over it. He then had on a pair of patched up trousers that were held up by twine. His boots were ratty and his gloves really needed to be replaced.

"Ah, shut-up, Braindead!" Seraphim snapped. "Who asked you?! And, you, do you have a problem with me?! If not move your eyes off of me, brat!"

She pointed at the youngest member of their group who appeared to be a girl no older than thirteen. She had icy blue hair in two short and fluffy pigtails on top her head, and they were being held up be black and white ribbons. She was barely 4'11 in height with no womanly features whatsoever. Her eyes were white with it nearly impossible to tell where her irises ended after moving away from her pupils. Her skin was white as snow without a single mark on her flesh. She wore a black sleeveless turtleneck shirt and a pair of white shorts that stopped mid-thigh on her. She then had on black stockings and white boots. On her hands were white fingerless gloves, and around her neck was a white scarf.

"Hey, leave Miseri alone!" A two-legged walking feline snapped. "She didn't do anything to you!"

The feline had violet fur that stuck up in random angles as if she's never brushed her fur in her entire life. Her eyes were an amber color, and her tail fluffed out on the end. She had on a school girl uniform on, and a flower clip around her left ear.

"Now, now, children, please do not argue." Lucifer said in a calm tone. "There is work to be done."

They all quietened while turning towards their guild master as he continued to sit in his throne.

"I want you to go to Acacia Town to find those Treble Chambers troublemakers." Lucifer said. "If you can bring them back, please do so. If not, show no mercy, and kill them. Because if I cannot use them as my puppets then I want no one remaining from Treble Chambers. However, the girl, Rizzo Sweeney, must live to complete the ceremony. Once the Pied Piper has taken form again, kill her to end her damn bloodline. Try not to make too much of a fuss in town. I don't want the Fiore Army called in to ruin what should be a fun reunion between the Sweeney and Turpin bloodlines. This battle should have ended between Raoul and Lord Caspian a hundred years ago. Let us not disappoint Lord Caspian by keeping him waiting any longer."

"Yes, Master." They all replied in unison.

Lucifer grinned as he looked out the high window in the large room that was mostly drenched in darkness. The only light being that of the moon that was shining in through the window.

"Treble Chambers has reached its final end." Lucifer said. "They will fall along with the rest of Fiore!"

* * *

Rizzo sighed softly as she looked out at the ocean as the moon shined brightly in the sky above with the stars. She couldn't sleep like her friends who were all snoozing away in their own rooms.

"Can't sleep?"

Rizzo gasped in surprise then turned to see Gray standing there…and how shocking (sarcasm)…he was only in his boxers. After seeing it was just him, Rizzo calmed down.

"No, I can't." Rizzo confessed as she looked back at the ocean.

Gray stepped up beside her as he looked at her worried expression. He frowned not liking that expression on her face. She should be smiling…being carefree as she goofs off with Natsu and Happy. Having fun dancing with Vijeeter. She should be singing duets with Mirajane. She should be arguing with him, or joining the usual brawls their guild are known for. She shouldn't be having to worrying about a something that happened a hundred years ago. However, he knew that was impossible since what truly started the feud one hundred years ago was inside of her.

"Hey, things will work out." Gray said. "Even if Devil's Lament do show up, we're all here to make sure they won't get into that chamber. The Pied Piper will be extracted, and after it's destroyed, you'll get to come home with us."

Rizzo nodded her head while hoping that things really went that smoothly tomorrow. Gray sighed seeing she was still worried. He put his arms around her, which stunned her. She soon found herself pressed against his chest with her head tucked under his chin.

"I promise, Rizzo, that you will get to come home to Fairy Tail." Gray said. "I don't care what I'll have to do to make it happen. If I have to fight Devil's Lament on my own, I'll do it. I won't let them come anywhere near you. They'll die before they even set eyes on the ceremonial chamber if that's what it takes. I won't let anything happen to you because I can't imagine Fairy Tail without you."

Rizzo felt her eyes fill up with tears, and they started to fall as she buried her head into his chest.

"Thank-you, Gray." Rizzo said. "I needed to hear that."

Gray didn't reply as he continued to hold her close as the cool sea breeze lightly danced around them. He meant what he said. He wouldn't let anything happen to her. He would take her back to Fairy Tail after all this passed because as he said…he couldn't imagine Fairy Tail without her.


	14. The Calm Before the Storm

As the hour struck near midnight the next night, everyone gathered together before they would have to go their separate ways. Rizzo stood between Breccan and Erza while wearing the ceremonial white dress that barely covered her down to mid-thigh on her. Breccan had on the ceremonial robes, and had the parchment that had the spell needed to extract the Pied Piper.

"Well, this is it." Erza said. "All of you go to your respected areas and be prepared. We're not only making sure a dark mage fails in obtaining a power item, we're protecting a friend, so do your best."

"Right!" Everyone, but Rizzo, said.

Rizzo looked down at the ground with her hands gripping the edge of her dress tightly. She felt useless. She should be fighting with her friends...not allowing them to protect her. She felt a hand be placed on her head, so she looked up to see Natsu. He grinned at her while placing his forehead against hers. Gray tried to ignoring the twinge in his chest when seeing how close they were. It's never bothered him before (denial).

"Hey, don't look so sad." Natsu said. "Don't think you're useless because you've got the most important part to do. Hold your head high, Rizzo. You're a member of Fairy Tail."

Rizzo felt tears enter her eyes as Natsu continued to give her that smile that always pushed away her sadness and doubt over the years. She wiped the tears away quickly.

"Uh-huh." She murmured.

Everyone smiled at her as Natsu gave her a quick hug to completely ease her before they would have to separate. He pulled away from her, and Jaser reached out to silently ruffle her hair. He grinned at her one time before he turned to Natsu to pat him on the shoulder.

"Let's go, Natsu." Jaser said. "I'm ready to kick some ass."

"Yeah!" Natsu agreed. "If those guys show up, we'll take them all down ourselves."

The two of them walked away with Happy and Sanjū following after the two of them. Sanjū had actually been found by Jaser in the first place, but after his apparent death, she had become Rizzo's companion. Rizzo knew she had to be happy to be reunited with Jaser.

"Everything is going to work out just fine, Rizzo." Lucy said as she stepped up. "Just stay strong and we'll do the easy part."

She laughed to obviously make Rizzo feel better, and Rizzo felt a smile spread across her face.

"You know, Lucy, even if you haven't been a Fairy Tail mage for long, you're definitely a perfect mage for our guild." Rizzo said. "You fit right in our Fairy Tail family."

Lucy's eyes widened in surprise, but then she smiled with a small flush on her cheeks. Rizzo's smile widened in response as the girls shared a quick hug.

"Be careful." Rizzo said. "Devil's Lament is no joke. However, as a mage of Fairy Tail, I'm sure you'll pull something off."

"You bet!" Lucy said giving a thumbs up.

She then left with Sven, who took her hand, and with the other he waved to Rizzo. She waved in return while knowing that Sven would be there to back Lucy up and keep her safe if she were to run out of magic energy. Rizzo hasn't watched any of her friends grow or see how strong they've become, but she can sense great power within them. Finally Gray stepped up, and he pulled Rizzo into his arms.

"Remember you don't have to be worried." Gray said. "I'll do whatever it takes."

Rizzo pulled back slightly while still keeping her arms still around him as she looked up at him.

"Which worries me." Rizzo said. "You have to promise not to use _that_. Remember what I said on Galuna Island?"

Gray nodded his head remembering quite clearly what Rizzo had said to him on Galuna Island.

"I promise you that I will never use that spell again." Gray said. "I won't leave you…ever. But you have to make me a similar promise, Rizzo. Don't do anything reckless, alright? I don't know exactly how this ceremony works, but you can't do anything that might hurt you. Because I refuse to let you leave me either. So promise that you'll do everything you can to see this through to end…and return home to Fairy Tail."

Rizzo stared at him in surprise. She felt the heat start to rise to her cheeks as she stared into his intense gaze. She tried to ignore the fact that they had a small audience of three around them.

"I promise." Rizzo said.

Gray stared into her eyes a moment longer as if looking for something. He nodded his head then pressed his lips to her forehead, which had her eyes widening.

"See you when this is all over." He said while looking away with his own cheeks a bit flushed.

Before anyone could say anything he was walking off while pulling Craylee along, which had the latter sighing in annoyance. Rizzo then turned around, and stiffened when seeing the smirks Erza and Breccan were giving her.

"So, anything you'd like to tell us, Rizzo?" Erza asked. "I had no idea you and Gray were so close."

"Shut-up, Erza." Rizzo growled. "Now let's get this over with! And drop those smirks, they're freaking me out!"

She walked past them towards the ceremonial chamber. Erza and Breccan chuckled before following after the younger mage. They made it inside the chamber, which was set up for the extraction of the Pied Piper's magical particles. There was a rock slab in the middle of the chamber, and Rizzo went over to lie down on it. Breccan got to work by pulling out a dark oil like substance that Craylee had prepared earlier. He started using it to put old rune markings on Rizzo's legs, arms, neck, forehead, and one mark over where her heart lay within her.

"I don't know if this is going to hurt or not." Breccan said. "But I promise that at the end of the ceremony you'll be walking away."

Rizzo nodded her head smiling before she lay back completely with her body completely still. Breccan held his hand hovering out over her chest while closing his eyes. With Erza watching closely the ceremony started.

* * *

Natsu stood in the mouth of the tunnel that opened up to the training area in Jaser's sector. Happy was beside him, and both of their mouths fell open when seeing it looked like a damn endless desert inside. It even had a blue sky above with a harsh sun beating down on the sand.

"Ehhhhh?!" He and Happy shouted.

Jaser laughed at their surprised expressions as he stepped out onto the sand barefooted since he never wore shoes in his training area.

"Like it?" Jaser asked. "Sven used his Storybook magic to make this for me. All of our training grounds suit our individual needs, and as battlefields they give us advantages. We made them stronger over the years by infusing the areas with our magic."

"That is so cool!" Natsu said grinning excitedly.

Jaser nodded in agreement as Natsu followed him out farther into the desert like area.

"Woo, it's hot here." Natsu said.

Happy and Sanjū nodded in agreement as they landed on their paws since the heat already drained their energy making it nearly impossible to fly.

"Is it?" Jaser asked. "I haven't really noticed. I guess it's because of my heritage."

He shrugged his shoulders then snapped his fingers with some palm trees popping up a few feet away with a small pool of water between them. It looked like a small oasis.

"Water! Maybe there's fish inside." Happy said. "Come on, Sanjū!"

He grabbed her paw then dragged her along, and Jaser chuckled as the two ran off.

"So, you were the one to find Sanjū, right?" Natsu asked. "Not Rizzo."

"That's right." Jaser said nodding. "I found her egg a year after Sabbia vanished. Rizzo helped me hatch her egg. Sanjū looked like a little ball of fluff before Miss Mercury smoothed out her fur."

Jaser chuckled remembering that Sanjū looked like fluff with eyes and a tail when she finally hatched.

"Not long after she hatched…Devil's Lament showed up." Jaser said with the smile dropping.

"So you weren't with Rizzo and the others long." Natsu said. "Why did you decide to stick around after the attack?"

"Because these people are my family." Jaser said without hesitation. "Even after a week of being with them I knew I was where I belonged. Sabbia used to tell me that there was a family out there for me beyond her, and just because I found a family with humans didn't make her any less my mother. When she disappeared, I had at first tried looking for her, but then Rizzo found me. Brought me to her family, and that was it. I was home."

Natsu nodded his head in understanding. That was exactly how he felt when he joined Fairy Tail. It hadn't taken him long to bond with them. Even Gray and Erza. He found a family in them, and Rizzo is a part of that family, which is why she would be coming home with him and the others after this.

"What are you going to do once all this is over?" Natsu asked.

"I don't know." Jaser said. "We've all been so focused on getting here that none of us thought about the after."

"Then come to Fairy Tail!" Natsu said grinning.

Jaser looked at Natsu seeming a bit surprised, but Natsu just continued grinning at him.

"Fairy Tail, huh?" Jaser asked. "I've watched that guild sometimes when checking in on Rizzo. Seems like a nice place. The mages there seem like a family."

"Because we are." Natsu said laughing.

"Well, it wouldn't be so bad." Jaser said. "I wouldn't mind it, and it would mean being with Rizzo again."

Natsu nodded while clapping Jaser on the back, and the older Dragon Slayer grinned at the pinkette. The two continued conversing as they waited for Devil's Lament to appear.

* * *

"Whoa!" Lucy said looking at Sven's sector with wide eyes.

The entire place looked like magical candy forest with lollypop trees, gumdrop bushes, and more. The critters scurrying around were even candy like gummy bears, candy birds, and chocolate bunnies.

"This place is amazing!" Lucy said.

"Heehee, glad you like it." Sven said. "I used my Storybook to create this. I used my Storybook to create all our sectors into ideal battlegrounds for us. Jaser's room is nearly an endless desert. Once you step in there's no getting out unless Jaser allows it, or if he's defeated. Craylee's room has all the fabric he could ever need, and he can change his outfits with the snap of his finger if whatever he's wearing isn't resistant against his opponent's magic. Breccan's room seems like a pure blank room. However, the surfaces are made to let his vibrations bounce off of them. So he can send out multiple vibrations, and even if his opponent dodges the vibrations bounce back from one of the surfaces. My room looks sweet and innocent, but I wouldn't be touching the candy because they all have their own not so nice surprises."

Lucy, who had been reaching towards a lollypop, stopped to jerk her hand back. Couldn't he have told her that sooner?!

"Sorry." He said as if he read her mind.

Lucy sighed patting him on the head while instantly forgiving him, which had him smiling.

"You know, I'm a bit nervous." Lucy said honestly. "I'm not that strong."

"Huh?" Sven hummed. "But, Lucy-san, you are strong."

Lucy blinked in confusion as she looked down at Sven who looked up at her with those honest lavender eyes.

"You might not be as strong as Erza-san, Natsu-san, or Gray-san." Sven said. "But that doesn't make you weak. You came here not even knowing what you were getting yourself into to protect Rizzo, your friend. You're ready to fight even if we don't know exactly what to expect. That takes a someone strong of heart to do these things. It might not be the kind of strength you have in mind, but to me that's the most important strength. The strength that comes from wanting to do what's right is the kind of strength that can change lives and the outcomes of battles."

Lucy's eyes widened when Sven said those things, and she could tell from the look in his eyes that he meant what he said. Sven smiled up at Lucy.

"I feel very reassured to have you fighting at my side because I know that even if you're scared that you'll still have my back." Sven said. "That you'll still fight even if things start to go wrong."

Lucy felt tears in her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away before they could fall.

"Thank-you." She said.

"Why are you thanking me, Lucy-san?" Sven asked. "I only said the truth."

Lucy smiled while seeing why Rizzo loved Sven and the other guys so much. They were really nice people. Lucy then blinked while wondering something.

"Sven, how did you become a member of Treble Chambers?" Rizzo asked.

The smile on Sven's face faltered as he looked up into the air as if remembering something unpleasant.

"Before I met the members of Treble Chambers or Rizzo and the others, I was the son of Rasputin and Senna Toblerone." Sven said. "They were two wealthy people and mages who had a thirst for power. All they wanted was power and money. They practiced dangerous magic to gain their wealth. They wanted more, so they searched for more powerful magic. They came across the Children's Storybook during their search."

Sven brought his bag, which held the Storybook within it, closer to him as he narrowed his eyes.

"They were overjoyed to have it." Sven said. "The Storybook's magic is basically only limited by the user's imagination. There are a few ground rules, but besides that it's basically endless power. They finally found them something that could give them everything they wanted. However, neither of them wanted to make the bond contract because it would revert them to the form of a child for the rest of their lives. So they made me…their five-year-old son make the contract, which is binding. Once the contract is struck there is no undoing it unless the rules are broken or if the user dies."

Lucy's eyes widened as she looked at Sven who lost his youthful look. He still looked twelve, but his eyes showed an age that was much older.

"They had me write a story for them that would give them everything they ever wanted." Sven said. "However, it takes magic energy to bring what comes from the Storybook to life, and I was just a kid who had limited magic energy. I soon became sick after years of using the book for their bidding. It didn't matter to them. They continued ordering for more, so in fear of my life, I ran away. Soon I found myself in Acacia Town after hitching a hiding from a farmer. I was living on the streets until Rizzo and I happened to meet. It was just a chance meeting, but it changed my life for the better. I still think it was fate that led me to Rizzo, which is why I'll do everything in my power to keep her safe."

* * *

Gray looked around Craylee's sector with wide eyes. It was like they walked into a fabric store or something. There was different fabrics hanging on the walls on rollers, so they could be rolled out, and there was even fabric on the ceiling. However, it covered the ceiling like many blankets.

"What's with all the fabric?" Gray asked.

"All this fabric has been reinforced with my special magic thread." Craylee said. "So it's combat ready. Some can be used offensively and the rest defensively. Some of the fabric is reinforced to resist certain magic. Like what I'm wearing now is reinforced to resist dark magic. Thought it'd come in handy since we're going against a dark guild that excels in using the dark and forbidden arts."

Gray nodded his head because that was smart. They didn't know exactly what they'd be going up against except that the mages that would be coming their way would be using dark magic. Gray might not have magic resistant clothes on, but he wouldn't let the dark mages past this point. He'd crush them without mercy. Make ice sculptures out of them.

"I have a question for you, Gray." Craylee suddenly said.

Gray looked at the mage beside him with a quirked brow as Craylee looked back at him with an even gaze.

"Do you love Rizzo?" Craylee asked.

Gray's face turned dark red, and he started sputtering incomprehensibly. Craylee blinked at him as Gray continued to stumble over his own words.

"I'll take that as a maybe." Craylee said finally. "You definitely have some kind of feelings for her if that kiss was anything to go on."

Gray finally calmed down to stop his rambling, but he still had a blush on his cheeks.

"I…I don't know exactly what I feel towards Rizzo." He said honestly. "She's my friend…my comrade even though we fight constantly."

He chuckled thinking about all the tussles he and Rizzo have gotten into over the years. The name calling, the shouting, and the fists being thrown…even after all of that he could say for certain that she's a friend.

"How did you feel when Jaser took her?" Craylee asked.

"Angry…that I let someone take off with her." Gray said. "I felt like I let her down. I should have been able to protect her. I wanted to protect, and I still do. And…the entire way here I felt incomplete without her by my side. I missed having her there to crack wise remarks, and to get my blood boiling as weird as that sounds."

Craylee nodded silently as he continued to listen to Gray who was staring forward.

"I'm an ice mage, so I don't get cold." Gray said. "But it was like my body was missing her body heat as if not having her at my side made my body feel cold."

"Hmm, I'd say you do love her even if you're not so sure." Craylee said shrugging. "Not that I care. I'm not going to pull the overprotective older brother card. As long as Rizzo is happy, I'm content with it. However, if Rizzo is hurt, it will be completely different story."

Gray silently nodded his head as he stood there thoughtfully. Could he love Rizzo? He wasn't so sure about that, but…he knows his feelings didn't seem to fit right with just saying he thought of Rizzo as only as a friend. So maybe he liked Rizzo more than a friend, but he didn't really love her. Love is a strong word, and he wasn't sure if it fit what he felt for Rizzo. All he knew was that he couldn't lose her, and that he'd hurt anyone who tried to take her from him.

"Hey, Craylee, how'd you even become part of Rizzo's family?" Gray asked curiously.

Craylee sighed as he loosened his tie a bit as if it was just a too bit too tight for him.

"Long story short, I found myself homeless and an orphan when I was eight." Craylee said. "I didn't live far from Acacia Town, and since I knew magic I decided to travel here because I heard of Treble Chambers. I got hopeless lost in the tunnels here, which I had taken thinking it'd be a shortcut, while having a high fever and an infection in and around my eye, but I was found by Rizzo and Breccan, who brought me to Master Roscoe, who took me in."

Craylee reached up to cover his sightless eye for a moment as he looked down as if in thought.

"Miss Mercury was an amazing healer mage who was able to save my life." Craylee said. "She couldn't give me sight in this eye again, but I learned to live with only half my vision though it should hinder my magic since sewing requires to have eyes that can see the smallest detail. It was hard at first, but I soon learned to work with one eye with my magic as well."

Gray wanted to inquire how Craylee lost his eye, but he had a feeling the redhead wouldn't answer, so Gray decided not ask.

"Rizzo actually helped me with my magic." Craylee said as he dropped his hand. "There were times where I wanted to give up, but she wouldn't let me. She was quite persistent on getting me to work hard to perfect my magic."

Gray and Craylee chuckled in unison. Yeah, Rizzo could be very stubborn when she wanted to be. Especially if it had something to do with what she felt was important.

"Rizzo is important to all of us." Craylee said. "Which is why we'll all work hard to protect her."

"Yeah, I can see that." Gray said nodding.

* * *

"Are you sure this is it?" Salem asked looking down at Miseri.

Miseri, who had Violet hanging on her shoulder, sniffed the air in front of her as her and the others stood outside a forest. Miseri silently nodded her head as she stood in front of the group. It looked as if they found the sacred ground of Treble Chambers…the Forest of Raoul. Salem reached forward with his hand before being shocked by some kind of barrier that appeared after feeling his touch.

"Hmm, so enemies of Raoul are not permitted to enter, hmm?" He muttered to himself. "Dante."

Salem stepped back while allowing his brother to step forward. He drew his katana from its sheath.

"Form: Shattering Demon." He said.

The katana glowed before turning into a large sword with a raggedly sharp edge. Dante took a kendo stance as he raised the sword up above his head. He brought it down onto the barrier that shattered as the blade sliced through it. As the barrier was falling into pieces, the sword returned to its katana shape. Dante sheathed his blade then gestured his brother forward. Salem stepped in first before motioning for the others to follow. Miseri took the lead once more to follow the scent of ink and parchment. Soon the group found themselves at the mouth of a cave.

"This is where they've been hiding all these years?" Dante asked scoffing. "Like little rats?"

"Don't underestimate them." Salem said. "They've had six years to hone their skills. I highly doubt they've done nothing and sit around all this time."

Dante sighed though he nodded his head in understanding. Salem led the way into the cave, which later split three ways since the other ways were blocked.

"It seems they made sure there were only three entrances to take." Salem said. "They're leading us where they want us. Hmm, very well. We'll play by their rules for now. Miseri, Seraphim, Dred, you three are up first."

Dante frowned unhappily as the other three nodded their heads. Dred was about to head down the tunnel going right, but Miseri put her arm in front of him to block his path. Dred just blinked while letting the small girl head down the right tunnel with Violet still with her.

"I'm taking the middle!" Seraphim said looking excited. "I'm going to kick ass!"

The excited look was replaced with one of worry as Seraphim turned to look at Salem.

"Salem-san, I d-don't kn-know abo-about this." She said nervously.

Salem's expression softened as he looked at the nervous Seraphim. He stepped forward to place his hands on her shoulders.

"Everything will be fine." Salem assured her. "You don't even have to kill them. All we need is the Pied Piper."

Seraphim bit her lip though she nodded her head in understanding. Salem's lips turned up into a rare smile.

"After this we can be free, Seraphim." Salem said. "We can go on our own way…together."

Seraphim look up into his red eyes with her own mismatched orbs before nodding her head.

"Together." She said.

She turned then headed down the tunnel feeling a bit more determined, but she still looked worried. Dred just silently went down the left tunnel as Dante and Salem stayed back.

"And if they lose?" Dante asked his brother. "Will I get to fight then?"

"No, my horsemen will take care of our opponents if our comrades are to lose." Salem said. "We know that one of them will be left with the Sweeney girl. You will need to take care of him as I deal with her, which is why you won't be fighting their first line of defense."

Dante nodded his head in understanding. Even if their friends are to lose, they will weaken their opponents, which will make it easier for Salem's magic to wipe them out with little effort on his part. They will then sweep in and take the Pied Piper.

* * *

Jaser was sitting on the sand in a meditating position when his eyes snapped open.

"They're here." He said.

Natsu, who smelt the approaching enemy, nodded his head as he cracked his knuckles. Whoever was coming better be ready to face two sons of dragons. Jaser stood up while removing his sherwani, which left him bare-chested, and he tossed it to the side out of the way.

"Sanjū, Happy, you better back up." Jaser said. "We don't know what's exactly coming."

"Aye!/Right." Happy and Sanjū said in unison.

They jumped up into the air with their wings popping out. They flew up higher than should be possible in a small cave into the sky. A few seconds later in what seemed to appear out of thin air, a little girl, whoa lavender-furred cat on her shoulder, appeared.

"A kid?" Natsu asked.

Jaser sniffed the air as a warm breeze blew past them to ruffle their hair and clothes.

"She smells of dragon." Jaser said.

Natsu's eyes widened, but he sniffed the air as well to figure out that Jaser was right.

"She's like us?" Natsu murmured.

The girl looked up to frown at the hot sun. This was going to be hard on her. However, she still believes she can win.

"Two Dragon Slayers." The feline on the girl's shoulders said. "And one is from Fairy Tail. We didn't expect this. Seems like we were duped, Miseri."

Miseri nodded her head then motioned for the feline to get off of her shoulder. The feline jumped down to stand on her own two paws.

"Hey, Kid, are you really a Dragon Slayer?" Natsu asked.

"Yes, Miseri was taught by the Ice Dragon Hielo." The feline said. "However, he disappeared seven years ago on July 7th."

Natsu frowned because this all couldn't be a coincidence. Three powerful dragons vanishing on exactly the same day had to mean something. Jaser was having similar thoughts. He was also wondering why the girl wasn't speaking. Was she a mute?

"Listen, Kid, you're obviously at a disadvantage here." Jaser said. "You're not only against two Dragon Slayers, but you're also out of your element. There's no way your ice will last long in this environment."

Miseri said nothing as she got into a stance, and Jaser sighed. Well, he wasn't about ignore a challenger even if the challenger is a little girl.

"Guess we don't have a choice." Natsu said as his right fist lit on fire. "We'll get through her and anyone else who decides to come our way."

* * *

"Looks like we've got our first opponent." Gray said.

Standing in front of them was a woman who seemed about their age, and she seemed to be nervous.

"Seems like it." Craylee said as he stood there with his hands in his pockets.

"Uh, I'm sorry about this." The woman said as she fiddled with her fingers. "I don't want to hurt anyone, but we need the Pied Piper. Can't you just give it to us, so no one has to be harmed?"

Craylee's brow quirked. He could sense this woman was being sincere about not wanting to hurt anyone. Why was that? If she was a member of Devil's Lament then shouldn't another one of her goals to wipe out what was left of Treble Chambers?

"Sorry, Ma'am, but the Piper can't be allowed to exist." Craylee said. "Many people would be hurt if it's allowed to survive."

The woman bit her lip looking troubled, but suddenly her entire demeanor changed. She glared at Craylee and Gray as her hands clenched into fists.

"We're taking the Pied Piper!" She snapped. "Seraphim might not want to hurt you, but I will! Her dream depends on the Pied Piper!"

Gray frowned in confusion. What was with the sudden personality change? Craylee tilted his head as he studied the woman in front of them as she became meek again.

"Are you Seraphim?" Craylee asked.

"U-u-h, y-yes." She stuttered.

Gray was even more muddled now, but Craylee already understood what was going on.

"You have Dissociative Identity Disorder." He said in realization.

"What?" Gray asked in confusion.

"She has split personalities." Craylee explained. "There isn't just one mind in her head, but two. I believe the woman we see now is Seraphim…the original mind I suppose you could say. The one with the aggressive behavior is the second mind. These two personalities, even though they share the same body, believe themselves to be two separate beings."

Gray understood some of that, and he was just going to sum it up to that the woman is crazy.

"It's true." Seraphim said as she looked off to the side as if she was afraid to meet their gazes. "It's due to my magic. I have dual magic…I can use two separate types of magic that are complete opposites, which is rare. Anyone can use more than one magic, but they always excel with a certain type. Using two types of magic that are complete opposite isn't really seen, and even then one magic would be much weaker than the other. That isn't the case with me. I can use light and dark magic with ease."

Craylee frowned because that would make her a dangerous opponent. Two be able to combine to types of magic like that was something mages couldn't tend to do alone. Not elementally wise at least.

"Well, this is going to be interesting." Craylee said.

Gray agreed with him there as he got ready to face Seraphim who was their opponent even if she didn't seem as if she wanted to be. Anyone who wanted to get to Rizzo for the Pied Piper was their enemy, and Gray was ready to take them all down for her.

* * *

Sven and Lucy stood next to each other as they looked at their opponent who almost looked like a living, breathing Frankenstein. Honestly, his appearance freaked Lucy out. However, she was a bit curious of him as well. He seemed scary, but he was currently crouched down in front of some gumdrop bushes.

"Pretty." He said. "Dred likes."

Sven tilted his head wondering if this guy was actually a person, or more like some kind of summoned creature used through necromancy magic. Dred reached forward to touch the gumdrop, and Sven narrowed his eyes knowing Dred was going to get a nasty explosion as a surprise. However when his bare fingers touched the gumdrop it started to rot. Sven's eyes widened in surprise as Lucy gasped. Dred looked at the rotted gumdrop with a sad expression.

"Dred hurts everything Dred touches." He said miserably.

Lucy looked at Dred curiously again. Did he…not like hurting things? Then why was he in Devil's Lament? Dred slowly got up from the ground to face Sven and Lucy. Sven quickly got out his Storybook as Lucy reached for one of her keys.

"Dred does not want to hurt little boy or pretty girl." Dred said. "Dred only wants the Pied Piper. However, Dred cannot touch it."

He looked down at his hands with an upset expression as if it was their fault he was unable to touch anything.

"Sorry, but we can't let you have the Pied Piper." Sven said. "We have to destroy it."

"Dred knows." Dred said nodding. "Dred does not want to hurt anyone with Pied Piper, but Salem told Dred that the Pied Piper will set Dred and Dred's friends free."

Sven frowned in confusion. Set them free? Was Dred not trying to get the Pied Piper for Devil's Lament's master…Lucifer? Lucy was wondering the same thing as she stood beside Sven.

"You'll have to get through us first." Sven said with his quill that always had ink on its tip in his hand.

Dred looked down at the ground looking as if he truly didn't wish to do any of this. He then let out a blast of magic that started to rot what was around him. Lucy gasped covering her face as the magic blew past her. Was this guy really this strong?!

* * *

Coco: Sorry if you were expecting a fight scene. I thought I'd be starting on the first fight in this chapter, but I guess not. This arc is running on longer than I expected. However, I should finish it in the next two to three chapters, and I promise that the next chapter will be filled with fighting.


	15. Victory in Sights?

Coco: Sorry if the fights were a let done. I was trying to squeeze three fights into one chapter without it dragging out to far. The fight between Lucifer and Rizzo that I have planned will be much better, I promise. Oh, and for some reason the reviews are acting weird like they had been on my last profile. It says I have new reviews, but I can't read them on this site. I have to go through my emails to read them. So be assured that I am getting your reviews, and thanks for all the support.

* * *

Jaser and Natsu stood side-by-side while ready to face their opponent. Miseri suddenly ran forward, so the two older Dragon Slayers prepared for her attack. She raised her hand up sideways, and held it flat with her fingers pressed together. She shot her hand forward with ice shooting forward before she was even ten feet away from them.

Natsu jumped forward to try and instantly melt the ice with his fire. He did a pinwheel motion with his arms with fire appearing in front of him like a shield. While the ice was affected it didn't melt instantly like he thought it would. Just as the ice lance was going to hit Natsu, the Fire Dragon Slayer was pulled out of the way by Jaser. Natsu gasped when the ice pierced the sand behind him. Jaser narrowed his eyes while hurrying with his own attack.

"Sand Dragon: Cyclone!" He said while spinning his arms in a pinwheel fashion as Natsu had.

A cyclone of sand shot out, and Miseri had to dodge to the side. She wasn't as fast as she wanted to be, but the end of one of her pigtails was cut off.

"Why didn't my fire melt that ice?" Natsu said.

"Miseri's ice isn't like the ice typical ice mages use." Violet said from where she was flying in the air. "It takes more fire power than that to melt the ice of an Ice Dragon Slayer."

Natsu frowned guessing he wouldn't be able to hold back on the fire he was using.

"I don't like the thought of beating up a kid." Jaser said. "But I'm not going to hold back."

Miseri just blinked before running forward. Natsu and Jaser ran forward as well. All three Dragon Slayers collected their respected elements on their fists. As they got closer they pulled their fists back, and as they clashed in the middle with their fists shoot forward to attack, an explosion happened that blinded the Exceeds above.

"Natsu! Jaser!" Happy and Sanjū shouted in worry.

The light dimmed and the dust cleared to reveal that none of the Dragons Slayers were really fazed by the attack. They continued on with their fight as the others' fights started up as well.

* * *

Craylee summersaulted away to avoid the light blast that Seraphim sent his way. He landed on his feet in a couch as Gray brought his hands together.

"Ice-Make: Saucer!" He shouted.

The ice disc that had sharp edges went flying towards Seraphim, but she destroyed the ice with a blast of light magic. Gray frowned as Seraphim bit her lip nervously. She wasn't even putting everything she had into this fight.

"Please, don't make me hurt either of you." Seraphim begged. "We just want the Pied Piper. We won't even harm the vessel."

Craylee frowned thoughtfully wondering why members of Devil's Lament wouldn't want to harm Rizzo. She is a direct descendant of Raoul after all. It didn't make any sense to him. However, now wasn't the time to be thinking about this. Seraphim was the enemy, which meant he had to take her out. He didn't know if anyone else was coming, but he knew if they were that Seraphim would have to be taken care of first. Craylee plucked the needle from his lips then pulled his small square sewing kit out of his pocket where it was attached to the chain hook to his belt loop.

"If you want to get past us, you will have to fight us with the intent to kill." Craylee said as he calmly put some thread into the needle. "I won't be holding back on you because you're a woman."

Gray nodded in agreement as the two of them stood side-by-side while ready for this fight. Craylee ran forward while dodging every attack sent his way like an acrobat. He got close to Seraphim then jumped over her to get behind her. Craylee stitched something quickly into Seraphim's clothing before having to jump away to avoid being hit. He made it back to Gray's side.

"What'd you do?" Gray said.

Craylee didn't reply, but he didn't have to since the thread he had stitched onto Seraphim exploded. She cried out as she fell to the ground due to the force.

"That's what I did." Craylee said.

Gray rolled his eyes at the Seamster as he picked another thread to thread into the needle. This time he sewed something into the pocket of Gray's pants.

"What the heck?" Gray asked.

"It will make her magical attacks cause less damage on you now." Craylee said. "Try not to start stripping now, alright?"

"Shut-up." Gray said while blushing a bit in embarrassment.

"That hurt, ya bastard!"

The two turned back to Seraphim as she stood up with a pissed off look on her face.

"And what name do you go by?" Craylee asked.

"My name?" Seraphim asked then frowned. "If ya gotta know it's Lilith. I'm the one who uses dark magic."

Craylee was starting to understand more. Seraphim's split personalities is what made it easier for her to use two different types of magic. Seraphim herself is a kind and pure person, which makes it easy for her to use light magic. Lilith is crude and dark, which makes the dark magic come easily to her. Two separate mages in one body was the best way to explain it.

* * *

Sven's quill quickly went across the pages of his Storybook, and a large stone wall that resembled a castle wall appeared between him and Lucy. The blonde celestial mage brought out one of her keys immediately.

"Open: Gate of the Giant Crab, Cancer!" Lucy said.

Cancer appeared in a burst of light just as the castle wall in front of them rotted away to reveal Dred.

"Give him a bad haircut, Cancer!" Lucy ordered.

"Right, Baby." Cancer said.

He jumped forward to slash his scissors at Dred, but moving faster than Sven and Lucy could have thought, Dred caught Cancer by the front of his shirt before slamming him down to the ground. Dred touched the celestial spirit's shoulder, and Lucy gasped when Cancer started to rot away.

"Cancer!" Lucy cried.

"Looks like this is the end for me, baby." Cancer said then disappeared into the Celestial World.

Sven narrowed his eyes with all childlike innocence gone from his eyes to be replaced with mature determination.

"It seems that whatever he touches rots instantly." Sven said. "Even living things."

"Does that mean…if he touches us, we'll rot too?" Lucy asked looking freaked out.

"I doubt it." Sven said. "All magic has its own weaknesses. There has to be somethings he can't rot."

Lucy really hoped that was true because they were already in enough trouble as it were.

"We're in a pickle." Sven said. "Your celestial spirits won't be able to help us in this fight, and he has easily rotted through whatever I've brought to life with my Storybook."

Lucy bit her lip wondering how they were going to get through this fight if Dred just rotted away whatever they threw at them.

"We just have to keep attacking until we find his weakness." Sven said. "We can't give up now. The others are fighting as well…we can't let them down."

Lucy clenched her hands into fist while getting a determined look on her face.

"Right!" Lucy said.

Sven smiled at her while knowing he lucked out by getting a partner with as strong a resolve as Lucy.

* * *

Erza frowned as she listened to the sound of her friends battling. She glanced back at Breccan and Rizzo as the prior was chanting a spell with his hand held above Rizzo's chest. A ball of light was gathered there, and Erza could see magic partials being brought out of Rizzo into the ball of light. Erza wondered how much longer this ritual would last, and how the others were doing. She looked back to the only entrance into the center of the mountain. As she stood there she was unaware of what was happening behind her within Rizzo's mind.

-IN RIZZO'S MIND-

 _Rizzo blinked looking around to see she was in a familiar meadow. It was a spot just outside of town within the forest of Raoul. It was a place her grandmother, Mercury, used to take her and the boys for family picnics. Or she and the boys would come here to stargaze._

 _"Hello, Rizzo."_

 _Rizzo whirled around seeing a man standing there. He had long pink locks that matched her own, and he had his hair in a loose ponytail. His bangs curled along the right side of his face. He had pale turquoise eyes that shown kindness deep in their depths. His skin was much paler than hers, which resembled more of her late father's skin complexion, and he was of a tall, muscular build._

 _He wore a loose white tunic-like shirt that wasn't tied close completely, so it showed the top part of his chest, and peeking out from the opening was the mark of Treble Chambers. He had on loose fitting dark pants that were held up by a pink scarf that was wrapped tightly around his waist. On his feet were sandals, and honestly Rizzo thought he kind of looked like a hippie._

 _"I've been wanting to talk with you for a long time, my child." The man continued to say._

 _Rizzo tilted her head curiously while wondering who this man was. The longer she looked at him she started to get a feel of who he might be._

 _"Master Raoul." Rizzo said with slight uncertainty._

 _The man smiled nodding his head to confirm that Rizzo's assumption was correct._

 _"You don't have to address me so formally." Raoul said. "You are my great-great-granddaughter after all. We're family, my dear."_

 _Rizzo nodded her head while still a bit surprised to be seeing her ancestor in front of her._

 _"Is this a dream?" Rizzo asked._

 _"In a way." Raoul said. "We are within your mind as the ceremony to remove the Pied Piper is happening. You see…the Pied Piper wasn't the only thing to merge with my youngest son Enjolras. I had broken into magic particles as well. I ended up traveling through our bloodline during the last one hundred years along with the Pied Piper after merging with Enjolras."_

 _Rizzo's eyes widened. So, Raoul has been living on in a way? Living on within their family's bloodline?_

 _"I was first part of Enjolras then I passed on into Roscoe then your father before finally becoming part of you the moment your mother became pregnant with you." Raoul said gesturing to her._

 _So he's been with her this entire time…was he conscious this entire time? Rizzo paled thinking off all the stupid things she's done. She felt a bit embarrassed at the thought of her ancestor being witness to everything stupid she's ever done._

 _"I have enjoyed watching you grow." Raoul said smiling once more. "Out of all my descendants you have loved our family's magic the most. You have cherished it, and used it for good as I have always hoped it would be used for. I am proud to call you my great-great-grandfather."_

 _Rizzo blushed at his kind words, and he chuckled as she scratched the back of her head. Raoul then became serious as he looked up at the beautiful sky._

 _"After the Pied Piper was created, I knew I had created something that wasn't meant for this world." Raoul said with a small sigh. "I had been so young. I didn't think about the consequences that it would bring. I just wanted to bring a different kind of magic into the world, so to help people…I wanted to make people happy with beautiful music that could create and do things no music ever could."_

 _Rizzo looked at Raoul sympathetically as he continued to gaze up at the sky with a pained expression his face._

 _"If I had known my ambition would have caused my family so much grief, I never would have made that damned instrument." Raoul said._

 _"Master—uh, Great-Great Granddaddy, the magic you developed has done more than just cause grief." Rizzo said. "My granddaddy and my daddy helped a lot of people using music magic. And I hold the magic dear to me because it is something I see as precious to our family. I am proud to say that I am a music mage!"_

 _Raoul looked at Rizzo in surprise before a soft smile pulled across his face. He walked forward until he stood in front of Rizzo. He reached out to pat her on the head._

 _"Yes, I know." Raoul said. "I have watched over the years as you have trained hard in the arts of music magic. You have the potential of even surpassing me, Rizzo, which is why I want to share something with you in the time we have."_

 _Rizzo blinked curiously as Raoul leaned in with a serious expression on his face._

-OUTSIDE OF RIZZO'S HEAD-

Erza stiffened when she heard what sounded like an explosion happening from one of the sectors. She relaxed a few moments later. However, she was still worried about the others.

"Everyone…please stay strong." She said. "We cannot afford to lose."

She looked back at Rizzo and Breccan as some kind of an outline of a piper formed above Rizzo's immobile form. Hopefully, the ceremony would be complete soon.

"Just hold on a bit longer." Erza said.

* * *

Miseri let out another wave of ice that shot quickly towards Natsu and Jaser who were ready for it. Natsu used his fire, which he was putting all the heat he could into it, to soften the ice and partially melt it, and then Jaser used his sand to shatter the rest of it.

"This kid is tough." Natsu said frowning.

Jaser had to agree. He frowned supposing they'd have to kick it up a notch if they were going to win.

"Natsu, please, back up." Jaser said while getting into a stance.

Natsu blinked in confusion, but did as Jaser asked as his magic started to build up around them. Miseri stood a few feet away with her head tilted curiously.

"Sand Dragon Secret Art," Jaser said as he moved his arms in a fluid manner with the sand starting pick up around him.

Natsu's mouth dropped open in shock as the sand formed two serpent like dragons behind Jaser.

"Twin Dragon Rumble!" Jasper shouted.

He threw one fist forward with the two dragons shooting forward towards Miseri.

"Miseri!" Violet shouted in worry.

The two dragons seemed to hit Miseri head on, and everything was silent until the stand cleared. Miseri surprisingly still stood on her feet due to her putting up an ice dome over her for protection. However, most of the dome was shattered. She also had blood running down the side of her head as she huffed.

"Miseri!" Violet called out again.

The remaining ice down shattered to the ground as Miseri wobbled a bit on her feet.

"Give up, kid." Jaser said. "You're beat."

"…I can't…" Miseri said.

"She can talk?!" Natsu and Happy shouted in unison.

Sanjū sighed shaking her head at her two guildmates as they stared at Miseri with unhinged jaws. Jaser was a bit surprised himself since he thought the girl was mute. Miseri looked straight at the two Dragon Slayers in front of her.

"The Pied Piper is the only way to free all of us." Miseri said. "We can use it against Master Lucifer."

Jaser's eyes widened when wearing that Miseri wanted to use the Pied Piper _against_ Lucifer and not for him.

"We?" Natsu asked.

"Yes," Miseri said nodding. "Salem…Dante…Dred…Seraphim. All of them, Violet, and myself have endured years of being Lucifer's puppets. We only want our freedom. However, none of us are strong enough to take him on ourselves. We need the Pied Piper to make him release us from his hold."

Jaser narrowed his eyes as Miseri's hands clenched as her body shook in repressed anger.

"After I lost Hielo, I felt so alone." Miseri said. "I didn't know what to do with my life. I was only a six-year-old girl…and I was on my own. Then Lucifer found me and took me in. I thought I found another father figure, but Lucifer turned out to be a monster. To make me stronger he forced Ice Dragon lacrima into my body. He didn't think of me as his child. He thought of me as a way towards power. I became a prisoner in shackles just like my friends. That is why we are here for the Pied Piper. It's why I can't give up."

Natsu felt his own hands clench into fists when he heard Miseri's story. That wasn't right. A guild was supposed to be like a family, and the guild master is supposed to be like the father or mother of the guild. They were supposed to care for their mages like they were their own children. Natsu felt the fire burn hot in his stomach.

"I'm going to kick that guy's ass!" Natsu roared.

Miseri and Violet both looked at Natsu in shock as he let out roar of fire up into the air.

"Not if I get to him first." Jaser said as he glared forward. "It makes me sick when people abuse others for power!"

He seemingly punched the air behind him, but when it cracked, Natsu jumped in surprise. He had to remind himself that they were still inside a cave cavern and not at actual desert. As soon as Jaser moved his fist the cracks disappeared. Miseri blinked not understanding.

"I can't fathom why you are upset for us instead of at us." Miseri said. "We're here to take the artifact left behind your first Guild Master to use it when it was his last wish for it to be destroyed."

"Yes, you are." Jaser said. "But you're not wishing to use it to cause innocents harm. You only wish to gain your freedom. A freedom that was robbed from you, I understand."

"Then you will let us have the Pied Piper?" Miseri asked.

"No way!" Jaser and Natsu said in unison.

Miseri and Violet started at them with quite comical expressions of shock as Jaser and Natsu looked at them firmly.

"Eh?" Miseri muttered tilting her head to the side.

"But you said you understood!" Violet said pointing at them accusingly.

"We do understand." Natsu said matter-of-factly. "But no way are we letting you guys use the Pied Piper. It's dangerous, right?"

He looked at Jaser for confirmation, and the older Dragon Slayer nodded his head as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"If you guys want Lucifer's ass kicked, we'll do it for ya!" Jaser said as he threw his arm over Natsu's shoulder.

He pointed at himself with his thumb as Natsu was nodding his head. Miseri's eyebrow twitched, and in the longest time she felt annoyance.

"You two have to be idiots!" Violet shouted. "There's no way you or any of your friends could stand up to Lucifer!"

The two male Dragon Slayers just scoffed as Jaser waved his hand flippantly at Violet as if waving off her remark.

"Oh, ye of little faith." He said then puffed out his chest. "I bet I could bring down Lucifer all by myself."

"Not if I get to him first!" Natsu said laughing. "I'm fired up now. Let's go kick this guy's ass!"

Jaser laughed with him, and Miseri felt her eyebrow twitch even more in annoyance.

"Just point us in the right direction." Natsu said.

"Yeah, we'll take care of everything." Jaser said.

The twitching in her eyebrow increased even more if possible as Miseri glared at the two boasting men.

"SHUT-UP!" Miseri finally snapped.

The two jumped in surprise then looked back at Miseri as she continued to glare at them.

"This isn't something to joke about." Miseri said. "Lucifer isn't someone to underestimate! Now, either let me pass, or get ready to try and stop me."

She started building up her magic as Jaser and Natsu became serious as they stared at the younger Dragon Slayer. They glanced at each other with a silent understanding passing between them. Miseri took in a deep breath as she made her stance more solid. Happy and Sanjū knew what was coming, so they flew up higher to stay out of the way as Violet did the same.

"Ice Dragon: Roar!" Miseri shouted.

The ice shot forward at an alarming speed towards Jaser and Natsu. Natsu stepped up while taking a deep breath.

"Fire Dragon: Roar!" He countered.

His fire rocketed forward at the same speed, and clashed with Miseri's ice. Steam was created by the two clashing attacks, which nearly made it impossible to see. Miseri could see two dark shapes through the mist, but when she blinked one of the shapes was suddenly gone.

"Sand Dragon: Soaring Fist!" Jaser, who was suddenly beside her, said as he sent his sand covered fist at her face.

It connected to her jaw. She went sailing up into the air out of the steam, and Violet gasped when she saw Miseri. Miseri then fell back towards the ground to hit the sand hard as the mist cleared. She laid there knocked out cold.

"Just take a nap, Kid." Jaser said as he cracked his knuckles. "Let us worry about Lucifer."

Natsu cracked his neck with a grin on his face. Well, that was one battle out of the way.

"Miseri!" Violet cried.

She quickly flew down to her companion's side as Happy cheered for Natsu and Jaser. Sanjū let out a sigh of relief while glad that the two Dragon Slayers were alright. Violet cried as she looked down at Miseri's face.

"We just want to be free." Violet said as the tears ran down her furry cheeks. "If we can't get the Pied Piper, we'll never find that freedom. It will be impossible."

Shadows fell over her, and Violet looked up at Natsu and Jaser as Happy and Sanjū hung off their shoulders.

"You're wrong." Jaser said.

"He's right." Natsu said.

"As long as your friends are at your side," Happy began.

"You'll find that nothing is impossible." Sanjū finished with a smile.

"We'll kick that guy's ass for you." Natsu said grinning. "That's a guarantee."

There was someone suddenly clapping from the direction that Miseri had entered the desert. The group whirled around to see a man standing there. He looked rather sickly with his pasty complexion, and his cheeks were flushed red as if he had a cold. His eyes were like snot green and his hair a pale blonde that was extremely ruffled as if he been confined to a bed for a month. He wore a white suit that was wrinkled, and his dress shirt matched his eyes. His white tie was partially askew as well.

"Who's this guy?" Natsu asked frowning. "He doesn't even look like he should be out of bed."

Jaser had to agree with him there, but there was something about this man's stench that was unsettling. Violet shuddered as she looked at the man in front of them.

"Pestilence." Violet muttered. "Salem has released the youngest Horsemen."

Natsu and Jaser looked at her in confusion, but before they could ask they suddenly felt sick. They both started coughing uncontrollably. They fell to their knees as Sanjū and Happy fell from their backs while coughing as well. The man, Pestilence, grinned darkly down at the four suffering on the ground.

"Hmm, it's amazing what a little case of swine flu can do to a person." He said chuckling. "How about we bump it up a notch by giving you a case of Ebola?"

As they all started withering in pain, the man chuckled a bit more while looking quite pleased.

"" **And he went forth conquering to conquer."**." Pestilence said as he spread out his arms in a grand manner. "And so I shall conquer."

* * *

Craylee, who was crouched on the ground panting alongside Gray, frowned as he placed his two fingers to his temple.

"I've lost contact with Jaser and Natsu." Craylee said.

"Dammit." Gray cursed. "What is that fire-munching moron doing?!"

Craylee didn't know, but he was worried about what happened to Jaser and Natsu. He did know, however, that he and Gray could not lose here. The two men looked back at Seraphim, who was Lilith at the moment, as she stood there with a ball of dark magic in between her hands.

"You two can't win." She said. "Because I refused to lose. The Pied Piper is our key to freedom, and I won't let you take that key away from us!"

She threw the ball of darkness at Gray and Craylee. Gray quickly made an ice shield to lighten the blow. However, the darkness shattered his ice with ease. Craylee threw off his vest in front of them, and it surprising stopped the blow better than Gray's ice shield had done. The vest fell to the ground with steam lifting off of it.

"Those are some nifty clothes you've got." "Lilith" said.

"My clothes are made from the best material." Craylee said as he stood up. "And I hand make them myself. If they weren't perfect, I wouldn't be fit to call myself a seamster mage."

Gray sweat-dropped at Craylee's boast as he redhead adjusted his tie, so that it was straight once more.

"You're a homo, aren't you?" Lilith asked bluntly.

Craylee's face seemed to remain impassive as it usually was, but there was the slightest twitch of his eye.

"Hmm, do I appear to be?" He asked. "It's quite funny actually because I was just thinking you seem quite… _butch_."

Lilith didn't hide her reaction well as she glared darkly at Craylee with her magic spiking. He gave her a shit-eating grin as Gray sweat-dropped again. He then shook his head because they didn't have time for this. They needed to take this opponent down then go see if Erza needed backup with her own opponent. Gray stood while putting his hands together.

"Ice-Make: Hammer!" He said.

A large hammer appeared above Lilith, and she raised her hand to blast it with dark magic. However, the hammer came down quicker than she expected. It smashed right into her. She coughed as the hammer shattered from on top of her. She shook her head feeling a bit dizzy before she could get her bearings Craylee appeared above her with some kind of colorful fabric. He wrapped it around her before she could blink. He then pulled out his needle and thread.

"Thread Magic: Bind." He said.

He sewed the fabric closed around her then actually pierced the stone below with his needle to sew her down. She started struggling to get out, but the more she moved the weaker she felt.

"I'd stop moving if I were you." Craylee said as he stood up with his needle back between his lips. "That fabric has my special parasitic thread stitched into it. It feeds off another person's magic. The more you struggle the faster the thread sucks away your power. I combined it with my binding thread that has never once been broken."

Lilith glared up at Craylee before groaning. When she blinked a few times, Craylee could see Seraphim was now back. Tears entered her eyes as she looked up at Craylee.

"We'll never be free now." Seraphim said. "We just want the Pied Piper to make Master Lucifer release us."

Craylee tilted his head with a quirked brow as Gray came to stand beside him.

"What are you talking about?" Gray asked. "Are you not loyal to this Lucifer guy?"

"No." Seraphim said shaking his head. "He did horrible things to all of us! All of us who came here has suffered because of that evil man. What's worse is that our parents, who worship him like a god, let him experiment on us to make us stronger pawns for him."

Craylee's body stiffened as his jaw clenched. He quickly composed himself before Gray could notice. Seraphim let a sob shudder through her as she tried to curl into a ball as if to shield herself from the world.

"My mother stood back and watched…as…as he poke and prodded me." Seraphim said. "Not just me…but my twin sister Lilith as well."

Craylee and Gray both stiffened this time as they looked down at Seraphim with wide eyes.

"Master Lucifer has a special kind of magic." Seraphim said. "He used it on my twin and me. He saw that when we fought together that could combined our magic by touching our hands together. He wanted to see if he could make it possible for one of us to use the combination attacks without the other. By the time he finished his experiments, Lilith had become a part of me…it was like I consumed my own sister. Yet I couldn't hear her voice anymore…or feel her presence. As the years went on, I started developing my alter ego, which named itself Lilith like my sister. I didn't even know about her until I was informed. I just remember blackouts, and when I woke up…I woke to see I had done terrible things!"

Seraphim let out another sob as Craylee and Gray stood their listening to her story.

"My magic is more complex than simple light magic." Seraphim said. "I actually had a magic known as Angel Magic, and my sister had a type of magic known as Demon Magic. When Master Lucifer had combined our magic, he declared he made a new kind of magic…magic he called Fallen Angel Magic. It's a power I wish I didn't have, and it's his fault I have it. I want him to pay…I want to be free of him which is why we need the Pied Piper. We can't simply get away from him using force."

Craylee frowned wondering what she meant by that last part. They couldn't use force? Did Lucifer have something to hold over their heads? Seraphim then started looking paler as the parasitic thread continued its work.

"Uh, man, don't you need to take that off of her?" Gray asked. "I don't think she can cause us trouble now."

Craylee snapped his fingers with the binding thread disappearing. The fabric then unwrapped around Seraphim to return to its spot on the wall.

"One of us should probably go see if Erza needs any help." Craylee said. "And she needs to be told of what we have learned from Seraphim."

Gray nodded his head then started heading towards the ceremonial chamber. He wanted to check on Rizzo anyway. He was really worried about her. However, before he could leave, a shot rang out, and he grunted in pain as he felt something got through his lower torso. Craylee whirled around to see who attacked, but he was blind-sided for a moment when another shot rang out with something hitting the space by his blind eye. He winced clutching the side of his face as Gray fell to his knees. They both turned seeing a man standing at the mouth of the other entrance into Craylee's sector.

"Sorry, Fellas, neither of you are going anyway." The man said grinning as he twirled a gun around his finger.

The man had dark brown hair with a red tint. It was cut short, and spiked up on top his head. He had brown eyes as well, and they were also tinted red. He had a muscular form with a tanned complexion. He wore a black dress shirt with a white tie. Over his dress shirt was a red leather jacket, and he had the collar popped up. His black pants were a bit baggy until they were tucked into black combat boots. He also had black fingerless gloves on his hand.

"Who are you?" Craylee asked.

" **"Power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the world"**." The man said grinning. "Sound familiar? It's from Revelations 6:4."

Craylee stared at the man in shock while not believing that someone like him was standing there in person.

"War." Craylee said.

"Bingo!" War said laughing. "We have a winner! Your prize? I'm not going to make you wage war on your friends. I'll grant you a quick death."

War, whose expression turned cold, raised his gun to point right at the center of Craylee's head. A moment later a gunshot rang through the caves.

* * *

Lucy jumped when another sound of a gun echoed throughout the caves. Sven frowned when he lost contact with Craylee just has he had done with Jaser and Natsu. Even Gray's presence in his mind was going fuzzy. This wasn't going well at all.

"We have to finish up here." Sven said. "The others need help."

Lucy nodded her head as they looked back to Dred who didn't have a single mark on him. No matter what they threw at him, he rotted it away. He even appeared to have super strength as well along with good combat skills because he easily fought Sven off when the blonde mage had tried to use brute force to beat the zombie like man. And when Dred punched Sven in the side, three ribs were broken. Lucy looked to the older mage, who looked much younger, in worry as he let out a huff. She was sure one of his lungs had been punctured when his ribs were broken.

"We don't have many other options." Sven said mostly to himself. "What haven't we tried?"

Lucy didn't know because she's already called out two zodiac level keys and one silver key, which proved to be worthless. She was already running low on magic energy. She felt completely useless.

"Dred does not wish to continue fight." Dred said. "Dred merely wishes little boy and pretty girl would allow Dred to pass."

"Can't." Sven said immediately. "Why do you want the Pied Piper so bad anyway? It's obviously not, so you can give it to Lucifer."

"That is right." Dred said. "Dred does not like Lucifer. Lucifer did bad things to Dred and Dred's friends. Lucifer…hurt Dred. Cut Dred open…turned Dred into this."

He gestured to himself, and Lucy felt her heart breaking for the guy when seeing that Dred seemed almost disgusted with himself.

"Lucifer made it impossible for Dred to touch things without harming them." Dred continued. "Dred cannot get too close to pretty things like flowers even though Dred likes flowers. Lucifer did not care what happened to Dred and Dred's friends as long as he was able to get power."

Sven felt his body shake in anger. What was with people hurting each other just for their own gain? It made him sick. Why couldn't people be kinder to each other? Why couldn't they cherish what they have?

"Why do you need the Pied Piper though?" Lucy asked. "If you're not getting it for your Guild Master, why go through so much trouble to get it?"

"Salem told Dred that they could not fight Lucifer directly." Dred said. "Salem told Dred and friends that Lucifer used his magic to make it impossible for Dred and friends to fight him because the moment Dred and friends try to fight Lucifer will have already killed Dred and friends."

Sven frowned wondering what kind of magic Lucifer had to have to be able to do such things. Lucy's eyes just widened while already afraid of this Lucifer guy even if she hasn't met him.

"I see." Sven said. "I understand your situation, but I have my own friends to think about. That's why I can't let you have the Pied Piper. You'll have to kill me first to get past here."

Dred looked down obviously unhappy with Sven's decision. Dred didn't like hurting people even if that's what Lucifer practically made him to be.

"Dred understands." Dred said as he looked back up to Sven. "Dred is sorry for what is about to happen."

Dred's magic started to build with his rot magic spreading. It started creeping closer to Lucy and Sven, and the latter frowned. If that rot magic made contact with Sven's Storybook, they'd be more screwed than they were now. Sven tried hard to think about what kind of magic could work against Dred's rot magic. What couldn't be rotted? Sven's eyes widened as a metaphorical lightbulb went off in his head.

"Lucy-san, do you have any spirits that use any of the four basic elements?" Sven asked.

Lucy looked at Sven in confusion as Sven opened his Storybook with his quill at the ready.

"Uh, Aquarius does." Lucy said. "She is the water-bearer after all, but I can only summon her when I have water. And I don't know if I can manage it. My magic…I've nearly used up all of it."

Sven turned towards Lucy with a smile on his face as Dred started stepping towards them.

"I'm sorry to ask you of this, but we need Aquarius." Sven said. "Dred's weakness is the elements because it is impossible for them to rot…well, earth can, but that's besides the point. Anyway, I can give you the water. Think you can pull out all you've got left?"

Lucy huffed a bit feeling tired, but she knew that they couldn't fail here. They're friends were expecting them to win. Lucy took a deep breath as she stood up straight.

"I have your back if you have mine." She said with determination.

Sven's smile widened as he nodded his head. His hand went quickly across the page as Lucy grabbed Aquarius's key.

"And suddenly the cave started filling with sea water." Sven said in a narrative tone. "As it filled up to the heroes' ankles, Lucy stood with determination as she held the water-bearer's key in hand. Their opponent watched on in confusion while not knowing what was to come."

"Well, I do know how this story ends." Lucy said. "It ends with us winning. Now, open: Gate of the Water-Bearer, Aquarius."

Lucy put her key into the water, and soon Aquarius appeared after the beam of light disappeared. Lucy fell backwards with Sven barely being able to catch her in time as she sank to her knees. Aquarius looked back at Lucy with a glare.

"Tch, fool." Aquarius said. "Who do you think you are trying to summon three zodiac keys like this?"

Lucy didn't reply since she was nearly unconscious. Aquarius shook her head then turned to look at Dred who tilted his head curiously.

"That look of yours is really annoying me!" Aquarius shouted as she raised her urn. "Just go and die or something!"

She let out a shout as she gave a mighty swing to throw a tidal wave of water at Dred. Sven smiled as Dred was swept away into the wave. His eyes then widened when he and Lucy were swept away with Dred.

"No, my Storybook can't get wet!" He cried as he tried to stuff it quickly in his bag, which Craylee had outlined with his water-proof thread.

Aquarius rolled her eyes at the boy's complaint as Lucy gurgled under the water that swept them up. Dred blinked not seeming all that affected by the water. However, he then grunted in pain when his head happened to smash against one of the lollypop trees. He was knocked unconscious instantly. Finally the water all disappeared leaving Lucy and Sven sputtering on the ground.

"Don't be calling me again for a while." Aquarius said hotly. "I've seen your face too often lately."

She then returned to the Celestial World as Lucy's eye brow twitched in annoyance.

"Your spirit…was really mean." Sven said.

"Tell me about it." Lucy huffed.

"Tsk, tsk."

The two froze when hearing the almost disappointed tone of an unfamiliar voice. They both looked up seeing a man standing above them. He looked rather thin with his cheeks shrunken in along with his eyes, which were a pale brown. He had curly brown hair that looked brittle and lifeless. He wore a brown tailored suit that hung off his thin frame. He also had a messily tied bowtie around his neck, and his shirt was wrinkled.

"It seems as if I was summoned for nothing." The man practically wheezed out as if he didn't have the energy to speak. "It's so hard for me to move around when I haven't eaten in a while…of course I rarely get to eat anymore. I'm always so…hungry."

Lucy looked up at his man feeling rather frightened even if he didn't look like much. His brown eyes then focused on her specifically, and she gasped when pain hit her stomach. It felt empty…not like how she feels if she hasn't eaten all day. Now this pain was as if she hadn't had a decent meal in days. She felt starved.

"What are you doing to her?" Sven demanded.

He soon found out when the man turned his eyes onto Sven. The blonde mage groan while clutching his stomach. He hasn't felt his hungry in years. Ever since he left the care of his parents who ever really made sure he was fed or not.

"Hmm, do you feel that?" The man wheezed. "That hunger? It's a feeling I know very well. Of course, not all hunger is the hunger for food. But I think this is a hunger that will work well enough on you."

Sven and Lucy didn't reply as they curled into balls on the floor while clutching their stomachs that cramped and hurt. The man then walked up to one of the lollypop trees, and surprisingly nothing happened to him as he plucked one of the lollypops. He popped it into his mouth to immediately bite into it. As he chewed it up he looked down at mages on the floor.

" **"He that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand"**." He murmured. "Revelation 6:5. It refers to Famine, which is me the second Horsemen to come into existence."

* * *

Erza frowned when things seemed to become too silent. She had a bad feeling in her gut that she did not like. She looked back at Breccan and Rizzo to see the Pied Piper was almost completely formed. Erza then stiffened when she sensed danger. She jumped back avoiding the sword that had been going to slice through her neck. She narrowed her eyes while looking to her attacker. The man, who was hanging halfway out of the cave wall through a shadow, smirked at Erza.

"You shouldn't get distracted." He said.

He stepped completely out of the cave wall with another man following him out. This man's shirt was open to reveal his entire torso, and Erza could see odd tattoos covering the middle of his upper body. There were four circular-like tattoos starting from his sternum before going down to stop above his bellybutton. Each circular tattoo had odd writing in the center, and each circular tattoo was connected by chain looking tattoos. Three out of the four circular tattoos had blood smeared across them with tattoos hanging on the side of each circular tattoo. The last circular tattoo, which as at the top, had chains wrapped around it as if trying to hold something in, and there was no blood.

"You can close the shadow portal." The second man said to the first.

The first man sliced the air in front of the shadow portal sideways, and it shrunk up before it completely disappeared.

"Shadow Demon form closed." The man said.

Erza frowned as she tried to gauge how strong these two new opponents were.

"Who are you two?" Erza demanded.

"We are Salem and Dante Diaboli." The second man, Dante, said as he motioned to himself when saying his name. "Or should I say Salem and Dante _Turpin_?"

Erza stiffened realizing these two were descendants of Caspian the one who created Devil's Lament a hundred years ago.

"Our father took on our mother's maiden name to make it appear that the Turpin bloodline ended." Dante said with a shrug. "But we are very much Turpins anyway you look at it."

Erza held out her hand with one of her swords appearing in her grasp. Dante's expression turned excited when Erza held up.

"A swordsman, huh?" He asked then turned to Salem. "Brother, may I fight her?"

"Yes." Salem said as he looked at Breccan and Rizzo. "Keep her busy as I take the Pied Piper. Those two cannot do anything to stop us while they are locked in the ceremony because it would prove lethal to the girl if the ceremony is stopped before its end."

Erza grit her teeth together before reequipping into her Purgatory armor quickly.

"I will not let you hurt my friends!" Erza said. "You will not pass any farther, and the others will soon be here to help stop you."

Dante started chuckling softly before it turned into full out manically laughter that actually sent a shiver down Erza's spine.

"Your friends?" Dante asked looking at her with a crazed look. "They won't be coming to help you."

Erza's blood ran cold when she heard that, and Dante continued his manic laughter.

"He's correct." Salem said. "The three horsemen I have already set free have taken care of your friends. I did not want to kill anyone here, but my hand was forced. You are the last defense, Erza Scarlet."

* * *

Coco: So I hope you liked it even if the fight scenes were lame.


	16. The Pied Piper's Destruction

"That's not possible!" Erza said as she glared at the two brothers. "There's no way they'd lose so easily."

"Well, they didn't lose easily." Salem said. "They defeated our friends. However, they were no match for my horsemen."

Erza's eyes widened in surprise. His magic defeated the others? Salem walked forward with Erza unable to move.

"You see I use a lost magic. That didn't resurface until about a hundred years ago." Salem said. "The magic is extremely powerful, but it has great costs. Think of it as the kind of magic that Celestial Spirit mage friend of yours used. However, instead of summoning spirits, I summon the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Each of these tattoos are like the gates I summon them from."

He tapped the top tattoo, which Erza realized was a closed gate. That meant one of the horsemen hasn't been summoned yet.

"Every time I summon them I lose a few years of my life." Salem said. "But if that's the price I have to pay to earn my friends' freedom, so be it. I do have another less extreme form of magic, but you needn't worry about that.

He pat Erza, who was actually shaking from fear, on the shoulder, which seemed to snap her out of her trance. She shouted while taking a swing at him, but her blade was blocked by Dante's katana.

"He's the one you need to worry about." Salem said.

Dante smirked at Erza before shoving her away from his brother. Erza was surprised when she was sent back a few feet.

"I've heard of you, Erza Scarlet." Dante said. "I've never met a swordsman who can even come close to my skills. However, I hope you prove to be much stronger than all those others I've faced."

Erza narrowed her eyes at him while knowing she couldn't deal with him. Salem was getting closer to Breccan and Rizzo. Erza tried to attack him, but Dante appeared between them.

"Form: Wind Demon." He said.

He slashed his sword forward with a blast of wind slicing towards Erza. The redhead blocked the attack with her own sword, and she gasped as she was sent flying off her feet. She hit the ground harshly.

"Tch," Dante clicked his tongue. "Don't tell me this is all the great Tatiana Erza has to offer."

Erza looked up at glare at Dante before noticing that Salem was about to reach out to make a grab for what appeared to be a finished piper. Erza cursed trying to get up to stop him, but it appeared she didn't have to worry because Breccan held up his hand with vibrations forming in the air. They hit Salem hard to send him flying to the other side of the cave. Breccan stood up while taking off the robes to reveal clothing more his style and that would be easier to move in.

"Breccan, the ceremony—." Erza started to say worriedly.

"Was completed." Breccan said. "Rizzo is going to be fine. She'll wake in a few minutes then she'll be able to destroy the Pied Piper."

Erza let out a sigh of relief as Salem frowned as he glanced at Rizzo who was breathing softly as if sleeping. The Pied Piper remained floating above her for the taking. Salem inched forward, but paused when he felt the air vibrate as a warning from Breccan who he glared at.

"Sorry, but you won't be taking the Pied Piper." Breccan said as he reached into his pocket to pull out his pack of cigarettes. "As one of the last remaining members of Treble Chambers, I cannot allow you to use an heirloom of our first guild master."

Salem narrowed his eyes at Breccan as the older man put a cigarette between his lips. He then lit the cancer stick before putting away his lighter and cigarette pack.

"Do you really think you can stop me?" Salem asked.

"Yes, I do." Breccan said calmly. "I'm not above killing a punk like you. I won't hesitate to end you if I have to, which gives me the advantage because you don't have what it takes to kill."

Salem stiffened when Breccan said that, and Dante frowned clutching his sword tightly, which isn't something that went unnoticed by Erza who was on her feet now.

"You both put on this façade of being two dark mages, but I can see right through your act." Breccan said as he took in a drag of smoke. "You might be Lucifer's sons, but you're not him. In fact none of you, who came here tonight, are able to take a human life _intentionally_. Do you know how I know this?"

Salem narrowed his eyes as Breccan blew out the smoke with his silver eyes looking cold as iron as he looked at Salem.

"How?" Salem asked.

Breccan's magic started to pick up with the entire cave shaking. Erza's eyes widened as she had a bit of trouble keeping her footing. Even Dante and Salem stumbled a bit.

"Because if you were anything like him, you would have went kill Rizzo the moment you stepped into this cave. Yet she still remains unharmed." Breccan said as he gestured to the motionless girl. "Your comrades would have wiped out my friends without hesitation. However, they held back. None of you came here to kill. You came to collecting. Not to mention that I was about to see your friends' battles my own first hand."

Breccan tapped his temple, and Erza remembers the mental link that Breccan shared with the others. The boys of Treble Chambers had added Erza and the others into the link, but their link between each other had to be much stronger if Breccan was able to watch the fights from his comrade's eyes as if he was there himself.

"Another telltale sign is the hesitation in your footsteps." Breccan said. "I felt the vibrations left behind as you stepped across the ground, and they were weak. This shows you're uncertain about your next move."

Salem felt a slight tremor go through his body that he couldn't control as Breccan stared directly into his eyes.

"Many don't think my powers are good for much." Breccan said. "However the power of vibration is very handy. Not only can it be destructive enough to create something as large as an earthquake, but if it is focused well enough it can do much more. Or if I do something on a small scale I can stop something's on vibrations or beats if I counteract at the right time with my own set of vibrations that oppose the object's own pulsation. Like a human heart for example."

Erza frowned wondering why Breccan explaining all of this. Was he trying to bid time until Rizzo woke? Erza could see that Breccan's words had shaken Salem and even Dante who hasn't moved to attack her again.

"Also if I focus just a bit more I can feel some of the smallest vibration around me. Almost like how a spider can feel the vibration in its own web." Breccan continued. "If I focus even more than that I can hear the vibrations caused by the thumping of one's heart. It allows me to know how many opponents I'm dealing with. The moment you stepped into the mountain I knew how many you brought into this web of tunnels and caves. And like a spider I will catch the silly flies that wandered to close into my grasp."

Suddenly, Breccan was in front of Salem, and he touched the slightly younger male to the forehead. Salem felt a vibration pass though him before he was sent flying through the air. Breccan waved his hand, and vibrations hit Salem from the back to send him to the side. Breccan moved his hand a few more times with Salem being sent flying around.

"Salem!" Dante called.

He went try and help his brother, but he had to dodge backwards when Erza took a swing at him.

"Don't get any ideas." Erza said. "I'm your opponent. You seemed so excited a moment ago to face me."

Dante frowned looking towards Salem while knowing his brother was already weakened from summoning three out of the four horsemen. And to summon Death now could prove too much for Salem. His brother has never went as far enough to summon the last horsemen, and Dante was sure Salem wouldn't be able to at the moment anyway. Breccan was tossing Salem around like a ragdoll…just playing with him.

He had to refocuses on Erza, who had reequipped into her Black Wing Armor, when the redhead tried to cut him open once more. Dante back flipped out of the way then whirled around her to try and cut her from behind. However, Erza blocked his attack. Dante frowned when his blade cracked a bit.

"Hmm, looks like I'll have to strength my blade." Dante said. "Form: Lizard Hide Demon."

Erza's eyes widened when Dante's blade turned into his large butcher knife looking weapon with the blunt side being covered in what looked like lizard scales. The crack even repaired itself.

"You seem confused." Dante said. "My blade has been an heirloom of my mother's family and has slain a hundred demons, and for every demon's blood it's bathed it, it has gained that demon's power. You shouldn't underestimate me."

He gave a hard shove to send Ezra backwards but she flapped the wings of her armor to get her to stop before she could hit the cave wall. She gasped when Dante appeared in front of her with his sword in a different form. He tried to pierce Erza multiple times, and as she dodged she noticed that his speed seemed to increase. She took a swipe up at him, and he summersaulted out of the way. Erza frowned realizing she'd need more speed.

"Reequip!" She shouted.

She reequipped into her Flight Armor, which was cheetah printed and even came with cat ears and a tail. She twirled her blade around in her hand then shot forward. She tried to slice Dante's chest open, but he blocked her. The two of them tried to slice the other into ribbons, but they kept up with each other's attacks. When one tried to slice the other dodged or blocked with ease. As they were fighting, Breccan stopped tossing Salem around. The dark-haired mage laid on the ground for a moment before he forced himself to his feet.

"You're not going to give up?" Breccan asked.

"I can't." Salem said. "I promised my friends freedom…the Pied Piper can give us that."

"The Pied Piper is only good for utter enslavement." Breccan retorted. "It cannot give freedom. It was literally created to do the exact opposite."

Salem nodded his head as he stood shakily on his feet. Breccan sighed not wanting to kill this guy, but Breccan would do it if he had too. Salem wouldn't be the first person he ever killed.

"I can use the Pied Piper on Lucifer." Salem said. "Make him grant us freedom."

"What do you mean?" Breccan said. "If you and your friends want your friend, why not leave? Why not put up a fight?"

"Because we can't." Salem said. "Lucifer has all of us in a blood bind. He keeps vials of our blood away in his lab, and all it would take is a slip of poison into those vials to kill us all. If we use the Pied Piper we could make him release us of the blood bind, and then we can go wherever we want. We would even bring you back the Pied Piper. We only wish for our freedom."

Breccan frowned feeling truly sympathetically towards Salem and his friends. However—

"You can't have the Pied Piper." Breccan said. "And it's not because of me mistrusting you. The Pied Piper has to be destroyed now while it's still weak, or it will become too strong for anyone to terminate."

Salem frowned because he hadn't known that, and he knows what would happen if someone used the Pied Piper for evil. However, they had to have it. Or they'd be bound to Lucifer until his death or their deaths. He was snapped out of his thoughts as Dante went sailing by. Dante hit the cave wall with it cracking around him. He fell to his knees then looked up to glare at Erza who had a few wounds on her. Some blood started running down Dante's face as he stood up near his brother.

"Lucifer doesn't care who he hurts." Dante said. "He doesn't even care that we're his sons. We were just experiments to him. He gave us tools or taught us magic that is as harmful to the user as it is to whom they're using it against. Or it took great sacrifice to gain the magic's power. Salem's magic takes years off his life. Seraphim lost her twin sister. Dred can't touch anything because it rots once he gets too close. Miseri was pumped full of lacrima against her will and has lost her faith in people."

He then looked down at the sword he wielded as if it was some kind of monster.

"This sword has thirsted on the blood of demons for generations…it's cursed." Dante said. "It has plagued me with nightmares. It's even developed its own persona, and it's dark. It tells me to horrible things…day in and day out. Sometimes I think I'm going to lose my mind. However, it's the kind of magic we've become dependent on. Lucifer made us dependent to it. He has to pay. Once I gain my freedom…I'm going to kill him with this very blade, and I'm not letting anyone stop me!"

Dante shot forward trying to take off Erza's head in one swift swing, but Erza blocked his blade. She felt sympathetic for these people. She knew dark mages didn't care who they hurt…but their own children? It was something that Erza could understand. It was something that made her sick. She shook her head while swearing that once they were done here that she would hunt down Lucifer herself to end.

-INSIDE RIZZO'S MIND-

 _"So you do understand?" Raoul asked. "You understand what could happen if things go wrong?"_

 _"Completely." Rizzo said. "However, this battle has lasted 100 years too long."_

 _Raoul nodded his head then held out his hand to Rizzo. The younger pinkette didn't hesitate as she stepped forward to grip her hand._

 _"I don't know what will happen once this ends." Raoul said. "However, if this is the last chance we have to speak, remember what I had told you earlier. Music magic can be much more, Rizzo. And this time no one's freedom will be in jeopardy."_

 _Rizzo nodded her head then closed her eyes as Raoul placed his forehead against hers. He studied her face for a moment with a soft smile growing on his face. He has been proud of all his descendants, but Rizzo…she's special. He knows that someday she'll surpass even him. She'll go far in life, and he prays for her happiness. He then closed his eyes as well as their magic started to spin around them like a soft breeze. It was time to end this._

-OUTSIDE OF RIZZO'S MIND-

Salem grit his teeth knowing he couldn't get past Breccan on his own. He had to get the purple-haired man out of his way if he planned to get to the Pied Piper, which was still floating over Rizzo's prone form. Salem bit his thumb harshly to draw blood.

"I suppose I'll have to summon the final horseman." Salem said.

"Salem, don't!" Dante shouted as he blocked another one of Erza's attacks. "You're not strong enough to summon Death! Not in your current state."

Salem didn't reply as he was about to swipe the blood over the final tattoo. However, before he could, there was a burst of magic energy coming from Rizzo. Everyone turned to watch as Rizzo's eyes snapped open. She reached out to grab the Pied Piper. Salem and Dante watched with wide eyes as Rizzo sat up while putting the Pied Piper between her hands. In the blink of an eye, she crushed the piper in her hands with the wood splinter. It broke like it was paper.

"No!" Salem and Dante shouted.

Rizzo then stood up with an almost blank expression on her face that bothered Erza.

"Rizzo?" Breccan called out.

Rizzo turned to glance at Breccan before raising her hand. A blast of sound magic left her hand to hit Salem squarely in the chest to send him to the floor. He grunted in pain as Breccan's eyes widened. Rizzo couldn't use sound magic like that. She was a holder type mage. Rizzo turned to Dante to give him the same treatment as Salem, and he hit the ground as well. It was silent for a moment as Breccan and Erza looked at Rizzo closely.

"Rizzo." Erza murmured.

 **"I am not Rizzo."** She said finally, but it sounded as if her voice was overlapped with someone else's voice.

Rizzo looked up to Breccan and Erza, and they could see that Rizzo's eyes weren't their usual green. They were turquoise.

 **"I am Raoul."** Rizzo said. **"Rizzo has allowed me to take over for the moment. I am here, so to end Devil's Lament once and for all."**

Salem and Dante's eyes widened while feeling the power that was radiating off of Rizzo. It was definitely more than a mage of her age and caliber should have. Breccan and Erza could even instantly tell that the magic they were feeling wasn't their friend's magic.

 **"Gather your friends."** Rizzo/Raoul said. **"We are going to Devil's Lament to end a hundred years' worth of hate."**

"We lost contact with our friends." Erza said stepping up. "We don't know what condition they're in…they could be…"

Erza didn't finish her sentence because she honestly didn't want to believe the worst. Rizzo/Raoul grinned as she turned to look at Breccan with a knowing look.

"As I said, if I concentrate hard enough, I can tell the difference it vibrations." Breccan said getting Erza's attention. "I was able to tell that Salem was hesitant by the vibrations left behind from his footsteps, right? If I pay attention to the way people walk continuously, I can pick up a pattern from how they walk by the vibrations. Like, Jaser walks rather heavy, and when he decides to make an entrance he'll create many vibrations during his landing."

Erza was about to ask what this had to do with anything, but before she could Jaser appeared from above through a secret opening in the cave ceiling. He landed in front of Erza with a soft thump. Thrown over his shoulder was Pestilence. Salem and Dante stared in utter disbelief.

"This is yours, right?" Jaser asked as Natsu dropped down next to him with Miseri cradled in his arms.

Jaser tossed Pestilence in front of Salem, and the horsemen turned into a smoke like substance. He flew towards Salem then seemed to merge with him as he touched the bottom tattoo. Salem held back a scream of pain as Pestilence's gate was closed.

"Natsu, you're alright." Erza said in shock.

"We're okay too. Thanks for asking." Sanjū said as she, Happy, and Violet flew down into the cave.

"Aye!" Happy added as he threw his paw up in the air.

Natsu set Miseri carefully down on the floor and she sat there with her knees drawn to her chest.

"I'm sorry for losing." Miseri said as Violet landed beside her. "But…I honestly believe that maybe…these people can help us."

Dante looked at her sharply because it was unlike Miseri to put trust into people. Natsu and Jaser grinned at the younger Dragon Slayer as Violet pat her arm. Erza looked towards Breccan wondering if the others were alright.

"Craylee walks softly." Breccan said. "He creates very little vibrations that even I can't tell when he's around."

"That's because you don't concentrate hard enough."

Everyone turned seeing Craylee walking into the cave with Seraphim resting on his back as he carried her. Gray followed after him with War, who was wrapped in the fabric that had the parasitic thread laced with it, thrown over his shoulder, and the horseman was shouting what was probably curses at Gray and Craylee.

"Take this bastard back." Gray said dropping War by Salem. "He's annoying as hell."

As War merged with Salem again, Craylee set Seraphim down beside Miseri.

"I'm so sorry, Salem-san." Seraphim said as she cried. "I failed you…I failed all of us."

Salem slowly reached out to grasp Seraphim's hand, and she gasped looking down at him in surprise. He could only offer her a small smile since he was in too much pain to speak. Having the gates close as the horsemen remerge with him was rather hard on his body. Gray looked over at Rizzo seeing she didn't have a mark on her, but something was…off about her that had him frowning.

"And what about Sven and Lucy?" Erza asked.

"Sven is easy to pinpoint since he tends to walk with a skip in his step." Breccan said chuckling.

"That's right I do~"

Everyone watched as Sven skipped into the room while dragging Famine behind him. Lucy was walking slower behind him since she was having a bit of trouble supporting Dred. She was also a bit worried that her clothes might start rotting away, but Dred had explained that the clothes he wore were spelled to suppress his rotting magic. So Lucy just had to be careful not to touch his skin.

"I believe this is yours, Mister." Sven said then slung Famine forward to land beside Salem.

Famine returned into his gate, and after that all the chains had seemed to move to lock back around the circular tattoos on Salem's torso. Lucy then tripped while accident dropping Dred.

"I am so sorry!" she said as she knelt down to start fretting over him.

Some sweat-dropped as Lucy tried to get Dred into a sitting up position though it was hard because he was like dead weight. After finally getting him in a sitting position she let out a sigh of relief. She went to pat his head, but Dred's hand, which now was gloved, stopped her.

"Dred can rot humans." Dred said. "Best not to touch Dred."

Lucy paled a bit, but she still reached out to pat Dred on the shoulder at least since his clothes separate their skin. Dred seemed surprised by Lucy's actions as she smiled at him.

 **"Good."** Rizzo/Raoul said. **"Now we may get going."**

The ones, who weren't aware of what was happening, blinked in confusion at how strange Rizzo/Raoul sounded.

"Rizzo, are you alright?" Natsu asked as he placed his hand on his friend's shoulder.

Rizzo/Raoul looked up at Natsu, and his eyes widened when seeing that two green orbs _weren't_ looking back at him.

 **"I am not Rizzo."** Rizzo/Raoul said. **"I am Rizzo's Great-Great Grandfather. I am Raoul Sweeney the co-originator of music magic. When I had become magic particles after casting the spell to merge the Pied Piper into my son, I had ended up merging with him as well. I have been passing on from one descendant into the other for the last hundred years. Rizzo has graciously agreed to allow me to use her body for that I can end Lucifer and the Devil Lament's guild. It was my mistake that led to the birth of that guild. It's time I rewrite the wrong."**

It was silent for a moment as Rizzo/Raoul turned to look at Salem and Dante who were still on the floor. They looked back while expecting to be killed. They were the descendants of Raoul's previous friend who had betrayed him after all. However, Rizzo/Raoul turned away from them to start walking away.

"You're not going to kill us?" Salem asked.

Rizzo/Raoul paused to look back at the two boys who looked very much like that the late Caspian had. Especially Salem. He was like a spitting image of his ancestor.

 **"No, I'm not."** Rizzo/Raoul said. **"What happened between Caspian and I was meant to stay between us. It was not meant to carry on through our descendants. You are victims to something that happened a hundred years ago between friends, and for that I'm sorry. Please, allow me to free you from the shackles of the past."**

Salem and Dante stared in surprise as Rizzo/Raoul gave them a soft smile. Their own father has never looked at them like that, and yet here was the person who is supposed to be their enemy looking at them so softly.

"Hey, don't leave us out." Natsu said as he cracked his knuckles. "This Lucifer guy and his cronies need to be taught a lesson, and I plan to give them one."

"That's right." Jaser said with a surprisingly serious look on his face. "These bastards aren't getting away with hurting their own comrades."

Miseri looked between Natsu and Jaser while surprised by how much they were angered by something that didn't happen to them. Why did they care?

"Count us in." Gray said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Craylee nodded in agreement as he stuffed his hands into his pockets with a cold look in his green eye.

"Us to!" Sven said raising his hand.

"Yeah." Lucy said nodding. "That jerk shouldn't have messed with us or them."

Erza and Breccan grinned while not surprised by their friends' decision to fight.

"Well, we can't be left behind." Breccan said. "I've barely gotten a warm up anyway."

Rizzo/Raoul smiled while seeing why Rizzo cared so much for these people. They were good kids, and it gave Raoul hope for the future.

"We can't help you." Salem said. "If we do, all Lucifer has to do is poison us using the blood he took from us."

 **"Son, I hate to break it to you, but the magic I heard you explaining doesn't exist."** Rizzo/Raoul said.

Salem and his friends stiffened when they heard this. Salem looked up with his gaze actually beg for Rizzo/Raoul to have misspoken. However, he could see that Rizzo/Raoul hadn't misspoken at all.

 **"It wouldn't surprise me if Lucifer used the fear you feel towards him to his advantage."** Rizzo/Raoul said. **"But there's no such magic that would allow him to kill you with your blood unless he injected something directly into your bloodstream."**

"Do you mean…we've done everything that man wanted…and went through hell for nothing?!" Salem growled as he hit cave floor hard.

The Fairy Tail and Treble Chambers members looked at the Devil's Laments mages sympathetically as what Rizzo/Raoul said hit them like a ton of bricks.

 **"If you want to join us, we'll be leaving for the Devil's Lament guildhall now."** Rizzo/Raoul said.

When Salem looked up at her, his look was enough to give Rizzo/Raoul the answer she needed.


	17. Set Free From the Shackles of the Past

Coco: OMG! It's finally complete! This Arc took longer than I planned, but I have finally finished it! The next chapter will have officially moved into the Phantom Lord Arc, but there will be a few paragraphs that will explain what happened after Rizzo and the others returned to the guild with Breccan, Sven, Jaser, and Craylee in tow. But yeah, this is the end of the Pied Piper Arc. I'm so glad I got through it XD And I hope you've enjoyed it~ thanks for all the love and reviews so far. Anyway, I'm going to stop rambling, so you can enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Lucifer paced back and forth in front of his chair while wondering where his sons and those other three pawns of his were. It shouldn't be taking them so long. They should have at least found a way to contact him by now. He growled starting to feel really agitated, and his subordinates could tell. They then heard shouts from outside and screams and what sounded like explosions.

"What the hell?" Lucifer asked.

As soon as those words left his mouth, the door exploded inward. Standing there was a young girl with pink hair and turquoise eyes that seemed familiar, and on her back was a guitar case. Flanking her was his own sons.

"Salem, Dante, what is the meaning of this?" Lucifer demanded. "Do you not remember what I can do to you for treachery?"

"You can do absolutely nothing." Salem practically growled. "We know what you said was a lie."

"We're here to take our freedom by force, _father_." Dante spat.

Lucifer glared coldly at his sons before his attention turned to the girl as she stepped forward.

"You must be Rizzo Sweeney." Lucifer said.

 **"This is her body, yes."** The girl said. **"However, I am borrowing it for the moment. My name is Raoul. But I'm sure you already knew that, didn't you, old friend?"**

Dante and Salem frowned in confusion as their comrades continued to fight Lucifer's underlings outside. Lucifer was silent for a moment before giving a grin that would send most running.

"I knew this day would come, Raoul." Lucifer said. "I've spent the last one hundred years waiting for you. I've even been burning through my own sons' bodies. And even if I can't get the Pied Piper, which I'm sure you've already destroyed, I'll enjoy killing you as I should have done one hundred years ago."

He gestured to himself with his grin absolutely wicked. Rizzo/Raoul narrowed her eyes at him.

 **"You've been using your own sons to remain alive and young."** Rizzo/Raoul said. **"You have truly fallen, Caspian. Your new name fits you perfectly."**

Dante and Salem stood in shock as Lucifer let out a laugh that could only be described as evil.

"Well, not all of us can get a free ride through our own bloodline." Lucifer said shrugging nonchalantly. "I had a feeling of what happened to you once I heard news of how you passed. I knew in a hundred years that it wouldn't just be the Pied Piper that would be resurfacing. I couldn't die before we got the chance to finish our unsettled business. So, I dove into all the dark magic I could. It took me years. I was nearing death I could feel it, but I then found this magic that would allow me to transfer my body into someone else's. Brilliant, no?"

Rizzo/Raoul just looked disgusted, which had Lucifer's grin turning even more malevolent.

"The rub is that it has to be a blood relative." Lucifer said with more a annoyed than repentant sigh leaving his lips. "So, I'd take the son that disappointed me the most, and take his body for my own. The others had already died from using the Horsemen Magic."

He gave a careless shrug as if his evil deeds didn't bother him in the slightest.

 **"You've done all of this…made your own flesh and blood and many others suffer because of jealousy?"** Rizzo/Raoul asked looking saddened.

"Hmmm….yeah, pretty much." Lucifer, or rather Caspian, said. "The great thing is that over the years I've developed magic you would never have even thought of, Raoul. Rot magic, which is actually magic that decays whatever it comes across. That simpleton just calls it rot because calling it decay upsets him. The troglodyte is so ungrateful. I gave him power. I might have had to cut him into little pieces and stitch him back together first, but it was worth it. It was the only way to make sure his own body wouldn't decay due to his magic."

Salem's hands clenched into fists as the man, who raised him, spoke so crassly of Dred. Dante felt his own anger boiling as well.

"Then that one girl lost a twin, but gained the power of both an angel and a demon." Caspian continued grinning. "But does she say thank-you? No, she whines about that twin of hers. It's so annoying. Then I took a first generation Dragon Slayer, and turned it into something I'd like to call a third generation Dragon Slayer. Not only was she taught first hand by a dragon, but I pumped her full of so much lacrima I'm surprised she isn't bursting at the seams. I don't see what she has to complain about, but like the others' she's completely ungrateful."

Caspian then looked at his two sons, and he grinned at the looks they were giving him. If looks could kill, he already would have fallen over dead. He chuckled amused.

"And my two sons…well, I'm very disappointed." Caspian said. "Turning on me after everything I've done for you."

"Done for us?!" Salem demanded. "You signed my death certificate the moment you made me learn the Horsemen Magic. You sent Dante on a road that could very well lead him to madness. Made us believe that our lives were literally in the palm of your hands, so we'd never turn against you. You turned us into slaves!"

Caspian just continued to grin as if Salem's rage amused him, which only made Salem angrier. He and Dante went to step forward, but Rizzo/Raoul raised her arms to stop the boys.

 **"He is trying to pull you in, Salem, Dante."** Rizzo/Raoul said. **"Make you attack in anger, which could possibly get you killed."**

The two boys looked down knowing that was true, but their bodies still shook in rage.

 **"Leave Caspian to me."** Rizzo/Raoul said. **"If you could take care of the two at his side, I would appreciate it."**

Salem and Dante both looked at Seraphim's mother and Dred's father as they stood at Caspian's side. They were his right and left hand men…or woman in Rosary's case. Rosary and Roderick stepped forward looking ready to defend Caspian.

"Right." Salem said.

"Leave them to us." Dante added as he drew his sword.

"Take your fight elsewhere." Caspian said to his two guards. "I don't want this reunion interrupted."

"But, sir," Roderick began to protest.

One look from Caspian had him shutting his mouth in an instant. He bowed his head before he and Rosary seemed to disappear from sight using Roderick's time and space magic. The two boys hurried after them while knowing where Roderick would take them. Once they were gone, silence fell between Caspian and Rizzo/Raoul.

"Raoul, I have to say your new look does not suit you." Caspian said gesturing to Rizzo. "She's a pretty little thing, but not exactly the kind of form a former Guild Master should wear."

Rizzo/Raoul didn't answer at first. She just started walking forward with her bare feet lightly smacking against the marble floor. She finally stopped with only six feet separating her from Caspian asked.

"So how do you want to end this?" Caspian asked. "I mean, I don't expect this being much of a fight. That girl's body can't possibly be able to handle your power."

He was proven wrong when he was blasted backwards by sound magic. Caspian hit the wall behind him then fell to the ground in a kneeling position. He just laughed as he looked up with an eager look in his eyes.

"Now, I'm excited." Caspian said as he stood. "So shall we fight with the magic we both used to use together? See who the better Sound mage is once and for all?"

 **"No, Caspian."** Rizzo/Raoul said shaking her head. **"I am going to defeat you with the very magic you helped me create. My descendants have improved it over the years, and Rizzo has shown a great mastery of many instruments. With mine and her combined power we will put an end to a feud that has bred so much hatred over the years."**

Caspian narrowed his eyes as Rizzo/Raoul snapped her fingers. The guitar case on her back quickly flew into the air to float behind her.

 **"Trumpet."** Rizzo/Raoul said. **"Song of the Trumpet's Fanfare."**

A golden trumpet came flying out of the case to land in Rizzo/Raoul's waiting hands. The trumpet went up to her lips, and before Caspian could blink she started playing. The playing was loud and sharp, which had Caspian clutching his ears as he fell back onto his knees. The entire area shook as the playing continued and Caspian could feel his ears bleeding. Once he was immobilized for a moment, Rizzo/Raoul stopped playing.

 **"Tuba."**

The trumpet switched out with a large tuba that was almost too big for Rizzo's arms to hold up.

 **"Song of the Fallen Meteors."**

Rizzo/Raoul started playing again with the song sounding deep and rich from the tuba. The sky's overhead darkened as a magic circle formed above. Caspian looked up in time to see meteors falling out of the sky. Something he would expect from his old friend. Raoul had been a very powerful mage while alive. However, Caspian could see a flicker of green in the girl's eyes, which showed using so much magic was affecting Raoul's hold on the girl's body. Caspian grinned just as the meteors hit where he was kneeling. However, Rizzo/Raoul could tell that Caspian had dodged at last second. Rizzo/Raoul let the tuba return to the guitar case.

"Sound wave!" Caspian shouted from behind Rizzo/Raoul.

The attack hit Rizzo/Raoul dead on with the girl's body dropping to the ground as she clutched her ears. As the sound magic kept hitting Rizzo/Raoul the latter could feel his hold slipping on Rizzo's body. Raoul inwardly cursed while knowing this isn't how it was going to end. He had to put an end to Caspian. He was the reason everything came to this. Caspian was laughing manically as he continuously sent waves of sound magic at Rizzo/Raoul.

"Looks like that girl's body has failed you, Raoul!" Caspian yelled. "This my friend is where everything ends! It appears I, Caspian Turpin, am the stronger of us after all!"

"Ice-Make: Freeze Lancer!"

Caspian had to stop his attack to jump back to avoid the icy attack sent his way. He landed on his feet while frowning at the newcomer. A boy stood there with a livid expression on his face.

"I won't let you hurt Rizzo!" He snapped as he stepped forward. "I don't give a damn what kind of beef you two old timers have with each other. I won't let this fight take her away from me!"

Rizzo/Raoul stared at the ice mage in surprise as he had to clench his hands tightly to try and control his shaking that was caused by his anger. Rizzo/Raoul then stood up on shaky legs.

 **"I understand, Gray Fullbuster, that you're worried about my descendant, but she has given her consent for me to use her body for this fight."** Rizzo/Raoul said. **"She knows this feud has to end."**

Gray turned his glare onto Rizzo/Raoul before he walked up to Rizzo's body to grab her by her upper arms.

"I'm not letting you end her along with it." Gray growled dangerously low.

He then reached up to wipe his thumb gently under Rizzo's nose. When he pulled back there was blood on his thumb.

"That wasn't caused by the attack." Gray said. "Her body can't take your level magical energy, can it?"

 **"…no…"** Rizzo/Raoul admitted. **"Which is why this fight must end before I harm her too much, or before I can't hold control over her anymore. Rizzo doesn't have the power to beat Caspian alone."**

"Rizzo isn't alone." Gray said. "She'll never be alone because she has me…and that idiot Natsu, Erza, Lucy, Happy, and everyone else who loves and cares about her. And you shouldn't underestimate her. Rizzo is stronger than people give her credit for…Stronger than she gives herself credit for. She could beat this guy without a problem if given the chance."

It was silent for a long moment as Rizzo/Raoul's eyes flickered between turquoise and green before finally settling on green. Gray smiled knowing that Rizzo took control once more of her body.

"Do you really believe that?" Rizzo asked.

"Yes, I do." Gray said. "Because you're a mage of Fairy Tail."

Rizzo smiled as well, but the little moment was broken when they heard maniacal laughter coming from Caspian. They turned to look at the man as he threw his head back cackling.

"You…You beat me?!" He asked as he finally looked back at Rizzo and Gray. "There's no way a little girl like you could ever dream to defeat someone of my caliber. I've got over a hundred years on you, Rizzo Sweeney. It doesn't matter how many times you switch between your instruments. Not a single one of them could do enough damage to me! Raoul was a fool for letting you take control."

Rizzo frowned at Caspian with her eyes narrowed, and Gray grinned as he let go of her arms. Rizzo turned to face Caspian completely.

"Raoul did not let me take control." Rizzo said. "I had been against it. Raoul forced me back into control. Gray's words made him realize he could put his belief in me to finish this myself. I hadn't been so sure. However, he gave me his full confidence since what Gray said apparently moved him, and so I finally agreed to retaking over my own body. Besides, I can't lose to scum like you. There's a lot of people you've hurt. I'm going to make you answer for all the pain you've caused."

Caspian scoffed obviously not afraid of Rizzo. The pinkette just stepped forward then held out her hand.

"I'm going to show something to you, Caspian, that I've never used on anyone." Rizzo said. "It's not quite perfect yet, but it'll be enough for you."

Caspian narrowed his eyes at Rizzo as her magic started to build. Her case suddenly grew ten times large with dozens of instruments flying out. Gray stood there with wide eyes as those instruments started to multiple themselves. Until it looked as if Rizzo had an entire orchestra in front of her…just missing the people. A small stick looking thing then flew to Rizzo's hand, and the moment she touched it, her clothes changed.

She now wore a white dress shirt under a gray vest and a black tailcoat that fit her tightly. Then she had on a bright green steam punk styled cravat. She had on a black mini skirt that ruffled at the end, and then black fishnet tights and combat boots. Her gloves had the fingers out of them, and they were pink to match her hair.

"What is this?" Caspian asked with wide eyes.

"This is what I call the Conductor." Rizzo said as she held up the baton in her hand. "It allows me to double my power, and use multiple instruments at once to allow me to play pieces of music. Each movement of a piece has different types of magic I can use on my opponent, and as you've noticed my orchestra of instruments has surrounded you. The magic will be coming at you from all sides. I hope you're prepared to die because you won't be living to see the end of this piece."

She waved her baton out in front of her with a podium coming out of her case along with a score book. A small step up platform appeared as well, and Rizzo stepped up onto it as the score book settled on the podium. Magic circles started appearing in front of the different sections of instruments as Rizzo was calmly opening the score book to the piece she wanted. Gray looked down when a golden magic circle appeared where he and Rizzo were standing. He looked up seeing that the other magic circles were green.

"Don't step outside this magic circle, Gray." Rizzo said. "It will be the only safe place to be standing while within the orchestra in a moment."

"Rizzo, you said you haven't perfected this yet, right?" Gray asked. "Are you sure you can pull it off?"

Rizzo turned her head back to smile at Gray while ignoring Caspian when he tried to blast her instruments away only to be stopped by the magic circles in front of the instruments.

"I thought you had faith in me, Gray?" Rizzo asked. "Don't tell me you already lost it. Besides, with you at my side…I can face anything."

Gray stared at her for a moment before grinning. He nodded his head, and Rizzo nodded hers in return. She then turned to face Caspian with her expression hardening.

"Song of the Inferno." She said. "First movement."

The magic circle under her glowed golden as her podium and herself started to float up into the air. Caspian frowned watching as she rose up. She tapped her baton on the podium then raised it and the instruments seemed to prepare themselves. She started conducting with the brass and the percussion playing hard and foreboding. The ground started to shake as the green magic circles lit up.

Gray watched in awe as raging fires shot out of the circles. It was burning white, and even in the protection of the golden magic circle, Gray could feel immense heat. If he was feeling this, he can't imagine what Caspian was feeling. The older mage tried to use his sound magic to deflect the oncoming flames, but it did very little. He screamed as the flames burned his flesh.

Rizzo continued conducting with the strings coming in to add more diversity into the music. The music also speed up as flaming hot balls of lava started to fly from the string section at an alarming pace. Soon it became impossible to see Caspian among the flames and the balls of lava. The woodwinds had added in, and the ground started to shudder and shake before splitting open with flames licking out from the cracks. Gray couldn't even hear Caspian screaming anymore as Rizzo continued to the song.

As she played all she could think about was the pain that Caspian inflicted on not only her family but his own flesh and blood…and on Seraphim, Miseri, Violet, and Dred. When she finishes here there won't be anything left of Caspian to remind them of all the suffering he caused them. The music seemed to become harsher and angrier. Gray looked up at Rizzo noticing the bit of blood running down her nose and how pale she looked. Her legs were also wobbling, and he frowned wondering if she really would pull through. He couldn't lose her…not like this.

The music built up more and more and more until it felt like the world around them was vibrating with its power. Rizzo's movements became more intense as she conducted her instruments. She was getting closer and closer to the climax of this song.

"And end!" Rizzo shouted.

She swiped her arms harshly out in front of her with the music ending with a loud crash with an explosion happening in the middle of the orchestra where Caspian had been standing. Rizzo huffed as the smoke cleared to reveal a scorch mark where Caspian had been standing. It was almost as if Rizzo had banished the man straight to hell. Her baton dropped from her hand to return to her guitar case and her clothes reverted back to how they originally were.

Rizzo touched down on the ground as the instruments above her started dissolving until the originals remained, so to return to the guitar case. Once everything was back where it belonged, the guitar shrunk before gently settling on the ground. Rizzo huffed feeling more drained of power than she ever has before. She teetered slightly before falling backwards. Gray rushed forward, and managed to catch her in his arms. He looked down at her in worry, but she looked up at him with a smile.

"Bet you didn't know I could do that." Rizzo said weakly.

Gray chuckled with a relieved grin appearing on his face as he nodded his head. He was just glad that she was alright. She really had him worried.

"Yeah, don't use that technique again until you've perfected it." Gray said. "I really thought you were going to die halfway through that song."

Rizzo laughed with her smile turning even more radiant that it made Gray's heart skip a beat as cliché as that sounds.

"Don't you know, Frosty?" Rizzo asked. "A maestro of music never quits halfway through any piece."

Gray shook his head at her then pulled her closer just to make sure that she was really there. He really thought he was going to lose her…and that thought terrified him.

"Gray?" Rizzo murmured. "Are you okay?"

He felt her delicate fingers touch his cheek, so he pulled back to look her in the eye. He grinned at her with a chuckle leaving his lips.

"You're the one who looks like you just left a warzone, and you're asking me if I'm okay?" Gray teased. "I always knew there was something wrong with your head."

"There's nothing wrong with my head!" Rizzo whined pouting. "Jerk!"

Her pout just made his grin widened. He was about to continue teasing her when they heard a shout not far from them.

"Rizzo, Gray!"

The two of them looked seeing their friends running towards them. Salem and his group was even running their way. They all looked worried, but when they saw that Rizzo was alive and breathing in Gray's arms, they all smiled in relief. They all picked up their paces with Happy and Sanjū flying out in front of them.

"Rizzo, you're okay!" Happy cheered as he flew right into her bosom to hug her.

Sanjū was right behind him, and she was practically sobbing as she held on tightly to Rizzo. The pinkette smiled at them softly as she pet their furry heads. Soon Lucy, who had tears streaming down her cheeks, reached them, and she fell onto her knees besides Rizzo. She then practically tackled the slightly older mage into a hug, and if Gray hadn't been holding her up, Rizzo and Lucy would have hit the floor with Sanjū and Happy squished between them.

"Don't ever scare us like that again, okay?" Lucy murmured.

Rizzo's expression softened as she put her arms around Lucy. She stroked Lucy's head as she hugged her.

"I promise I won't." Rizzo said sincerely.

Lucy sniffled pulling away to nod as Happy and Sanjū let go of Rizzo as well. A hand was then offered to Rizzo, and she looked up at Erza, who was the owner of the hand, before she reached out to take it. Erza pulled Rizzo up onto her feet, so to give her a hug.

"You fought well, Rizzo." Erza praised.

Rizzo scoffed while pushing Erza away, and the older girl chuckled as Rizzo crossed her arms over her chest.

"Of course, I did." Rizzo said. "I'm not a pushover, ya know. I'm a mage of Fairy Tail after all."

Everyone smiled at Rizzo as she kept her back turned to Erza. Natsu then stepped up, and Rizzo's annoyed expression vanished to be replaced with a smile. Natsu held up his hand, and Rizzo didn't hesitate to clasp her hand in his. He pulled her close while lightly bumping his forehead against hers. Gray felt his chest tighten at their closeness, but he said nothing as he stood.

"Didn't I tell you there was nothing to worry about?" Natsu asked chuckling.

"Mm-hmm." Rizzo said smiling.

Rizzo was then pulled from Natsu by Jaser who threw her up into the air. She laughed as he caught her to place her on her feet in front of Breccan, Craylee, and Sven. As they were making sure she was really okay, Rizzo noticed that Salem and his group kept their distance. She broke away from the others to walk towards them. Salem stepped up to meet her halfway. Dante walked behind him, and everyone was silent as the descendant of Raoul and the sons of Caspian stood in front of each other to meet each other officially. Nothing was said at first before Rizzo held out her hand towards Salem who seemed surprised.

"How about we end this stupid feud?" Rizzo said. "The hate between my ancestor and your father has nothing to do with how we have to live our lives, right?"

A beat of silence before Salem smiled as he reached out to grasp Rizzo's hand, so to give it a firm shake.

"Right." Salem said.

Everyone smiled glad that a hundred years of hatred was finally over. Rizzo then shook hands with Dante who nodded to her with a grin on his face. Now the three could move on with their lives without the weight of forced responsibilities holding them down. They were now free from the shackles of the past.

* * *

Coco: Yep, it's done! *starts a celebration dance* (some in the distance: Please, stop! Ack, my eyes!) *abruptly stops dancing* Ah, how mean! Anyway, I'm glad to say this arc is finished. I hope to hear how you liked it in a review~


	18. Phantom Lord Strikes

Coco: Just wanted to make an announcement that the new cover art was made using a game created by **Rinmaru** and the artwork was created by **PrinceofRedRoses** , but I added a few things here and there. Like picked a new background, erased everything I didn't need, and added a png image of Gray. XD

* * *

Rizzo, who was asleep comfortably in her warm bed, was woken by the sound of her alarm clock. She pouted while half attempted to ignore it, but in the end she sat up to turn it off. She stood up onto her feet while stretching her arms, which lightly popped when she stretched them above her head. She then looked out her window while thinking about the time that has passed since her and her friends' return to Magnolia. A week has passed since the fall of Devil's Lament, and the moment Rizzo had stepped foot in the guildhall she had been surrounded by all her guildmates who were relieved to see her.

Rizzo chuckled walking to her bathroom for a hot shower. She doesn't believe she has ever been hugged as much as she had been last week. Romeo had refused to let go of her for like ten minutes. Macao had to peel the little guy off. Then Rizzo had introduced Breccan, Craylee, Sven, and Jaser to the group. They had been easily accepted into the Fairy Tail family, and a party had been thrown to welcome Rizzo home and to welcome Breccan and the others to the guild.

Rizzo stripped out of her pajamas then turned on her shower, and as the water was heating up, she thought about Salem and his group. They had went their own way before the Rune Knights could arrive to collect what mages were left of Devil's Lament. Rizzo had practically begged for them to join Fairy Tail, but Salem had politely declined for all of them. Rizzo sighed stepping into the shower once the temperature was right for her.

 _"We have to find a way to make our own way now. We might even decide to quit the life of mages. We just need time to figure out what is best for us. Nothing against your guild, but it might not even be the one for us. Maybe in time we'll figure out where the right place is for us. But even if we never join Fairy Tail our new bonds of friendship won't diminish."_

That was what he had said, and Rizzo had accepted that while understanding they had to do what was best for them. They parted with a handshake to seal their new friendship, and then they had vanished not long after. Rizzo was a bit worried about them, but she knew they could take care of themselves. She shook her head as she continued to shower. As she continued with her morning routine, she thought on more of the last week's happenings.

Raoul was still around. Yep, he wasn't able to pass on or anything after everything settled. He had told Rizzo he thought it was his punishment for creating the Pied Piper. She didn't think that was the case though. Raoul was still attached to Rizzo, and couldn't leave her side. However, he could make a corporeal form outside Rizzo's body, but not for long. It was kind of nice having him around since he's her last blood relative on her father's side. She has family on her mother's side left...but they never got along. Besides, he was teaching her something amazing, and she was eager to learn.

Asides from Raoul sticking around, Breccan and the others have settled well into the guild, and now bore the guild's mark. Breccan had the Fairy Tail mark on his neck where he had once wore the Treble Chambers mark proudly. Sven gotten a baby blue one that he has on the back of his right hand, and Jaser had his mark, which was gold in color like the mark on his forehead, on his left shoulder. Craylee had put his mark, which was dark green, on the front of his left hip where it peeked out from his jeans.

Master Makarov had also given Breccan the rank of an S-Class mage, which had surprised everyone. Makarov had explained it was because Breccan had technically had been the sixth Guild Master of Treble Chambers. Breccan had tried to decline the title at first, and he denied he was a Guild Master of any kind. Makarov wouldn't have any of that though.

-FLASHBACK-

 _"Son, for the last six years you have worn that mark on your neck with pride, haven't you?" Makarov asked as he pointed at Breccan's neck. "You have kept these other three boys together and continued to work under the name of Treble Chambers. You've kept Treble Chambers going and moving forward. That makes you a Guild Master in my book."_

 _Breccan still looked uncertain, but then he looked at the boys and Rizzo. They all smiled at him (or half-grinned at him in Craylee's case) while giving encouraging nods._

 _"Then I will take the title while promising to not disgrace the name of Fairy Tail." Breccan said._

-END OF FLASHBACK-

Rizzo, who had finished her shower, left her bathroom with a towel wrapped around her. After settling into the guild, the boys had formed a team they called Treblemen in honor of their former guild. It had made Rizzo smile, and she knew that Roscoe would have been proud of what kind of men his adoptive grandsons had become.

Rizzo hummed to herself as she finished drying herself off. She tossed her towel to the side before starting to get dressed. Once she was dressed, she went back into the bathroom to comb out her hair and to brush her teeth. She was finally ready for the day, and moved back into her bed room.

"Okay, time to go." She said to herself.

She grinned then grabbed her guitar case while leaving her room. She almost called out a farewell to Sanjū, but remembered that the feline was spending more time with Jaser now since he was back. Rizzo won't lie by saying she wasn't affected by Sanjū absence in her dorm in Fairy Hills. However, she understood why Sanjū wanted to spend so much time with Jaser. Rizzo shook her head as she continued out. As she was walking towards the guild, she spotted a certain ice mage.

"Hey, Frosty!" She called out to Gray.

Said guy paused to turn back to look at her, and a grin pulled across his face. Something else that Rizzo has noticed during the last week…Gray's attitude her has changed some. Yes, he'll still butt heads with her, but when they happen to run into each other, he smiles or grins as if he's happy to see her. It used to be where he'd turn towards her and look indifferent or annoyed that they happened upon each other. She's also noticed that he sits beside her more often in the guildhall, and he's so close that she can feel his body heat. Their arms even sometimes brush against each other.

What's even more peculiar is that Rizzo feels her cheeks heat up or her heart skip a beat when those kinds of things happen. She didn't understand her reactions to Gray's closeness. She didn't understand why she started feeling happier whenever she saw him, or why she felt happy when he happens to grin at her. It was all new and odd for her. However, she's been trying to ignore it, which was proving to be difficult.

"Hey." Gray greeted in return as she reached his side. "Heading for the guild?"

Rizzo nodded her head as the two started walking side-by-side together as they headed for the guild.

"Think we'll all go on a mission today?" Gray asked.

"I think Lucy pulled something off the bored yesterday." Rizzo said. "Erza said we'd all probably head out together today."

Gray nodded his head while okay with that. They hadn't taken a job since they got back. He needed some jewels for his rent that was coming up.

"Hmph, I wonder if Natsu will even be ready to go." Gray said.

"I doubt it." Rizzo said laughing. "He's probably still bugging Jaser about sparring."

Rizzo smiled remembering all the times this week that Natsu has tried to start a fight with Jaser. However, Lucy stopped Natsu before he could really do something stupid. Rizzo knew Lucy was trying to give Jaser time to settle into the guild, but Jaser really wouldn't mind a friendly spar.

"Yeah, those guys seem to be settling in well." Gray said.

"Yep." Rizzo said nodding with her smile growing. "I think everyone else is noticing it too."

* * *

"It seems like they're settling in pretty well." Macao commented as he spoke about the Treblemen.

Currently, all four new members of Fairy Tail we're returning from completely their third job just this week.

"Seems so." Wakaba agreed chuckling. "They seem happy here too."

Macao nodded then watched as Natsu approached Jaser for the umpteenth time this week.

"Hey, Jaser!" Natsu said. "It's time we fight to see who the stronger Dragon Slayer is."

Jaser grinned at Natsu as he rubbed the back of his neck with his other hand in his pocket.

"Man, you're really persistent, aren't ya?" Jaser asked.

"You bet I am!" Natsu said. "I'm dying to know who the best out of the two of us is."

Jaser chuckled about to finally give into Natsu's demand, but Lucy appeared to whack Natsu over the head.

"Gees, live the guy alone, Natsu!" Lucy said as the pinkette rubbed his head. "He's only been here a week. Give him more time to settle in!"

"He seems pretty settled to me!" Natsu retorted. "It's time to throw down."

There was a laugh from behind them, so they turned to see Rizzo and Gray approaching them.

"Heehee, I knew you'd be challenging Jaser again, but we have a job we're all planning to do, remember?" Rizzo reminded him.

"Yeah, Lava breath, we don't have time for you to fool around." Gray added.

Rizzo rolled her eyes at Gray as Natsu practically pouted. He'd never get to fight with Jaser at the rate things are going.

"Ah, dude, once you get back, we can duke it out, okay?" Jaser said as he pat Natsu on the shoulder.

"Really?!" Natsu asked with his eyes sparkling.

Jaser nodded his head while laughing when seeing how stoked Natsu seemed at the moment.

"Oh yeah!" Natsu said. "I'm fired up!"

Breccan and Sven chuckled in amusement as Craylee shook his head while placing his hands into his pockets.

"Are you all ready?"

The group turned seeing Erza standing there with her hands on her hips. Lucy tilted her head.

"Hey, uh, what job are you all going on anyway?" Lucy asked.

"The one you picked off the board, Lucy." Rizzo said with her head tilted.

"Aye." Happy added with a nod.

"EHH?!" Lucy squeaked.

Lucy was then pulled away by an impatient Natsu with Rizzo, Gray, Happy, and Erza following after them. The Treblemen watched them go before Jaser looked at Breccan.

"So…we're not going to do anything today?" Jaser asked.

"I don't see a reason too." Breccan said shrugging. "We've already completed three jobs this week. We all have enough jewels now for to last for through two due rents, and to get the necessities for two months. If we keep going on missions, we'll never become accustomed to our guildmates. Take today to get to know everyone better."

"Rodger!" Jaser and Sven said saluting.

Craylee rolled his eyes as he adjusted the needle in between his lips absently. Breccan grinned at Jaser and Sven in amusement before shooing them off. Jaser went over to one side of the bar counter, and Sven immediately skips over to Levy as she is reading something. He starts putting on the little innocent act, which had Levy cooing at him as she lightly pinched his cheek. Jet and Droy glared at the "kid" as Levy tells him to sit down so she can read to him.

"He's at it again." Craylee deadpanned as Sven snuggles into Levy's side, so he can "see" the book better.

"Well, it's just how he is." Breccan said. "He's been that way since we were kids."

Craylee nodded in agreement as Breccan and he just continued to stand beside each other.

"Remember that his first crush wasn't even of the female variety?" Craylee asked with a slight grin.

Breccan chuckled remember that very well. Sven hadn't had his first crush on a person of the female sex at all. It had been the very feminine nephew of Rizzo's late mother, Azure.

"Yeah, I remember." Breccan said. "He had a crush on Rizzo's cousin on her mother's side. His name was Mavi. He had been visiting Rizzo along with his father, who was Miss Azure's older brother, and at first I remember that even Rizzo thought her cousin was a girl."

Craylee nodded his head as he used to tip of his tongue to twirl the needle between his lips.

"What ever happened to that crush?" Craylee asked. "All I remember is that on the night that Mavi and his father were leaving that Sven declared that he'd never be attracted to another guy again, and the next day he was using his childlike look to his advantage on the women in our guild."

Breccan frowned while not exactly sure. Sven never wanted to talk about it, and they weren't going to push him to it.

"Well, whatever." Craylee said shrugging. "It's not like we'll ever see Mavi again."

Craylee then walked off to take a seat at one of the empty tables, and Breccan shook his head at how anti-social he was being. However, it wasn't like it surprised him. Breccan then looked over at Jaser to see that Cana had approached him. She seemed to be flirting, but since Breccan knew Jaser so well, he knew that the flirty comments were going right over his head.

"It seems as if everyone is settling in."

Breccan turned his head to look down at Mirajane as she was watching the other boys with a smile on her face. Breccan smiled as well as he looked back to his adoptive brothers.

"Better than I thought they would." Breccan said as he pulled out a cigarette. "It means less worry for me."

Mirajane looked up curiously at Breccan as he lit his cigarette. It was funny because the way he was acting didn't show someone who had worries. However, when he spoke he sounded sincere with his words.

"Are you settling in well?" She asked. "I hope you feel a home here as well."

Breccan smiled at her a kind smile as he put one hand into his pocket where his cigarette pack was.

"Yes, I think I can see myself having a life here." Breccan said. "This atmosphere it reminds me of the one that Treble Chambers had. There was more music there, but that was because Master Roscoe ordered for music to be played every day to wash away the heaviness in a soul."

Mirajane's smile reappeared on her face, and she was about to say something. However someone called for her from across the bar. She apologized to Breccan before going to serve the guy who called her out. Breccan watched her go then went to take a seat while wondering when Rizzo would return. He knows she's very capable of taking care of herself, but she was finally back in his and the other guys' lives for good, so he couldn't help but worry a bit. He shook his head knowing that Rizzo and the others will probably be back by tomorrow or the next day at least.

* * *

Lucy sighed walking a bit ahead of her friends as they were returning from their mission. It had been completed successfully, but with too much flare than she had been looking for. Not to mention she didn't earn much from this job since they had to split the money six ways (Happy gets a cut), but none of them even got a hundred jewel. The others didn't seem to mind, but Lucy was sure they had money put back after working as guild mages for so long.

"Was that an awesome job or what?" Natsu asked laughing with a large smile on his face.

Lucy frowned back at him as he walked almost cockily down the streets of Magnolia with his hands behind his head.

"Well, the client sure seemed to think so." Happy said.

Rizzo sighed thinking the job was rather boring, but the others had seemed to enjoy it.

"Face it, you guys are lucky that I decided to come along." Gray said.

Rizzo and Natsu both frowned at Gray in unison as Lucy sighed. She thought Rizzo and Gray were passed all their bickering. She remembers seeing how close they were after Rizzo defeated Lucifer, and Erza had told Lucy all about the kiss Gray had placed on Rizzo's brow. She was convinced even more now that the ice mage and music mage had feeling for each other. Not to mention Gray seems to be hovering around Rizzo nowadays. Lucy bit her lip wondering if there was a way to get them to admit to their feelings.

"We're lucky you _begged_ to come with us?" Natsu asked disbelievingly. "How do you figure?"

"Because you were about as helpless as one of Erza's suitcases." Gray retorted.

Rizzo butt heads with Gray literally before Natsu could do it himself, and the ice mage pressed his head down to bump his head back against hers.

"You better watch it, Frosty, or I'll pack you into a suitcase!" She threatened.

"Yeah!" Natsu added. "We'll pack you like a suitcase, Pal!"

Gray turned his head to look at Natsu, which had Rizzo falling forward. However, instead of letting her fall, Gray caught her into his arms. She blushed a bit as she was pressed against his chest. She was also very aware that Gray had stripped down to his boxers…again, which had her blush darkening. She mentally cursed at her odd reaction. Just as she was about to move, Natsu and Gray bumped heads, which squished her in between them.

"That doesn't even make any sense!" Gray snapped.

They were then forced apart by Erza, and Rizzo stepped away from Gray to put at least four feet between them. Erza told them that was enough before telling Gray to get his clothes on.

"A bit of advice, Gray." Happy began. "Never get in a fight while in your underwear."

As Gray was freaking out about his missing clothes… _again_ , Rizzo spotted them on the ground. She sighed while picking them up to hold out to him. He blinked before accepting them from her. He started getting dressed as Lucy, who was holding Plue in one arm, turned to face them completely.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt your conversation, but," She began sounding a bit nervous.

"What's up?" Natsu prompted.

Lucy held up the paper for the job request for them all to see as Gray was fastening the buckle to his pants.

"When I took this job, I was originally thinking it'd be more of a solo mission, ya know?" Lucy said. "So, why'd ya'll have to come along?"

Her friends blinked at her as if they thought she was the weird one, which confused her.

"Oh, come on." Natsu said. "Isn't it obvious?"

"It should be completely obvious." Rizzo said.

Natsu nodded in agreement as Lucy nodded at them oddly this time around.

"No, I don't think so." Lucy said.

Natsu have a winning smile before giving Lucy a thumbs up as the others smiled as well.

"We're Fairy Tail's strongest team, so we've got to stick together." Natsu said.

"Aye, sir!" Happy pipped up.

"And don't you forget it." Gray said.

"Yeah, Lucy, we'll always be here for each other." Rizzo said as she pat Lucy on the head. "Try to remember that from now on, okay?"

Erza grinned with a small nod as Lucy looked at all of them in surprise. She then smiled as she hugged Plue probably too tightly.

"Yeah, we are!" She agreed.

Plue just continued shaking while not seeming bothered by the sudden death grip around his neck.

"No job is too tough." Natsu said. "Not for me, Rizzo, Erza, Happy, or old droopy-drawers here."

"Don't call me that." Gray said while surprisingly not snapping at Natsu.

Rizzo laughed nodding in agreement with Natsu as she put her arm around his shoulders, and he put his arm around her shoulders.

"We're quite the capable bunch." Erza said with a slight chuckle.

"Ture dat!" Happy added.

"You forgot about me!" Lucy snapped.

She then started marching off with her dearest friends following after her. Rizzo chuckled as Natsu grinned at Lucy.

"Ah, lighten up." Natsu said. "I'm just messing with ya, Loopy."

"Well, I don't appreciate it." Lucy said. "And that's not my name."

"Please forgive me." Erza said melodramatically. "I truly didn't mean to upset you. I won't let it happen again. If you would like, you may strike me now."

As Lucy was going to decline, Rizzo raised her hand to whack Rizzo upside the head. Lucy looked on in horror as Rizzo's hand got closer to Erza's head. However, they were all saved when Gray practically tackled Rizzo to prevent her from hitting the redhead. They struggled on the ground for a few moments as Rizzo was trying to get Gray off of her, but he wasn't letting her go until she promised not to hit Erza. Lucy shook her head at the two of them.

Rizzo was about to just kick Gray in the family jewels to get him off. However, she paused when noticing the whispers and stares they were getting, and she had the feeling before weren't staring and whispering because of hers and Gray's tussle. It was something the townspeople got used to after all. She frowned with a bad feeling in her stomach, and when Gray noticed what she had, he got off of her. He even helped her up as their friends started noticing the whispers and stares.

"Are those Fairy Tail wizards?"

"I guess they don't know yet."

"I feel so bad for them."

Rizzo frowned wondering what these people were talking about as they continued walking.

"Why are they staring at us?" Gray asked.

"It's not the good kind of staring." Happy pointed out.

Rizzo had to agree with him there, and there was only one word that came to mind to describe the stares they were getting.

"It feels like pity." Erza said.

"That's just what I was thinking." Rizzo said as her frown deepened.

The two of them caught sight of the guild in the distance, and they froze with the others when seeing its warped appearance.

"What…why does the guild look so bizarre?" Erza asked.

Rizzo grit her teeth then started running as fast as she could towards the guildhall.

"Hey, Rizzo, wait up!" Gray called after her.

She didn't listen as she continued to run as fast as her legs would carry her towards the guildhall. She turned the last corner to appear right in front of it. Her eyes widened even more when seeing the large iron rods sticking out of the guildhall. Rizzo took a few steps forward before coming to a complete stop. She stared up at the guildhall with her body shaking in anger. The others soon caught up to her, and gasped when seeing the state of their beloved guildhall.

"No way." Gray said.

He then looked at Rizzo to see how badly her body was shaking in her barely suppressed rage. He stepped forward to take her hand, and even though she stiffened at first, she didn't pull away.

"Our guildhall…what happened to it?" Erza asked.

"I don't understand." Lucy said with her hand nearly covering her mouth.

Natsu started shaking as well as he glared upwards at the guild while imagining the bastards who dare do this to their guildhall.

"Our guild…someone did this to our guild." He growled.

"And whoever did it is going to pay." Rizzo said with her expression completely livid.

She clenched Gray's hand tightly as tears pricked her eyes. She didn't want to cry, but seeing their precious guildhall like this didn't only make her outraged. It broke her heart. Gray stepped closer to her to give her some comfort, and she partially turned into him.

"Who would do such a thing?" Erza asked.

"It was Phantom."

The group turned seeing Mirajane standing behind them with a troubled expression on her face.

"Are you serious?" Gray asked in disbelief.

"You mean Phantom did this?" Natsu demanded

This was basically declaring war against Fairy Tail in Rizzo's mind, and mages of guilds were forbidden by law to take part in any form of war. However, Rizzo might just have to ignore that law because she couldn't just let Phantom get away with this.

"We couldn't do anything to stop them." Mirajane said sadly. "They got us good."

She then told them she would show them down to the basement where all the others were. They all followed her with Gray still close to Rizzo's side since her body hadn't completely stopped shaking yet. It didn't look like she'd be letting go of his hand anytime soon anyway. Not that it bothered him. They made it down to the basement where the other members were muttering about Phantom. The Treblemen acknowledge the group with nods and wave, and Rizzo could see that they all looked fine. She looked around some more and saw no one had a mark on them. Didn't they fight Phantom Lord?

"Hey, kids, how's it going?" Makarov, who was completely hammered, asked when Mirajane brought them to him.

"Uh, hi." Lucy said uncertainly.

She didn't know how to deal with Makarov, who was back to chugging his beer, while he's drunk.

"Sorry, we weren't here sooner." Erza apologized.

"Why the heck are you just sitting around down here?!" Natsu demanded.

Rizzo was pretty sure their master was just going by their laws…but still it angered her to no end. She wanted Phantom to pay.

"How'd it go, Lucy?" Makarov asked stumbling over his words. "Did you finish the job like a good girl?"

Rizzo sighed hanging her head. She respected this man…she really did, but when he's drunk, he's…she isn't even sure if there's a word to describe it.

"Yeah, I guess so." Lucy said still looking unsure.

"Master, do you understand the gravity of the situation?" Erza asked.

"Yeah, the guildhall is all destroyed!" Natsu added.

"You kids, there's no reason for you all to get so worked up." Makarov said. "It's not the end of the world or anything."

He then chugged his drink once more as Rizzo's body started to shake. It might not be the end of the world, but the situation is much more serious that he's taking it.

"What?" Natsu asked in disbelief.

"Just goes to show you how cowardly those dunderheads in the Phantom Lord guild really are." Makarov said as he paused from drinking. "They struck when nobody was here. Is that anything worth bragging about?"

Rizzo frowned as her free hand clutched her arm tightly. So it was cowards who did this to their guildhall. At least six-years-ago Devil's Lament had the balls and respect to attack Treble Chambers guildhall while the mages were there.

"No one was here?" Erza asked.

"It was after everyone left for the night." Mirajane said softly.

"I suppose we can be thankful for that." Erza said. "At least no one in our guild was hurt in the attack."

Rizzo supposed that was a good thing, but it was still bothering her that their guildhall was in this kind of shape.

"We shouldn't trouble ourselves worrying about people who don't even have the guts to face us head on." Makarov said. "Forget about those fools.

Natsu punched the crate beside him with the wood instantly splintering at the impact made by his fist.

"Ain't going to happen, Gramps!" Natsu said. "We can't just let them trash our place and get away with it."

"Master, I usually respect all your decisions, but this one I can't!" Rizzo added. "What they did can't go unpunished! This is our place! We can't let it be disrespected like this!"

By now everyone was looking over at the group as Rizzo and Natsu faced Makarov with pissed off expressions.

"I'm not talking about it anymore." Makarov said. "From now on we'll handle job requests down here until the upstairs is finished."

"Tch!" Rizzo huffed angrily.

She punched the pillar beside her in aggravation, and Lucy jumped a bit when it cracked. Rizzo then turned around while marching out of the basement. Everyone watched her go, and Lucy flinched when the door could be heard slamming from above. The Treblemen looked down at the table while knowing why she was so upset. They were pretty upset for the same reason, but Rizzo has been here longer, so of course it'd affect her more than them. Jaser went to go after Rizzo. However Breccan motioned for him to sit back down. Jaser frowned in confusion before sitting down as Breccan wanted him. Craylee nodded towards the stairway, and Jaser noticed Gray going after Rizzo.

"He can handle it." Sven said smiling. "The two of them are very close. Besides, Rizzo needs to share what she is feeling with someone who wasn't there in Acacia Town six years ago. We saying something might come off as hypocritical because we feel the same anger as her."

Jaser nodded his head in understand as they continued drinking the beer that Mirajane had brought them earlier. He looked down into his cup while wishing there was a way to help his little sister, but he had a feeling he could trust Gray to comfort her.

* * *

"Hey, Rizzo!" Gray called as he hurried after her.

She just kept walking with her guitar case gripped firmly in one hand and her bag in the other. Gray frowned wondering why she had to be so difficult. He picked up his pace before reaching out to grab her wrist. She gasped in surprise while dropping her bag and guitar case. It was really a good thing the inside of the case was technically hollow, so no instrument could be broken. Gray made Rizzo turn around, and was surprised to see tears in Rizzo's eyes. She looked down in embarrassment as a few slipped down her cheeks.

"Rizzo, what is it?" Gray asked.

"I feel useless." Rizzo admitted as her shoulders shook. "I couldn't protect the Treble Chambers' guildhall, and now look at Fairy Tail."

Gray's expression softened as he looked at Rizzo's face. She reached up with her free hand as she rubbed at her eyes to rid them of tears.

"It makes me feel like I'm eleven years again and defenseless." Rizzo said. "And I'm actually scared that if Master doesn't deal with Phantom Lord now that they'll…that they'll take away the rest of the guild. And I feel stupid for feeling scared and helpless. I thought I was past all that. It's pathetic."

Gray shook his head then pulled Rizzo into her arms, so her head was buried in his chest. He placed one hand on the back of her head to gently cradle her head, and his other arm went around her waist. His lips lightly brushed again her forehead. He held her for a moment to give her time to try and composer herself.

"Rizzo, you're not pathetic." Gray said. "You lost a guild once, and I can understand why it frightens you that Phantom attacked Fairy Tail like they did. I know you're worried they might come back, and things end up like they did six years ago. However, there's something you're forgetting."

Rizzo sniffled while pulling back to look at Gray with an inquiring look in her green orbs.

"I'm here, and I'm sure as hell not letting punks like Phantom Lord going to take anyone away from us." Gray said then grinned as he moved to tap her forehead. "And you're doubting yourself again. Aren't you Rizzo Sweeney? The girl who's sworn to beat Erza Scarlet the Queen of the Fairies? You won't be getting far with that doubt in yourself."

Rizzo felt her lips turn up into a smile, which had Gray's own grin widening.

"You're right, and don't think I'll be saying that again, so enjoy it while you can." Rizzo said.

Gray snorted rolling his eyes while guessing their moment was over. He was proven wrong, however, when Rizzo put her arms around his torso to hug him with her cheek pressed against his chest.

"Thank-you, Gray." Rizzo said. "I really needed to hear that. I guess I just needed a bit of sense shook into me."

Gray chuckled as he tightened his arms around Rizzo with her head tucked under his chest.

"I believe you once said that you're here for me, so I thought I'd return the favor." He said simply.

Rizzo pulled back to smile at him before reaching for her guitar case and bags. However, Gray beat her too it.

"Come on." Gray said. "I'll walk you back to Fairy Hills. Those Phantom punks could still be around. I don't want to the chance of you being on your own out here."

"Oh, Frosty, that's so sweet." Rizzo said as they started walking. "But I think I'd be okay. I took out a hundred-year-old super mage on my own. I think I could handle some punks from a guild that's barely worth mentioning."

"And the ego is back." He said sighing though he couldn't hide the smile growing on his face.

* * *

Coco: Sorry for all the typos


	19. Fairy Tail Strikes Back

Coco: Hey, guys, I just have a few announcements to make before its on with the story!

1) For those of you who don't know, I have created a one-shot series for couples I plan to add to the story or might add to the story. Not sure yet. There are only three one-shots so far, but I'm working on more. And if you want to check that out, please do.

2) I have made it past the 100,000 word mark, and I'd just like to thank everyone for the support given so far. And I hope you continue to read and like my story. And to my new readers, I hope you've liked everything so far :D

* * *

Rizzo sat at the small table in Lucy's apartment with a somewhat bothered look on her face. When Gray had walked her to Fairy Hills, Erza was had been walking out, and Rizzo is still wondering how the redhead got there first. The older mage, who had for some reason went into Rizzo's room to pack her a bag of clean clothes, turned Rizzo and Gray around saying they were sleeping over at Lucy's place since Mirajane suggested it'd be safer to stay in numbers.

Honestly Rizzo thought it would have been better at Fairy Hills with all the other girls, and she would have just snuck in Natsu and Gray. Happy is allowed there whenever he wants, so he doesn't haven't to be snuck in. Then Lucy is a girl, so it wouldn't be a problem, and Sanjū, who was curled up on Lucy's bed, still technically lived with Rizzo in her dorm. Rizzo wasn't worried about Breccan and the boys since they'd all probably just bunk together at Breccan's place. Rizzo sighed picking at the smoked fish in front of her as Lucy finally arrived home.

"Nice place you have here." Erza, Gray, and Happy said in unison to the shocked blonde.

She yelled at them then nailed Natsu with her suitcase. Rizzo went to check on her friend's face. As Rizzo tended to Natsu's face, Erza explained why they were here. Rizzo's already heard the reason, so she didn't pay much attention. After letting her making sure he was alright, Natsu laid down on the floor while still pretty annoyed with all this.

"Whoa, you sure have a lot of dirty clothes." Happy said while looking through Lucy's clothes as Plue started eating through her candy stash.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Lucy demanded. "You both better get out of my stuff, or you'll be dead meat!"

She went unheard as Natsu perked up when seeing that Plue was stuffing his face. However, her loud voice did wake Sanjū who lifted her head curiously.

"Is it morning already?" She murmured sleepily.

She then slumped forward again to fall back to sleep seconds later, which had Rizzo chuckling.

"Hey, Plue, did you find something to eat?!" Natsu asked. "Don't go hogging it all."

He practically scurried over to the candy box to join Plue in eating candy as Rizzo stood straight.

"Look, Erza, I found some frilly panties you might like." Happy said as he held up a pair of panties that was more of a thong.

Lucy blushed darkly at her underwear being displayed as Erza and Rizzo got a closer look at Lucy's underwear collection.

"I can't believe you'd actually wear something like this, Lucy." Erza said blushing.

"Hmm, I have this same pair at home." Rizzo said as she plucked the panties from Erza.

She turned around holding the underwear in front of her, and Gray's eyes widened when seeing how little was to the underwear. He started blushing when he pictured Rizzo wearing such a pair of panties. If what she was holding could even be called that.

"Yes, Rizzo, I noticed you had a lot of skimpy underwear when I was packing your bag." Erza said. "Where do you do your underwear shopping?"

Gray's face reddened when hearing Erza say that. Rizzo had more underwear like the pair she was holding in her hands?! He'll admit that the underwear he saw when her skirt flew up when they had been in Onibaba had been…very revealing as well. He groaned plopping down on Lucy's bed while covering his face with his hands. He needed to calm down.

"That lingerie store near the middle of town." Rizzo said. "Anyway, I need a bath. Lucy, hope you don't mind me using your bathroom. If you want to join feel free. I'm not shy."

She skipped off into the bathroom as Lucy sighed not surprised that Rizzo was helping herself to her bathroom.

"Yes, go ahead." Lucy said sarcastically. "It's not like I mind."

* * *

"We should be heading out." Breccan said as he stood up with the Treblemen. "All of you are staying at my place, right?"

"I've been told that's the plan." Craylee said as he adjusted his tie.

"Yeah, sleepover~" Sven said smiling brightly.

Mirajane giggled at his happy face as Jaser pat him on the head as if he was the younger brother and not older brother. Jaser then noticed that Cana was slumped over the bar.

"Looks like we're not the only ones here late." Breccan said seeing her too.

"Oh, dear." Mirajane said when seeing her. "Elfman and I really need to be getting home, but I suppose we'll have to make a stop at Fairy Hills."

She was about to call her brother, who was waving goodbye to Wakaba and Macao, but a hand was placed on her shoulder. She looked up at Jaser.

"I can take her." Jaser offered. "Fairy Hills is just on top that hill a little ways away from here, right?"

Mirajane nodded her head, so Jaser walked over to Cana. He placed his hand on her back, and she looked up at him with her cheeks flushed due to how drunk she was.

"Cana, I'm going to be taking you home, okay?" Jaser said.

"Well, someone is being forward." Cana said grinning as she tapped his nose.

Jaser blinked not seeming to understand what she meant, which had Craylee shaking his head at the Sand Dragon Slayer's naivety. Sven chuckled in amusement as Breccan placed a new cigarette between his lips.

"Can you walk?" Jaser asked.

"Probably not." Cana said laughing.

Jaser chuckled shaking his head before he turned around while crouching down.

"Well, climb on." Jaser said turned his head to grin back at her. "I'll give you a piggyback ride."

Cana stumbled out of her chair before managing to get on Jaser's back. He stood up after Cana put her arms around his neck.

"I'll see you guys soon." Jaser said to Breccan, Sven, and Craylee.

"Alright, take care!" Sven said while waving Jaser off.

The Dragon Slayer walked off then went up the stairs after nodding goodnight to Elfman.

"Are you sure he should go on his own?" Mirajane asked seeming worried as she looked up at Breccan. "I mean, if anyone from Phantom Lord attacks he'll be at a disadvantage because he's carrying Cana."

The violet-haired man smiled down at Mirajane reassuringly.

"He'll be fine." Breccan said. "If anyone attacks, he'll be able to protect Cana and fight off whoever is attacking."

"Yeah, cause Jaser is really strong." Sven added giggling boyishly.

"Even if he does get banged up a bit, it's not like it'll faze him long." Craylee said. "That moron is built like a tank."

Mirajane blinked before smiling. She nodded her head knowing that Breccan and the others knew Jaser best, so if they said he'd be okay, then she believed them.

"He must be a real man." Elfman said as he joined the conversation.

Craylee shrugged in an uncaring manner before he started heading up the stairs after waving to Elfman and Mirajane. Sven went running after him while laughing happily as he held his arms out away from him, which made him really look like a little kid. Craylee paused on the stairs to let Sven pass while shaking his head at the older man's actions. He started back up the stairs when Sven called for him to hurry up.

"Have a nice night, Mirajane, Elfman." Breccan said as he dipped his head.

"You too." Mirajane said giggling.

"See you in the morning." Elfman said waving.

Breccan walked towards the staircase, gave one last wave before going up the stairs after his friends.

* * *

Jaser walked down the road towards Fairy Hills with Cana half asleep on his back. He suddenly picked up a scent that faintly smelt of dragon mixed with human, and it was the scent he had gotten off those iron rods in the guildhall. He paused in walking while narrowing his eyes. He sniffed the air noticing the scent seemed a tad stale. He frowned wondering if the scent was left over from when the guildhall was destroyed.

"What's the hold up?" Cana asked poking his cheek. "Something wrong, Jaser?"

Jaser looked back at Cana knowing he needed to get her home, so he should probably ignore the scent. It was probably nothing. Jaser grinned at her.

"Nah, nothing's wrong." Jaser said. "Let's get you home."

He started walking again as Cana frowned, and even if her drunken state she knew something had made him stop. She frowned even more because she doubted this guy would be joining her tonight in her room. She's noticed since he got here that even if he was hot was that he was completely naïve when it came to flirting or taking hints on joining her in bed. She noticed that the first day she spoke with him at the bar. She liked innocent guys because they were the best to play with, but this guy was just an airhead. He doesn't understand how to be serious, and he's more of a child than Sven in some ways.

"Here we are." Jaser said snapping her from her thoughts.

Cana looked up seeing that they made it to Fairy Hills. Jaser went up to the door then balanced Cana on his back using one arm easily, so he could knock on the door. It took a few seconds, but the door was soon opened by Laki.

"Jaser?" She questioned.

"Sorry to bother you." He said with a big grin then turned to reveal Cana on his back. "I just wanted to make sure she got home safely."

Some of the other girls looked out curiously while looking relieved to see Cana.

"Oh, thank-you." Laki said. "We were getting worried about her."

Laki and Bisca then carefully moved Cana off of Jaser's back, so to bring her inside. After making sure she was okay, Jaser nodded his head satisfied.

"See you in the morning." Jaser said as he waved.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay by yourself?" Bisca asked. "Those yahoos from Phantom can still be out there."

Jaser chuckled with that grin still in place as he looked at the ladies with a carefree expression.

"I'll be fine." Jaser said. "If they come my way, I'll just have to kick their asses. Night!"

He waved to them then started down the dirt road with Cana watching him go with the frown still on her face. A cocky airhead…that's what he is. That's all he is.

* * *

Rizzo was laid out on Lucy's bed in her pajamas with her hands behind her head. Sanjū was sleeping beside her without a care in the world. Erza was sitting on the edge of the bed in a towel while looking completely relaxed. Natsu was asleep at Lucy's table as said blonde was taking a bath, and Gray was at Lucy's desk reading something he probably shouldn't be.

"Okay, Natsu, you're up. I'm done with my bath." Lucy said as she came into the room.

Natsu just continued snoring lightly as Happy was munching on some fish happily. Lucy sighed then turned towards the ice mage.

"Want to take his spot, Gray?" Lucy asked.

He made a small humming noise, but didn't really answer her question as he continued reading. Rizzo guessed it was something really interesting if he was that focused on it.

"You should." Erza said with a happy sigh. "It was so relaxing."

Lucy sighed looking from Natsu and Happy, who were at her table, to Gray, who was at her desk, to Erza and Rizzo who were on her bed. Rizzo looked as if she might fall asleep at any moment.

"Gees, I'm so glad you're feeling comfortable here." Lucy said sarcastically.

They didn't seem to notice the sarcasm in Lucy's voice, or perhaps they were ignoring her all together. She wouldn't be surprised if they were.

"I suppose I should get dressed." Erza said.

She got up from the bed, and Rizzo frowned in annoyance when Erza had to use her damn magic to change into pajamas of all things. The light caused by the magic was hurting her eyes. She rolled over onto her side to avoid going blind.

"Is this a bit more appropriate?" Erza asked.

"Is that really how you change your clothes?!" Lucy asked in shock.

"She probably forgot how to do it normally." Rizzo said waving her hand flippantly.

Lucy sighed shaking her head before she sat down at her table as Erza sat back down on the bed.

"Do you have any idea why Phantom attacked us out of the blue like that?" Lucy asked.

"They're pricks." Rizzo said. "That's the main reason why."

Natsu and Gray murmured, or rather grumbled in Natsu's case, in agreement, and Lucy sweat-dropped a bit. That couldn't be the only reason. And wasn't Natsu asleep like two seconds ago?

"Actually, we don't really know." Erza said. "We have had our fair share of scuffles with them in the past, but nothing on this sort of magnitude before."

"If Gramps wasn't so scared of them, we could wipe out those punks once and for all." Natsu grumbled.

Rizzo glanced over her shoulder at Natsu while not so sure that Makarov was afraid. He might not be afraid of Phantom…more like he's afraid of the trouble that will fall on the guild if they were to battle with Phantom. Or the trouble of innocent bystanders if they got pulled into the war between them and Phantom Lord.

"Come on." Gray said. "You know Master isn't afraid of them, Natsu. You seem to be forgetting that he's one of the Ten Wizard Saints."

"Not only does that show how strong Master it…it also puts him on a metaphorical leash." Rizzo added. "If a member of the Ten Wizard Saints can't uphold the law against mages participating in wars, who can? It'd set a bad example."

Gray hummed in agreement as he put his eyes back on the papers in his hand. Lucy then seemed to notice what Gray had in his hand. She freaked out while hurrying over to him.

"I never gave you person to read that!" Lucy snapped then snatched it away. "Gimme!"

Rizzo realized that Gray must have found the story that Lucy has been working on. Natsu and Happy had once told her about it.

"You can't snatch it out of my hands without at least telling me what happens next!" Gray argued.

Rizzo blinked guessing the story had to be pretty good if Gray wanted to continue it. He wasn't the type of guy to waste his time reading something he thought was boring or mediocre.

"Yes, I can." Lucy said. "I promised Levy she could be the first to read it, so you're just going to have to wait."

Erza silently held out her hand while humming in a prompting manner for Lucy to hand over the story.

"You're not getting it either!" Lucy snapped.

She then calmed down while holding her story to her protectively, so Gray nor Erza could snatch it up.

"So what's with these Ten Wizard Saints anyway?" Lucy asked.

Rizzo sighed while sitting up on the bed. She was careful not to wake Sanjū as she moved.

"It's an honor given by those geezers on the Magic Council." Rizzo explained. "Only ten mages have been given the title obviously, and with it have come to be known as the ten most powerful mages on the continent."

"She's right." Erza said nodding.

Lucy almost couldn't believe that their master was thought of as one of the strongest mages in Fiore.

"Phantom Lord's Master Jose is one of them too." Happy added helpfully.

Which meant that Phantom Lord wasn't to be underestimated. Rizzo knew that well enough. However, if they did come back to cause Fairy Tail trouble, whether with or without Makarov's blessing, Rizzo would be knocking down Phantom's door herself to start kicking asses. Natsu slammed his hands on the table, which got everyone's attention.

"He is afraid!" Natsu insisted. "He's afraid that Phantom has too many members for us to handle!"

Rizzo sighed really understanding Natsu's anger. She felt it too. However, after her talk with Gray, she was thinking more clearly now without anger and apprehension clouding her judgment.

"Could you please use your inside voice?" Lucy pleaded.

"That's not true and you know it." Gray said. "It's just like what Master and Mira said before. The consequences of us going to war with Phantom are nowhere near worth the fight. Hell, even Rizzo mentioned something about it. The order of the magical world is at stake here."

Natsu glared at Gray clearly not agreeing with the ice mage. Natsu just wanted to pound all those punks' faces in until he felt better.

"I hate to say it, Natsu," Rizzo began. "But the best course of action really is to not rise to Phantom's challenge. That's all that was when they destroyed our guildhall. I'm as pissed off about this just as much as you are, you know that. I'd love to go show those Phantom Punks not to mess with Fairy Tail, but even if we won, we'd still have to face the repercussions that came afterwards. The Council wouldn't let the act of war slide even if it was just between two guilds. Besides, we can't just go after Phantom half-cocked."

Lucy bit her lip knowing that Phantom had to be pretty strong if Rizzo wasn't confident enough to just go in swinging as she usually appeared to be. Natsu frowned a bit since Rizzo didn't have his back, but he could see her point. However, his anger was clouding his judgment a bit, and he still wanted to kick some of those punks' asses.

"But I don't understand why." Lucy said. "Are they that strong?"

"They've got nothing on us." Natsu said cockily. "We could take those clowns."

"No, if we were to engage them in battle neither guild would survive." Erza spoke up. "Their strength equals ours. Phantom's Master Jose is also one of the Ten Wizard Saints, which means he's on par with Makarov. They also have an elite group of mages similar to our S-class known as the Element 4. There is also tales of a mage that Jose keeps beside him at all times as a bodyguard of some sort. Apparently he is so frightening that people would rather forget about him the moment they lay eyes on him."

Lucy gulped wondering who this guy was. He has to be pretty frightening if people didn't want to remember him once they meet him.

"However, their biggest threat may be Black Steel Gajeel." Erza continued. "I believe he's the one most likely behind the guildhall's destruction. He's known as the Iron Dragon Slayer."

"He's a Dragon Slayer too?!" Lucy asked. "I had thought Natsu had been the only one. But next was Jaser…then Miseri…and now this Gajeel guy!"

Natsu just scoffed while not thinking much about Gajeel. He was sure he could beat his stupid iron attacks. Hell, Jaser could probably wipe the floor with him too.

"If he's the Iron Dragon Slayer, does that mean he eats iron?" Lucy asked.

* * *

Black Steel Gajeel sat at one of the tables in Phantom Lord's dimly lit guildhall. He was munching away on iron as one of the lower class members was talking to him about the damage he had done on Fairy Tail. Gajeel finally got tired of hearing the guy run his mouth, so he socked him in the face with one of his iron punches. The man painfully hit the ground as some of the other members laughed at his misfortune.

"Does he only know how to stuff his face and cause violence?" A teenage girl asked. "Such a troglodyte."

The girl was a short little thing with a willowy figure. She looked as if a breeze could blow her over. Her sandy colored hair was put into two messy pigtails and her bangs fell partially into her face. Her brown eyes looked as if they were two sizes too big due to the large round glasses perched on her nose. There was a dusting of freckles across her nose and cheeks with them standing out against her pale complexion.

She wore a white dress shirt under a tan sweater that was a size too big with the sleeves cover her hands. Her black tie was askew, and didn't look as if it was tied properly. She had on a plaid white-and-black skirt with white tights under it. On her feet were brown boots that were hazardously tied with the tongues sticking way out.

"Cool it, Shelley." Totomaru, who was sitting with the young woman, said. "Until you can beat Gajeel in a fight leave the snarky comments out."

Shelley pouted at her companion and teacher though nodded her head. She'll never be able to beat Gajeel even in her wildest dreams. Heck, she can't even beat gravity on her best days.

"How many times do I have to tell ya?" Gajeel asked in annoyance. "I don't like to be bothered while I'm eating! And besides, those Fairy Tail clowns can't challenge us. We're way more powerful than they could ever hope to be."

A creepy little laugh that sounded like "shishishishi" echoed throughout the hall, which caught the guild members' attention. They looked up as Jose made an appearance with a figure standing close beside him like a shadow. The figure had alabaster white skin and gleaming red eyes. The man grinned with sharp teeth being displayed as he leaned around Jose to look down at the lower level.

"The di has been cast." Jose said. "I compliment your excellent work, Gajeel."

Gajeel grinned darkly as he looked up at Jose as he was mostly engulfed in shadow.

"I didn't think we were hard enough on them." Gajeel said. "So I decided to leave them a little something extra. A present that's sure to get those Fairy Tailer's panties in a knot."

Shelley frowned still not understanding why their master and Gajeel were so eager to hurt Fairy Tail. She knows they were hired to get that girl from Fairy Tail, but…it didn't mean they had to go out of their way to hurt Fairy Tail.

"Very good, my boy." Jose said. "Be sure to take extra care no harm comes to that one, alright?"

Gajeel just chuckled, and Shelley decided she had enough of listening to this. She got up to walk away. However, after her first step, she hit the ground face first due to tripping on air. Totomaru looked down at her fallen form while sighing as she held up a small white flag to wave.

"You win this round, Gravity." She said with her words muffled due to her eating floor.

As Totomaru was helping Shelley off the ground, Jose turned to his faithful guard.

"Penny, when the battle commences I want you on the field." Jose said. "And show no mercy to those Fairies. Understood?"

Penny stepped into the light to reveal his form. He was tall and gangly with his limbs looking very awkward as they hung at his side. His hair was cherry red and curled into a wild and untamable afro around his head. His skin was powdery white, and his nose had a big red ball on the end like clown. Around his eyes were red with painted lines around them, and a smile was painted on his face. He smiled with a sharp row of teeth being revealed.

He wore bright and oddly patterned clothes, and looked as if he hadn't looked into his closet that morning and put on whatever his hands touched. Or had had purposely dressed in the loud colors and disturbingly polka dotted outfit he had on. His shirt was white yellow with white polka-dots, but his sleeves were lime green with pin stripes. His pants were bright red with yellow polka-dots and baggy, and his shoes appeared to be three sizes too big.

"Shishishishishi." He replied with his odd laugh.

Jose seemed to understand what he meant since he grinned looking pleased. He nodded his head to Penny, who one of his strongest and most trusted members of the guild.

"Excellent." Jose said. "Fairy Tail won't know what hit them once Penny Wise the Clown of Hell is unleashed."

* * *

As the sun was peeking through Lucy's bedroom window the next day, Gray let out a low groan as he started to wake up. He felt a bit warm as if he was sleeping near a source of heat. He also felt as if he was holding something…something that molded into his body perfectly. It smelled of strawberries and vanilla. Wait…strawberries and vanilla…he knew of a certain someone who had that same smell. When whatever he was holding stirred a bit, his eyes snapped open.

He looked down to see Rizzo's sleeping face resting on his chest. He felt her warm breath on his bare chest, and he felt every rise and fall of her chest as she continued to slumber. His cheeks turned bright red as he realized he was holding Rizzo closely against him…and it felt nice to have her close to him like this. She seemed rather comfortable herself as she nestled her cheek against his chest in her sleep.

"Now, what do we have here?"

Gray stiffened before his head snapped back to look up at Lucy and Erza as they smirked down at Gray. His cheeks grew even hotter when he and Rizzo were caught in such a position. He heard a snicker, so he turned his head to the side to see that even Happy and Sanjū caught them! Sanjū giggled behind her paw as Happy grinned.

"Oooh, Gray _looooves_ Rizzo." Happy teased.

Natsu, who had been asleep, woke to the sound of Happy's voice. The second he saw the position Gray and Rizzo were in his eyes widened.

"What the hell, Man?!" Natsu demanded as he jumped to his feet. "Are you trying to make a move on Rizzo?!"

He marched over to lift Rizzo right off of Gray, which instantly woke her when she was jostled. She blinked in confusion as Natsu held her cradled against his chest. Gray jumped up to his feet to butt heads with Natsu, which squished the music mage between them… _again_.

"I wasn't doing anything!" Gray said. "I can't help what I do in my sleep! I didn't mean to grab her!"

Rizzo's eyes widened wondering what the hell Gray meant by that. He didn't…they weren't sleeping near each other in a suggestive manner, were they?!

"Yeah, right!" Natsu retorted. "You had her practically on top of you!"

Rizzo blushed darkly wishing she knew exactly what she missed. Had she been sleeping on the ice mage? Was that why she felt as if she was sleeping on something too firm to be a pillow? Even so…she had been very comfortable. And she had felt very…safe. She blushed even more at her thoughts. Why was she acting like this?! She felt like crying as Gray and Natsu kept fighting. She finally shoved Gray back before jumping out of Natsu's arms.

"I'm going to get changed!" She said.

She grabbed her bag before rushing off into the bathroom. Erza and Lucy giggled at Rizzo's speedy escape while having an idea on what caused it.

"Look you scared her away, Icicle Streaker!" Natsu accused Gray.

"What?!" Gray demanded. "I didn't do anything. She's probably just upset she was woken so abruptly by you, ya Fire-breathing clown!"

They kept arguing, and Happy and Sanjū shook their heads at how clueless the boys were being.

"I suppose there's no helping stupid." Sanjū murmured.

"Aye." Happy agreed.

A few moments later, Rizzo stepped out of the bathroom still blushing while dressed. She had on a neon green crop top, and it was under a sleeveless pink jacket that she only had zipped from the bottom to her bellybutton. Then she had on black leather pants that fit her tightly. On her feet were black boots that went up to her knees with an assortment of buckles on each boot. On her wrists she had a few bracelets as accessories. And since her guild mark was hidden due to her jacket, the Fairy Tail guild mark was on the left side of her jacket over where her heart was.

"We should get going to the guild." Rizzo said as she grabbed her guitar case. "Are you ready?"

Only Erza, Lucy, Sanjū, and Happy were, but it wasn't like Rizzo waited to really get an answer since she was already heading out the door.

"Rizz, wait up!" Natsu called out. "What's wrong?"

"Clueless." Lucy said shaking her head.

Rizzo ignored them while going down the stairs with Natsu and Gray hurrying to get dressed. Rizzo made it outside while immediately noticing the townspeople seemed more on edge than yesterday. She heard the people murmuring, and as she picked up on what was being side, her eyes widened.

"Poor things…strung up like they were in the park…why is this happening to Fairy Tail?"

Rizzo's body started to shake as she started to realize what they were talking about. When the others' caught up to her, they instantly noticed her shaking.

"Rizzo, what's wrong?" Sanjū asked in concern as she landed on Rizzo's shoulder.

"The park." Rizzo said confusing them. "We need to get to the park."

* * *

At the guild everything was a buzz as members talked about the news they heard when they arrived.

"Shadow Gear was attacked, really?" Laki asked frowning.

"Yes." Mirajane said while hanging her head. "The Master heard about it, and hurried to go investigate it himself. He wants the rest of us to remain here."

Everyone looked down with looks of rage on their faces. Cana clutched her bottle tightly then happened to look up to see Jaser hunched over in his seat with his body completely stiff. Today he was wearing a red sleeveless sherwani that stopped at mid torso. His churidars were white once more, and today a red scarf was tied around his waist. He had on no shoes today with a few gold rings on his toes, and there were two golden circlets on both his upper arms. Long golden earrings hung from his ears once again, and he had new golden necklaces that hung low onto his chest. He wore a white scarf on top his head today with some of his sandy colored hair sticking out.

She frowned wondering if he was alright. Sven was giving his friend a worried look as he placed his hand on Jaser's forearm. Sven wore a red tank top today under sleeveless jacket over it with a hood, which was pulled up over his head that was outlined with lighter gray fur. He then had on a pair of black baggy shorts that went down to his knees. He had black arm warmers on his wrist that went from his wrist to nearly his shoulder On his feet were black converse with laces.

Breccan, who was sitting in his chair smoking a cigarette, had a bit of a bothered look on his face. He was wearing a tight fitting white Henley shirt with its sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Over the shirt he had on a black vest that he left open. He then had on black tight fitting jeans and his usual black boots with the pointed ends. His belt was pulled as tight as it would go, and he didn't tuck away the extra material into the next belt loops.

Craylee sighed as he looked up at Jaser from his mug. He had on a turquoise dress shirt under a black vest that was trimmed with white. Tucked into vest was a red tie that popped out against his shirt, which its sleeves were rolled up to his elbow. On his hands were black fingerless gloves that had turquoise colored thread stitched into the sides to purposely stand out. His black pants went into his black combat boots, and his red belt stood out against the black. His usual chain was in its proper place, and his sewing needle between his lips, which he moved as he spoke quietly to Jaser.

Jaser's hand then suddenly and easily crunched the mug in his hand, and as it splintered, everyone turned to look at the Sand Dragon Slayer. He lifted his head with his expression absolutely livid. Cana's eyes widened when seeing that his usually warm gaze was hardened and cold…they almost looked as if they belonged to a dragon.

"I should have investigated that odd smell I had picked up last night." Jaser said as he looked to Craylee.

Craylee just sighed as he placed the needle back in his mouth.

"Odd smell?" Loke asked.

Sven looked up at the ginger haired man as he walked over to their table with a curious look on his face.

"Jaser said he had picked up a scent that smelled oddly of dragon and human that wasn't Natsu's scent as he was taking Cana home last night." Sven explained. "He thought it was too stale to worry about, so he just continued taking her back to Fairy Hills."

"I should have went after it." Jaser growled with his hands clenching more tightly into fists. "I could have found that bastard and finished him off with my own two hands."

Everyone was a bit surprised to hear Jaser sounding so vicious. They've only known him for a week, but he didn't seem the type to want to hunt someone down to end them.

"Hey, man, it's alright." Loke said. "You had to get Cana home. You did the right thing taking her home instead of following the scent. If you did find something, you would have been hindered in a fight. Not saying it's your fault, Cana."

He added this while glancing back at the brunette. She nodded knowing that he wasn't.

"You're right." Jaser admitted before his gaze hardened even more. "However, Phantom Lord screwed up by messing with Levy, Jet, and Droy. I'm usually an laidback guy who brushes things off, but this won't be forgotten or forgiven. Phantom will pay."

He got up while walking off to go outside to clear his head for a bit before he could break anything else.

"Oooh, Phantom awoke the beast.~" Sven said in a singsong voice.

"The beast?" Alzach asked.

"As Jaser said, he's usually laidback." Craylee said. "However, when one of his comrades is messed with, he can…well, turn into a bit of a dragon. Not surprising considering his foster mother had been one. It's best to stay out of his way when he's like this"

Breccan nodded in agreement as some of the others started murmuring. Cana frowned a bit more while looking towards the stairs where Jaser had disappeared.

* * *

Rizzo walked with the others through the crowd gathered in the park to try and get to the front.

"Excuse us, we're from their guild." Erza commanded strongly. "Please, let us through."

The group made it to the front of the group, and Rizzo froze with her eyes widening. In front of them Team Shadow Gear was beaten up and was strung up for everyone to see…and poor Levy. Rizzo's hands clenched into fists.

"Oh, Levy." Lucy said with tears in her eyes.

"Jet…Droy." Gray said equally as shocked.

He then saw how bad Rizzo was shaking, so he stepped up to put his arms around her as her right hand clenched her guitar case's handle tightly. Once she gets through with Phantom, there won't be anything left of that guild.

"Phantom Lord did this." Natsu growled as his body shook with his own anger.

"They've crossed the line bigtime." Rizzo said.

She then turned her head when hearing approaching footsteps. She looked to see it was Makarov making his way towards them. She knew by the look on his face that he wasn't going to let Phantom Lord's actions slip by this time. Everyone parted to let Makarov pass.

"Master." Erza greeted gravely.

They all looked back up to Levy, Jet, and Droy. Rizzo felt tears prick her eyes, but she held them back since this wasn't the time to cry.

"I can take our headquarters being reduced to rumble, but I will not let harm come to my children without taking revenge!" Makarov growled while crushing his staff into splinters, which had Lucy flinching. "We have no choice but to go to war."

* * *

Rizzo and the others appeared at the Phantom Lord guild, and she stood beside Gray as Natsu and Jaser stepped forward. Rizzo could see by the look in Jaser's eyes that his "dragon" had come out. If she didn't want to skin the mages of Phantom Lord alive herself, she might have actually felt bad for them. Natsu and Jaser stood in front of the door as they pulled back their fists. Their magic collected on their clenched hands before they shot them forward. The door exploded into a million pieces with all of them stepping inside with Natsu and Jaser at the front.

"Fairy Tail has come calling!" Makarov shouted.

The stunned Phantom Lord mages snapped out of their stupor before running forward to attack. Natsu and Jaser ran forward to meet them, and took out a handful by themselves.

"Alright, who wants to play with fire?!" Natsu demanded.

"Come on!" Jaser shouted. "I'll bury you alive!"

Everyone else started running forward to attack, and Rizzo was quick to bring out her violin.

"Prepare yourselves!" Rizzo warned then started playing. "Song of the Fairies!"

Tiny glowing fairies shot out of the large magic circle, and the Phantom Lord mages cried out when the fairies flew around them, and used separate forms of nature and elemental magic to take out the mages they got close to. Some used vines to wrap them wrap or to sling them around. Others used water, some used fire, or ice or lightening, etc. Rizzo kept playing with more and more fairies feeling the guildhall.

"Hey, bitch, get your nasty flies out of here!" One of the mages said while jumping at her.

Rizzo whirled around while not stopping her bow from moving across the violin as she kicked the man in the jaw. He went flying as Rizzo stood back straight on two feet.

"Don't think you can beat me by using physical force." Rizzo said darkly as she continued playing. "Trying to beat a Fairy Tail mage in hand-to-hand combat is nearly pointless."

Someone else tried to come up behind her, but he was knocked away by Loke who paused to grin at Rizzo.

"Because we have so much practice at it, right, Rizzo?" He asked.

"Exactly." Rizzo said smirking in return.

Loke's grin widened before he went back to attacking members of Phantom Lord. As Rizzo continued playing her guildmates continued to fight as well. Breccan was using the vibrations to tell the difference between his guildmates and Phantom Lord. He had his eyes closed with his hands in his pockets as he was unsurprisingly smoking a cigarette.

"Hey, don't get cocky by closing yours eyes, Pretty boy!" A female mage said as she rushed towards him.

Breccan didn't even open his eyes as he raised his hand to flick the woman's forehead. It didn't seem like much of a gesture, but the woman was sent flying through the air. He then let out a blast of vibrations through the floor. He knocked over a dozen Phantom mages into the air before they fell back onto the ground harshly. He sighed opening his eyes.

"Damn, my concentration was broken." Breccan said. "That attack should have at least gotten another dozen of those punks."

He then heard girlish screams, so he turned his head to see Sven sitting on top of a large green furry monster as it chased around some Phantom mages. Sven was laughing boyishly as if he was just a child without a care in the world.

"Get 'em, Mr. Cupcake~" Sven cheered on his creation.

"Mr. Cupcake" let out a roar as he started tramping over some Phantom mages who were all screaming and crying. Craylee flipped over Sven and Mr. Cupcake to wrap up some mages in a large black blanket like fabric that had his special nightmare thread stitched into the fabric. He sewed the fabric down to the floor with his binding thread as the Phantom mages screamed to be let out before their worst fears caught up to them.

"Why should I show you mercy when you gave us none?" Craylee asked coldly as he put his needle back in his mouth. "You'll find no sympathy or mercy from me. I am not the kind of man to even give mercy to women and children."

He then stomped brutally on the head of one of the mages under the cloth.

"Your screaming annoys me." He complained.

As he went back to fighting, Jaser stood in the middle of the guild while trying to sniff out a specific scent. He easily took out who came near him without having to use his magic. A few strong kicks and punches and they were done. As he kept searching for Gajeel, many mages tried to gang up on Makarov. However, he grew into his large giant form.

"He's a monster!" One mage cried as Makarov easily dealt with them.

"And you were foolish enough to mess with this monster's children." Makarov growled. "Are you foolish enough to believe that human laws will protect you from my rage?!"

The Phantom mages quaked in fear while staring in horror as Fairy Tail was going through their numbers with ease. The fighting continued with Fairy Tail not showing any mercy. Erza cut through them with her Flame Empress armor.

"Tell me, where I kind find Gajeel and the Element 4!" Erza demanded.

Jaser kept his search for the Iron Dragon Slayer as some of the Phantom mages got the upper hand. Rizzo had to break off her song to dodge an explosion. However, the fairies remained as they continued causing chaos with their nature magic. One Phantom mage came up behind her to take her out, but Gray arrived just in time to hit him with his ice hammer.

"You alright?" Gray asked as they ended up back to back.

"I'm good." Rizzo said. "These guys are like cockroaches. They just don't want to go down."

Gray grunted in agreement as they separated to avoid another explosion. Natsu ate of up flames from the explosion to clear the way.

"Oh, yeah, now I've got a fire in my belly." Natsu said with a dark grin on his face.

Phantom started freaking out, and one guy tried desparately to blast Natsu back with an large attack of sand. However, it was sucked all up by Jaser, which had the Phantom mages sweating bullets.

"You don't have just one pissed of dragon at you." Jaser said as he glared.

"He's right." Natsu said.

The two bumped their own fists together as their magic started building. Natsu put out two hands in front of him as Jaser used one.

"You have two!" They said in unison. "Fire Dragon/Sand Dragon: Roar!"

Their sand and fire attacks mixed to shoot forward and blast a large chunk of Phantom Lord's mages into the air.

"Ice-Make: Lance!" Gray shouted.

His ice attack shot out to take out a few members as the rest of Fairy Tail continued to fight on. Gray and Natsu ended up back to back, and they grinned at each other.

"You're not doing so bad for being a snowman." Natsu said.

"I could say the same about you, ya Pyro." Gray said.

As everyone else was circled, Makarov went off a head while leaving Erza in charge. Rizzo stepped forward while walking past her friends who looked at her curiously. A magic circle formed under her feet and around her friends who had all been herded into the middle of the room.

"Don't step out of the circle." Rizzo said as she put her violin back in place. "Or you'll get caught up in my magic."

* * *

Coco: Cliffhanger XD


	20. The Four Seasons of the Fairies

There was a bit of silence as Rizzo readied her bow on the violin strings. Her friends watched curiously as the Phantom mage gulped at her cold look in Rizzo's eyes.

"Second Song of the Fairies." Rizzo said.

She started playing with the fairies that were in the Phantom Lord's guildhall starting to gather around. They started spinning around like a cyclone with the magic circle under Rizzo and her friends being the only safe place. The fairies that were going around and around shot out their magic in unison to create a vortex of nature magic.

"Whoa." Macao said as they got what looked like light show on their side of the vortex.

The magic continued to come out of Rizzo's violin, and Erza's eyes widened when three more violins appeared around Rizzo to play other cords and notes. With them added to the song it added more power to the fairies powers.

"The Four Seasons of the Fairy." Rizzo said as she picked up the tempo. "Spring."

Cherry blossom covered the vortex, which had people's eyes widening at how beautiful it was. However, on the outside, the Phantom mages were being sliced up by the sharp blossoms (totally based that off Senonzakura's shikai from Bleach).

"Summer." Rizzo continued.

Suddenly the cherry blossoms disappeared to be replaced with blinding and burning sunlight, which had Phantom mages covering their eyes and screaming as their skin burned.

"This is amazing." Gray said.

Natsu nodded in agreement as Rizzo put her feelings into the song as she always does.

"Fall." She said to switch into the next movement.

Fall leaves swept in, and they felt like sandpaper racking across the Phantom mages' skin. As she continued moving her bow across the strings, Rizzo frowned when feeling a bit of weariness. She's never been able to control the Four Seasons of the Fairy completely. It wasn't as power draining as the Conductor mode she has. However, it was hard to mix so many elements together to form the seasons. She wasn't about to give up now though. A good musician always finished the song.

"And winter." She said.

Ice started to spread from the vortex to cover what was outside of it, and as Rizzo played, she didn't see the glare she was getting from the rafters. The song finally came to a stop and the vortex broke apart with the fairies turning into a tiny little sparkles as they vanished. As the sparkles fell, Rizzo huffed a bit while looking around at the damaged she managed…not enough. They still had half of their guild members able to fight. She then cried out in pain when she was hit it the gut by iron.

"Rizzo!" Natsu and Gray shouted as she went flying through the air.

Gray rushed forward to catch her as her violin and bow hit the ground. Gray knelt down on the ground while keeping Rizzo in his arms. He looked down at her in worry before he looked up with an enraged expression on his face to glare at the attacker. Natsu snarled looking up as the iron receded back to its owner. Gajeel stood up on the rafters as the rest of Fairy Tail started to notice him.

"Keep your damn fairies out of here, girl!" Gajeel snapped.

Rizzo's friends and guildmates glared up at Gajeel while ready to kick his ass.

"Heh." Rizzo chuckled then lifted her head with a smirk on her face. "What's wrong, Black Steel? Fairies give you nightmares?"

Gajeel growled then went to attack her and Gray both, but his iron was knocked to the side by Jaser who looked livid. Natsu stood up beside the older Dragon Slayer as they both glared up at Gajeel. Rizzo then stood up with Gray's help. She held out her hand with her bow and violin returning to her.

"They should." She said. "Don't think that attacks of yours is going to keep me down."

Gajeel narrowed his eyes as Rizzo stood tall with her head raised head high and her chin jutted out in a defiant manner. Gray looked at Rizzo closely to see the slightest shake in her body. That attack had caused some damage, and he could see that the song from earlier had drained a lot of her power.

"You hurt our friends." Rizzo said. "That is something unforgivable, and as long as one of us fairies can move, this fight won't end."

Her friends all murmured in agreement as they stood tall. Gajeel scoffed while getting tired of Rizzo's mouth.

"Tch." He snorted as he jumped down to the floor. "Hmph, show me what you got. Unless you scum are too scared to face the great Iron Dragon Slayer."

His taunt hit the wrong button with Elfman, and the white-haired man hurried to attack.

"Too scared?!" He demanded as he jumped over everyone. "Real men have no fear."

His arm transformed into stone as he went to hit Gajeel, but the Iron Dragon Slayer blocked Elfman's attack. He then took a swing at Elfman with his arm turning to Iron. However, Elfman dodged the punch then caught the iron kick with his hand. As they were fighting, so were the rest of their guild. Rizzo switched out her violin with her guitar, which fell down to her from her guitar case which was floating above the battle. She felt drained from that last attack, but she could still fight.

"Not bad, Big guy." Gajeel said.

"Well, that's because I'm a real man." Elfman said.

Gajeel just grinned with this light in his eyes that didn't set well with anyone watching.

"Oh yeah?" Gajeel asked. "Then let's see how a real man handles this!"

Iron sprouted from his iron limb, and Rizzo's eyes widened when he attacked his own men.

"They're Phantom." Elfman said while looking back at them. "You attacked your own men?"

"Because I knew it'd distract you." Gajeel said.

He went to hit Elfman in the face with iron, but his attack was caught by Jaser's bare hand. The two Dragon Slayers glared at each other. Jaser then grabbed the front of Elfman's shirt.

"Jaser, what are you doing?" Elfman asked.

"You're in the way." Jaser said.

He tossed Elfman far out of the way making his eyes widened. Then just where he was standing, Natsu appeared to punch Gajeel with a flaming fist. Gajeel went flying backwards into the bar.

"That kid sent him flying." Someone murmured. "That's never happened before."

"Yeah, well, that guy stopped Gajeel's attack with one hand." Someone else said. "What kind of monsters are they?"

Gajeel sat up to glare at Natsu and Jaser as the latter cracked his knuckles.

"Let us to introduce ourselves." Natsu said.

"We're Fairy Tail's Dragon Slayers." Jaser continued.

Gajeel smirked as he moved the broken beam off of him, so to stand back up on his feet.

"Elfman, leave this guy to me." Jaser and Natsu said in unison.

"What?" Elfman asked. "First I'm tossed like trash, and now you two want to gang up on this guy?"

"We're not ganging up on him." Jaser said.

"Yeah, this is a contest to see who takes him out first." Natsu said grinning with his sharp canines on display. "Whoever beats him first is the better Dragon Slayer."

Elfman frowned though didn't argue since he had a feeling it wouldn't help him anyway. Gajeel just continued smirking before running forward.

"Iron Dragon: Club!" He shouted.

He shot his arm forward with it turning into iron as it grew longer. It hit Natsu right in the gut, and he went back a few feet. However, he remained on his feet.

"You destroyed our guildhall." Natsu said as his heated hands made steam roll off the iron club. "And you attacked Levy and her team. I'll make you pay!"

He tossed Gajeel up into the air, and then Jaser appeared behind him to kick him in the back with sand. Gajeel hit the ground as Jaser landed up in the rafters.

"Whew, Natsu is fired up now." Wakaba said.

"Jaser's practically steaming!" Sven said laughing.

"Yeah, I'd hate to be that other guy." Macao added.

Elfman frowned unhappily, but he had to agree that Natsu and Jaser could handle this guy alone.

"They're quite the mages." Erza said.

"Alright, fine, you're both manlier than I thought." Elfman said. "I'll let you both have this one, but you have to promise to—"

"You bet." Natsu said as Jaser landed beside him. "I'll beat him to a pulp."

"Unless I do it first." Jaser said.

There was a laugh from Gajeel as he got up from the small crater that had been caused by his impact.

"Nice try, but I'm still standing." Gajeel said.

Jaser narrowed his eyes at Gajeel while ready to beat him until all his damn bones were broken.

"You won't be for much longer though." Natsu said smirking.

"Oh yeah?" Gajeel challenged.

He ran forward with an excited grin on his face, and Natsu could barely get out an "uh-oh" before he was hit. He went flying through the air before hitting the ground with debris piling on top of him.

"Natsu!" Rizzo called out.

"That looked like it hurt." Gray commented.

"It's insane." Loke added.

Gajeel tried to take a swing at Jaser, but he dodged the attack then grabbed Gajeel to toss him into the air. Iron spikes came out of Gajeel's feet, and he used them to stick to the bottom of the rafters.

"You're not bad." Gajeel said. "Better than Salamander it seems. Guy couldn't even take a hit."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Natsu was able to get up out of the debris.

"It's going to take more than that to take me down." Natsu said with an excited grin on his face.

Gajeel chuckled with his head tilted to the side partially as he stared down at Jaser and Natsu. He landed back on the floor while rolling his shoulders.

"You two seriously think you can beat me, Pryo, Sandman?" Gajeel asked.

"What do you mean think?" Natsu asked as flames engulfed his hand. "I know I can."

"We'll see about that." Gajeel said.

He shot his iron club toward at Natsu, but the pinkette caught it in one hand with flames surrounding it.

"Your steal beams can't even touch me." Natsu said as he bent some of the iron as he turned up the heat. "You better start stepping up your game!"

"The rumors are true." Gajeel said as he retracted his attack with his hand going back to normal. "You're way more powerful than you look. That actually burned a bit. Is that all you got, Salamander?"

He then grunted when a sand covered fist hit him in the face to send him flying to the side.

"Don't think you can forget about me!" Jaser snarled. "I might not have a reputation like Natsu, but the second I'm done breaking your bones, you'll be sure to remember me."

Gajeel frowned while noticing the killing intent that was practically rolling off of Jaser. Cana paused in her fight to look at Jaser. This side of him…it was more than just a little intimidating.

"Oh really?" Gajeel asked. "You're obviously not from here, man. You're from Rajasthan that? You a big shot over there or something? What's your name?"

"I am from Rajasthan, but I haven't seen my homeland since I was a child." Jaser replied. "My name is Jaser Sahara the Sand Dragon Slayer. I am also known as the White Sand in honor of my homeland."

"Well, White Sand, don't think I'm going to let you beat me!" Gajeel said.

He jumped towards Jaser, and managed to punch him right in the jaw. Jaser's head snapped to the side, and Gajeel was quickly to kick Jaser in the ribs. Jaser few skidding back a few feet, but he managed to remain on his feet. He then calmly wiped the blood off his lip.

"You pack quite the punch, Black Steel." Jaser said then jump forward at blinding speed. "But it isn't enough to just be strong!"

He punched Gajeel in the face. Then sent him up into the air with a kick. Jaser jumped up after him then brutally sent a melee of attacks at Gajeel.

"Whoa." Gray said as he looked up at Jaser as he kept on the assault.

"He gets like this sometimes." Rizzo said.

Gray glanced at Rizzo as she continued to watch Jaser as he kicked Gajeel away into the rafters. Jaser jumped onto the rafters with Natsu following, and the younger Dragon Slayer kicked up a fuss about being left out of the fight.

"When he gets angry like this…he shows no mercy to whatever or whomever he's attacking." Rizzo said. "It's like he's completely blinded by rage. As if some kind of beast takes over…like a dragon."

Gray looked back to Jaser as he dodged an attack from Gajeel who had tried to take off his head. The whole guildhall then started shaking, which had everyone pausing in their fight. Rizzo frowned knowing that Makarov and Jose had to be fighting. However…something was bothering her. She had this bad feeling in her stomach.

"Prepare to fight!" Erza called out over everyone. "We cannot lose as long as Master Makarov is with us."

"Yeah!" Fairy Tail replied.

Rizzo slammed down on the strings of her guitar to send a blast of sound towards the mages in front of her. Someone tried to attack her from the side, but Gray took him out. He looked at Rizzo seeing she was really starting to look tired. She was breathing deeply with an exhausted expression on her face. He frowned knowing that last big attack took a lot out of her. She couldn't keep going like this. Suddenly something fell from above to crash on the floor, and all of Fairy Tail looked in horror as they saw…

"MASTER!" Rizzo screamed.

Makarov laid on the ground literally looking green, and he couldn't even lift his head. Rizzo let her guitar return to the case before she ran over to Makarov as everyone started to come out of their shocked stupor. Rizzo fell to her knees beside Makarov as Erza, Cana, Natsu, and Gray hurried over as well.

"My power is…my magical power is…" He rambled weakly.

Rizzo felt tears enter her eyes as Erza carefully lifted Makarov off the ground into her lap.

"Master, calm down." Erza said gently.

"What happened to him?" Cana asked.

"I don't know." Gray said. "I don't sense any magic energy coming from him at all."

A few tears slipped from Rizzo's eyes as she reached out to gently grip Makarov's hand. This couldn't be happening again. She couldn't lose another grandfather because that's what Makarov was to her. When she lost Roscoe, she had ended up turning to Makarov to try and feel the gap, and even if he didn't completely…he helped her heal. He couldn't leave her too…not like this.

Rizzo didn't even listen to the others as she hung her head. She did lift her head, however, when Phantom started to fight back. The others went to attack back, but Rizzo stayed in place. She wasn't shaken out of it until Erza sounded retreat. Rizzo lifted her head to see Erza holding out her hand to her.

"We have to go, Rizzo." Erza said gently.

Rizzo reached out to take her hand when she saw an attack heading Erza's way from behind.

"Erza, watch out!" Rizzo shouted.

Rizzo jumped up to push Erza down, and she took the full blast of the attack as Erza watched on with wide eyes.

"Rizzo!" Erza yelled.

Her yell caught the attention of the Treblmen, Natsu, and Gray, and they all turned to watch as Rizzo fell. She hit the ground in front of Erza who hurried to check on her.

"Rizzo!" Happy cried.

Gray felt himself starting to boil in anger as he watched Erza hold Rizzo's limp form in her arms. He was going to crush Phantom! Breccan's magic flared sending Phantom mages flying, and Craylee grit the needle between his teeth so tightly that it nearly snapped. Sven felt his body shake when seeing his little sister bleeding.

"Heh, looks like the big mouth was taken down." Gajeel said.

Jaser snapped his head back up to glare at Gajeel who was smirking. Jaser jumped forward to continue their fight, and Gajeel laughed enjoying every second of it. Erza looked down at Rizzo feeling completely guilty for her injuries.

"Retreat!" Erza repeated her previous order. "Now!"

Everyone started running for it while knowing that Erza was probably right. They couldn't win this now. Gray hurried over to where Erza was to kneel down in front of her and Rizzo.

"I'll take her." Gray said.

Erza nodded her head while letting Gray gently pick up Rizzo into his arms. He stood up with Rizzo's head lolling against his chest.

"Gray." She murmured weakly.

"I've got ya, Rizzo." Gray said. "Loke, grab her guitar case!"

"Right." Loke said running over to the case, which had fallen to the ground the same time as its owner, to grab it.

He and Gray started retreating with the others as Natsu and a few members who weren't too hurt gave cover to those who were hurt. Cana was ushering people out the door when she noticed that Jaser was still duking it out with Gajeel.

"Jaser, that's enough!" Cana shouted out to him. "Get your ass in gear and retreat!"

Breccan, who was also offering cover, was about to tell Cana there was no getting through to Jaser while he was like this. However, Jaser surprisingly stopped his attacks.

"Did you hear me?!" Cana demanded. "Don't be an idiot! Come on!"

Jaser stood there stiffly for a moment before finally turning away from Gajeel who frowned. Looks like the fight was over. Jaser jumped down to the floor as Gajeel joined one of his guildmates on one of the higher beams. Jaser was about to help Natsu provide cover when the two Dragon Slayers heard something interesting from Gajeel.

"So what happened to that Lucy girl?" Gajeel asked.

Jaser stiffened as Natsu turned around to glare up at Gajeel and his guildmate.

"She's been captured." He replied. "The poor wretch is being held in a gloomy cell at headquarters."

"So much for giving her a warm welcome huh?" Gajeel asked grinning.

Natsu's glare hardened as his hands clenched into fists. Happy, who didn't know what happened, looked up at the two Dragon Slayers in concern.

"Is there something wrong?" Happy said.

"Gajeel!" Natsu roared.

"We'll finish this someday, Salamander, White Sand." Gajeel said.

He then disappeared with that creepy buddy of his, which had Natsu and Jaser growling in anger.

"Those jerks kidnapped Lucy." Natsu said.

"WHA?!" Happy asked.

Jaser frowned because this was turning into an even stickier development. He wanted to stay and fight, but knew now wasn't the time. He heard someone scream, and he turned his head seeing Laki had been hit.

"I'm going to help the others retreat." He said to Natsu. "I trust you can get Lucy back."

"You know it." Natsu said nodding.

Jaser nodded his head then ran over to where Laki had fallen. He scooped her up, and she blushed a bit as she looked up at him.

"Don't worry, I got ya." He said. "We're getting out of here."

He ran off with the others while hoping that Rizzo was okay. She took a pretty big hit.

* * *

Rizzo sat in the basement of the Fairy Tail guild with a somber expression on her face. Sven was beside her while finishing up on bandaging the gash on her arm. Craylee had stitched up her side earlier with special thread that healed wounds faster, but now he was over at Porlyusica's to see if he could help Makarov in anyway. He was the unofficial healer of the Treblemen since he had thread used only for medical needs. Rizzo bet Porlyusica would try to push him from her home, but Craylee could be just as stubborn as that old woman.

Breccan was sitting off to the side with a pensive look on his face as he watched Jaser, who was trying to calm down, pace. Sanjū was sitting on the table by Breccan while watching Jaser as well with a worried expression on her face. The others were around the guild being tended to, or trying to plan what to do next. Everyone was also on edge, and in bad spirits due to their loss. Rizzo was pretty much in the same state as everyone else. She was also worried about Lucy who was still missing…or maybe Natsu had already gotten to her. Rizzo was hoping it was the latter. She hoped they got back soon too.

"Hey, you okay?" Gray asked as he crouched down beside her.

"I'm fine." Rizzo said while looking down at her lap. "My wounds aren't that serious."

Gray sighed then looked up at Sven with his eyes asking if he could have a moment with Rizzo alone. Sven very subtly nodded his head then mumbled an excuse before getting up.

"Rizzo." Gray said.

She didn't even react to her name being said, and he sighed again. He reached out to gently cup her chin. He firmly yet gently made her meet his gaze.

"I wasn't just talking about your wounds, and you know that." Gray said. "Please, talk to me."

Rizzo bit her lip as the tears collected back in her eyes. Gray's expression softened when seeing her tears. He moved to sit beside her, and he pulled her into his arms.

"I…I'm worried about Master Makarov." Rizzo confessed. "What…what if he doesn't make it?"

Gray tightened his arms around her as she pressed her cheek against his chest for comfort.

"Hey, the Master is a tough man." Gray said. "He won't let this keep him down for long. Besides, he has Miss Porlyusica and Craylee working to make him better. And Miss Porlyusica is an amazing healer. They'll pull him through this. So don't worry."

Rizzo nodded her head, but a still tears leaked from her cheeks to roll down her cheeks. They fell to hit Gray's chest. His teeth grit angrily as he thought about Phantom. They did this. They destroyed Fairy Tail's guildhall. They hurt Levy, Jet, and Droy. They hurt the Master…worst of all they were the reason Rizzo was crying. It might not be today, but he'd soon make those bastards pay. They wouldn't get away with any of this. Jaser, who was watching Rizzo cry as Gray comforted her, felt his anger start to spike again. He growled while looking away.

"Hey, deep breaths." Breccan said. "If you keep this up, you'll explode."

Jaser nodded his head knowing the older mage was right. Jaser let out a deep breath. He just needed something to distract him. That's all. He looked around the basement for a distraction, and his eyes ended up landing on Cana as she was laying cards out in front of her. He walked her way with Breccan watching him go. Jaser crouched down in front Cana, and she paused in what she was doing to look up at him.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"I need to distract myself." Jaser said as he looked down at her cards. "All this pacing…makes me feel like a caged animal."

Cana looked into his eyes seeing they had lost some of that coldness from before. She decided she liked his eyes better when they had that usual warm light in them.

"So…what are you doing?" Jaser asked grinning.

It was a bit forced, but he was really trying to calm down and be his usual self.

"I'm trying to track down Msytogan." Cana said. "He's one of our S-class mages."

Jaser nodded his head as he continued to watch Cana silently. Cana then paused in what she was doing because she had something that was bothering her.

"Hey…are you really from Rajasthan?" Cana asked looking up. "I mean, I had my suspicions because of that mark on your forehead and your accent…but I wasn't sure."

Jaser blinked a bit surprised by the sudden question before he sighed. He sat down fully to get comfortable.

"Yeah." Jaser said. "I left when I was eleven though to come to Fiore with my mother Sabbia."

"The dragon that raised you." Cana guessed.

Jaser nodded his head as he leaned a bit back while using his hands to keep him up.

"It's been eight years since I last saw my homeland." Jaser said. "And what's odd…is that what I remember…isn't sands stained red by years of bloodshed as I hear they are. I remember white sand going out far and looking like an ocean with its large dunes and curves. However, I've been told that the sands of Rajasthan haven't been white for over two centuries. Yet the white sand sticks out so clearly in my mind."

Cana tilted her head when seeing the slightly bothered expression on the Dragon Slayer's face.

"Is that why you call yourself White Sand Jaser?" Cana asked.

"Yeah." Jaser said. "Even if the sands are red now…even if they were never white in my life, I call myself White Sand because I hope that one day the war will end in Rajasthan, and that the sand may someday look white again."

Cana looked at Jaser in surprise as he looked up at the ceiling with a thoughtful look on his face. He then grinned as he looked back at Cana.

"Pretty dumb, huh?" He asked chuckling.

"It might be." Cana said grinning. "But it's a nice dream."

Jaser's grin grew as Cana returned to what she had been doing. Breccan watched them for a few more seconds before looking away with a sigh. He felt someone place a hand on his shoulder, so he looked up to see it was Mirajane.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah." He said as he looked away while pinching the bridge of his nose. "Just…Master Makarov getting hurt…brings unhappy memories. Not just for me, but for them too."

He gestured to Rizzo, who was still being held by Gray, and Mirajane looked at the pinkette sympathetically. Breccan then gestured to Jaser, who was trying his hardest to concentrate on what Cana was doing, and Sven who couldn't even muster a smile for Macao and Wakaba as they checked on him.

"As their older brother, it's hard to see them this way." Breccan said then gave a humorless chuckle. "Well, technically Sven is older than me."

Mirajane looked at Breccan in worry when seeing the almost haunted look in his eyes.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Mirajane asked.

"It's just…it's like when Devil's Lament attacked." Breccan said. "They hit us lightly at first almost like a warning…then we found some of our guildmates brutally beaten…after that the battle commenced. Master Roscoe was brought down in front of all of us. Rizzo had run up to him…screaming…begging him to say anything, but he didn't respond. I'm just grateful that Master Makarov still has a chance."

Mirajane's hand tightened on Breccan's shoulder to give him a comforting squeeze. He reached up to pat her hand silently. Everyone suddenly heard noises from upstairs, and they all froze. Gray stood up while bringing Rizzo with him, and he made sure to keep her behind him.

"It's just Natsu, Happy, and Lucy." Jaser said as his nose twitched.

Everyone relaxed as Natsu appeared at the bottom of the stairs with Lucy on his back while Happy flew beside them.

"Is she alright?" Mirajane asked worried.

Natsu frowned before he carefully helped Lucy get back onto her own two feet. She turned to face her guildmates.

"Everyone…there's something I have to tell you." Lucy said softly.


	21. The Juptiar Cannon

Rizzo stood beside Gray as everyone was talking about their next plan of attack. Craylee had returned a bit earlier while grumbling about an old hag and her stupid broom. Bisca and Alzach were with him, and they looked as if they just had their lives threatened. Rizzo had calmed down from earlier, and after hearing what Lucy had to say, she was more determined to bring down Phantom Lord. They wouldn't take her friend. Rizzo looked over at said girl to see her still sitting on a barrel with a sad expression on her face. She sighed then walked over to Lucy.

"Move over." Rizzo said.

Lucy blinked looking up at Rizzo before moving over enough for Rizzo to squeeze in beside her. Rizzo put her arms around Lucy to rest her head against hers.

"It's going to be okay, Lucy." Rizzo said. "We're here."

Lucy reached up to grip Rizzo's arm that went around her for comfort. Natsu and Happy looked at their blonde friend in concern as she pressed her head back against Rizzo's.

"Yeah, don't worry." Gray said as he and Elfman turned towards the blonde. "We'll get them back for this."

Lucy sighed with her face just seeming to take on a more depressed expression.

"I know." Lucy said. "I'm not worried about that. It's just…all my fault."

Rizzo tightened her arms around Lucy as her body shook. Lucy was holding back tears, but wasn't sure how long she'd hold out.

"Being targeted by dangerous people is just one of the downsides of being rich." Elfman said. "At least you're protected by a real man like me!"

He then grunted a bit in pain when Rizzo, who had found something to chuck at his head, hit him square in the forehead.

"Give it a rest." She said.

Gray nodded in agreement as Rizzo put her arms back around Lucy. Elfman frowned while rubbing his aching head.

"I gotta say I was shocked when I heard the news." Happy said. "Why'd you hide the truth from us Lucy?"

Natsu moved closer because he wanted to know as well. He wanted Lucy to explain.

"I didn't hide anything." Lucy said. "I mean, it's hard to bring up I'm a runaway in casual conversation. I've been gone for a year, and my father hasn't cared. Now all of a sudden he wants to force me to come home? He's done all those horrible things just to force me to come back. I hate his guts!"

Rizzo tightened her arms around Lucy as another shake traveled through the blonde's body.

"Still…if I hadn't run away in the first place, none of this would have happened." Lucy said.

"Come on, don't be ridiculous." Elfman said. "Your dad's the one to blame."

"Idiot!" Gray snapped.

"I mean, it's Phantom's fault!" Elfman said quickly.

He grunted in pain again as he was pegged in the head with a bucket that Rizzo had managed to reach. She shook her head at the "real" man as he rubbed his head.

"No, I'm the one who brought trouble to the guild." Lucy said. "And it's all because of my own selfish choices. I'm so very sorry. I'm just going to go back home, and hopefully all this will be over with."

Rizzo frowned because Lucy couldn't truly believe that. Besides, she should know they wouldn't just let her go because she thinks it'll help them out.

"I don't know about that." Natsu said. "I can't see you playing the part of the pretty princess sitting around in your mansion. Laughing with us in this filthy guildhall, going on adventures even though you freak out all the time that's who you really are. You said you wanted to stay with us, right? Why'd you return to the very place you ran away from? Come on, who are you trying to kid? You're Lucy of Fairy Tail. No more running because you belong here with us."

"Yeah, Lucy." Rizzo said getting the blonde's attention. "Didn't I tell you we'll always be here for each other? I believe I told you to remember that. Besides, if you even tried to leave, I'd have to drag you back. I don't give up my friends easy, ya know."

Lucy looked at Rizzo with wide eyes as more tears collected in her eyes. Rizzo grinned at her as she tapped her forehead.

"What I'm saying, Luce, is that you're here for good, okay?" Rizzo said. "We're your family, so don't get crazy ideas to leave."

Lucy sniffled before she hugged Rizzo tightly while finally allowing herself to cry. Natsu smiled at his two friends as Rizzo gently stroked Lucy's head.

"Come on, don't cry." Gray said. "It's not like you."

"Yeah, please." Elfman begged. "Real men are weak to womanly tears."

Rizzo rolled her eyes at Elfman as he shook looking very disturbed by Lucy's tears.

"Sorry." Lucy said.

"You don't have to apologize." Rizzo said as she finally let Lucy go. "Let it all out until you feel better. Don't listen to Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum."

"Hey!" Gray snapped. "Which of us are you calling Tweedle Dum?"

Rizzo looked up to smirk at Gray as she continued to pet Lucy soothingly on top her head.

"I thought it would be obvious." She said _innocently_.

Gray growled ready to start one of their usual arguments, but he just sighed in the end while letting it go. He then tried to fight off a smile. He was happy to see Rizzo was doing better. Suddenly the place started shaking, which had everyone murmuring in confusion.

"What is that?" Rizzo murmured. "Breccan, please, tell me that's you."

"It's not." Breccan said as he stood up. "But I feel something big coming our way from the outside…something very big."

Everyone hurried outside to see what was going on, and Rizzo had been sure to grab her guitar case. When getting outside, everyone saw a large building on legs heading their way from the water.

"What is that thing?" Natsu asked.

One of the legs moved to step forward, and when it touched down it made things shake again.

"It's a guildhall with ginormous legs!" Happy exclaimed.

"Is it Phantom?" Loke asked.

Rizzo would bet all the jewel she owns that it was. The guildhall got closer and closer with the ground continuing to shake.

"How do we fight that thing?" Wakaba asked.

No one had an answer for that. Rizzo knew that no plans would come to her mind at all.

"I never anticpated this." Erza, who was just in a towel, said. "I never knew they'd go to such lengths to attack us."

The building then came to a stop as the Fairy Tail mages stood there on edge. Rizzo grit her teeth together as she tried to think of anything they could do. This couldn't be the end for Fairy Tail. One of the large walls then rose with what looked like a cannon coming out. Rizzo's blood ran cold as the cannon expanded. It started getting ready to fire as it was pointed towards them.

"Everyone, run!" Erza ordered. "Get out of here now."

While everyone else was back up, Erza went running forward, which surprised everyone.

"Erza!" Mirajane cried out.

"Don't be stupid!" Macao shouted.

Erza didn't listen as she continued to run forward while losing her towel as she reequipped.

"She reequipped!" Cana said.

"What are you doing?!" Loke demanded.

Erza stood tall in her armor as she stayed between her guildmates and the attack about to come from Phantom's cannon.

"Protecting the guildhall." Erza replied.

As everyone begged for her to come back, Breccan walked forward until he was beside Erza, which shocked everyone.

"Breccan!" Rizzo cried.

Erza looked at the violet-haired man in surprise as he spit his cigarette off to the side.

"What are you doing?!" Erza demanded.

"Helping you." Breccan said simply. "I was given the rank of S-class mage by Master Makarov. I'm not going to let him down by standing back, and letting you do this alone."

Erza frowned wanting to tell him to back up, but he was right. He was an S-class mage. She and he were the only ones left of that rank. And she wasn't sure if she could do this alone.

"You hold up your shield." Breccan said. "I will use my vibration magic to create a vibrating barrier between the attack and your shield. It'll lessen the blow you have to take, and if I can get a feel of the vibrations coming off from the attack I'll be able to switch my own vibrations to counteract the attack to hopefully stop it completely until they even run out of power."

Erza nodded her head as they ignored those who were begging them not to do this.

"Erza!" Natsu shouted.

He tried to break free from Gray who was holding him back from doing anything stupid. Craylee was holding Rizzo back as well as she tried to get away, so to get to Breccan.

"Let me go!" She screamed. "Breccan!"

"Rizzo, you have to trust him." Craylee said as he kept his arms around her. "Breccan is strong, remember? We have to have faith in him…in them. He has Erza at his side, so they'll help each other."

The cannon fired, and Erza brought her shield together. Just as it was about to hit, Breccan raised a hand to put his magic between the attack and Erza's shield. The attack hit the vibrations first, and Erza felt just a bit of pressure. Everyone watched in shock as the two kept the attack back.

"Breccan! Erza!" Rizzo shouted.

The two held on, and as he and Erza we're holding back the attack, Breccan tried to lock on the vibrations being sent off from the attack. Breccan grit his teeth as the attack kept pushing against his magic. Erza started to feel more and more of the attack, but she could tell Breccan was trying to use his magic to take the blunt force. However, her shield started cracking as the attack continued. She even felt her magic being drained as she tried to pour it into the shield to make it last longer. Breccan's magic was being drained as well as he continued trying to get his vibrations to counteract the way he wanted.

"There!" He said finally seeing the pattern.

He switched his vibrations around, and Erza noticed the attack starting to weaken. Just in time too since her shield shattered along with some of her armor. There was still a bit of the cannon's power left, and Breccan got in front of Erza to take the small blast. They were both sent flying through the air. Their guild gasped as they hit the ground while rolling away from each other.

"I don't believe this." Macao said. "They actually managed to stop this."

"Once again Erza is the manliest one in the guild." Elfman said. "And Breccan sure is a real man too."

"Yeah, but look." Cana said.

The others looked to Breccan and Erza as they both laid panting on the ground. The rest of Erza's armor disappeared since she didn't have the magic to keep hold on it. Craylee finally let go of Rizzo and she hurried over to Breccan as Natsu went to Erza.

"Breccan, are you okay?" Rizzo asked as she turned him over onto his back.

Natsu told Erza to say something as the others started gathering around to check on their guildmate.

 _"Makarov has fallen."_ Jose's voice came from the build. _"And now Erza can't even stand. Any chance of victory has slipped through your fingers. Hand over Lucy Heartfilia immediately to me. You have no choice."_

Rizzo stood up onto her feet as she glared at the building in front of her. She didn't care who was in there. She'd take them all down to protect Lucy.

"That's ain't going to happen!" Alzach shouted.

"Like any guild would hand over one of their own to a _**monster**_ like you!" Bisca added.

"You hear that?!" Macao called out. "Lucy's staying put!"

The guild echoed their agreement. They wouldn't let anyone from their guild be taken.

 _"I won't ask again."_ Jose warned.

"Then don't ask!" Rizzo shouted. "Because our answer will be the same every time! As Lucy's family we will protect her until the end!"

Lucy looked at Rizzo in surprise as more people echoed her declaration. Lucy felt her tears fall when she realized how loved she was here.

"We'd never betray her like that!" Erza shouted. "You'd have to kill us first!"

More people shouted in agreement, which had Lucy's tears falling even faster.

"You can stop asking now!" Natsu roared. "Because like Rizzo said we're not going to give you any other answer. We're gonna take every one of you jerks down!"

 _"If this is what you want, I'll give you a second helping of Jupiter!"_ Jose shouted. _"You've got fifteen minutes to ponder the folly of your actions!"_

Everyone started worrying what to do, and around that time Erza and Breccan passed out.

"Erza! Breccan!" Mirajane said in worry.

Rizzo and Gray looked back in worry at their friends when seeing they wouldn't be moving anytime soon.

"Oh no, they're out." Gray said. "And they're the only reasons we survived the first shot."

Cloaked ghosts then started coming from Phantom Lord's guildhall, which had Rizzo narrowing her eyes. They had to think fast.

 _"You're in quite the quandary, aren't you, Fairy Tail?"_ Jose mocked. _"There's only two ways this situation can play out. Either my troops will tear you apart or being blown away by Jupitar."_

"Are you kidding me?!" Macao asked. "If he fires at us, he'll kill his own men."

"Surely he's bluffing." Wakaba said. "Who'd do a thing like that?"

Jaser frowned while sniffing the air, and he noticed those "men" had no scent.

"No, he'll do it." Jaser said. "Those things aren't people."

Macao and Wakaba looked at the Sand Dragon Slayer in surprised as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Jaser is right." Cana said. "Those phantom soldiers are created by Jose's shade magic. They're not human, so it won't matter if they're destroyed."

Which just meant they were still in a lot of trouble here without much of a solution.

"What the heck are phantom soldiers?" Bisca asked.

"Are you saying they're ghosts?!"Alzach added.

"Ghosts in ugly cloaks." Craylee deadpanned. "I might actually be a bit disturbed."

The two sharp-shooters sweat-dropped as they looked at the seamster. Was he being serious?

"We've got to find a way to take out that Jupitar cannon." Cana said.

"I'll smash it into pieces." Natsu said. "I've only got fifteen minutes to wreck it, right?"

Cana nodded her head, and before Natsu could run off, Jaser grabbed his shoulder.

"Natsu, Black Steel is probably in there." Jaser said. "After taking out the cannon make sure to kick his ass for the both of us. I'd do it myself, but it's best for the guild I think if I remain here to help."

Cana was a bit surprised Jaser wasn't ready to charge in because he seemed like that kind of person. Natsu just grinned as he nodded.

"You got it." He said. "I'll burn him to a crisp for sure! Now come on, Happy!"

He started running forward with Happy hurrying after him. Natsu jumped into the air with Happy catching him.

"Come on, Elfman!" Gray said as he and Elfman ran forward. "We're going to storm the place too."

Cana said her group would stay behind to protect the guildhall as those phantom soldiers got closer.

"Count me out." Rizzo said to Cana. "I'm going with them. There has to be others in the guildhall. They'll need the back up."

Cana nodded her head in understanding as she brought out her cards while ready to fight.

"I'm coming too." Craylee said as he was stitching something into the back of his vest. "Sven, Jaser, hold down the fort here with the others."

"You got, sir~" Sven said while saluting.

Jaser nodded with a grin on his face as Craylee was slipping his vest back on. He picked up Rizzo who gasped while holding her case tightly in one hand.

"We're going up." Craylee said. "Pattern Thread: Wings!"

Large white wings sprouted from Craylee's vest, which had everyone gasping in surprise. He soared up into the air carrying Rizzo as Gray and Elfman paused a moment to watch them go with their mouths agape.

"Dude, unfair!" Gray shouted. "Come back and give us some wings!"

"Yeah, Craylee!" Elfman shouted. "Be a real man and sew wings on our clothes!"

Elfman then paused wondering if he used "real man" and "sew" in the same sentence. Craylee just ignored them as he continued flying towards the guildhall. Natsu and Happy reached the guildhall first, and Craylee and Rizzo were right behind. Happy let Natsu drop down onto the cannon as Craylee continued to hold Rizzo up as he flapped his wings.

"Whoa!" Happy explained. "You've got wings too!"

He flew around Craylee to stare at his wings in awe as Craylee shook his head.

"So cool~" Happy said.

"Uh, Happy, this is the time to focus." Rizzo said chuckling.

Happy shook himself knowing that Rizzo was right. Now wasn't the time to be admiring Craylee's wings. They watched as Natsu tried to smash the cannon.

"Natsu, that isn't going to work." Craylee said. "Go inside to destroy it. It's power source is what you want."

Natsu paused while thinking it over. He then wanted to hit himself when he realized Craylee was right.

"Right!" Natsu said.

"You two go on in." Craylee said. "We'll go search for any of those Element 4. Even once you take out the cannon they'll still be a problem. Unless you need our help."

"No, you go on." Natsu said. "I'm counting on you two to take out those punks. Just be careful."

"Hmph, who do you think we are?" Craylee asked. "We'll be fine."

Natsu grinned ignoring Craylee's snarky remark as he nodded his head. Rizzo grinned as well.

"Be careful, Natsu, Happy." Rizzo called.

She waved to them as Craylee flew down towards the lower levels of the guildhall. Craylee set Rizzo down as they looked around.

"If I was a Phantom moron, where would I hide?" Rizzo murmured as she kept looking around.

"I'm guessing inside." Craylee said as he put his hands in his pockets. "Speaking of morons, where are Gray and Elfman?"

"Stop where you are!"

After hearing the voice, Craylee and Rizzo looked up to see a girl standing on top of one of the roofs. She pointed down at them with her other hand on her hip.

"I am Shelley Einstein." She said. "I am the—Kya!"

Just during her introduction she somehow managed to slip from the roof into the bushes below. Craylee and Rizzo blinked once in unison.

"So, are we going inside?" Craylee asked casually.

"Yeah, that's cool with me." Rizzo said.

They started to walk inside, but that girl hurried from the bushes to get in front of them. She had leaves in her hair, and her clothes were even more a mess, which made her look…very unintimidating.

"I said stop!" She said pointing at them. "As I was saying, I'm Shelley Einstein! I am the pupil of the great fire mage Totomaru! I might have failed in learning fire magic, but I learned a even more powerful type of magic. I am a Script mage who practices the arts of Mathematical Script Magic!"

It was silent for a moment before light snickering could be heard from Rizzo. She then busted out laughing, which had Shelley's eyes widening.

"What's so funny?!" She demanded. "Huh?"

"Your magic…is math?" Rizzo asked between laughs. "Oh, Mavis, my sides hurt!"

Even Craylee looked amused even if he was hiding it fairly well. He coughed to hide a laugh as he fought off a grin. Shelley blushed when realizing they were making fun of her.

"Hey, you shouldn't take me so lightly!" Shelley said as she started walking forward. "I—muff!"

She fell forward again into the dirt, and Rizzo stopped laughing to look down at the girl with a deadpanned expression. Craylee had a similar expression on his face.

"This girl is…pathetic." Rizzo said.

"Extremely." Craylee added. "Do we have to fight her?"

"I don't plan to." Rizzo said.

She and Craylee walked on while stepping over Shelley's fallen body as she lay there twitching on the ground.

"Teacher Totomaru…I failed you." She said with her voice muffled. "Forgive me."

"Did you hear something?" Rizzo asked as she and Craylee kept walking.

"No." He replied. "You're hearing things."

* * *

The entire building started to shake violently, which stopped Rizzo and Craylee in what they were doing.

"Looks like Natsu destroyed the cannon." Rizzo said as she stood on a pile of defeated flunkies.

Craylee, who had his foot planted on some guy's head, stuffed his hands into his pockets as he bit his needle.

"Seems like it." He said.

They then heard footsteps, so they turned their heads to see Gray and Elfman running towards them.

"So you guys finally made it, huh?" Rizzo asked. "You're so slow."

"Shut-it!" Gray snapped. "If Craylee had given us wings (Silly, Gray, Craylee doesn't give you wings. What you're thinking about is Red Bull), we would have been here sooner. I had to make an ice boat to row over here with Elfman!"

Rizzo just stuck her tongue out at Gray, which had his eyebrow twitching in annoyance.

"Anyway what are you two doing?" Gray said. "Shouldn't you be with Natsu?"

"We decided Natsu could handle the cannon." Craylee said. "We've been searching for the Element 4. All we've found is flunkies though."

He kicked the flunky under him for example, and the poor man groaned as more blood ran down his face. The place then started to shake again, which had the group frowning. The building gave a sharp jerk, which had Rizzo tumbling off the unconscious men under her feet. Gray caught her quickly as the shaking continued.

"What's going on now?" Elfman said frowning.

"Don't know." Craylee said. "However, I have a feeling we should check on Natsu…due to his motion sickness."

The three guys all sighed knowing that the Fire Dragon Slayer was probably hunched over feeling sick at the moment. Rizzo had a worried look on her face as she thought about the same thing. Gray set Rizzo down, and her guitar case returned to her back. They all then ran through the hallway while trying not to fall over. They went up a flight of stairs before coming to the room where the Jupitar cannon had once been. And luckily the building stopped moving. When they entered the room, they saw a man standing over Natsu and Happy.

"PREPARE TO DIE DRAGON SLAYER!" He shouted but then Gray started covering him in ice, and the man quickly noticed. "Hey, wait—Hey, no! What's happening to me?!"

"You're not a man." Elfman said as he grabbed the frozen guy to throw him up into the sky. "You're a backwards shooting snowflake!"

His guildmates sweat-dropped at his declaration as the man kept flying off into the sky before disappearing in a twinkle.

"Thanks, you guys." Natsu said as he lifted his head off the ground. "Oh, Rizz, Craylee, you're here too?"

"Yeah, we were beating the snot out of some Phantom punks before meeting up with Gray and Elfman." Rizzo said. "Then when this place started moving we knew you'd be down for the count, so we hurried here."

"You guys are so cool!" Happy said. "You showed that Phantom jerk who's boss!"

Rizzo chuckled smiling at Happy as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"What's your deal, Natsu?" Gray asked. "That was just sad."

"If you were a real man, you'd make the giant motion sick of you." Elfman added.

The two of them then cried out when Rizzo elbowed them both hard in their guts. They even doubled over a bit as they rubbed where she hit. Craylee lightly chuckled as the two men whined about pain.

"I'm guessing this is all that's left of the Jupitar cannon." Craylee said.

"Aye!" Happy replied.

"Then you guys did great." Rizzo said smiling.

Gray just rolled his eyes as he grumbled about violent females, which got his ear pulled harshly by Rizzo.

"Gees, cut it out!" Gray complained as he got his ear out of her grip.

Rizzo chuckled patting his head, which was an action he didn't expect. He blinked a few times, but didn't comment.

"I'm going to fly outside, and see what's going on." Happy said.

He flew up into the air as the others stood there waiting for the little blue cat's return. When he did come back it wasn't with happy news.

"The giant is drawing a magic circle!" Happy said urgently. "It's for an Abyss Break!"

The group's blood ran cold while knowing that a giant Abyss Break circle could wipe out the entire town.

"We're doomed." Happy said.

Rizzo had to admit that things did look a bit bleak at the moment. Okay, way more than just "a bit" bleak. More like, everything's going to hell.

"What do we do?!" Natsu demanded. "We've got to stop them."

"I guess we split up, and start looking for this thing's power source, right?" Gray suggested.

"That'd be the best plan of action." Craylee agreed. "Along with being a pain."

"Man, are we ever going to catch a break?" Elfman complained.

"Probably not." Rizzo said with a sigh. "It's like the curse of Fairy Tail that everything has to be hard and difficult on the mages."

The guys sighed knowing she was most likely right. It was like every trial they faced had to be overly complicated.

"But at least we get stronger with every trial we pass." Rizzo said with a small grin.

This brought grins to the others as they nodded their heads, and they knew with their strength would get them through this.

"Come on, let's do this thing, guys!" Natsu said.

"Yeah!"


	22. Rain Women, Clowns, and Klutzs, OH MY!

Rizzo ran through the inside of the giant trying to find a power source or even someone who'd know how to stop the giant. Rizzo was about to go up another set of stairs, but she paused when she saw that weird girl from earlier.

"So, we meet again!" Shelley says all dramatically as she looked at Rizzo from the top of the stairs. "Prepare yourself! For I—Ack!"

Rizzo watched with a deadpanned expression as Shelley tripped...once again. She started falling forwards, and Rizzo's eyes widened since a fall on the stairs could really hurt the clumsy girl. Rizzo hurried forward to catch her, but somehow ended up getting pulled down the stairs as well. They rolled to the bottom, and Rizzo laid there with her eyebrow twitching. She shoved the girl off of her then stood.

"No one...is going to know about that." She said to herself.

She shook her head then started back up the stairs as she wondered if the others were lucking out more than her.

* * *

As it started raining, Craylee climbed out from one of the windows up onto the side of the building that was turned due to the giant's transformation. He blinked looking up at the sky as the rain fell.

"When did this start up?" He asked with a frown.

He really hated the rain. It only brought back those memories that he'd rather forget.

"Drip, drip, drop."

Craylee turned around seeing a woman wearing all blue walking forward. She had blue hair and eyes as well, and she was holding an umbrella over her head. He narrowed his eyes at her as he put his hands into his pockets.

"Hello, my name is Juvia." She said. "And Juvia is the rain woman of the Element 4. Drip, drip, drop."

Craylee frowned getting a bad feeling about this woman. He nibbled on the needle in this mouth thoughtfully.

"One of the Element 4, huh?" Craylee murmured. "I bet you'd know how to stop the giant."

And if he had to beat the information out of her, he'd do it in a heartbeat because he wasn't a merciful man.

"Juvia must say that Juvia is impressed your guild was able to strike down two of the elements." Juvia said. "However, you must not underestimate the remaining two."

Craylee's frowned deepened as he looked at Juvia. Did she expect him not to fight? Or expect him to be intimidated?

"If it's a fight you are looking for, it's a fight I will give you." Craylee said. "However, you should know that I have no qualms against fighting women."

It was silent for a moment as Juvia and Craylee had a small stare off as the rain continued to fall.

"Well then…Juvia gives up." She said as she turned around abruptly. "You win. Goodbye."

Craylee's head tilted in confusion as she started walking away. He sighed wondering why he had to run into the strangest people.

"Excuse me, but I need to know how to stop the giant." Craylee said as he ran after her. "Please, tell me if you know how."

Juvia didn't reply as she kept walking with her hand placed over her chest as her heart thumped loudly.

"There must be something wrong with Juvia." She said to herself. "Why is my heart beating so fast?"

"Miss, please wait." Craylee said. "I need to know how to stop the giant."

Juvia paused during her walk to glance back at Craylee who was closing in on her.

"Juvia has this strong urge to make him mine." Juvia said. "Juvia just can't help herself anymore. Water Lock!"

She turned around to lock Craylee in a sphere of water. However, he was suddenly gone, which had her eyes widening.

"Was that supposed to be a sneak attack?"

Juvia whirled around to see Craylee standing there with his brow quirked and hands stuffed in his pockets. She blushed at how close he was as he looked down at her as he tilted his head…which made him look so…handsome! Juvia had to take a few steps back as her heart pounded in her chest. She couldn't believe how quickly he moved. Was speed his magic? Or perhaps teleportation? He was so mysterious, which just made him more attractive. His mysterious aura and her gloom were like the perfect match.

"You shouldn't space out in a fight." Craylee said as he was suddenly behind Juvia again. "It could end up being a fatal mistake."

Juvia gasped when seeing there was some kind of thread wrapped around her. Some of it was even stitched into her own clothes.

"Iron Thread: a thousand blades." He said.

The thread turned into swords that stabbed into Juvia multiple times, and Craylee frowned as he turned around.

"Hmm, I probably shouldn't have used that attack." Craylee said. "How can I get answers out of her if she's shredded into pieces?"

"That was an impressive attack."

Craylee blinked before turning around to see that even if pieces of her were missing she was still alive. He could see her body moving like water as it was repairing itself.

"Juvia's body is made entirely of water." She explained. "Surprised? Drip, drip, drop."

Craylee frowned because this meant this fight was just going to be annoying. If he can't use physical attacks then he'll have to come up with something else.

"Yes, Juvia musn't forget." She said. "My love is also my enemy. We're on opposite sides of this war. Juvia has no choice but to attack."

Craylee blinked once…did he hear her right? She didn't just say "my love" did she? He shook his head knowing he couldn't get distracted. Juvia raised her hand to face it towards Craylee.

"It seems this is farewell, my prince." Juvia said. "Water Slicer!"

She sent three blade like streams of water towards Craylee, and he had to duck down to avoid it. He looked back to watch the attack as it sliced through the stone above.

"Hmm, you turned up the pressure of your water to make it stronger." Craylee said. "Impressive."

Juvia blushed at the compliment as Craylee stood back up from where he had been knelt on the ground.

"Now, what am I going to do with you?" Craylee asked as he ran his hand through his hair. "Physical attacks seem pointless."

"Yes, you are right." Juvia said. "No matter what you do you cannot beat Juvia."

Craylee frowned because he didn't like people underestimating him. It irked him to no end.

"But there is one way that your guild may be spared." Juvia said. "All we ask is that you hand over Lucy Heartfilia-san. Do that, and I will ask our master to call off his attack on Fairy Tail."

Craylee knew that Jose wouldn't stop even if he got Lucy. This fight was obviously more personal for him. Besides…

-FLASHBACK-

 _Craylee sat at a table by himself as the rest of the guild partied. He wasn't much for loud parties. He was more content watching others have fun._

 _"Hey."_

 _Craylee tilted his head back see Lucy standing behind him with a smile on her face._

 _"Can I sit with you?" Lucy asked._

 _Craylee nodded his head while gesturing for her to have a seat. Lucy's smile widened as she took the seat in front of him._

 _"Are you okay?" She asked. "You've been really quiet."_

 _"Yeah," Craylee said. "I just don't get into things like this. Besides, the less crazy I'm around the better."_

 _He gestured to the partying mages with a frown on his face, and Lucy laughed lightly as she saw Vijeeter and Rizzo dancing with everyone cheering them on. Cana was out drinking everyone as Elfman and Jaser were having an arm wrestling match with Natsu watching intently while demanding to go next. Sven was surrounded by most of the ladies of Fairy Tail, and everyone else was being as wild as ever. Breccan was calmer than the others, but he was still in the middle of it all as he spoke with Wakaba and Macao._

 _"Yeah, it's something to get used to." Lucy said looking back at Craylee. "I'm sure you'll find a home here though like I have. Everyone here is like family."_

 _Craylee blinked at her before a rare smile pulled across his face, which surprised Lucy._

 _"Yeah, I can see that." He said._

-END OF FLASHBACK-

"Hmph, you should really watch what you say." Craylee said. "You and I know there is no going back from here. Besides, there's no way in hell I would ever turn over Lucy because she is of Fairy Tail such as myself. I'd die before I'd allow that to happen."

Juvia's eyes widened as she realized something horrifying. Lucy…Heartfilia…is her love rival! She cried out in pain as she dropped her umbrella. Craylee frowned wondering what was up with her.

"Oh, the pain!" She cried. "How could fate be so cruel? My heart feels like it has been shred into bits. It hurts! It hurts."

Craylee felt his eyebrow twitch as he wondered why fate was cruel indeed. It seemed as if he was always stuck crossing paths with annoying people, or people who have a few screws loose.

"Miss, what's wrong?" Craylee asked not keeping his exasperation out of his voice. "Are you in need of medical attention?"

Juvia stopped withering in pain to look up with a…disturbing expression on her face.

"She's not worthy of my prince." Juvia whispered then exploded in anger. "Lucy Heartfilia cannot be allowed to live!"

Craylee had a deadpanned expression his face as he contemplated just walking away. However, before he could he was blasted by scalding water. He hissed when the water burned his skin a bit. Now he was even more wet that before too. He should have worn water proof clothes today.

"That really burnt." He said frowning as he looked to Juvia. "What's with this sudden anger? Why are you so upset with Lucy?"

The only answer he got was Juvia blasting more scalding water at him. He "tch"ed in annoyance before dodging the attack. He had to summersault away when the water curved to hit him again.

"Much faster than I thought it'd be." Craylee said as he dodged again. "I'm fast, but I don't know if even I can keep up with this."

When he landed back on the ground, his eyes widened when he slid across the ground due to the water. He went close to the edge, but managed to catch himself. He frowned at how disgraceful that was. Slipping on water. How embarrassing.

"Ever since the day Juvia was born, Juvia has been followed by the rain." Juvia said as she walked forward. "It gives me strength. It makes me invincible."

She raised her hand with a magic circle forming, and above that was what looked like steaming water. Craylee frowned knowing what was to come next would not be pleasant.

"Prepare to be scalded by my jealous rage!" She shouted.

She started firing hot water at him, and he had to start dodging backwards to avoid it.

"Would you care to explain what you're so jealous of?" Craylee asked as he continued dodging.

The water then went to come down on him. He cursed while reaching inside his inner vest pocket, which he had sewed with Infinity Thread, which makes the pocket much deeper than it appears. He pulled out a gray fabric that he had reinforced with his iron thread.

"Iron Thread: Shield!" He shouted.

He held it up in front of him with it forming an actual shield in from of him. He hissed when the metal started to burn his hand as it was heated up due to the water.

"This water is hot." He complained. "I won't be able to hold on to this for long!"

"Juvia told you that Juvia is at her most powerful in the rain." Juvia said as she continued on attacking. "You'll never be able to defeat me."

Craylee sighed knowing he was just wasting his time on this woman. He needed to find a way to stop Jupitar. He thread new thread into his needle before sewing something into his shield.

"Pattern Thread: Smoke Bomb." He said.

The smoke bomb exploded creating him a cover, so he slipped through the whole in the window. Once the smoke cleared Juvia stepped towards the window.

"He's not just handsome…he's resourceful." She said then blushed. "Juvia really is in love!"

Craylee, who was inside, ran in the opposite direction of Juvia knowing he didn't have any more time to waste on her. However, Juvia didn't seem to want to let him go since the hallway filled with scalding water. He hissed in pain as the water burned his skin. He was then shot out of the hallway back into the air outside.

"It's all over now!" Juvia said shooting up water at Craylee.

"I am getting tired of you thinking you have me beaten!" Craylee said as he pulled out another fabric.

It was reinforced with his binding thread and after adding the iron thread real quick he was able to make it a shield. Juvia's eyes widened as he put the shield out in front of him. He started getting closer and closer to her as he started to fall towards the ground. When he was just above her, the cloth changed back, and he quickly wrapped her up in it.

"Looks like I—What the?" Craylee asked with wide eyes.

He looked at his handy work to see that while he had ended up binding Juvia into the cloth…he had gotten his hand stuck in as well…and what he was holding…felt really soft and plump. Juvia blushed when feeling his hand on her breast.

"Ahem, excuse me." Craylee said while feeling his own cheeks heat up a bit. "I assure you that I am not trying to take advantage of you. Please, forgive me!"

He quickly undid the fabric to unbind Juvia who fell to the ground on her knees. Craylee cleared his throat as adjusted his tie. He can't believe he lost his cool there for a moment. This was all getting ridiculous and embarrassing. He was a professional seamster mage. Professionals don't act like that! They don't go groping people. As he was having this mental battle, his face remained impassive. Juvia looked up at him surprise that he had let her go. She felt herself fall even more in love with him right then.

"How about we start over?" He suggested while wanting to forget what just happened.

"Let's not." Juvia said as she stood. "Honestly, Juvia doesn't want to hurt you, so there's no point in us fighting anymore."

Craylee frowned wondering what was with this woman. She had some major mood swings. He's never had anyone confuse him so much.

"Are you trying to say you cannot beat me?" Craylee said.

"You know…Juvia is much stronger than Lucy." Juvia said. "If you would let Juvia…Juvia would be happy to protect you."

"No." Craylee shot down immediately. "I don't need protection. I protect others. They don't protect me."

Juvia's eyes widened as she blushed. He was just a strong man. He didn't hide behind anyone. He let others hide behind him. It was…amazing. Craylee then frowned as the rain started to pour even harder. He lifted his eyes up to the sky with a glare on his face. He really hated the rain…it was raining on _that_ day…this rain only reminded him of it.

 _"Craylee, my darling boy, you understand why Mother is doing this, don't you? Mother needs to do this to become stronger. Don't worry. Your mother will protect you once all this is over. Just hold still. This will only hurt for a moment. "_

One of Craylee's hands clenched into a fist as his other hand reached up to cover his sightless eye.

"This rain." He said getting Juvia's eyes to snap back to him. "It seems to just be getting harder…I hate it…it's so gloomy."

Juvia's eyes widened as she fell to her knees, which had Craylee turning back to face her.

"What is it now?" He asked.

Juvia just looked down at the wet ground as what felt like a million emotions rushing through her. She then got back onto her feet.

"How can you be so cruel?!" She demanded as steaming hot water shot off of her.

Craylee frowned really not wanting to go through this again. Juvia hit him with water that felt much hotter than the last batch of water that hit him. He tried to remain on his footing as he thought of what to do.

"Juvia is through with love!" Juvia shouted. "And Juvia is through with you!"

Craylee shouted out in surprise as he was knocked off his feet to hit the wall behind him. He grunted in pain as he hit it hard.

"Juvia spent her entire life as a gloomy rain woman!" Juvia shouted.

Craylee lightly frowned. So…the rain makes her upset just as much as himself? To be followed by it…had to be painful for her. He then narrowed his eyes knowing what he had to do.

"But Phantom Lord welcomed Juvia with open arms. Juvia is one of the Element 4! A proud Phantom Lord mage!" Juvia declared.

She finally stopped her attack, and Craylee silently got back onto his feet. Juvia started rushing at him as he used more of his iron thread laced fabric to form a shield.

"How can you be proud to be with scum like them?!" Craylee demanded. "Your guild will be defeated even if I have to take you all out myself! Pattern Thread: Wings!"

The wings he had stitched onto his vest earlier appeared, and he flew up into the air. Juvia looked up in surprise as he brought out another fabric that was laced with his Parasite Thread.

"Parasite Thread: Absorption." He said.

He cast the fabric up into the air, and Juvia watched in awe as the fabric soaked up the rain and even the clouds. The more it absorbed the bigger the fabric became. As she was distracted by that, Craylee had pulled out a white fabric while stitching a pattern into it.

"Pattern Thread: Big Bomb." He said.

A large bomb fell from the fabric, and it fell close to Juvia. The explosion from it sent Juvia flying off the side of the building. She started falling towards the ocean while ready to accept her fate. She knew this was the perfect way to end for her…Juvia the gloomy rain woman falling to the ground as a raindrop. However, before she fell too far, she was caught into strong arms. Her eyes snapped open in surprise to look up at Craylee as his wings had him soaring back up towards the giant. He landed on the solid surface before setting her down. The wings then disappeared from his back.

"You…why did you save Juvia?" She asked.

"Felt like it." He said simply. "Now quiet down and get some rest."

Juvia kept staring at him in awe as he looked at his soaked clothes with distain. He loosened his tie before completely pulling it off. Juvia was then blinded by some light, and when her eyes finally adjusted she saw blue skies and a bright yellow sun.

"Finally." Craylee said as he looked up at the sky. "The sun decided to make an appearance. Hmph, took it long enough."

"The blue sky…Juvia has never seen it before." Juvia said.

"Figured." Craylee said as he was now unbuttoning his vest. "Don't worry you'll be seeing it from now on. I cleared away the clouds."

Juvia looked at him while feeling tears of gratitude in her eyes. He really did clear away the rain. Not only here…but the rain in her heart as well (so corny XD). She sniffled as she looked back at the sky for a moment. She turned her head back to Craylee, and her eyes widened when seeing he had peeled off his white shirt and vest to reveal his slim and attractive torso. She let out a surprised squeal before fainting right then.

"What the hell is up with her now?" Craylee asked frowning.

He then heard his name being shouted, so he lifted his head to see Mirajane and Elfman running his way.

"Mirajane, when did you get here?" Craylee asked.

* * *

"Damn, there's still no sign of a power source!" Rizzo said. "Not to mention I haven't found anyone's ass to kick!"

Rizzo sighed as she looked around trying to wonder how to even get out of this place.

"Wait, Rizzo Sweeney!"

Rizzo sighed turning her head to see that Shelley had managed to find her… _again_. It was probably the thirteenth time they've run into each other.

"You're persistent." Rizzo said. "I'll give you that. But the question is why?"

"I can't let Master Totomaru down!" Shelley said. "When I was young, all I wanted was to be a great mage. Master Totomaru was well known all throughout my town even though he was so young. I went to him for help. He took me under his wing after I begged to be taught from my knees. I was so elated the day he became my teacher. However…I soon learned that I was unable to do fire magic…Master Totomaru could have dumped me as his pupil, but he didn't turn his back on me. He helped me until I could found a magic I could master! That's why I continue to fight, so not to shame Master Totomaru!"

Rizzo frowned while scratching the back of her head. Man, if Totomaru is who she thinks he is…then Shelley isn't going to be happy with what Rizzo has to say.

"Totomaru?" Rizzo asked. "Is he the mage with the white-and-black hair?"

"Yes!" Shelley said while smiling brightly. "You've met Master Totomaru?"

Rizzo sighed while feeling almost bad. She was in quite the awkward position.

"Um, briefly." Rizzo said. "The last time I saw him, he was flying off to disappear into the sky."

Shelley's eyes widened, and it was silent for a moment before she fell to her knees with large tears rolling down her cheeks.

"No!" Shelley cried. "There's no way Master Totomaru would have lost! How can this be?"

She continued crying her eyes out as Rizzo stood there uncomfortably. How was she supposed to deal with this? She sighed wondering if she could just sneak away. After taking her first step, she heard Shelley call out to her. She sighed once more while turning around to see Shelley standing.

"I really can't give up now." Shelley said. "I have…I have to win this for Master Totomaru! Now get ready to face my power. Mathematical Script: 2—Kyah!"

Rizzo sweat-dropped as Shelley managed to fall while remaining completely still. Shelley hit her head, which resulted in herself being knocked out.

"…can this even be counted as a victory?" Rizzo asked frowning. "…No, I'm just going to pretend I never even met this girl. Yeah, that's what I'm going to do."

Rizzo hurried away while even more determined to find some kind of power source of some sort. She hoped the others were faring better than her.

"Hmm, I sense that some of the fighting has quietened down."

"KYA!" Rizzo screamed while jumping at the sudden voice that came from beside her.

She turned to the right seeing that Raoul was standing there. He grinned apologetically as he scratched the back of his head.

"Sorry about that, my dear." He said.

Rizzo just took a few deep breaths as her heart returned to its normal beating rate. She shook her head as she looked to her ancestor.

"Master Raoul, what are you doing here?" Rizzo asked.

"What did I tell you about addressing me so formally?" Raoul asked with a small pout. "And I just want to stretch my legs a bit. I'm finally able to move outside of another person's own mind. It's a nice change of pace."

Rizzo sighed though she could understand what he was saying. Honestly, she would have went nuts years ago if she was trapped in another person's body.

"You have any idea where this thing's power source is?" Rizzo said.

"Nope!" Raoul said while grinning. "I'm not all knowing after all."

Rizzo sighed once more while figuring that was the case. She shook her head guessing she'd just have to keep looking.

"Well, let's go." Rizzo said. "We've got things to do."

* * *

Gray frowned as he looked around the hallway he found himself in. He couldn't believe that he still hasn't found the stupid power source. He felt completely useless. A door at the end of the hallway suddenly caught his attention. He tilted his head then went towards the door. He paused a moment with his hand on the handle. He shook his head wondering why he was hesitating before he opened the door.

"What the hell?" He asked looking around the room.

The room was much larger than he thought it should have been, and it looked like a small carnival inside. There was even a small Ferris wheel. Food vendors, gaming booths, and much more.

"Shishishishi."

Gray stiffened when he heard the creepy laugh coming from above. He snapped his head up seeing some clown man riding the Ferris wheel. The Ferris wheel came to the bottom and the clown stepped off. He grinned a Gray with his sharp teeth on display.

"Dude, you are creepy." Gray said frowning. "Who the hell are you?"

The clown blinked before putting his hands together with magic collecting between his palms. Gray got ready for an attack as he put his own hands together. However, the clown didn't attack. He opened his palms with…balloons?...appearing between his hands. The balloons were twisted to form words, and Gray tilted his head as he read what the balloons spelt.

"Penny Wise." Gray said. "Your name is Penny Wise?"

Penny nodded his head as he honked his nose, which had Gray giving him a deadpanned expression.

"And…you use maker magic?" Gray asked.

Penny nodded his head again while doing that creepy laugh of his, which had Gray on edge. Penny put his hands together again, and this time he made a large balloon animal in the shape of an elephant. He clapped his hands at his own handy work as Gray frowned. He didn't have time to deal with this fruit loop.

"I'm out of here." Gray said. "I don't have time to waste with you."

He turned around to leave, but the balloon elephant blocked his path. Gray growled in annoyance before bringing his hands together.

"Ice-Make: Lance!" Gray shouted.

The ice like arrows shot forward to pierce the balloon animal, which immediately went pop. Gray shook his head at how weak that was. He was about to leave again, but a large spike in Penny's magic had him pausing. He slowly turned around with his eyes widening when he saw the dark aura surrounding the clown. His red eyes glowed murderously and his smile turned sinister. Gray actually gulped as the clown put his hands together. He made about a dozen snapping alligators.

"Is this supposed to scare me?" Gray asked. "What are balloon alligators going to do? It's not like their teeth are sharp enough to hurt me."

He was proven wrong when one of those gators chopped down on his ankle. Gray cried out feeling immense pain in his ankle as blood started to stain the bottom of his pants.

"Ice-Make: Lance!" Gray said while casting the same spell.

All the alligators were popped by his ice, and he hissed in pain as he knelt down to check on his ankle. He lifted his pants leg to see deep bite marks in his leg. How the hell did a balloon manage to cause that kind of damage? He then glared up at Penny as the clown laughed. He put his hands together again, and this time he made a pack of balloon wolves.

"You've got to be kidding me." Gray said frowning.

The wolves jumped at Gray, but he formed an ice shield in front of him to prevent them from reaching him. One managed to get around, and it jumped Gray. Gray grunted when he was shoved to the ground. The wolf bit into his shoulder making him hiss in pain. He quickly formed an ice sword in his hand to pop the balloon wolf. He sliced up the other ones to ribbons as he stood back up onto his feet.

"Damn, you're tougher than you look." Gray said glaring at Penny. "But don't think you'll be winning this."

"Shishishishi." Penny just laughed.

He then made himself a balloon sword, and he held it out in front of him in a challenging manner.

"You want to fight with swords, huh?" Gray asked. "Fine. My skills in swordsmanship are nowhere close to the swordsmanship that Erza has, but it'll be enough to defeat you."

It was silent for a moment before the two of them jumped forward. Their swords clashed together, and surprisingly, Penny's balloon sword didn't pop immediately. Gray frowned then pushed hard against Penny's sword to try and send him backwards. They continued trying to take swipes at each other, but neither of them landed a hit on the other. Penny finally managed to make a small cut across Gray's chest, which had Gray hissing in pain.

"Stupid clown." Gray complained then took off his shirt. "You're really getting on my last nerve."

"Shishi." Penny just laughed then honked his nose.

"Cut that out. It's annoying!" Gray shouted as he crushed the sword in his hand.

He put his hands together to create an Ice-Make Hammer to try and crush Penny. However the clown was able to dodge out of the way in time. Gray growled really getting annoyed by this bastard. Gray tried shooting more ice at Penny, but the clown managed to dodge every time Gray tried to attack. Penny then retaliated by sending a barrage of balloon bats. They circled around Gray then swarmed him. He held his arms in front of his face to protect it as the balloon bats ripped into him. He let out a yell as ice shot out from him at all angles to pop the balloon bats. He stood there panting as Penny laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." Gray said frowning. "Gees, how am I going to beat this guy?"

The door suddenly exploded off its hinges, which had him and Penny turning to see who it was. Gray's eyes widened when he saw it was Rizzo.

"Ah-ha!" She exclaimed pointing at Gray. "I thought I heard you, Gray! Finally! I thought I was going to be lost in this damn place alone forever!"

Gray sighed wondering why Rizzo couldn't have just opened the door like a normal person. Rizzo, who had been searching forever for someone from her guild, was glad to have finally done so. Raoul had had to return to her mind since he couldn't hold his form on the outside any longer, and Rizzo started to feel lonely. But now she found Gray. Even if it was him, she was just glad to have found someone.

"Rizzo, have you found this thing's power source yet?" Gray asked her.

"No, but I managed to find myself outside earlier, and noticed that the giant was drawing the circle really sluggishly now." Rizzo said. "Something has slowed it down."

Gray was glad to hear that. Maybe they still had a chance to beat Phantom and protect their guild and the town. Rizzo screaming then caught his attention. He was about to ask her what was wrong, but he suddenly she was clinging to him from behind.

"Wha—Rizzo's what's wrong?" He asked cranking his head back to look over his shoulder at her.

Rizzo peeked up from where she had had her face hidden against his back to look up at him.

"C-clown." She stuttered.

He blinked before looking back to Penny who was laughing that laugh of his as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"Rizzo, are you afraid of clowns?" Gray asked.

"Mm-hmm." She muttered while holding onto Gray even tighter.

Her hands clenched into fists on his chest as she pressed herself more into his back as if for comfort. Normally Gray probably would have teased her about this fear, but even he had to admit this clown was pretty damn creepy. Besides, he didn't have time to tease Rizzo. He had to take this guy out. Gray had sworn to make Phantom pay not only for what they did to the guild, but for making Rizzo shed tears. Gray reached up to grasp Rizzo's small clenched fists with his larger hand.

"Don't worry, Rizzo." Gray said while giving her hand a comforting squeeze. "I'll have this guy taken care off in a few seconds, I promise. I won't let him near you, so don't be afraid because I'll always protect you."

Rizzo pulled her face away from Gray's back to look up at him. She saw a small grin on his face as she looked at his profile from behind. She felt reassured by his words, which had her loosening her grip on him. Gray gave her hands a final squeeze before stepping away from her to face Penny.

"Okay, Clown, it's time we end this." Gray said. "I've wasted enough time on you."

Penny just tilted his head as he put his two hands together. Gray put his hands together as well while ready for the attack. Penny created a large balloon clown, which had Rizzo cringing at the sight. Gray narrowed his eyes at it while knowing what attack he'd use.

"Ice-Make: Saucer!" Gray shouted.

The ice disc with the sharp edges shot forward to rip through the balloon clown with ease. It kept going to hit Penny straight on. It sent the clown flying before he crashed into the Ferris wheel. Penny fell to the ground with the Ferris wheel falling on top of him. Gray looked back at Rizzo with a grin on his face.

"Heh, told you that I'd beat him." Gray said.

"Yeah." Rizzo said smiling.

"Gray, Rizzo!"

The two of them turned seeing Mirajane, Elfman, and Craylee hurrying their way.

"Mira?" Rizzo and Gray asked in unison.

The three stopped in front of Rizzo and Gray while looking a bit out of breath.

"What's up?" Rizzo asked.

"We know how to stop the Abyss Break." Mirajane said.


	23. Phantom Falls

"So, if we take out Aria, the giant will be defeated." Rizzo summed up as she was running with the others as they searched for Aria.

"Exactly." Mirajane said. "Then after Aria we still have to worry about Jose."

Rizzo frowned knowing none of them had any power even close enough to compete with Jose. Not even on their best day, and none of them were having a good day. Besides Mirajane, Rizzo was in the best shape compared to the others. However, she wouldn't be able to do much. Probably won't be able to even slow him down. This all was really, really looking bleak. She wondered if there was a way for her to combine her power with Raoul again. If she did that…maybe she could hold out until some miracle happened to finish off Jose.

 _"We could become one again, but you have to remember that it will be hazardous for you."_ Raoul's voice appeared in her mind. _"Knowing you like I do, I'm sure the risk won't seem like much to you. But remember how your guildmates would react if you were to do something so dangerous."_

Rizzo's frowned deepened known exactly how they'd react. However, if risking her life meant saving not only Fairy Tail but Magnolia as well, she'd do it in a heartbeat.

 _'If that is what you wish, I will help in any way I can."_ Raoul said. _'However, I will leave you in control of your body as I supply my power, and you must promise not to use any of those techniques that I have started to teach you. You a clearly not ready for them.'_

Rizzo subtly nodded her head as she continued moving along down the hallway with her hands. When the giant started to shake the group came to a stop. Rizzo frowned hoping that shaking didn't mean the giant was ready to fire. Rizzo stumbled a bit with Craylee, who had all his clothes back on, steadying her quickly.

"Now what?" Elfman asked.

"Natsu must have beaten the last one." Gray said.

Rizzo let out a sigh of relief before exchanging a smile with Craylee who was also relieved. Though he'd never admit that he was truly worried in the first place.

"Yes, we did it!" Mirajane exclaimed. "We stopped the Abyss Break spell from being cast!"

"Cause we're awesome!" Elfman said.

He held up his hand to Rizzo, and even if she had to jump, she gave him a high five as she grinned.

"Heh, you know it!" Gray said cockily.

Craylee just shook his head at his companions though he could understand why they were so happy.

"All members of the Element 4 have been defeated!" Mirajane said.

"Yes, that's all well and good, but we still have work to do." Craylee said with a small frown. "As long as Jose is still standing our guild is still threatened."

The others all frowned knowing he was right, which meant they still needed to be moving.

"Then let's go." Gray said. "We need to find Natsu and Happy before Jose does."

The others nodded before they started going down the hallway again in hopes of reaching Natsu. They hadn't gotten too far before hearing Jose's voice.

 _"Attention, you pathetic Fairy Tail worms,"_ He began. _"Listen carefully because I'll only say this once."_

They all then heard someone screaming, Rizzo's blood ran cold since she recognized it immediately.

"I know that scream." Elfman said.

"Lucy." Gray said frowning.

"Oh no," Mirajane murmured.

Craylee grit his teeth together as his hands clenched into fists. He can't believe that Jose got his hands on Lucy.

 _"We have captured your precious Lucy Heartfilia."_ Jose continued. _"Which means our first order of business is out of the way. That just leaves us with one more thing…my favorite part. Wiping all of you miserable brats right off the face of the earth."_

Rizzo stood there with her body shaking due to her rage. If Jose thought he was going to get away with this, he was dead wrong. He would not get away for harming Lucy…for leading to Makarov's current condition…for hurting their guildmates. She'd get him for sure.

"Let's go." Rizzo said. "This isn't over by a long shot."

She took off running with the others following behind her as quickly as possible. Gray looked at Rizzo seeing how much anger burned in her eyes. He knew that she would do anything now to end this, which worried him. He really hoped she didn't try anything stupid. Rizzo and the others continued going farther up the giant until they came to a large open room. It seemed as if a battle had occurred, and Rizzo's eyes widened when she saw Erza propped up against a pillar looking worse for wear.

"Ezra!" Mirajane exclaimed in surprise.

Craylee moved to kneel beside her since he was probably the only one here that knew basic medical magic.

"Is she okay?" Gray asked.

Craylee didn't answer at first as he placed his hand on Erza's shoulder, which had her waking. She opened her eyes to look at Craylee then the others.

"It's you." Erza said.

"If you haven't noticed Erza then let me tell you that you're very injured at the moment." Craylee deadpanned. "That means you shouldn't be here."

Erza lightly chuckled at Craylee's blunt tone as Rizzo leaned over from behind him to get a look at her.

"Yeah, you're looking pretty shabby right now, Erza." Rizzo said. "It's pathetic really."

Erza just grinned, which had Rizzo lightly rolling her eyes. Honestly, she was glad the redhead was alright, but it wasn't like she'd ever admit that out loud.

"Whoa!" Elfman exclaimed.

The others looked to see what had caught his attention, and they saw Aria laying on the ground defeated.

"That's Aria!" Mirajane said.

"You got shot by that cannon and still fought this guy?" Elfman asked.

"What were you thinking?" Gray demanded.

"Obviously she wasn't." Rizzo said.

"And speaking of people who sometimes forget to think, is Breccan up and about?" Craylee asked.

Rizzo bit her lip in worry while wondering the same thing. Was Breccan doing better? Was he out there right now fighting?

"I must admit, I never wanted anyone to see me in such a wretched state." Erza said smiling. "I guess I've still got a lot to learn. And Breccan is fine. He's helping the guild fight off the Phantom soldiers as we speak."

Craylee sighed while not all that surprised. His adopted siblings really liked to push it too far sometimes (completely guilty of it himself, but won't admit to it.). Suddenly the room seemed to fill with this suffocating darkness that had everyone on alert. Gray moved in closer to Rizzo as Craylee stood up on his feet with a frown on his features.

"What the?" Gray muttered.

"What is this?" Mirajane asked.

"I sense death." Erza said.

Rizzo quickly had her guitar case move from her back to float behind her at the ready. This feeling was giving her the creeps, and she didn't want to be caught completely off guard.

"I don't like this feeling." Gray said.

"Whoa, I'm super manly, and it gives me chills." Elfman said.

Gray moved even closer to Rizzo to the point where his back was pressed against her chest.

"Whatever it is it's pure evil." Mirajane said.

Rizzo had to agree with her there. This feeling…it was almost as dark as the aura rolling off of Caspian before his death. When someone started clapping, they all whirled around to see Jose who was most definitely the cause to this horrible feeling.

"Bravo." He said. "You're all quite keen. Very impressive, Fairy Tail mages. I knew this would be fun, but in my wildest dreams did I think it'd be this entertaining. You annihilated the Jupiter cannon, defeated my bodyguard, disposed of my elite Element 4, and you even managed to bring my magic giant to its knees."

Rizzo narrowed her eyes at the man before them as he looked at them with a sinister twinkle in his eyes.

"Master Jose." Erza said.

"This creep?" Elfman asked.

"He's Phantom's master?" Gray questioned.

"Well, if it's not him then I'd hate to see how the real master is." Craylee quipped.

Gray frowned at the seamster since now wasn't the time to be joking around like that.

"It's like a black cloud is hanging over him." Mirajane as she covered her mouth. "I feel sick just being near him."

"Thank-you." Jose continued from where he had left off. "You've been so kind to entertain me. I simply must return the favor."

Gray and Elfman immediately stepped in front of the girls as Craylee stood off to the side. They all knew very well they were no match for Jose, but it wasn't like they could just lie down and take what he was about to dish out.

"Ready?" Gray asked Elfman.

"You bet." Elfman said.

Rizzo frowned knowing this was the time to start trying to merge her magic with Raoul's magic. She started feeling something stir inside of her as Jose grinned darkly.

"I'll return it in full." Jose said.

As Elfman, Craylee, and Gray got ready to attack Rizzo felt something pulse within her. Erza and Mirajane picked it up as well as they looked towards the pinkette with wide eyes. The boys went forward to attack, but were easily knocked down. The magic in Rizzo pulsed faster as it speed up.

"Elfman, Gray, Craylee!" Mirajane called out.

Jose then used some kind of explosive power to knock everyone back. Rizzo remained on her feet as the others were sent flying. The pulsing then finished as Rizzo's eyes opened to reveal sharp turquoise eyes.

 **"Enough."** Rizzo spoke with her voice overlapping with Roaul's own voice.

Jose turned towards Rizzo as she stepped forward with the magic whirling around her to pick up her hair and stirring the fabric of her clothes.

"Oh?" Jose said. "You're Rizzo Sweeney, aren't you? You have quite the reputation for being destructive. I've also heard a few rumors about you lately, my dear."

Rizzo just continued to glare at him as her friends picked their heads off the ground. Gray looked at Rizzo with wide eyes when feeling the sudden difference in her power.

"Have you come to defeat me?" Jose said. "You're not even an S-Class mage. There is no way you can even compare to my power."

 **"I don't fight alone."** Rizzo said as she raised her hand.

Her guitar came flying out of her guitar case, and it landed in her outstretched hand. Jose's brow quirked when he noticed how much power was pouring out of her body so suddenly.

 **"How about I give you a taste of your own medicine by showing you what kind of ghouls I have at my own disposal?"** Rizzo asked.

Rizzo started playing lowly on her guitar at first before she slammed down on the strings.

 **"Song of Nightmares."** She said.

She played on the strings bringing out this dark and foreboding song that was fast paced and suspenseful. Ghouls and ghosts appeared and they started to circle Jose. They started to attack, and Jose immediately started to shoot them down with his own magic. However, the more he shot down the more seemed to appear. He was soon being swarmed by them as Rizzo continued playing her guitar. The others all watched in shock as Rizzo's magic seemed to become more powerful.

"Whoa, I had no idea Rizzo was so manly." Elfman said.

"It's because she and Master Raoul have combined their power." Craylee said frowning. "Since Master Raoul is connected to Rizzo he can share his power with her. It gives her the level of magic as an S-class, but it's only for a brief moment since Rizzo's body can't handle all that magic coursing through it. If she took the time to develop the power then her body would grow with the power she is gaining."

"But she's shoving so much into her body at once that it can't catch up." Mirajane concluded when she understood what Craylee was saying.

Craylee nodded his head as the song of nightmares continued through the room with it making the entire place turn dark and eerie. Gray grit his teeth as he watched Rizzo carefully. He saw a bit of blood run from her nose, and he knew he had to stop this before she really hurt herself by being stupid.

"Rizzo, stop!" He shouted as he stood up. "You're only going to kill yourself if you continue this!"

Rizzo continued playing as if she hadn't heard Gray, and she might not have considering the power whirling around then room like a windstorm. He started walking towards her while fighting through the wind. By the time he reached her both nostrils were bleeding. Gray grabbed Rizzo by the shoulders, and he shook her.

"Rizzo, I said stop it!" He ordered.

Rizzo snapped out of it with the magic breaking and all the ghouls and ghosts vanishing along with the darkness. Rizzo looked at Gray with wide eyes as he stared down at her.

"What were you thinking?" He demanded as he gave her another shake. "Are you trying to kill yourself?"

Before she could answer, Rizzo completely fainted with her head lolling back as her guitar clambered to the ground.

"R…Rizzo!" Gray yelled in worry.

"Oh…such a pity for you."

Gray stiffened before turning his head to see Jose was still standing despite what Rizzo had thrown at him. He wasn't in perfect condition, and it seemed those ghouls and ghosts had done some kind of damage.

"If you let her continue, she might have severely wounded me." Jose said. "If you hadn't broken her concentration, you all might have won. Yes, she would have died, but such a small detail."

"Not to us!" Gray snapped as he glared at Jose. "Rizzo's life is more important than a victory."

Jose just chuckled as Gray held Rizzo closely to his chest. Craylee was on his feet by now, and he moved in closer in case Jose tried anything. Gray looked back to Rizzo while cupping her cheek.

"Come on, Rizzo." Gray said. "Open your eyes."

He got no response, which had his heart hammering in worry in his chest. He leaned his head in towards her face, and when he felt her faint breathing on his cheek, he felt himself relax in relief.

"Thank God." Gray said.

"You seem awfully worried about that girl, son." Jose said. "Does she happen to be your girlfriend?"

Gray didn't react as he usually would. He just silently glared at Jose with hate burning in his eyes. Before he could even think about attacking Jose hit them with another exploding attack that sent them to the floor. Gray took the fall for him and Rizzo before gently laying her on the sound, so to cover her body with his own when Jose attacked again. He laid there wondering if there was anyone left that could help them, or if the others were even faring well at all on their end.

* * *

"What are those ghosts doing now?" Jaser asked frowning.

He was starting to feel really tired, and if he was feeling like this, he couldn't imagine how the others were feeling. As a Dragon Slayer he had a lot more stamina than the others, but even he was starting to feel weary. He didn't know how much longer he could keep this up. What was making it worse was that those ghosts were all gathering together to form some kind of shadow ball.

"I don't know, but it can't be good." Breccan said as he held his side.

Jaser looked at his friend in concern since Breccan really wasn't in the condition to be fighting in the first place. He should be resting. However, it wasn't like Breccan was going to listen to him. Suddenly the shadow sphere grew a few arms with hands.

"That thing's got creepy hands everywhere." Laki said.

"That's the least of our troubles." Wakaba argued.

"Yeah, this is bad." Macao said.

The thing started pounding on the already beaten up guildhall, which had them all panicking.

"That monster's trying to destroy our guildhall!" Cana said with tears in her eyes.

Everyone started firing at the monster, but Jaser soon realized that it wasn't doing anything to it. He grit his teeth wondering how they were supposed to deal with this thing. He narrowed his eyes knowing there might only be one thing he can do.

"This is going to leave a bad taste in my mouth." Jaser said pouting. "I just know it."

Jaser then ran towards the guildhall, which surprised everyone who noticed him.

"Jaser, what are you doing?" Sven called out to him.

"About to have a snack." He said as he managed to climb up the guildhall as it was crumbling.

"What?!" Sven asked with wide eyes. "You can't! If you eat any other magic beside sand, you'll only make yourself sick or worse!"

Cana's eyes widened when she heard that as she watched Jaser go higher and higher until he could practically touch the monster.

"A little stomach ache is nothing." Jaser said. "I haven't been here long, but I can tell this guildhall means the world to everyone here, which means I'm going to do everything I can to protect it."

Everyone watched on in shock as Jaser seemed to start taking in a deep breath. The shadow ball creature started getting pulled in before it started breaking into pieces, so to go into Jaser's mouth. He continued eating and eating even though he was starting to feel really sick. The shadow creature had lost a little over half its size when Jaser felt like he was going to pass out. He was seeing spots in his vision, and he felt really wobbly on his feet.

"Oh no." Breccan said.

"Oh no?" Cana asked. "What do you mean "oh no"? What's wrong?"

"His body is reacting violently to the shade magic." Sven said with a serious expression on his face. "Look."

He pointed up at Jaser, and when Cana looked up she could see Jaser was holding his torso as if it hurt him. He also looked a bit unstable on his feet. He suddenly stopped eating, and when he teetered forward, everyone gasped. He started falling off the guildhall, which had some screaming in fright. Breccan quickly got under Jaser to use his vibration magic to lessen the blow. He then fell to the ground with the others quickly gathering around him. Breccan knelt down beside Jaser as he shuddered while holding his stomach.

"Ack!" He cried out while withering on the ground.

"Let me through!" Cana ordered pushing through everyone.

She and Sven made it to Jaser, and they quickly knelt down beside him as he continued to shake in pain.

"He took in way too much." Breccan said as he touched Jaser's shoulder. "He needs medical treatment."

Cana looked at Jaser worriedly as she touched his arm gently. He weakly opened his eyes to look at her.

"You moron, what were you thinking?" Cana asked.

He just mustered up a weak grin for her before he finally passed out from the pain. Cana felt tears enter her eyes knowing he had tried so hard…but the monster was still going. She flinched when she heard the entire place coming down. Her tears hit Jaser's cheek making it almost look as if the Dragon Slayer was crying as well.

"You did well." Cana said between sobs as she grasped Jaser's hand. "Don't think otherwise, ya idiot."

* * *

Rizzo groaned starting to feel herself coming back to consciousness. She opened her eyes to see that she appeared to be in her room in the Fairy Hills dorm. She frowned wondering how she got back here. Her eyes then widened when she remembered Jose and her friends. She shot up out of bed then winced holding her head, which was aching. A hand was placed on her shoulder, and she looked to see Raoul at her bedside.

"Be calm, little one." He said. "The battle with Phantom is over. Your friends are fine including your master."

Rizzo let out a sigh of relief as she leaned against her headboard while trying to ignore the pounding in her head.

"There are a few injured worse than the others." Raoul admitted. "Jaser tried to eat some of Jose's shade magic, and is still recovering under the watchful eyes of someone I believed is named Porlyusica."

"I would call him an idiot, but it's not like what I did was much smarter." Rizzo said.

Raoul chuckled as Rizzo smiled a bit sheepishly as she scratched the back of her head.

"I'm sure there's a lecture waiting for me." Rizzo said.

"Yes, your friends are quite unhappy with you." Raoul said. "But I have to say I'm quite impressed. You managed to match my magical energy wavelengths better than I had thought you would have. Still incredibly stupid, but it was probably more moronic of me to agree to help you. However, you are a grown woman you can make your own decisions. Besides, you're a Sweeney. The Sweeney family is known for producing mages who go beyond expectations and do things that no one else thought possible because they had the guts to give it a try."

Rizzo smiled at her ancestor, and he smiled at her in return. There was then a knock on her door that caught both of their attentions. As the door was opening, Raoul vanished from sight. Erza appeared in the door way, and her eyes widened when she saw Rizzo was up.

"What are you staring at?" Rizzo asked frowning. "That look on your face is pretty weird, Erza."

Erza's eyes just filled with tears, and Rizzo's eyes widened when Erza ran forward. She gasped as the redhead practically jumped into her bed to hug her tightly.

"You're awake!" Erza said.

"Yes, now let go." Rizzo said grimacing.

Erza did as Rizzo asked, but the older mage still had a smile on her face as she wiped her eyes.

"You've been unconscious for nearly a week." Erza said. "Porlyusica-san looked at you after seeing to Jaser, and she said you were in pretty bad shape. You had broken ribs from where Gajeel had hit you, which I'm upset that you didn't say anything about. Then that hit…you took for me…left wounds on you, and then after trying to add Raoul's power to your own nearly broke your body. That's what she told us, and she said there was a chance that you wouldn't wake."

"Gees, thanks for having such little faith in me." Rizzo said rolling her eyes. "You do know who I am right?"

Erza chuckled as Rizzo gave her a look that questioned if something wrong with her head.

"You're right." Erza said smiling. "What was I thinking? Everyone will be so glad to see you're awake. If you're well enough to move, we can go down to the construction site to see the others. I was just about to head down there after checking on you."

Rizzo blinked wondering why everyone was at a construction site. Was the entire guild called on a job? Oh wait, Makarov must finally be getting to fixing the guildhall.

"I can manage." Rizzo said as she pushed her covers off of her. "I want to see how the others are. Is there anyway for me to see Jaser?"

"I doubt it." Erza said honestly. "Porlyusica-san is barely letting the Master check in on him. However, Master Makarov told all of us that Jaser was in good hands."

Rizzo nodded her head while a bit bummed at not being able to see Jaser. However, she would just hope that Porlyusica would make him well again. Rizzo wanted to say thank-you to Porlyusica for looking after her, but she doubted the old hag would let her.

"Do you need help getting dressed?" Erza asked while holding out her hand.

Rizzo frowned wanting to ignore the outstretched hand, but Rizzo wasn't sure if she could get up on her own. She took Erza's hand, and the redhead helped her up.

"I can get dressed on my own thanks." Rizzo said. "I'm totally wearing something comfortable. Screw getting dressed to impress."

Erza chuckled as Rizzo wobbled over to her wardrobe to grab some clothes. Rizzo pulled out a pair of black sweat pants and a neon green hoodie. She took off her other clothes while not caring that Erza was right there. She pulled on those items before finding her pink converse. She put them on then went to grab her guitar case.

"No." Erza said while stopping her. "You don't need this. You're still recovering, which means no magic."

Rizzo glared at Erza while ready to put up a fight…but when her head seemed to pound harder, she decided against it.

"Whatever." Rizzo said as she turned towards her door. "Let's just go."

Erza seemed a bit concerned when Rizzo didn't argue back, but decided not to question it. She left with Rizzo while making sure to take it slow.

"You know what you did was stupid." Erza said as they walked.

"About as stupid as trying to take on the Jupitar cannon on solo and then taking on an elite mage and then fighting a Guild Master solo afterwards." Rizzo said.

Erza sighed knowing that was right, which meant that Erza couldn't really give her a lecture.

"Point taken." Erza said. "However, you will still have to hear it from Gray."

Rizzo frowned knowing that icicle was probably going to really rip into her with a long and heated lecture.

"Too late to go back to hide in my room?" She asked.

Erza chuckled as the two of them got closer to the guildhall. Rizzo's eyes widened when seeing there was nothing left of the original building.

"Yes, while we were fighting Jose the rest of the guildhall was destroyed." Erza said sadly. "Jaser tried to eat the shadow creature that was destroying it, but his body couldn't take it all."

Rizzo sighed sadly, but she wasn't upset with Jaser for not being able to eat that creature. And she didn't blame Lucy for any of this either.

"I guess I need to recover as soon as possible, so I can help in rebuilding the guild." Rizzo said as she stuffed her hands into her sweat pockets.

"Rizzo?"

Rizzo turned her head seeing Natsu standing there with wide eyes. She raised her hand to wave at him, but before she could, Natsu was already in front of her while hugging her tightly yet carefully.

"You're up." He said as his body shook. "You're really awake."

Rizzo put her arms around Natsu with a guilty expression on her face. She hadn't meant to worry everyone so badly. Some tears ran down Natsu's cheeks to hit her own cheeks.

"Yeah, I'm really awake." She said. "I'm sorry for all the worry I caused."

Natsu pulled back to grin at her, and she smiled up at him in return. She was then being hugged by a certain blue cate that rubbed his cheek against hers.

"Rizzo, you're up!" He cheered. "I was worried!"

Rizzo pat him on the head, and his outburst got the others' attention. Soon Rizzo was being surrounded by the others who welcomed her back to the land of consciousness. Gray stayed back to let everyone else get their greetings off their chests.

"Gees, I don't see why you all were so worried." Rizzo said with a teasing smile. "I'm a mage of Fairy Tail, and we're hard to keep down, right?"

Everyone laughed while murmuring in agreement, and soon they returned to their work. Gray finally stepped up towards Rizzo with things going silent between them.

"Natsu, I need your help with something." Erza said grabbing Natsu's shoulder. "Come along."

Natsu tried to protest, but he was pulled away by Erza who ignored his protests.

"Going to yell at me?" Rizzo asked.

"No." Gray said. "I only want one thing, and if you cooperate, I'll forget the lecture I've worked up."

Rizzo frowned wondering what Gray wanted from her. It better not be anything perverted, or she'd kick his ass even in her current state.

"Promise me that you will never try to merge your power with Raoul's again." Gray said. "It's too dangerous, and we almost lost you this time. You have to promise to never do something that reckless again."

Rizzo looked down at the ground as she thought it over. It was dangerous what she did, and both times she did it, she didn't take out her target. She took out Caspian on her own in the end…and she barely did anything to Jose. The power wasn't really worth the risks if it wasn't helping where it mattered most. Besides, if Gray can promise not to use the Iced Shell, she can make this promise. She looked up to meet Gray's gaze.

"I promise." She said.

Gray stared at her for a moment as if looking for something. He nodded in the end while grinning.

"Good." Gray said. "Now just sit back and watch the rest of us work. We need you get better as soon as possible to help out."

"Right." Rizzo said while smiling.


	24. Oh where, oh where has dear Lucy gone?

Coco: It's the end of the Phantom Lord Arc! Great isn't it? Now we can move onto the Loke Arc, but I'm doing things differently. Rizzo and Gray are going to go on a mission alone instead of with the others, and let's just say it's time for the confessions to start coming out XD So never fear the two will be starting down the road of being a couple soon. Just bare with me a few more chapters until the fated confessions.

* * *

Rizzo was watching the others work from her spot beside Jet and Droy who were also too wounded to work.

"Bored." Rizzo complained.

"Well, maybe next time you'll be more careful, Rizzo." Jet said.

"Yeah, if you had been more cautious, you wouldn't be wounded so badly." Droy added.

She stuck her tongue out at the both of them, which had then chuckling in amusement. She then heard Natsu cry out, so she looked over to see he was under a pile of wooden beams. Rizzo got up to go try and help him. She reached him as Gray, who was carrying one wooden beam, walked by.

"That's what you get for carrying too much, ya moron." Gray said.

Natsu glared at Gray as Rizzo managed to pull Natsu out from under the wooden beams to help him off the ground.

"Really even a troglodyte like yourself should understand that." Craylee, who was also carrying a wooden beam, said as he was passing.

Natsu growled at the two of them as Rizzo was dusting him off the best she could.

"What'd you call me?!" Natsu demanded.

He and Gray butt heads as Craylee and Rizzo stood off to the side to stay out of the way.

"You got a problem?" Gray asked.

"Yeah, I got a problem with your face!" Natsu snapped.

As the two argued, Craylee shook his head while moving on with what he was carrying. As he walked, he was completely unaware of the person watching from behind some stone.

"Oh, Craylee-sama, Juvia would just love if you carried her!" Juvia squealed.

She went unheard as she continued to squeal and fantasize about her precious Craylee. Rizzo blinked calmly as she watched the boys continue to shout at each other. However, her head snapped up to see Erza bringing down a wooden beam towards the boys. Before she could warn them, the beam came down on their heads to send them into the ground.

"Cut it out!" Erza snapped as she put the beam back over her shoulder. "Get back to work, now! We've got a lot to do, so no more lollygagging."

"Aye." They said weakly.

Rizzo shook her head as she crouched down in front of the boys with Happy and Sanjū on either side of her. As Erza went back to work, Rizzo pulled the boys out of the hole.

"Ow, that really hurt, Erza." They said in unison.

"You guys playing wacka-mole?" Happy asked.

"No, they're just being stupid." Sanjū said while sighing.

Rizzo just laughed because it was nice to have seems go semi back to normal around here even if they were missing a guildhall.

"Hate to say it," Macao began as the boys stood up.

"But it looks a little too big." Wakaba finished.

Rizzo stood up as well while looking around. Things did appear as if they were going to be a bit on the big side.

"We figured we might as well expand the place." Mirajane said as she held up the "blueprints" for the new guildhall. "Look, I've got the plans right here."

Macao and Wakaba said they'd like to see the plans as Mirajane smiled seeming very proud of them. Rizzo tilted her head curiously as she walked up with the boys on either side of her.

"I liked it just fine how it was." Natsu said.

"What's it going to look like now?" Gray asked.

Rizzo's eyes widened in surprise as she looked at the horribly drawn blueprints. It looked as if a child had drawn them with pretty colored crayons.

"Uh, so which way is up?" Natsu asked.

"Man, these are the worst plans ever." Gray said. "What idiot came up with these?"

Rizzo sighed shaking her head since it should have been obvious who drew them. Mirajane busted out crying a second later, which had Gray panicking as he tried to apologize.

"You made her cry." Natsu, Wakaba, Rizzo, and Macao said.

"That's Gray for you." Happy pointed out.

"Yep." Sanjū agreed while nodding.

"Well, I don't see why you're faulting the guy for being honest." Craylee, who had rejoined the group with Sven and Breccan at his side, said.

He picked up the discarded blueprints to look at them with a critical eye. Mirajane sniffled as she waited to hear what he said.

"It looks as if some kind of child drew these." Craylee said. "These won't do at all. They must be redone. Everything must be precise and perfect. I will immediately get to redrawing out the blueprints while keeping to this design…if I can even tell which way is up and which way is down."

Mirajane started comically sobbing by now, and Craylee didn't even bat an eyelash as he continued to stare at the blueprints.

"Man, he's cold." Macao said.

"Yeah, does this kid even have a heart?" Wakaba asked.

"Of course, I have a heart." Craylee said. "One could not live without a heart to pump blood throughout their body. However, whether I have a soul or not is…debatable."

He gave wicked smirk before walking off to get started on the blueprints as the others, besides Rizzo and the two Treblemen, watched him go with their mouths hanging agape.

"He's like a soulless demon." Wakaba said.

"That's Craylee for you." Sven said with a boyish giggle.

Breccan chuckled while placing a hand on Mirajane's shoulder as a gesture of comfort. Rizzo just smiled as she shook her head fondly.

"Well, better get back to work." Breccan said.

"Yeah~" Sven agreed.

* * *

Gray sighed sitting down to rest as his stomach grumbled to signal he was hungry.

"Man, I'm starving." Natsu said.

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

"When ours lunchbreak?" Gray asked.

"I knew you guys would be getting hungry about now."

The boys looked up seeing Rizzo standing there with a bag in one hand and a small case of waters in the other.

"I went to get you lunch." Rizzo said. "It's the least I could do since I can't help with the construction."

"You're the best, Rizz!" Natsu said as his face lit up.

Rizzo smiled as she gave the boys some lunches from the deli down the road. She then handed Happy a fish, which he immediately started munching on. Rizzo chuckled before she sat down beside Gray.

"Thanks for getting us food." Gray said. "I was starving."

"Figured." Rizzo said as she smiled at him.

She held out a water to him, and he took it while giving her a smile. She then tossed one to Natsu who took it while he was nearly sucking down his food.

"Do we get anything?" Sven asked as he and Breccan walked up with Sanjū flying beside them.

Breccan was dragging Craylee with them as he was mulling over the new blueprints he was working on. Rizzo held out the bag to them to get their own food, and Sven cheered while grabbing the bag. Breccan chuckled at the blonde as Craylee sat down beside Rizzo as she popped some fruit into her mouth. Sanjū sat down near Happy to eat the sushi that Rizzo had bought for her as Happy was still stuffing his face.

"Aren't you hungry, Craylee?" Sven asked.

Craylee, who had placed glasses on his nose to look at the blueprints more closely, peered over them to look at Sven. He was about to answer, but suddenly a wave of water hit Happy and Natsu. They shouted in surprise at the sudden wet and cold feeling as a large lunchbox appeared in Craylee's lap.

"We're wet!" Natsu and Happy complained.

"Where did this come from?" Sven asked.

Craylee frowned while having a pretty good idea who sent this considering it was delivered by water. Craylee sighed before opening the lunchbox, and his eyebrow twitched when seeing his face made out of vegetables. Rizzo and Gray snorted behind their hands as they tried not to laugh. Sven didn't hide his laughter at all as Breccan grinned at the annoyed look on Craylee's face.

"Wow that looks pretty tasty." Natsu said.

"That's awesome!" Happy said. "Your face is totally edible!"

Craylee looked up to glare at Happy, and the blue feline was quick to hide up on Natsu's shoulder.

"I refuse to eat this." Craylee said. "This is completely disturbing. There is even some strange ooze coming from the side."

Craylee had no idea that his words had poor Juvia sobbing off to the side as she bit harshly on a tissue to muffle the sound of her sobs.

"I'll eat it for ya!" Natsu said. "I'm still hungry!"

"Do you what you want, but don't blame me when you get a stomach ache." Craylee said.

Natsu cheered while grabbing a tentacle from the lunchbox to start chewing on. Craylee shook his head at him as Sven grabbed something else to try.

"Those are some brave men." Rizzo commented.

Gray snorted shaking his head as he continued to eat the delicious non-oozing food that Rizzo brought.

"Hey, who said you could take a lunchbreak?" Erza demanded then blinked when seeing what Craylee was holding. "Is that supposed to be your face made out of veggies?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Craylee said.

Erza suddenly produced a fork out of nowhere to stab veggie Craylee in the face, which had said man's eyebrow twitch in annoyance for the umpteenth time that day.

"Mmm, this is good." Erza said after trying the piece. "I could eat the whole thing."

"Yeah, you should try it Craylee!" Sven said smiling with a bit of rice on his cheek. "It's really good."

Craylee sighed as he brought out a handkerchief to wipe the rice off of Sven's face. Juvia swooned at how big brotherly he was acting.

"Try to eat without making a mess." Craylee said.

"Okay~" Sven said while saluting.

Craylee shook his head at his older brother's antics as Rizzo got up. She went to the lunchbox, and pulled out one of the veggies. She popped it in her mouth.

"This is really good." She said as she pat Craylee on the shoulder. "Craylee, listen to your sister and try it at least."

As Juvia watched from a distance, she could see Craylee's expression soften a bit when Rizzo smiled up at him. He sighed before took a bite out of the lunchbox himself.

"It's not…bad." He finally conceded.

Juvia's heart felt like soaring the moment she heart those words leave Craylee's mouth. She replayed what happened in her head, so she could relive the moment.

-JUVIA'S (WAY OFF) REPLAY-

 _"This is so delicious there aren't enough words in the world to describe its greatness." Craylee said with sparkles in his eyes. "If only I could find the maker of this lunchbox to make her my wife."_

 _The fantasy changed to having Craylee down on one knee in a fancy suit as he held out a dozen roses to Juvia._

 _"Juvia Lockser, would you please do me the honor of making my lunches every day?" He asked while he smiled at her lovingly._

 _"Yes, and we can have 33 babies!" Juvia said while blushing._

-END OF JUVIA'S (WAY OFF) REPLAY-

"Juvia is so happy she could die!" Juvia said.

She then realized her mistake of shouting out loud as she ducked behind the brick wall while the Fairy Tail mages glanced in her direction.

"Hey, can you guys do me a favor?"

The group turned again, and this time they saw Loke as he held up the pouch that held Lucy's Celestial Spirits. Rizzo looked at Loke in concern when seeing he almost looked sick.

"When I was in town, I found Lucy's gate keys." Loke said. "Could you give them back to her?"

Rizzo, Gray, and Natsu stepped up to Loke as Gray greeted him. Loke handed the keys to Rizzo who was still concerned by his sick appearance.

"You were looking for Lucy's keys this whole time?" Natsu added.

Loke just smiled while adjusting his glasses, but Rizzo could see past that smile.

"Rizzo it's good to see you awake." Loke said. "You had all of us worried."

Rizzo nodded while trying to smile, but it was hard when seeing that Loke looked worse for wear.

"Are you okay?" Happy asked.

"You do seem paler than usual." Sanjū added as she flew up to Loke's other side.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Loke said. "Just a little beat. Ya know, being a gentleman is pretty draining."

Rizzo frowned knowing that couldn't just be it, and it only made her worry more.

"We haven't seen Lucy all day." Rizzo said.

"We should go check on her." Natsu said. "Why don't you come with us?"

Loke unsurprisingly declined the offer though he didn't do it with the same hastiness that he would have used before. He started walking away, and when Natsu tried to change his mind, Erza told him to leave Loke be. Rizzo stood there a moment to watch Loke walk away a bit longer while wondering what was wrong with him.

"Let's get to Lucy's place." Gray suggested. "It's a bit odd that she hasn't at least stopped by here."

* * *

Rizzo entered Lucy's house through the door with Erza. They were there for a few moments before the boys decided to make an appearance. Happy and Natsu came through the window as they usually did.

"Gees, don't come in through the window." Gray said as he was coming out of the chimney.

Rizzo rolled her eyes at him as she was sitting on Lucy's bed with her legs crossed.

"Ever hear of a door?" Rizzo asked.

"Really, have you no manners?" Erza asked as she was sipping tea.

The others sweat-dropped since Erza has obviously already made herself comfortable as she was drinking Lucy's tea.

"Since when are you Miss Manners?" Gray and Natsu asked in unison.

"Really." Happy agreed.

Rizzo looked around Lucy's room to see that the blonde mage wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"What's the deal?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah, normally she'd be all like," Gray began.

"Get out of here!" Happy impersonated Lucy.

Rizzo shook her head at the boys as Erza, who was back in her usual armor, looked around with a thoughtful expression.

"Where could she be?" Erza asked.

"In the bath?" Gray wondered while looking a bit unsure. "I know I'm asking for it, but it must be done."

He went towards the bathroom, but Rizzo grabbed his belt loop to pull him back.

"I'll go check, Pervert." Rizzo said.

Rizzo walked past him into the bathroom, and her eyes widened when seeing Natsu, who was fully clothed, in the steaming bath.

"Not here." Natsu said.

Rizzo let out a laugh, and Gray just had to peek in when hearing Rizzo laugh. His eyes widened when seeing Natsu.

"Where'd you come from?!" Gray demanded. "Get out of here, would ya?!"

After getting out of the bathroom, they saw Erza was in a towel, which had Rizzo frowning and shaking her head.

"It seems as if she's not home." Erza said.

"Way to state the obvious, Genius." Gray said.

The group looked around bit longer with still no sign of Lucy anywhere, which was really starting to get worrisome.

"It's just not the same without Lucy." Erza said.

"No one can yell like she can." Happy said.

"My impression of her wasn't that bad." Gray said. "It wasn't like yours was any better."

Happy then looked in one of Lucy's drawers as Rizzo placed her hands on her hips. It wasn't like Lucy to just disappear.

"Lucy, are you in here?" Happy asked.

Rizzo glanced over at Happy as Natsu went over to join him by the drawer. Rizzo walked over as well with Gray at her side.

"Is she in here?" Natsu asked then gasped with wide eyes.

"Yeah, like she'd fit in a drawer." Gray said sarcastically.

He then blushed as his eyes widened in shock when he saw the kind of underwear was in the drawer. Rizzo looked down at it to see that Lucy actually had a lot of the same underwear as her. Though some of her underwear Rizzo has never seen. Rizzo will have to ask Lucy where she shops for underwear once they find her.

"Where do you buy underwear like this?" Happy asked.

"Well, you can try where I get all my underwear." Rizzo said. "I know the saleswoman pretty well, so she always lets me get first pick of the newest shipments."

Her friends looked at her with wide eyes, but Rizzo didn't see the big deal. It's just underwear. Everybody wears it.

"I'm still not sure that's underwear." Gray said.

He then blushed darkly as he had a mental image of Rizzo in some of this "underwear", and he felt like a pervert while thinking of it.

"I've never seen anything like it." Erza said. "Where would you even wear that?"

"Family reunion." Natsu guessed.

"Definitely not." The others, except Rizzo, said.

"I wear this kind of underwear every day." She said nonchalantly.

She then picked up a pair to hold up as her friends' mouth nearly hit the floor in shock.

"In fact, I'm wearing a pair like this now." She said.

Knowing this didn't help Gray control his fantasies at all. He groaned while feeling the need to take a cold shower, which had him blushing in embarrassment.

"Rizzo, how could you wear such underwear?" Erza asked as the boys went to continue searching.

"What do you mean?" Rizzo asked. "They're actually very comfortable."

She shrugged not seeing the big deal when they heard a small crash. They turned seeing Happy had knocked over a box full of letters, which had them falling to the floor.

"So many letters." Erza said.

Rizzo blinked curiously before going over to kneel down on the ground to look at the letters.

"And they're all still sealed." Gray said.

Well, respecting someone's privacy was never Natsu's thing, so he opened one of the letters up without hesitation.

"' **Dear Mom, today was a special day because I joined the Fairy Tail guild.'** " Natsu said.

"Hey, man, don't go reading her stuff!" Gray said.

Natsu didn't listen, and soon Rizzo had opened up a letter to look at it as well.

" **'I met the most beautiful mage named Erza who's actually nice and cool. She's always yelling at Natsu and Gray, or getting in disagreements with Rizzo who's really cool too, Mom.'** " Rizzo read.

Erza blushed at the compliment as Rizzo rolled her eyes thinking Erza was anything but cool. However, she then grinned because Lucy was completely right about her being cool.

"Are all these letters addressed to her mom?" Gray asked as he knelt down beside Rizzo.

"Looks that way." Happy said.

"How come she never mailed them?" Natsu asked.

Rizzo shrugged because she had no idea herself. Did Lucy cut off all ties to her mother as well as her father?

"I found a note." Erza said getting their attention. "Evidently Lucy left it for us. It says she's going home."

"WHHHAAAA?!" The others exclaimed. "NO WAY!"

* * *

Rizzo hurried with the others through Lucy's hometown to look for their friend.

"Hey, I see her!" Rizzo said pointing when she saw her.

Lucy was standing in front of a grave a few yards away from them, and the others all looked relieved when seeing her.

"LUCY!" The others shouted.

She whirled around with her eyes widening when she saw her friends. Happy flew right up to her to hug her as he cried. The others caught up as Lucy held Happy. Rizzo stood back as Natsu and Gray shouted at Lucy for running away. Lucy then explained she why really came home, and when Rizzo realized they worried for nothing, she laughed. Erza smiled as well as Natsu blew up in annoyance. Gray just hung his head not believing they hurried all the way here for nothing.

"Well, if you're done here, I think it's time we all go home." Rizzo said.

"Yeah." Lucy said smiling.

After saying goodbye to the servants, Lucy and the others started leaving Lucy's hometown.

"I'm sorry, guys." Lucy said. "I didn't mean to freak you out."

"There's no need to apologize." Erza said. "We shouldn't have jumped to conclusions."

"Yeah, we thought you were going back for good." Gray said.

"And we couldn't have that." Rizzo said.

Gray nodded in agreement as the two of them walked side-by-side as the sun was setting behind the mountains.

"Happy here was crying like a baby." Natsu said.

"You cried just as much as I did, Natsu." Happy retorted.

"Tch, no, I did not!" Natsu said.

He blushed slightly while looking off to the side to try and hide it from the others. Rizzo chuckled seeing right past her friend's ruse.

"Aw, is someone embarrassed all of a sudden?" Lucy teased.

Natsu didn't comment as he continued to lightly blush while looking off to the side.

"I've gotta tell ya, I'm kinda digging your hometown." Gray said.

"Me too." Erza said. "It's so peaceful."

Rizzo smiled because it really was. She could see herself here in this peaceful atmosphere just strumming on her acoustic guitar all day long.

"Oh, this isn't a town." Lucy said. "This is just part of our garden. The Heartfilia estate goes all the way up to that mountain over there."

It was silent for a moment as the others stared in shock at how large Lucy's family estate was. The boys suddenly snapped to attention as they saluted no one in particular.

"Holy crap, she's rich!" Gray said.

"And acts like it's nothing!" Natsu added.

Lucy jumped in surprise at their exclamation as they continued to stare off into the distance.

"Two of our best soldiers are down!" Happy reported as the saluted. "Captain Erza, it seems we only have Rizzo left!"

"Whoa…this place is so amazing." Rizzo said.

Happy looked towards the pinkette to see her staring around the area with stars in her eyes.

"Captain Erza, we just lost Rizzo." Happy said. "What are your orders?!"

"Wow, the sky is so beautiful." Erza said in awe.

"We need a medic!" Happy said. "Captain Erza has a screw loose!"

"Woopa!" Gray and Natsu said in unison.

Lucy started laughing at her friend's antics while glad she had joined Fairy Tail. It was truly the place where she knew she could be at home.


	25. Getting Back to Work

Coco: Hey, guys, here's the new chapter obviously XD Just wanted to give you a heads up that a new OC has been added. She's going to be part of the Thunder Legion and fight with them during the Battle of Fairy Tail. There just wasn't enough Thunder Legion to go around to fight, and I wanted Rizzo fighting someone, so I came up with this OC. I hope you like here. She's only briefly in this chapter and won't reappear until the Battle of Fairy Tail Arc. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Rizzo stretched her muscles while feeling that most of the soreness was nearly gone. She was feeling much better now, and was ready to get back to work.

"You recovered much faster than I anticipated." Porlyusica said as she looked at Rizzo.

The older woman had asked Makarov to tell Rizzo to come in for a checkup of sorts. It didn't bother Rizzo any, and she got to finally check in on Jaser who was itching to get out of Porlyusica's treehouse.

"It was thanks to those herbs you gave me, Ma'am." Rizzo said smiling. "Thanks for helping me."

"Don't thank me." Porlyusica said as she turned away from Rizzo. "I only did it because Makarov kept pestering to take care of his troublemaking children."

Rizzo chuckled while not expecting any less from Porlyusica. The woman was always mean and standoffish with people. Rizzo didn't know the woman much growing up like Rizzo knew the rest of Team Makarov. Porlyusica was the only one to turn down all of Roscoe's invitations to come to Acacia Town during the Music Festival that happened annually and was held by Treble Chambers. However, Rizzo knew the woman well enough to know how she was around people.

"You can get back to taking on job requests if you want." Porlyusica said. "And take that lump on the bed with you. I'm getting sick of seeing his face."

Jaser, who happened to be the "lump", perked up when Porlyusica said that. He jumped up giving a cheer, which had Rizzo laughing.

"Let's go!" Jaser said as he grabbed Rizzo's hand. "Freedom!"

He took off running while dragging Rizzo behind him. The door slammed behind them as Porlyusica frowned.

"Annoying kids." She grumbled.

* * *

"Hey, guys, I'm back!" Jaser shouted as he and Rizzo showed up at the construction site.

Everyone called out a greeting to the Sand Dragon Slayer, and Rizzo smiled when Sven ran up to Jaser to give him a big hug. Others came up to greet the Dragon Slayer as Rizzo stood back to watch.

"Now that you're well we have a throw down to get to!" Natsu declared.

Everyone laughed at Natsu's declaration, and Jaser smiled looking excited for a fight as well.

"Not so fast." Cana said. "He might have been let go from Porlyusica's care, but that doesn't mean he's up to full health. You should let him take it easy for a few days before you go trying to get a fight out of him."

Natsu let out a whine as Jaser looked a bit surprised that Cana was showing concern for him. He then grinned at her, which had her eyes widening. She blushed partially as she looked away with a frown on her face.

"Listen up, Everyone!" Mirajane called out suddenly. "We're taking on job requests starting today! You'll have to excuse the mess while we're under construction, but at least you can get back to work."

Everyone cheered happily as Rizzo grinned. Looks like she got better just in time. She was itching to take on a job as soon as possible. Rizzo went up to the board while pushing everyone out of her way. It wasn't hard to get them out of her way since they parted quickly. They knew not to get in Rizzo's way when she was looking for her next job. Rizzo looked on the board for anything interesting to take on. She saw a job for 200 thousand jewel even if it wouldn't pay her rent for the month, which was 400 thousand jewel since she rented out extra rooms to put her instruments, she thought it looked interesting. Rizzo ripped the request of the board with some of the others whining that she took the highest paying job.

"I wish there were higher paying job, but I guess I'll just have to live with this for now." She said.

She shrugged her shoulders while walking away from the board with the intent of asking the others if they wanted to join her.

"Why don't you tell the others how you feel?!"

Rizzo blinked looking over towards Erza who was the one who shouted loudly. Rizzo took notice that it was Laxus who she was shouting at. Rizzo sighed wondering what he had done now.

"I have no problem telling them what I think of them." Laxus said. "This guild is full of nothing but losers and weaklings."

Rizzo narrowed her eyes at Laxus with her hands clenching into fists as he looked back at Jet and Droy.

"Especially the two of you morons." Laxus said. "You were Phantom's personal punching bags. Ya know, I'm glad I never bothered to learn your names."

The Treblemen, who were watching around with the others, frowned wondering just who this guy thought he was.

"Which brings me to the worse of them all," Laxus began. "The rich little princess wannabe mage. This is all your fault."

"LAXUS!" Mirajane snapped as he stood up. "Would you shut up?! The master said no one in the guild was to be held accountable for what happened. Not even you despite the fact I begged you to come help, and you turned your back on us."

That's right. Laxus and his loyal Thunder Legion didn't even come back to help their guildmates. Didn't even consider coming back.

"Quit your whining." Laxus said. "That fight had nothing to do with me, but if I had been here, you wouldn't be drowning your sorrows in this pile of rubble right now."

Rizzo harshly bit her lip to keep from snapping at Laxus even if all she wanted to do was kick his ass. Seemed as if she wasn't the only one since Natsu ran forward.

"I've heard enough out of you!" He shouted as he took a swing at Laxus.

Of course Laxus dodged when he turned into lightening, so to appear behind Natsu. Natsu recovered his balance then turned to face Laxus.

"Come on, Laxus, fight me like a man!" Natsu snapped. "You gutless coward!"

Laxus just let out an amused laugh as Natsu glared at Laxus while shaking his fist at him.

"How do you expect to fight me when you can't even touch me, ya dimwit?" Laxus asked. "I can't wait to inherit this place, and kick all you weaklings to the curb. Your days in Fairy Tail are numbered, Kids! Things are going to be a whole lot different around here, so I guess you losers will have to find a new place to hang out."

"Well, until you take over, I kindly ask that you stop running that big mouth of yours." Breccan said as he stood.

Laxus turned towards the younger man as everyone else was surprised that someone spoke up to Laxus like that.

"And who the hell are you?" Laxus asked.

"Breccan Indigo." Breccan replied. "I joined this guild a little over two weeks ago along with my brothers."

He gestured to the other three Treblemen as they all frowned and/or glared at the blonde lightning mage.

"So you're a weak newbie." Laxus scoffed. "You better watch your mouth if you want to stay around here any longer."

Breccan just narrowed his eyes, and Laxus suddenly was hit back by a burst of vibrations in the air. Everyone gasped with wide eyes when seeing Breccan landed a hit on him. Laxus landed on his feet a few feet away. He narrowed his eyes at Breccan.

"I might be a "newbie", but that doesn't mean I'm weak." Breccan said. "That was a stupid assumption on your part."

It was silent for a long moment as Rizzo and the others looked between Breccan and Laxus. The tension was so thick that it could be cut with a knife.

"Hey, what's with all the tension?" A voice asked behind Lucy from the bar.

Lucy stiffened with her eyes widening. She slowly turned around to see woman sitting on the bar. When...had she gotten there? The woman looked be in her late teens to early twenties, and she had short teal colored hair that barely brushed against her shoulders. Her eyes were violet in color with a twinkle in them. She had beautifully tanned skin, and really…she was just a beautiful woman. She had on a bright yellow kimono with pinks accents that stopped just above mid-thigh, and it had a pink sash that went around most of her torso where it tied into a bow behind her. She then had on white stockings that went up to the bottom of her thighs and on her feet were black ballet slippers.

"Tch, Amara, where have you been?" Laxus asked. "I'm surprised you didn't rush all the way back here when Fairy Tail was in trouble."

Lucy frowned wondering who this woman even was. She's never seen her here before.

"I was on my way back, but, uh, I got kinda lost." The woman admitted while laughing.

Nearly everyone sweat-dropped as she scratched the back of her head with a sheepish look on her face. Lucy still wanted to know who this woman was.

"Amarante Yoru." Mirajane said when seeing Lucy's look. "She's known as the Fairy of Assassination. She's one of our S-Class mages."

"SHE'S S-CLASS?!" Lucy asked in shock.

Lucy then stiffened when Amarante turned her eyes on her. Amarante just smiled, which surprised the blonde. Rizzo knew that Amarante wouldn't be mean towards the blonde. Out of the Thunder Legion she's the nicest. Laxus frowned while glancing towards Breccan who seemed ready to fight if Laxus tried anything.

"Amara, come on." Laxus said. "We're leaving."

Yes, sir!" Amarante said saluting before she flipped over Lucy.

She then bounded over to Laxus to jump on his back. He sighed in annoyance then disappeared in a flash of light.

"Gees, is he ever going to chill with that attitude of his?" Rizzo asked.

"I highly doubt it." Gray said as he came to stand beside her. "That a job request?"

He gestured to the paper in her hand, and Rizzo nodded her head while remembering that she even took the job. Her anger against Laxus had made her completely forget.

"You grabbed a job?" Erza asked. "That's great. Natsu, Lucy, and I can join you and Gray."

"Huh?!" Lucy and Gray asked in shock.

Rizzo blinked while not even going to acknowledge the fact that Gray was once again in just his underwear. Mirajane brought it up though, which had Gray gasping in surprise.

"We've all been working together since the Eisenwald Incident." Erza said. "I guess we're a team of sorts now."

Rizzo sighed pinching the bridge of her nose. Was Erza just now realizing this? Hasn't she noticed all the people calling them the strongest team? It seemed everyone else was confused about this as well.

"So what do you think about making it official?" Erza asked. "The five of us working as a team. Six if we count Happy."

Rizzo frowned wondering if she wanted to be on an "official" team with Erza. So far things have worked out, but it wasn't a secret that the two didn't get along. Or more like Rizzo couldn't stand the redhead.

"But…you sure you want like me on your team?" Lucy asked.

She looked down seeming uncertain and nervous, which had Rizzo shaking her head at her.

"Not someone like you!" Natsu said as he stood in front of Lucy. "Lucy, it's got to be exactly you!"

"Aye!" Happy added.

Lucy blinked looking surprised, and when she glanced at Rizzo, the pinkette nodded her head as she grinned.

"It just wouldn't feel right if we didn't have you out there with us, ya know." Natsu said.

Lucy smiled feeling reassured. Rizzo smiled while not really paying attention to the others chattering about them. She then noticed Natsu and Gray glaring at each other.

"Problem, boys?" Erza asked.

"No, we're absolutely thrilled!" They lied.

"Now, I guess we'll be going on the request that Rizzo picked." Erza said. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah!" The others cheered.

* * *

As the construction for the new Fairy Tail guildhall continued, the mages of Fairy Tail either pitched in with the work, or started returning to taking job requests. Rizzo had gotten a job since she didn't see how much work she could do on construction without causing some sort of mess. She was just better at destroying things than putting them back together. Besides, that last two jobs didn't get her anything really since they destroyed most of that Lupin-whatever-place, and then that theatre job had been a waste of time in her book. She was looking around for Gray after have already spoken to the rest of their Team. She spotted him as he was moving some lumber.

"Hey, Gray!" she called out.

When he heard his name, he turned his head to see her heading his way with the job request in hand.

"Hey, Rizzo." He said as he sat the wood he was carrying down. "What is it?"

Rizzo stopped in front of him then held out the job request for him to see. Gray looked at the paper seeing it was a request to go to a mountain range that Mt. Hakobe was connected to. It was also the mountain range with the highest and coldest mountains, and they got worse the farther North they went. Apparently the job was to take care of some kind of troublemaking Vulcans that were causing avalanches. The avalanches were causing trouble for some people in a small village on the mountain side, and they were requesting for immediate aid. Gray guessed they were pretty desperate since the villagers were willing to pay 400 thousand jewels to get the job done.

"Want to come with?" Rizzo asked.

Well, Gray was getting a bit tired with the construction work he's been doing. Really he's just been carrying lumber, so he doubted his help will be sorely missed.

"Sure." Gray said. "Did you already ask the others to come?"

"Well, I did, but for some reason Lucy and Erza were quick to turn me down." Rizzo said. "They were acting really weird. Said that you and I could handle it without them. They seemed a bit flustered, and they made Natsu turn me down too."

Gray frowned wondering what was up with Lucy and Erza. It was like the two were trying to get Rizzo and him alone. He wondered why the girls would try so hard to get the two of them to go on this mission together alone. He blushed a bit as he looked at the ground. It was probably exactly for that reason. They wanted him and Rizzo to spend time alone together. He cursed them mentally.

"And I'm sure they're right." Rizzo said snapping Gray from his thoughts as she grinned. "We can handle a few stupid Vulcans."

Gray found himself grinning as well as he nodded his head. The job sounded pretty easy.

"When do you wanna leave?" He asked.

"Hmm, how about in half an hour?" Rizzo said. "We can get our things together then meet back here. Reedus has already graciously agreed to paint us a cart and a pig to pull it."

She turned to wave over at Reedus, who waved in return, before she looked back at Gray.

"Sounds like a plan." Gray said.

Rizzo nodded her head then went off to return to Fairy Hills, so to put together a small bag. Not to mention she'd have to make sure to pack some warm clothes since they'll be climbing up one of the snowiest mountain ranges in Fiore. She and the cold weren't the best friends, and that was funny considering…Rizzo paused in her walk to blush as a certain ice mage popped inside her head. She shook her head vigorously to get rid of the mental image before she continued on her way. What she didn't know was that off to the side she and Gray were being watched.

"Yes, it worked." Lucy said smiling at Erza.

The older mage nodded her head with a satisfied expression on her face. Their plan was going well. Soon Gray and Rizzo would be alone on a cold mountain range. Rizzo, who did horrible in cold climates, would be forced to cuddle up to Gray to keep warm, and then one thing would lead to the other. By the time they get back they would most definitely be a couple.

"I still don't get why you turned down Rizzo's offer to join her on a job." Natsu, who was totally in the dark, said as he frowned. "We're a team, right?"

"Oh, Natsu, stop pouting." Lucy said laughing then held up a sheet of paper. "I have a job right here that we can take."

"But it won't be the same without Rizzo or even the Ice Princess." Natsu complained. "Why did you work so hard to get them to go on a mission alone?"

Lucy rolled her eyes as Happy, who actually understood what Lucy and Erza were doing, laughed behind his paw.

"You'll understand someday." Erza said as she pat Natsu on the shoulder. "And if it really bothers you that we're two people short from our team, we can ask two people to substitute for Rizzo and Gray."

Natsu just frowned even more though said nothing as Lucy wondered who might come along with them. Her eyes landed on Craylee as he was passing, and she opened her mouth before she even knew it.

"Hey, Craylee, you want to come along on a job?" Lucy asked.

The seamster mage paused to look curiously over at Lucy and the others. Behind him, Juvia was peeking around some lumber to glare darkly at Lucy for trying to steal her beloved. Juvia then looked at Craylee while sure he'd turn Lucy's offer down.

"I suppose I could." Craylee said as he walked over. "Will it just be us?"

Juvia felt herself be absolutely crushed as she replayed what just happened in her mind.

-JUVIA'S (WAY OFF) REPLAY-

 _Lucy walked up to Craylee to look up into his eyes wish a blush on her face._

 _"Craylee, would you want to come along on a mission…with me?" Lucy asked fluttering her eyelashes._

 _Craylee was silent for a moment before he pulled Lucy into his arms, which had the blonde mage gasping._

 _"If it's with you, I'd go anywhere." He said as he cupped her cheek. "Let's go together_ _ **alone**_ _."_

 _"Oh, Craylee." Lucy swooned._

 _They then leaned in together with their lips centimeters away from touching each other._

-END OF JUVIA'S (WAY OF) REPLAY-

Juvia bit down hard on a handkerchief to muffle her sobs as the tears ran down her cheeks comically. As she was having her breakdown, Lucy explained the mission to Craylee. As they were having the discussion, Jaser happened to walk by, and was pulled in as their second replacement.

* * *

"We're here!" Rizzo said as she jumped out of the cart.

She landed on her feet as Gray stepped out of the cart behind her. He had stripped a bit since the beginning of the journey and was currently shirtless. Rizzo, who was very used to his habits, didn't point out his half-nakedness since he was still mostly covered. If he tried to take off his underwear, Rizzo might have to beat his head in with her guitar.

"This is the village that's being terrorized?" Gray asked looking around.

The place seemed pretty peaceful to him, and it wasn't even cold enough for snow.

"No, the village is up the mountain." Rizzo said as she pointed at the mountains not that far off. "This is just the last town we can stop at before having to continue on foot."

Gray nodded in understanding as Rizzo went to the front of the cart. She pulled a sketchpad out of her bag, and opened it up. The pig that brought them here went into the sketchpad along with the cart. Whenever they would need them again, Rizzo would only have to open the sketchpad again. She would have to thank Reedus once again for using his magic when they get back.

"Okay, we should probably find a place for the night." Rizzo said. "Or do you think we could make it to the village if we start heading up the mountain now?"

Gray opened his mouth to reply, but he was interrupted when someone spoke.

"Rizzo?" A voice asked.

Rizzo and Gray turned seeing a man standing a few feet away from them. He had sandy golden hair and brown eyes. He wore a suit that looked finely made, and he just screamed pretty boy. The man then smiled.

"Rizzo, it is you." He said.

He walked up to Rizzo to take her hand into his. He smiled charmingly as Gray frowned. Just who was this guy?

"I have missed you." He said putting one arm around her waist to pull her close.

He gently cupped her chin to tilt her head up, so that he could look down into her face.

"You are more beautiful than the last time I saw you." He said enchantingly. "Your eyes are like two glistening gems just as I remember."

Gray felt his eye twitching in annoyance as Rizzo let out a slight laugh as she smiled at the man.

"Hibiki, you haven't changed a bit." Rizzo said as she pushed him back. "How have you been?"

"I've been well." Hibiki said. "And how are you, dear princess? We all heard about what happened to your guild. I hope you weren't too harmed."

Gray felt himself getting more and more annoyed as he wonder how Rizzo knew this guy.

"I'm fine." Rizzo said. "And so is everyone else. Everyone is working on rebuilding our guildhall as we speak. I just came here on a job."

Hibiki nodded his head while not even noticing the steaming Gray behind him and Rizzo.

"Well, everyone at the guild misses you almost as much as I do." Hibiki said smiling. "Shall we go see them?"

He started leading Rizzo away while keeping his arm around his waist as she was trying to get him to stop, so to point out she wasn't alone. However, he didn't seem to notice her trying to tug him to a halt.

"Hey!" Gray shouted.

Hibiki stopped to turn and look at Gray with a bored look on his face. Gray walked forward to take Rizzo out of his hold, and put some space between her and Hibiki.

"Who are you?" Hibiki asked frowning.

"Oh, Hibiki, this is Gray Fullbuster." Rizzo said gesturing to Gray. "He's one of my guildmates. Gray, this is Hibiki. He's from the Blue Pegasus guild. Their guildhall is actually located in this town."

Gray continued glaring at Hibiki as he kept a secure grasp on Rizzo who didn't even seem to notice the tension between the two men.

"Hmm, well, a friend of Rizzo's is definitely welcomed at our guild." Hibiki said politely. "I am sure Master Bob will be delighted to see the both of you."

Gray shuddered at the mention of Bob since that man just gave him goosebumps, and definitely not in a good way.

"Thanks, but we can't." Gray said. "We have a job to get started on."

"I'm sorry, Hibiki, but he is right." Rizzo said. "If we don't leave soon, we won't reach Snowfall Village before dark. It's already pretty late."

"Snowfall?" Hibiki said. "Gees, looks like Fairy Tail is taking even our local business."

He said this jokingly, which had Rizzo giggling as Gray just wished to leave this guy behind. He didn't like how close Rizzo and Hibiki seemed to be.

"How about you wait until tomorrow to head up the mountain?" Hibiki said. "As you said it's getting late already. I would be worried sick not knowing if you made it in time or not, and the mountain can be dangerous at night. There are guest rooms at the Blue Pegasus guild, or I could offer you my home tonight."

He looked at Rizzo as he was saying this, and Gray was quick to step up in front of her.

"No thanks." Gray said. "We can find a hotel or something."

Hibiki frowned at Gray as Rizzo sighed. She doesn't understand why Gray was getting so upset. Hibiki was being himself, which is why Rizzo didn't think much of his flirting. Honestly, she finds it amusing most of the time.

"Frosty, don't be rude." Rizzo said bonking him on the head.

Gray frowned rubbing his head as Rizzo looked at Hibiki who put the charming smile back onto his face.

"If it wouldn't be a bother and if Master Bob wouldn't mind, we'll take you up on your first offer." Rizzo said.

"I'm sure he won't mind at all." Hibiki said. "Master Bob is rather fond of you."

Rizzo smiled as Hibiki managed to get her away from Gray. The ice mage felt himself boil inside as Hibiki brought Rizzo close.

"I promise to show you a great time tonight, Rizzo." Hibiki said. "You know at Blue Pegasus we only show our guests the best."

Rizzo went to reply, but she felt herself being pulled away from Hibiki by Gray. The ice mage held Rizzo close with her head pressed against his chest, which had her blushing.

"Okay, listen, buddy." Gray said. "Keep your hands off Rizzo. She isn't part of your guild. She's part of _mine_."

"Okay, okay." Hibiki said waving Gray off.

Hibiki then had the two follow him as he led the way towards Blue Pegasus's guildhall. Gray kept Rizzo close as they went through the town with Hibiki.

"How do you two know each other?" Gray asked.

"Oh, Rizzo has come to my guild's guildhall the last few years to play for Master Bob's birthday." Hibiki said. "He used to brag about a young beautiful girl, who had the voice of an angel, and happened to be the granddaughter of an old friend of his. We got a name from him, and had requested for Rizzo to come for his birthday to perform. After the first time, Rizzo as returned each year for Master Bob's birthday."

He smiled down at Rizzo as she smiled up at him, and Gray felt a tightening in his chest.

"Gray, don't you remember all those times I left the guildhall around the same time every year?" Rizzo asked.

"Vaguely." He said honestly.

Rizzo chuckled while not all that surprised. Rizzo is in and out of the guildhall so much that it's probably hard to keep track on when she leaves and for what reason. After walking for a bit longer the group of three arrived at Blue Pegasus.

"This way, please." Hibiki said as he opened the door.

Rizzo stepped in, and before Gray could follow, Hibiki cut him off. Gray was close to decking this guy. Gray followed after Hibiki, and his eyes widened when he saw the extravagant décor. This place looked as if it was a place for the rich.

"Yeah, it completely threw me off too when I first saw it." Rizzo whispered back to Gray.

He shook his head to snap out of it as Hibiki clapped his hands loudly three times to get everyone's attention.

"Everyone, Rizzo has come back for a visit." Hibiki said then seemed to remember Gray. "Oh…and she brought a _friend_."

Gray rolled his eyes at how Hibiki introduced him as Gray moved to stand beside Rizzo.

"Rizzo dear, welcome back." Bob said from behind the bar. "And you brought that yummy ice mage with you."

Gray shuddered moving closer to Rizzo as if she would protect him from Bob. Rizzo reached out to pat him on the head while chuckling. Hibiki then took her bag and guitar case off her hands, so she would be more comfortable. Two men then approached them.

"Rizzo-nee-chan, you're back." The younger one said as he took Rizzo's hands in his own. "You've gotten even more beautiful since the last time I saw you."

He gave Rizzo a smile that reminded Gray of Sven when he was trying to get the girls to fawn over him. Rizzo laughed as she pulled away one of her hands to ruffle the boy on the head.

"Eve, have you actually gotten taller?" Rizzo asked.

Eve nodded his head as he continued to smile at Rizzo. The next guy then nonchalantly put his arm around Rizzo's shoulders, which had Gray glaring at him.

"It's about time you came back." He said. "Don't think I missed you or anything though. I could really care less that you're here."

"Whatever you say, Ren." Rizzo said chuckling.

Suddenly the three men had Rizzo sitting down on one of the couches. Gray stood there shocked as they started doting on her.

"I'm sure you're hungry after your journey." Hibiki said holding out a tray of fruit then picked up the grapes. "If you want, I can feed them to you."

"Would you like me message your shoulders, Nee-chan?" Even asked while already having his hands on her shoulders.

"Here." Ren, who was sitting on Rizzo's other side, said as he scoot a flute of champagne towards her. "You can have this. Just don't go thinking I made it for you."

Bob chuckled shaking his head at the three boys as Gray looked like he was close to exploding.

"Men, you shouldn't crowd our guest." A voice said. "Have you no manners?"

Gray turned his head with his expression turning freaked out when he saw the little gnome of a man standing there. Rizzo even got a bit uncomfortable when seeing the guy.

"Sorry, boss!" All three said while jumping up to salute the tiny man.

"Oh, Ichiya-san, how are you?" Rizzo asked trying to smile though it came out more like a grimace.

Ichiya went up to Rizzo to take her hand, and she shuddered as he sniffed up her arm.

"Rizzo-san, as always you have a lovely perfume." He said. "Tell me, has Erza-san come with you?"

"I'm sorry, but it's just me and Gray." Rizzo said.

She gestured to Gray, and the men finally took note of the ice mage as he stood there trying to control his temper. He really just wanted to grab Rizzo and make a run for it.

"Are you here on business, dear?" Bob asked.

"Yes, sir." Rizzo said nodding. "Hibiki already offered, but I want to make sure it's okay with you if Gray and I use one of the guest rooms here."

"Oh, Sweetie, of course it is." Bob said. "You're always welcomed here. I've even tried to convince Maki to let me keep you more than once."

Rizzo laughed smiling brightly as Gray frowned. He knew Rizzo would never leave Fairy Tail, but he still didn't like the thought of other guilds wanting her.

"Well, if I didn't have Fairy Tail, I'd probably come here." Rizzo said honestly. "But I could never leave my guild or my guildmates."

She smiled over at Gray as she said this, and Gray forgot his worries as he smiled at her in return. Bob looked between the two young mages.

"My my, Rizzo, are you dating this fine young man?" Bob asked.

Rizzo and Gray both stiffened with the faces heating up as the blushed. They both started sputtering and shaking their heads, but none of what they were saying made since. Bob chuckled getting his answer well enough through the babbling. They weren't dating, but it was obvious they liked each other. The Trimens also picked up on this as well.

"Looks like we lost her." Hibiki said chuckling with a good-natured smile on his face.

"Yeah." Eve added smiling as well.

"As if I care." Ren said being true to his tsundere self.

"Maaan." Ichiya hummed.

Hibiki then got an idea pop in his mind, and his companions noticed when his smile turned almost mischievous. He then clapped to get Rizzo and Gray's attention.

"I hope the two of you will join us for dinner tonight." Hibiki said smiling. "We'll be sure to treat you to the best Blue Pegasus has to offer."


	26. A Lover's Quarrel

Coco: Sorry, the chapter's a bit short. I promise to make the next one longer. Anyway enjoy~

Gray sat across from Rizzo with his eye twitching as he had to watch the Tri-losers pamper her. Hibiki had his arm around Rizzo's shoulders, and Eve was holding one of her hands. Ren was leaning in from behind while holding a rose out to her, which she took carefully since the stem still had thorns on it. Gray didn't understand why Rizzo wasn't telling these guys to back off. She didn't like it when that Silk guy was all over her. Yet she was laughing and seemingly enjoying her time with these pretty boys.

"Would you like more sparkling grape juice, Rizzo?" Hibiki asked as he held up the bottle.

"Perhaps something more to eat." Eve added smiling sweetly as he gestured to the spread.

"If you're not comfortable, you can have this other pillow." Ren said as he held a pillow in his hands. "But don't think I got it especially for you or anything."

Gray's eye started twitching even more as Rizzo just politely declined all their offers.

"You three really haven't changed." Rizzo said with an amused smile on her face. "Don't you have other girls to flirt with?"

"None of them compare to you, Rizzo." Hibiki said as he leaned in closer to her. "You are the most beautiful one here tonight."

Rizzo held back a snort of disbelief as she playfully pushed Hibiki away from her.

"You're really laying it on thick tonight, Hibiki." Rizzo said as she shook her head. "What's wrong, been without the company of a lady for a while?"

Hibiki chuckled at Rizzo's quip while not feeling insulted by it at all. This playful banter between them started up on the first night Rizzo came to Blue Pegasus to play. It was like their thing, and he enjoyed it, which is why he missed Rizzo so much when she leaves.

"I am only speaking the truth." Hibiki said as he placed his hand over his heart.

Rizzo chuckled shaking her head before she winced. She looked down at her right hand to see she had managed to cut her pointer finger on a thorn. She frowned as some blood welled up on the cut.

"Rizzo, are you okay?" Gray asked as he got up, so to reach across the table. "Did you—"

He stopped mid-sentence with his eyes widening when Hibiki gently placed Rizzo's knuckle, which was where the cut was, into his mouth to get rid of the blood. Gray was frozen there for a moment as he looked at the scene in front of him.

"Rizzo, you must be more careful." Hibiki said as he pulled away.

"Uh, thanks, Hibiki." Rizzo said sweat-dropping. "But you didn't have to do that."

She then jumped a bit when Gray very loudly pushed his chair away from the table to get up. He practically marched out of the room before slamming the door behind him.

"Gray!" Rizzo called as she got up. "Excuse me, sorry."

She hurried after her guildmate as Bob turned to look at the Trimens with a disapproving look on his face. They all looked at him sheepishly. Hibiki just wanted to push the two together by giving Gray a bit of an incentive to hurry up and confess.

* * *

"Gray, wait up!" Rizzo called out her friend.

She caught up to him, and managed to grab his hand to pull him to a halt. Gray turned his head back to glare at her, which had Rizzo stiffening in surprise.

"What?" He asked frowning.

Rizzo frowned as well, but in confusion at his angered mood. She didn't understand why he was acting like this.

"Gray, what's wrong?" Rizzo asked. "Why are you acting like this?"

Gray scoffed as he pulled his arm away from Rizzo rather roughly, which had her eyes widening.

"Why don't you just go back to your boyfriend?" Gray asked. "I'm sure he and his friends are missing you."

Rizzo's frown deepened, but this time it was out of annoyance, not confusion.

"Gray, Hibiki isn't my boyfriend." Rizzo said. "He's just a friend to me."

"Sure didn't look like it from where I was sitting." Gray said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Those guys obviously have more than friendship on their minds. Or are you just too stupid to notice?"

Rizzo narrowed her eyes at him while past the point of just being annoyed by him. She was angry now.

"I'm not stupid!" Rizzo said. "Hibiki, Ren, and Eve flirt with anything and everything of the female variety! That's just how they are. They're like Loke, and you never get upset when Loke flirts with me!"

"Because Loke is our friend!" Gray retorted.

"Well, they're my friends too!" Rizzo shot back. "They know where I stand. They know I could never think of them as more than friends. They're just goofing off when they flirt with me!"

Gray rolled his eyes highly doubting that. No one would just flirt with someone as beautiful as Rizzo just to be goofing off. Rizzo growled in annoyance when seeing that he didn't believe her.

"I don't understand why you're so angry." Rizzo said. "So what if guys flirt with me? It's not like it's any of your business if they do."

Gray felt a small pang in his chest because it wanted it to be his business. He wanted to keep other guys away from Rizzo.

"I'm just looking out for you." Gray lied, so he wouldn't have to give the real reason as to why he's so upset. "Guys might try to take advantage of you, Rizzo."

"I can take care of myself!" Rizzo said as she pointed at herself. "Besides, what guy would even want to have a relationship with me let alone take advantage of me?"

Gray groaned wondering if she really didn't know just how beautiful and amazing she was even if she causes most of his headaches.

"If you don't know then you really are an idiot." Gray said.

Rizzo nearly screamed in frustration while getting tired of listening to Gray insulting her intelligence.

"I shouldn't have asked you to come along." Rizzo said. "If I had known you were going to act like this, I wouldn't have! I don't even know why I bother with you sometimes, Gray Fullbuster!"

She then turned around to head back to Blue Pegasus to get a goodnight's sleep. She wanted to get up early tomorrow to finish this stupid job, so they could return to Magnolia. When they do get home, she is going to do her best to avoid Gray for the rest of forever. Gray watched her go while mentally kicking himself. He should have handled that better.

"Well, you handled that pretty poorly."

Gray looked over his shoulder seeing Raoul leaning against the light post behind him. Gray sighed as he turned to face the man.

"I know." Gray said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "It seems all I'm good at doing is pissing her off."

He sat down on the bench near the light post as Raoul hummed as if agreeing with Gray.

"I thought you couldn't get too far away from her." Gray said.

"I can't." Raoul said as he plopped down beside Gray. "The farthest I can get is a mile. Lucky for me, the Blue Pegasus guildhall isn't even half a mile from here, which means I get to sit down here and tell you a little story."

Gray frowned really not in a mood for a story, but honestly…he needed all the help he could get.

"First of all, when you like a girl, I suggest not calling her an idiot." Raoul said bluntly.

Gray just groaned hanging his head. He had figured out that much on his own once he just screwed up right then with Rizzo.

"Don't beat yourself up too bad." Raoul said. "Love is hard and complicated. I wasn't the best at expressing it either. I still wonder how I even managed to get lucky enough to even get married in the first place and have two wonderful sons."

Gray looked up at Raoul curiously as the older man looked up at the starry night sky.

"I was a lot like you." Raoul said. "Minus the stripping habit."

Gray blushed at his habit being brought up, and Raoul chuckled as he pat Gray on the back.

"I loved Tatia before I really knew it." Raoul said. "We fought so much that the thought of loving her didn't occur to me there for a while. I think I finally started to realize it when she had been there for me during a difficult time. After that…I started noticing more and more about her. It soon turned to love, but I wasn't sure how to tell her how I felt. I didn't know how to deal with it, so I continued on as we always were."

Gray frowned thoughtfully. This was sounding a lot how things have been going with Rizzo.

"What I hadn't known was that Caspian loved her as well." Raoul said with a sigh. "But one day I found the two of them in a…more or less intimate position. I guess something in me just snapped. I stormed off…she caught up to me…we argued…and she marched off. Didn't talk to me for weeks."

Gray grimaced not liking the thought of Rizzo ignoring him for weeks. Even though they mostly just argue during their time together, he'd rather have the arguing instead of the cold-shoulder treatment.

"How'd you finally tell her you love her?" Gray asked.

"Heh, I didn't really tell her anything." Raoul said chuckling with a sheepish grin on his face. "I finally just cornered her after I had enough of her ignoring me. We argued…and I kissed her."

Gray looked at Raoul with wide eyes, and the pinkette grinned even more with that sheepish look still in his eyes.

"Yeah, not the best tactic." Raoul said. "In fact, it got me slapped across the face, but then she kissed me back."

Gray frowned in confusion. So she slapped him because she was angry…but turned around and kissed him?

"Yeah, women are confusing creatures." Raoul said when seeing his expression. "Here's my advice, if you plan to use that tactic…I suggest doing it when Rizzo isn't upset with you."

"She's always upset with me for some reason." Gray said chuckling humorlessly.

Raoul chuckled as well before a comfortable silence fell over the two of them. Raoul then started flickering, which had Gray looking at him in confusion.

"I need to return to Rizzo." Raoul said as he looked at his flickering hand. "I can't stay out like this for too long."

He stood up while looking up at the sky for one more time because he wasn't sure when he'd be able to leave Rizzo's body again.

"Before I go, here's some advice." Raoul said as he glanced back at Gray. "Don't wait much longer to confess your feelings to Rizzo. The longer you wait…the more of a chance of someone else coming in to take her. Oh, and I suggest you being very blunt with her. I love Rizzo dearly, but she's a bit dense when it comes to noticing people's attraction towards her. She doesn't even realize her own beauty. The only reason she knows that Silk man likes her is because he threw his love for her in her face. Now, I don't suggest you doing that, but just don't beat around the bush."

"Yeah, thank-you, sir." Gray said.

Raoul nodded grinning before he disappeared from where he had been standing. Gray sighed looking up at the sky.

"Be blunt, huh?" He muttered to himself.

* * *

The next day, Rizzo stood at the foot of the mountain with Gray standing beside her. She had on a pink turtleneck sweater that fell a bit past her hips, and a pair of thick black leggings. Over that she had on a neon green coat that was outlined with white faux fur, and on her feet were black winter boots. On her back was her guitar as always. Gray had on his usual wear, and Rizzo was surprised he hasn't lost his shirt and coat yet.

"Thanks for bringing us here, guys." Rizzo said turning to look at Hibiki, Ren, and Eve.

"No problem, Nee-chan." Eve said.

"Please, take care of yourselves up there." Hibiki said.

"Hmph, I'm not worried." Ren said.

Rizzo chuckled while quite used to Ren's nonchalant mannerisms. She knew he cared even if he said the exact opposite.

"We'll be sure to stop by your guild after we're done to say goodbye." Rizzo said smiling.

"Be sure that you do." Hibiki said. "We'll be sure to give you a sending off party."

Rizzo waved to them then started trekking up the mountain trail. Gray threw one more glare at the Trimens, and they all frowned at him. He then went up after Rizzo, so they could get all of this over with. He decided he should probably wait until after the mission to sit her down, so he could finally tell her why he had acted like a jerk. She was still pretty pissed off now at him. She's barely said two words to him ever since they woke this morning.

They trekked up the mountain with the green scenery slowly turning snowy and white the farther up they went. Soon they were walking through snow that went up to nearly their knees. Gray kept an eye on Rizzo as they kept going because he knew how she was in the cold. He found it humorous that he had feelings for a girl that couldn't stand the cold. Maybe that was why they always fought. Another hour passed in their journey before Rizzo paused to look up the mountain side.

"There's the village." Rizzo said pointing.

Gray looked up seeing a small village what was half submerged in snow. He frowned knowing that Snowfall was small, but there were only about a dozen buildings.

"The rest collapsed during the avalanches." Rizzo said when seeing his expression. "That's why this job was an emergency request."

Gray nodded his head in understanding before following Rizzo up the rest of the way to the village. When they entered the village is was extremely quiet. There was no sign of lights anywhere, and Gray would think the villagers would be putting out lights by now since the sun was starting to set. It had taken him and Rizzo all day to get here, and they barely had a break when they had reached the halfway point.

"Seems as if they're too scared to even poke their heads out their doors." Rizzo said frowning.

"Yeah." Gray agreed while a bit surprised she was speaking to him at all really.

They walked around a bit more before hearing a rumbling sound. They looked up seeing a small avalanche coming towards them.

"Crap." Rizzo said. "Gray!"

"On it!" Gray said as he ran forward then put his hands together. "Ice-Make: Wall!"

He made a large and thick wall of ice in front of the village to stop the avalanche from hitting the remaining buildings. The ice cracked a bit, but otherwise held against the snow.

"Bet you're glad I came now." Gray joked as he looked at Rizzo.

She just gave him a silent glare, which had him sighing. Guessing she was still too upset with him. Joking probably wasn't the best thing to do now.

"Psst."

The two mages turned around seeing an elderly man poking his head out of one of the buildings. He gestured for them to come inside. Rizzo walked forward with Gray following behind her. The second they stepped inside the house the door was shut behind them with a small click. They were left in complete darkness for a moment before a single candle was lit to reveal the old man.

"Are you mages from Fairy Tail?" He asked.

"Yes, sir." Rizzo said as she stepped up. "I'm Rizzo Sweeney. This is my associate Gray Fullbuster."

Gray grimaced at being referred to as an associate. He knew they needed to be professional right now, but she sounded so cold when she saw that. He's really pissed her off good this time, which isn't what he wanted.

"Thank goodness you've come." The elderly man said. "My name is Juana. I am the elder of this village. As you've probably seen most of our village doesn't remain. It's imperative that those Vulcans are taken care of before we have no village left."

"We understand." Gray said. "Do you have any idea how many Vulcans we are dealing with?"

"My son told me he counted about thirty or so when he last went up to their territory." Juana said. "There were less, but they started taking over the villagers, which had their numbers growing. Please, if you could, bring back the villagers that have been taken as well."

Rizzo frowned because this was more serious than she previously thought. However, she was sure her and Gray would be able to handle it. If Macao can take on nineteen by himself, she and Gray could take on thirty no problem.

"Don't worry, sir, we'll take care of this." Rizzo said. "You won't have to worry about it soon enough."

"Thank-you." Juana said. "Please, stay here for the night. I know you must be capable mages, but the mountain is very dangerous at night. I have only one guest room. Is that alright?"

Rizzo shot a heated glare at Gray, and he sighed not so sure that it would be alright.

"It won't be a problem at all." Rizzo said to Juana. "Thank-you for your hospitality. We'll rest tonight, and get started at first light."

Juana thanked them once more before he showed them to the guest room. It was a quaint little room that only had one large bed inside that was covered with furs. Rizzo tried not to frown. She definitely didn't want to be sharing a bed with Gray, but at least the bed looked as if it'd be really warm.

"I hope you both have a nice sleep." Juana said while bowing his head.

He then left the two alone, and Rizzo just silently set her guitar case on the left side of the bed where it could be easily grabbed if something happened during the night. As she was taking off her coat, Gray sat down on his side of the bed.

"Hey, Rizzo." Gray said.

"What?" she asked while not looking at him.

"Listen, I'm sorry for what I had said last night.' Gray said. "I didn't mean to say half the things I did…I was just angry, and they slipped out."

Rizzo turned to look at him with her brow quirked in question. Gray took that was progress since she wasn't looking at him a hostile expression.

"And why were you angry?" She asked.

Gray frowned not sure how he was going to explain how he was jealous of how close Hibiki was to Rizzo.

"I didn't like that Hibiki guy all over you." Gray said.

"Why? I'm asking why you go upset over what Hibiki did." Rizzo said.

Gray went silent again, and Rizzo shook her head with an exasperated look on her face. She kicked off her boots then climbed under the fur covers on the bed.

"We've got to get an early start tomorrow, so we better get some sleep." She said.

Gray sighed wishing he had just spit it out why he got upset. He peeled off a few layers of his clothes before laying down beside Rizzo. He just hoped everything went smoothly tomorrow, and once they're done, he'll tell her how he feels.


	27. Confessions and Warm Kisses

Coco: IT'S FINALLY HERE! THE CHAPTER WHERE THE CONFESSION TAKES PLACE!...Sorry, I'm calm now XD I'm just so excited...it makes me happy that I've finally made it to this point :D. I hope you all like the chapter. I'm quite proud of it. Just a quick few notes, and you can start reading. And please, read the notes because their important.

 **IMPORTANT!**

1) After this chapter, I'm taking the focus of Rizzo and Gray, but just for the next chapter. I decided to give little one-shot arcs for the Treblemen. Each one will have their own chapter at some point in the story, so you as the readers can get to know them better. I also want the chapters to show changing points in their relationships with the person I chose to pair them with. This first mini arc will be for Jaser, and I suggest you read it because it'll show a lot more to Jaser's past that will be referenced to later on the story. So, please, ready the next chapter and all the mini arcs for the Treblemen. I might make some for my other more reoccurring OCs...but I'm not sure.

2) I **don't** own the song being used in Rizzo's first flashback. The song, _Fly_ , is owned by Avril Lavigne. I'm just burrowing the lyrics.

NOW LET'S GET ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

When morning came, Rizzo and Gray had immediately started up the mountain to get to the higher elevation where they were told the Vulcans made their home. The trek was silent with only the snow crunching under their feet being the only noise. Rizzo saw something up ahead, so she jogged a head with Gray pausing to watch her go. She crouched down seeing a large print in the snow that clearly belonged to the Vulcan.

"We're getting close." She said.

A large dark shadow then appeared around her, and she looked up with wide eyes to see a Vulcan falling towards her with its arms stretched out.

"Rizzo!" Gray called out then brought his hands together. "Ice-Make: Slide!"

He hit the snow down in front of him with the ice magic, and the ice went up the mountain slope to where Rizzo was. She gasped as she started sliding down towards Gray as the Vulcan landed hard where she had last been, and its impact broke the ice under it. Rizzo slid right down to Gray, and he opened his arms to catch her. As he made sure she was alright, more Vulcans appeared as they jumped down from the large pine trees.

"Looks like there's about thirty as Juana said." Gray said.

"Yeah," Rizzo agreed as she got up to her feet. "We need the higher ground. If I use my music magic at this level it will make the snow at the top avalanche down onto the village."

Gray nodded knowing she was right. If she was playing downwards the vibrations of her music magic will less likely start an avalanche. And even if she did, Gray could make another ice wall to prevent it from getting to the village.

"Think you could make a ramp of some sort to get me up there?" She asked calmly.

Despite the fact that she was still upset with him, she knew now wasn't the time to be hostile. They had to work as professionals right now.

"I can manage that." Gray said grinning.

He brought his hands together then made a ramp of ice. He then grabbed Rizzo's outstretched hands to sling her around to give her momentum to send her flying up the ramp. Rizzo went up into the air while tossing her guitar case up. It opened up as it was in the air, and her trusty violin dropped out to land into her awaiting hands. She landed in the snow higher up the slop in a crouch. The Vulcans all hooted and hollered as they turned to look at Rizzo. She stood while putting her violin in place.

"Song of the Ice Queen Skadi (Norse Goddess of Winter and the Hunt)." Rizzo said.

Magic circles started appearing around a few of the Vulcan, and even from where he was standing, Gray could start to feel a drop in temperature. Icy winds started blowing from the magic circles to start swirling around the Vulcans caught in her magic. The icy winds were so strong that it lifted the large monkeys into the air. Some of the Vulcans on the outside of the magic circles tried to attack Rizzo, but Gray moved much quicker.

"Ice-Make: Lance!" He shouted as he put his hands together.

Several ice lances shot forward to hit those Vulcans away from Rizzo who continued on playing. Icy particles started hardening and forming together in front of the magic circles. As the ice collected more and more ice spears started taking shape. Her violin playing started picking up a bit as she swayed inside the golden magic circle that kept her protected from her own magic spell. The spears, which were finally formed, shot forward to hit the Vulcans that were flying around in the cold wind. Those spears shattered into what looked like icy blossoms, and they swirled around to cut up the Vulcans. Once the song ended the Vulcans dropped to the ground. Some changed form to take on the look of people, so Rizzo guessed they were the villagers Juana said the Vulcans had taken over.

She looked behind her to see that Gray was faring well against the Vulcans he was taking on. One tried to come up behind her to take her out, but she was quick to react. She whirled around to kick the large animal in the torso, and it went flying. It hit a tree hard with a pile of snow falling down on top of it. Rizzo walked forward to pull the Vulcan out of the snow, but what came out was a human. Looked like another villager had been possessed. She added the person to the growing pile of villagers that would need to be returned to the village. Gray finally finished off the last of the Vulcans, and he looked to see that Rizzo had done the same.

"That lasted shorter than I expected." Gray said.

Rizzo hummed in agreement as she wondered how they'd get all these villagers back down the mountain. She let her violin and bow return to her case, which floated down to hook around her back.

"How are we going to move them?" She asked.

"I've got an idea." Gray said as he brought his hands together. "Ice-Make: Giant Sled!"

He made what looked like a giant ice disk on the snow that reminded Rizzo of the make-shift sleds they used to use to go sledding down the hills in Magnolia during the winter.

"Everyone should be able to fit on here." Gray said.

"Right." Rizzo said.

She started moving villagers onto the sled with Gray helping her. As they were putting the last villager onto the sled, they heard a rumbling sound. They both froze before turning their heads to see that they had missed a Vulcan…and it had created a huge avalanche.

"Shit!" Rizzo cursed as snow was rolling down towards them.

She and Gray pushed the sled to get it going down the mountain, so to keep the villagers out of harm's way. Rizzo quickly jerked her guitar case off her back, and her violin came out into her hands. Gray's eyes widened when several magic circles appeared in front of them. He also started to feel an intense heat coming from the magic circles.

"Song of the Phoenix's Rage!" She said as she started playing.

Flames shot forward from the magic circles to hit the snow that was coming towards them. Gray watched with wide eyes as steam immediate rose from where the flames and snow met. The flames were so hot that they were melting the snow in an instant. However, the snow just kept coming, and Gray could see that Rizzo couldn't keep this up forever. He then saw that the Vulcan was coming down the mountain out of range of Rizzo's magic, and Gray was sure the animal was going after the pinkette.

Gray's eyes widened when he saw the Vulcan had broken off a tree limb. It looked as if it was going to throw it at Rizzo. Gray appeared to be right since the Vulcan threw the limb like a spear towards Rizzo who was still playing to melt the snow.

"Rizzo!" Gray shouted out in warning.

Rizzo's head snapped to the side with her eyes widening when seeing the branch flying towards her. Gray shoved her out of the way, which broke off her playing and the magic, and allowed the remaining snow to continue coming towards them. Rizzo, who scrambled to sit up in the snow, watched in horror as the tree branch pierced Gray from behind in his lower back and it came out through his lower abdomen.

"GRAY!" Rizzo screamed as he fell to the ground.

They were then covered in snow that remained from the avalanche. The snow came to a stop as the Vulcan landed where Rizzo and Gray had disappeared under the snow. It looked around for any signs of them. It grinned when it seemed like the snow had taken care of them. It looked as if it had protected its territory after all. It started hooting and hollering in joy, but then it heard snow crunching. It turned its head to see Rizzo pulling herself out of the snow. She turned her eyes on it with the green orbs hard and unforgiving.

"You're going to pay for that, ya ugly ape." Rizzo said as she pulled herself the rest of the way out of the snow. "No one is allowed to hurt someone I care about and get away with it!"

The Vulcan snorted not looking very worried, but Rizzo would show it not to take her so lightly. It started charging towards her. Rizzo stood her ground as magic collected on her fist.

"Soundwave!" She shouted while shooting her fist forward.

The soundwave hit the Vulcan to blast it halfway down the mountain. Rizzo huffed then snapped her fingers, so her case popped out of the snow then shook itself almost like a dog trying to get the remaining snow off of it. Rizzo was a bit surprised she was able to pull of the sound magic. Her body wasn't used to castor magic since she spent all her life learning how to put her magic into music magic, which is a holder type magic. She guesses those lessons with Raoul were paying off. Rizzo shook her head while looking around.

"Gray." She said.

She immediately dropped down to her knees to start searching for Gray. She had to find him. She just had too. She started digging frantically in the snow as tears rolled down her cheeks. She just couldn't lose Gray!

* * *

Juana looked out his window in worry as snow started to fall. The villagers that had been taken by the Vulcans had returned on a giant ice sled hours ago. All of them hard wounds, but all were alive. However, there was no sign of the mages that had went up the mountain to help them. It was starting to get dark, and the mountain could become very dangerous at night. He really hoped they were alright. Suddenly his door slammed open to reveal his son, Christoph.

"Father, the mages have returned!" He said. "One is badly injured."

Juana's eyes widened, and he hurried outside to see the young woman, Rizzo, half-dragging half-carrying her friend into the village. Blood could be seen all over Gray's clothes, and he was extremely pale.

"Go tell the village doctor to prepare for patients immediately!" Juana ordered.

Christoph ran off to do as he was told as Rizzo finally collapsed onto her knees. Juana called for a few men to hurry and bring the two mages to the doctor's office. They did as ordered, and soon Rizzo and Gray both were laying in separate beds in Dr. Naku's office.

"The girl seems to just have a case of hypothermia." Dr. Naku said. "She'll be fine though once we warm her up. The boy, however, received a very deep wound. I was able to patch him, but it'll be dicey for the next few hours."

Juana frowned feeling completely responsible for the state of these two young mages.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Juana." Dr. Naku said. "They'll pull through if they're anything like the news says how Fairy Tail mages are."

Juana nodded his head as he looked at the two sleeping mages who were resting in their beds. Rizzo suddenly started coughing, so Dr. Naku went to check on the girl. Her eyes opened to see that she wasn't outside anymore. Her eyes landed on Dr. Naku as he was leaning over her.

"Welcome back." He said. "I'm Dr. Naku. I'm here to take care of you and your friend."

He gestured over to Gray's bed, so Rizzo turned her head seeing Gray laying in his own bed. He was breathing a bit heavily from under his covers.

"Looks a bit rough, doesn't he?" Dr. Naku asked. "Don't worry. I haven't lost a patient yet. I promise he'll make it through this. You just worry about getting better first, so you can help him recover later."

Rizzo nodded her head with her eyes drooping a bit. Dr. Naku tucked her in as she fell back asleep while unable to stay awake like she had most desperately wanted. As her breathing slowed and even-outed, Juana prayed the two would be alright in the end.

* * *

The next day, Rizzo, who was doing much better, sat at Gray's bedside as he continued to remain unconscious. She tightened her hands around the one of his that she was holding. The longer he remained unconscious the more worried she felt. She can't believe this happened. It wasn't supposed to. It was supposed to be a simple mission…how'd it go so wrong?

She was also upset with herself for being so cold towards Gray. Yes, what he had said hurt her feelings, but…he apologized, and she should have just taken it. Should have gotten over the anger she had felt. She hadn't though. She just pushed to know Gray had acted the way he did. It couldn't just be because he had been annoyed with Hibiki…but it wasn't like that mattered now. She should have just let it go earlier.

She shook her head as a few tears collected in her eyes. She wiped them away quickly before looking down at Gray's face. She reached out to brush some of his hair back as she thought about happier times where Gray had been there for her, or made her day.

-FLASHBACK-

 _Rizzo sat on top the small dam she sometimes comes to with Natsu and Lisanna as she was singing softly. It was a song that her grandmother used to sing for her. But Mercury had explained that it was Rizzo's mother who wrote the song for Rizzo when she was born. It was a tune that always made Rizzo feel better whenever she was sad._

" _ **There's a light inside of all of us  
It's never hiding you just have to light it  
It's the one thing that you gotta trust  
It's like a diamond, you just have to find it**_

 _Rizzo continued singing as she looked down at the water below while remembering all those times that Mercury would sing to her and her brothers._

 _ **So if you ever feel like giving up  
Yeah, just remember that…we were all meant to fly**_

 _ **Spread your wings across the universe**_  
 _ **It's your time to—it's your time to shine**_  
 _ **There's a light inside of all of us**_  
 _ **Soon, you'll find that it's your time to fly**_  
 _ **Your time to fly**_

 _As she was singing, she had no idea someone had stopped to listen to her sing._

 _ **A little help is all it ever takes  
Somebody else to tell you it's worth fighting  
A single step becomes a leap of faith  
That's when you realize you started flying**_

 _ **So, don't you ever say you're giving up**_  
 _ **No, there's no looking back... 'cause we were all meant to fly**_

 _ **Spread your wings across the universe**_  
 _ **It's your time to—it's your time to shine**_  
 _ **There's a light inside of all of us**_  
 _ **Soon, you'll find that it's your time to fly**_  
 _ **It's your time to fly**_

 _ **Just reach up, don't give up**_  
 _ **Until you've touched the sky**_  
 _ **Just reach up, don't give up**_  
 _ **Until you've realized...**_

 _ **That we were all meant to fly**_

 _ **Spread your wings across the universe**_  
 _ **It's your time to—it's your time to shine**_  
 _ **There's a light inside of all of us**_  
 _ **Soon, you'll find that it's your time to fly, fly**_

 _ **It's your time to—it's your time to shine, shine**_  
 _ **Soon, you'll find that it's your time to fly**_

 _ **Spread your wings across the universe**_  
 _ **It's your time to—it's your time to shine**_  
 _ **There's a light inside of all of us**_  
 _ **Soon, you'll find that it's your time to fly**_

 _Rizzo finished the song with a content smile on her face as she remembered all those happy memories she had with her family instead of that horrid night where they were all taken from her. Suddenly she heard clapping, so she stood up while whirling around to see Gray, who was just in his underwear, standing there. She blushed when realizing he had been listening._

" _W-what are you doing here, Frosty?" She asked frowning. "Eavesdropping?"_

" _I was just walking by when I heard you singing." Gray said. "If you don't want someone to hear you, don't sing out in the open."_

 _Rizzo frowned knowing he had a point, but she wasn't about to tell him that because he'd never let her live it down._

" _You're really good at singing." Gray then said. "Why don't you sing around the guild more often?"_

 _Rizzo looked at him in surprise with her cheeks warming up as she blushed a bit._

 _"Because it'd be too embarrassing." Rizzo said as she looked down at the ground._

 _"Why?" Gray asked. "Master Makarov said you used to sing a lot before coming here."_

 _"Well, that was for my family." Rizzo said. "There's a difference."_

 _"I don't think so." Gray said._

 _Rizzo looked up at him in confusion as he grinned at her with his hands on his waist._

 _"You're still with family." Gray said. "Fairy Tail is your family. So don't feel all embarrassed about being heard singing. I'm sure everyone at the guild would love to hear you. You're really good."_

 _Rizzo blushed not knowing what to say, so she punched Gray in the shoulder really hard._

 _"Ow! What was that for?!" He demanded._

 _"For being stupid!" Rizzo replied._

 _"Gees, that's the last time I compliment you!" Gray said._

-END OF FLASHBACK-

Rizzo lightly chuckled as she remembered that day so clearly. Even if she had been embarrassed, the next day she had sang a song for the guild. Everyone had been happy as they listened to her, and ever since then she got over her embarrassment. Gray's words even made it possible for her to accept the request to sing for Bob's birthday in the first place. She never thanked him for that…in fact there were a lot of things that Gray has done for her now that she thinks about it.

-FLASHBACK-

 _"Looks like that girl's body has failed you, Raoul!" Caspian yelled. "This my friend is where everything ends! It appears I, Caspian Turpin, am the stronger of us after all!"_

 _"Ice-Make: Freeze Lancer!"_

 _Caspian had to stop his attack to jump back to avoid the icy attack sent his way. He landed on his feet while frowning at the newcomer. A boy stood there with a livid expression on his face._

 _"I won't let you hurt Rizzo!" He snapped as he stepped forward. "I don't give a damn what kind of beef you two old timers have with each other. I won't let this fight take her away from me!"_

 _Rizzo/Raoul stood at the ice mage in surprise as he had to clench his hands tightly to try and control his shaking that was caused by his anger. Rizzo/Raoul then stood up on shaky legs._

 _ **"I understand, Gray, that you're worried about my descendant, but she has given her consent for me to use her body for this fight."**_ _Rizzo/Raoul said._ _ **"She knows this feud has to end."**_

 _Gray turned his glare onto Rizzo/Raoul before he walked up to Rizzo's body to grab her by her upper arms._

 _"I'm not letting you end her along with it." Gray growled dangerously low._

 _He then reached up to wipe this thumb gently under Rizzo's nose. When he pulled back there was blood on this thumb._

 _"That wasn't caused by the attack." Gray said. "Her body can't take your level magical energy, can it?"_

 _ **"…no…"**_ _Rizzo/Raoul admitted._ _ **"Which is why this fight must end before I harm her too much, or before I can't hold control over her anymore. Rizzo doesn't have the power to beat Caspian alone."**_

 _"Rizzo isn't alone." Gray said. "She'll never be alone because she has me…and that idiot Natsu, Erza, Lucy, Happy, and everyone else who loves and cares about her. And you shouldn't underestimate her. Rizzo is stronger than people give her credit for…Stronger than she gives herself credit for. She could beat this guy without a problem if she believed in herself."_

 _It was silent for a moment as Rizzo/Raoul's eyes flickered between turquoise and green before finally settling on green. Gray smiled knowing that Rizzo took control once more of her body._

 _"Do you really believe that?" Rizzo asked._

 _"Yes, I do." Gray said. "Because you're a mage of Fairy Tail."_

-END OF FLASHBACK-

If Gray hadn't reached out to her then…she probably would have left Raoul continue the fight…and she wouldn't be here right now. Gray saved her that day. He put his faith in her, and gave her the confidence she needed to fight Caspian with her own power. And she had felt no worry at all because he was there backing her up.

-FLASHBACK-

 _"Don't step outside this magic circle, Gray." Rizzo said. "It will be the only safe place to be standing while within the orchestra in a moment."_

 _"Rizzo, you said you haven't perfected this yet, right?" Gray asked. "Are you sure you can pull it off?"_

 _Rizzo turned her head back to smile at Gray while ignoring Caspian when he tried to blast her instruments away only to be stopped by the magic circles in front of the instruments._

 _"I thought you had faith in me, Gray?" Rizzo asked. "Don't tell me you already lost it. Besides, with you at my side…I can face anything."_

-END OF FLASHBACK-

When Rizzo had said those words, she had completely and utterly meant them. Gray gave her courage and confidence when she needed it the most, and he's supported her ever since. Which is why she couldn't lose him now. He couldn't leave her. Just the thought of him disappearing put a deep and aching pain in her chest. The tears that had pricked her eyes earlier started falling down her cheeks freely as she held Gray's hand to her chest. She can't believe it's taken her this long to realize just how much she cares about Gray and how much she needs him.

"Gray…please…don't die." She begged. "I need you."

* * *

Gray felt really warm as if he was wrapped in something warm…and comforting. However, it wasn't the warm feeling that was waking him. Now, it was the sound of someone crying, and the feeling of something wet hitting his skin. He frowned in his half-asleep daze as something clutched his hand.

"Gray…please…don't die." He heard her familiar voice beg. "I need you."

 _…Rizzo…_

It was Rizzo who was crying. Gray started to try and force himself to open his eyes as Rizzo's soft sobs continued to invade his ears. Finally he managed to open his eyes to a semi-blurry whirled. He blinked to clear his vision before he turned his head to see Rizzo hugging his hand to her chest as tears ran down her cheeks.

"Rizzo." He murmured with his voice a bit hoarse.

Rizzo gasped with her eyes flying open to look to see Gray looking right back at her.

"Gray…you're awake." She said while sniffling.

Gray was about to reply, but he was surprised when Rizzo practically jumped on top of him to hug him around his neck. He winced when her light form pressed against the wound in his lower abdomen.

"I'm sorry!" She said about to jerk back.

However, Gray wrapped his arms around her to pull her closer, which had her blushing. Gray held her against his chest with one hand pressed against her lower back while the other gently caressed the back of her head.

"It's alright." He said smiling. "I'm glad you're okay, Rizzo."

Rizzo sniffled as she peeked up at his face from where her cheek rested against his shoulder.

"You're glad I'm okay?" She asked. "Gray, you're the one who's hurt…and I'm so sorry."

More tears leaked from her eyes as Gray looked down at her with a quirked brow.

"Sorry?" He asked. "For what?"

"I was so mean towards you." Rizzo said. "I treated you badly…just because I was upset over a stupid fight…and…and I was worried that if you didn't pull through, that the last thing that really happened between us was that damn fight."

Gray's eyes softened as Rizzo looked down almost as if she felt too ashamed to meet his gaze. As he gazed down at her, he knew then that it was the time to tell her why he had acted the way he had. This was a close call. If something really had happened to him then things between him and Rizzo really couldn't have been mended, and he would have died without her knowing how he felt.

"I'm the one who should be apologizing." Gray said. "I acted rudely and unfairly without even giving you a reason. Rizzo, I need to tell you why I got angry the other night."

Rizzo sat up with a look of confusion on her face. Gray went to sit up as well, but was having difficulty doing it, so Rizzo helped him sit up while making sure he was comfortable. Gray took her smaller hand into his own as he looked her directly in the eye.

"Rizzo, the reason why I acted the way I did…was because I was jealous." Gray said with a small twinge of pink coloring his cheeks.

"J-jealous?" Rizzo questioned.

"Yeah, I was jealous of Hibiki." Gray admitted. "Because he got to be so close to you…because he got to take care of you when you had gotten hurt. I wanted to be in his place."

Rizzo's cheeks darkened in color as they warmed due to the blood rushing to them due to her blushing. Was Gray saying…what she thinks he's saying? Rizzo opened her mouth before she even registered what she was truly doing.

"Why?" She asked.

Gray chuckled with an amused grin on his face as he leaned in to press his forehead against hers.

"You really are an idiot, aren't you?" He asked with an almost fond look in his eye.

Rizzo went to retort, but before she could something soft and surprisingly warm covered her lips. Her eyes widened in surprise when she realized it was Gray's lips against her own. The kiss was soft and earnest. It was almost as if Gray was trying to pour what he was feeling into the kiss. While Rizzo was surprised that he was kissing her…she wasn't bothered by the kiss. In fact, she was enjoying it, and it felt…right. Rizzo felt her eyes flutter shut as she tentatively pressed her lips back against Gray's lips. He wrapped his arms around her to pull her closer, so to deepen the kiss. When they finally pulled back for air, they were lightly panting, and Rizzo felt like her face was aflame with how much she was blushing. Gray was blushing as well, but he tried to ignore his warm cheeks as he looked at Rizzo.

"I love you, Rizzo." Gray said. "That clear enough for you?"

"Shut-up." Rizzo said narrowing her eyes at him.

He chuckled about to tell her that she was supposed to say she loves him too. However, when her lips pressed against his, he was pretty sure he got an even better reply that he was expecting. He grinned into the kiss as he drew Rizzo closer to him while ignoring the pain in his abdomen. He might actually have to thank Lucy and Erza for making sure that he and Rizzo had went on this mission alone.

* * *

"Ah, we're finally home." Rizzo said in relief as she practically collapsed when stepping out of the cart.

Gray shook his head at her as he opened the sketchpad to let the pig and cart end up inside. Once put away, Gray held out his hand to Rizzo. She took it, so to let him help her back up. She thought he'd let go the moment she was on her feet, but he kept hold of her hand while intertwining their fingers. Rizzo blushed a bit when he did this while mentally berating herself for blushing. She's not like a schoolgirl who's with her first crush. She has to stop getting so shy and embarrassed every time Gray shows affection, or everyone at the guild will tease her for the rest of forever.

"I wonder how far along they've gotten with construction." Gray said.

His words broke Rizzo out of her thoughts as she mentally shook herself. She couldn't start dazing off either!

"Hmm, who knows?" Rizzo said. "It depends on how much Mira and Master were able to get those lazy bums off their asses and working."

Gray snorted in amusement as the two of them started walking in the direction of the guild. He was ready to get back after being gone for what's felt like forever. They had left Snowfall the moment Dr. Naku assured Rizzo that Gray wasn't in danger of dying anytime soon. They then had stayed a night with Blue Pegasus since the Trimens wanted to throw a farewell party. Gray had made sure to keep Rizzo at his side the entire night except for that moment when he tried to attack Hibiki who confessed that he only took Rizzo's knuckle to his lips to get a reaction out of Gray in hopes the ice mage would confess to her. Rizzo had to hold him back with the help of Eve as Hibiki hid behind Ren.

Now they were finally home, and Gray was starting to wonder how they were going to tell the rest of the guild about their new relationship. He was sure Natsu would freak and throw a tantrum. And he wondered if Rizzo's brothers would pull the protective older brother card. He doubted Craylee would since the redhead had already told Gray that he wouldn't do so unless Gray hurt Rizzo in some way. Jaser doesn't seem like the type to do so either…so maybe Breccan and Sven?

"Hey, there's Natsu, Happy, Loke, and Lucy!" Rizzo said snapping Gray from his thoughts.

He looked to see that while he was lost in his thoughts that they made it back to the semi-build guild. Rizzo was pointing at their four friends whom she spotted, and hearing her voice, they all turned to look their way.

"Rizzo, Gray, you're back!" Lucy said smiling.

"Welcome home." Loke added with his own grin on his face.

"Aye!" Happy piped up.

Rizzo just grinned brightly as she ran forward to give Natsu, who was grinning as well, a big hug. Gray sighed knowing he'd have to deal with Rizzo and Natsu's affection towards each other. The two were like siblings, so he supposed he had no reason to be jealous…still after seeing the Trimens all over her…Gray will admit he's still feeling a bit possessive.

"How was your mission?" Happy asked.

"Not so great." Rizzo admitted as she scratched the back of her head. "But everything's okay now."

Rizzo grinned as she placed her hands on her hips. She asked what happened here, and Lucy explained everything that happened with Loke. Rizzo and Gray looked at their guildmate in surprise when hearing he's actually a Celestial Spirit, and that he had almost died, which had Rizzo upset. Loke stiffened in surprise when Rizzo hugged him suddenly.

"Rizzo?" Loke murmured as he put his arms around her.

"Sorry…it's just scary to hear one of my friends nearly died." Rizzo said. "I'm sorry we weren't here…while you were going through something that had to be hard on you, Loke."

Loke blinked before he felt a grin pull across his face. He shouldn't be surprised. Rizzo loved everyone in Fairy Tail and cared about all their well-beings.

"Don't worry about it." Loke said as Rizzo pulled away. "But thanks for caring."

"Why are you thanking me?" Rizzo asked grinning. "Didn't I tell you the first day you joined that you're a member of the Fairy Tail family? Families care for each other, right?"

Loke chuckled nodding his head as he remembered the day that he had met Rizzo. It was just after he had gotten the Fairy Tail emblem on his back. She had literally told him welcome to the family…not the guild, but the family…and she had had this large welcoming grin on her face…and despite how torn up he still was about Karen…he had felt himself smile as well.

"That's right." Loke said nodding. "Oh, by the way, you guys arrived at just the right time."

Rizzo and Gray blinked curiously as Loke pulled out two tickets from his pocket.

"There tickets to the Akane Beach Resort." Loke said. "I had just given the others theirs when you two showed up."

Rizzo and Gray took them as Rizzo smiled brightly at the thought of relaxing on the beach.

"Loke, you are the best!" Rizzo said hugging him again out of excitement.

He laughed scratching the back of his head as Rizzo let go while bouncing in place a bit.

"Well, I do aim to please lovely ladies such as yourself." He said flirtatiously as he put his arm around her shoulders.

However, she was soon removed, which had him blinking in confusion. He looked seeing that Gray was the one who pulled Rizzo away from him.

"Getting a bit possessive, aren't you, Gray?" Loke jested as he grinned.

"I don't see why that's a problem considering Rizzo's my girlfriend now." Gray said.

It was silent for a moment as the group stared at Gray and Rizzo, who was blushing, with wide eyes.

"WHAT?!" Natsu exploded. "NO WAY!"

Happy just continued staring with his mouth nearly hitting the floor due to his shock.

"Yes!" Lucy squealed. "Finally! I can't wait to tell Erza! And Mirajane…and everyone else!"

She was practically giddy with the fact that her and Erza's plan worked out as they wanted. Gray and Rizzo really did come back as a couple.

"Hmph, I knew it was going to happen sooner or later." Loke said chuckling. "It sure took you long enough to make a move, Gray."

"Shut-up." Gray scoffed.

"I still can't believe this!" Natsu said steaming. "Rizzo's too good for some icicle streaker!"

"What'd you call me, ya fire-breathing moron?!" Gray demanded.

They two of them butt heads with the others just watching on silently since those two fighting was such a normal occurrence. As the two of them were fighting, Erza, who was carting way too much stuff around as usual, arrived.

"What's going on?" Erza said. "We really need to be going. I won't hesitate to leave all of you."

"Oh, Erza, guess what!" Lucy gushed. "Rizzo and Gray are dating now."

Erza blinked before a grin appeared on her face as she looked to Rizzo who was all red in the face.

"It's about time." Erza said.

"Shut-up." Rizzo grumbled.


	28. Jaser's Tale: The Prince From Rajasthan

Coco: Hey! Guys! This chapter steps away from Rizzo and focuses on Jaser, so you all get a better feel for his character. The other Treblemen will have these kind of chapters later on. Anyway, hope you like it!

* * *

"Have fun on your trip, guys." Jaser said as he stood with the other Treblemen as they were seeing Rizzo and the others off. "Try to get me some of that special resort sand if you can."

He whispered this part to Rizzo, who let out a laugh, as she nodded her head. Craylee, who heard Jaser, rolled his eyes.

"Just stay safe." Craylee said. "I know you're just going to a resort, but considering your group is a magnet for trouble, it's better to be safe than sorry."

As he was saying that, Juvia was peeking around a tree to watch as Craylee was looking at Rizzo as he said this.

"Oh, Craylee-sama is such a loving brother." Juvia said as she blushed. "Juvia will follow Rizzo-chan to ensure she is safe, so Craylee-sama will not have to worry."

She then ducked back behind the tree again when Craylee glanced that way as if he knew she was there. Juvia placed her hand over her thumping heart while thinking it was Craylee's love for her that had him aware of her presence whenever she's near. As she was having one of her fantasies of her beloved Craylee, Rizzo was waving goodbye to her brothers as she was walking away with her team.

"Bye, guys!" Jaser called out waving. "Have lots of fun!"

"We will!" Natsu called back. "And you better ready for a duel when we get back, Jaser! We're going to finally get our fight!"

"Okay!" Jaser said as he was laughing. "You got it!"

Once they were out of sight, the Treblemen returned to what they had been doing earlier, which was helping to rebuild the guildhall. Jaser went to pick up some wooden beams with ease to place on his shoulder. He started whistling merrily as he carried the beams where they needed to be. As he worked, Cana, who was over by the bar, watched him work. She lightly frowned as she watched him work with a large smile on his face.

He was back to being a smiling goofball. That Jaser she had saw during their encounter with Phantom Lord was completely gone. She'll admit that that Jaser had been very intimidating. He even showed a side that was much deeper than the goofball he was acting like now, which somewhat annoyed her. Was this carefree Jaser just a show? Was there anything deeper to this guy? Cana let out a frustrated sigh as she watched Jaser laugh along with Sven as Craylee gave them both a slightly irritated look as Breccan watched them in amusement.

"Are you liking what you're seeing, Cana?" Mirajane asked.

Cana blinked before looking to the white-haired woman as Mirajane was smiling at her knowingly.

"What?" Cana asked.

"You've been staring at Jaser for the last six minutes." Mirajane said with her smile not faltering.

Cana scoffed rolling her eyes when she realized what Mirajane was trying to imply.

"It's not like that." Cana said as she frowned. "I just don't get that guy. He acts like an airheaded goofball, but during our battle with Phantom he was like a completely different person. It was like…he had suddenly become serious and almost beastly."

She remembers how brutally he had attacked Black Steel Gajeel. He had been merciless, and attacked with everything he had. Then afterwards he had that somber moment with Cana as he described how he could remember his homeland, and how he would want the white sand to return to his homeland. She didn't completely understand since it was a fact that Rajasthan hasn't had white sand in its vast desert environment for over two centuries. Yet when Jaser spoke of the white sand…she felt as if he had truly seen it. The way his eyes lit up as he spoke of the white sand was of someone who had once seen it…he just…really confused her.

"If you want to get to understand him, why not invite him on a job?" Mirajane said. "The two of you would be alone, and you can learn a lot about someone on a job."

Cana hummed because that was very true. She needed to take on a job anyway. Mirajane smiled when seeing Cana was interested.

"I think this one would be perfect." Mirajane said as she held up a flyer suddenly.

Cana looked at Mirajane with a quirked brow before taking the flyer from Mirajane. Cana looked at the flyer seeing that a port town to the southwest of here. It was past Harujion, and was known to be much poorer. It was apparently being plagued by some kind of sand beast that's making it impossible for sailors to go out onto the water, which won't help them become any less poor.

"I'm sure the prospect of a nice meal would get him to come with you." Mirajane said with a giggle. "It's true when they say that a way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

"I'm not trying to get to his heart." Cana said. "But he definitely won't be able to pass this up. Thanks, Mira."

Mirajane nodded her head then watched as Cana left the bar area to heads towards Jaser as he was lifting up some heavy lumbar up to Elfman who Craylee had hooked into helping.

"Ah, young love." She sighed with a happy smile on her face.

As she was smiling at the aspect of Cana and Jaser together, the latter hoped up on one of the construction platforms, so that Craylee could discuss the blueprints, which Craylee himself designed, with him.

"Hey, Jaser!" Cana called up to him. "Come down here. I want to speak with you!"

Jaser blinked looking away from Craylee to look down at Cana as she waved up at him. She wanted to speak with him? Jaser mentally shrugged then jumped down from the platform. He landed on his feet with his arms still crossed over his chest.

"Do you need my help with something?" He asked with a friendly smile.

"Yeah, I was wondering if you wanted to come on a job with me." Cana said as she held up the flyer. "I thought it'd be something you're interested in since the job asks for help on taking down a sand monster. I—ah!"

Cana was cut off when Jaser eagerly grabbed her wrist to start pulling her along.

"Let's go!" He said excitedly. "Sanjū, you come too! No time to waste! Dinner is waiting! Ah—I mean—we have to help those poor people!"

Cana gave him an unimpressed look while knowing he really only wanted to go to eat the sand monster. Sanjū, who had been drinking tea at the bar, blinked while looking up. She shrugged though as she got up with her wings appearing on her back. She flew over towards Jaser and Cana as the latter was still being dragged forward by the prior.

"Now, hold on a minute!" Cana said as she tugged on her wrist.

Jaser came to a halt while looking back at her with a curious look in his eyes. He obviously didn't understand why Cana wanted to pause for a second. Sanjū landed on top his head as she looked at Cana as well.

"This job will take a few days to complete, so we need to pack." Cana said. "Besides, you're all gross and sweaty from working on construction. There is no way I'm taking a carriage or riding a train with you smelling like that."

"You do stink." Sanjū agreed as her nose wrinkled.

Jaser blinked then lifted his arm to his nose to take a whiff. He winced when his sensitive nose did pick up the odor of sweat.

"Exactly." Cana said when seeing his expression. "Now, you go home and shower. We'll meet back here in an hour."

"Right!" Jaser said giving a salute.

He then ran off while obviously wanting to get done as soon as possible, so they could get going. Cana watched him go while shaking her head.

"Gees." She grumbled.

"What prompted the sudden invitation to Jaser to come along on a job request with you?" Craylee, who suddenly appeared beside her, asked.

Cana jumped because she had no idea he was next to her, or even when he had moved from the platform. She turned to look at him as he continued looking at his blueprints with his glasses perched on his nose.

"I just thought it was something he would like to be a part of." Cana said shrugging.

"Right." Craylee said with a tone that implied he didn't fully believe her. "Well, whatever your true intentions are, I don't care as long as he comes back in one piece. He makes a great labor mule."

Cana's brow quirked while wondering if that was Craylee's weird way of showing his concern for Jaser. Before she could ask him, he was already moving back towards the construction taking place. She shook her head really not understanding any of the Treblemen. However, she was more interested in discovering what made Jaser exactly tick and what exactly went on inside his head. With that in mind she started heading towards Fairy Hills to get ready.

* * *

When Cana returned in an hour, she saw Jaser and Sanjū, who was hanging off his shoulder, waiting for her in front of the in-progress guildhall. Jaser had changed out of his sweaty clothes from earlier into something clean. He had on green sherwani today that fit him tightly and had long sleeves. The sleeves went down to attach to golden rings that went around his middle fingers. The front of the shirt stopped just above his torso to show off his tone form while the back dropped down to his waist. There was also a white Fairy Tail emblem on his shirt over where his heart would be. He had on white churidars as usual, and they fit him tightly as well, especially above his ankles. Wrapped around his head was a white scarf, and he had long golden earrings on once more. On his feet were simple sandals.

As Cana was getting closer to Jaser and Sanjū, she saw his nose twitch before his head turned in her direction. He smiled in a sunny manner as he waved towards her, which nearly knocked Sanjū off his shoulder. Cana sighed though felt her own lips turned up into a smile as she reached him.

"Ready to go?" Cana asked.

"More than ready!" He said as he continued smiling. "Let's go!"

He took her hand to start pulling her along, but he didn't pull to hard, so she let him continue to tug her along as his larger hand held her smaller one. As they were leaving, the Treblemen watched them go.

"Do you think Cana-san likes Jaser?" Sven asked.

"Perhaps." Breccan said as he pat Sven on top the head.

"Honestly, I don't care." Craylee said then put his hard hat back on. "Let's get back to work. I'm not paying you to be slacking."

He walked off with the blueprints tucked under his arms, and his two brothers watched him go. Breccan chuckled because once again Craylee was trying to bring out perfection in his newest role. Whenever Craylee is given a task, he takes it very seriously and tries to act as professionally as that role demands.

"But he isn't paying us at all." Sven pointed out.

Craylee paused holding up a pack of cigarettes and a bag of lollipops for his two brothers to see. A second later, Breccan and Sven were walking past him to get back to work. Breccan was pocketing the cigarettes and Sven was digging inside the bag for a lollipop.

"Too easy." Craylee muttered.

* * *

Cana shook her head while starting to wonder if this job request that was really a way to understand Jaser was worth the headache she was getting. She sighed looking at Jaser as he was lying face down in the cart while groaning. Sanjū was fanning him with a cloth in hopes that it might help him. Apparently he got motion sickness just as bad as Natsu. She started wondering if it was a coincidence or if it was a Dragon Slayer thing.

"Hey, Jaser, have you always had motion sickness?" Cana asked.

"For as long as I can remember." He groaned out. "It doesn't affect me if Sanjū is flying me around, or if I'm riding one of Sven's creations."

"Why?" Cana asked.

"Because Sanjū isn't a mode of transportation. She's my friend." Jaser said if it was obvious. "And Sven is my friend, so what he creates is a comrade of sorts, not transportation."

Cana frowned trying to understand his logic. Jaser said it with so much confidence that it almost sounded like it should be common sense…but at the same time it made absolutely no sense at all. Sanjū just smiled as she continued to fan Jaser as he let out another groan while holding his stomach.

"I'll never ride another cart again." He vowed.

Cana snorted shaking her head as she reached out to pat his head without even thinking about it. She blinked wondering what prompted her to do that. She shook her head again before uncorking her whiskey bottle, so to take a big gulp, which finished off the content. She hoped they reached this port town soon. She was running out of boozes, and it didn't look as if Jaser could take much more of his cart ride. She might have to find a way to knock him out or something when they have to start heading back for Magnolia.

* * *

Once they arrived in Gladiolus, which was the port town that requested for aid, Jaser practically crawled to the back of the cart before falling out onto the ground. Cana jumped out after him with Sanjū perched on her shoulder.

"Looks like he's down for the count." Cana said as she placed her hands on her hips. "It's getting kind of late anyway. Might as well check into a motel then get started in the morning."

"That'll probably be for the best." Sanjū agreed.

Cana, who put away the pig and cart into the sketchpad, nodded then reached down to help Jaser to his feet. He stumbled a bit as she put his arm around her shoulders as Sanjū flew up into the air to hover beside them.

"I'll fly around to look for a motel." Sanjū said.

She then soared off as Cana got Jaser out of the middle of the road, so they wouldn't be in the way. She sat him down against the wall as he started to recover.

"I hate carts." He grumbled.

"Yeah, I kind of figured." Cana said with a chuckle as she sat down next to him.

She pat his head, and he leaned towards her to rest his head on her shoulder. She continued petting him on the head as she waited for Sanjū to return. A few minutes later, said pink feline appeared.

"There's a place not far from here." She said while pointing with her paw. "I spoke with the man who owns it, and he said there are rooms available."

"Good." Cana said as she and Jaser, who made a recovery, stood up. "Let's get checked in for the night. You got a place with a hot spring, right?"

"As if I wouldn't." Sanjū said as with a smile.

Cana chuckled knowing she could count on the feline. It was known that the women of Fairy Hills like a good old hot spring and/or bath house. The group of three headed towards the motel, and as they walked, Jaser noticed the stares he was getting. He paused looking around to see many people with the same physical characteristics as himself. He also noticed the different markings on their foreheads that showed what tribes they hailed from.

These were people of Rajasthan, and they were all staring at the golden diamond mark on his forehead. He knew they had to know he was of the Sahara tribe, which was one of the tribes that was causing so much bloodshed in Rajasthan. He frowned as he adjusted his scarf, so to hide the mark. He started to follow after Cana and Sanjū again, but they were suddenly surrounded by those people who had been staring at him.

"It's too late, boy." One of the older men in the group said. "We know you're from the Sahara tribe. It's partially your family's fault for all our misfortune!"

Jaser just kept silent as he moved in front of Cana and Sanjū who were a bit confused on what was happening.

"We don't want any trouble." Jaser said. "Just let them go, and you can continue whatever business you want with me."

The man stared at him for a long moment before nodding towards two of his guys. They parted ways, so Jaser pushed Cana that way as Sanjū was resting on her shoulder.

"Jaser, what's going on?" Cana said.

"Just don't get in the middle of this, Cana." Jaser said. "Sanjū, if she tries, take her out of here."

Sanjū frowned though nodded her head as she remained on Cana's shoulders. Jaser stepped back into the middle of the circle of men while holding up his hands in a defenseless manner. Cana was about to ask again what was going on, but before she could that first man punched Jaser right in the face, which had her gasping.

"You're family took mine away from me!" He shouted then pointed at the red mark on his forehead. "The Kalahari Tribe was nearly completely wiped out because of the massive pissing match the Sahara and Gobi tribes have been having for the last 400 years! My parents— _punch!_ —my wife— _punch!_ —my children— _punch!_ —are all gone!"

He punched Jaser for the fifth time, and Jaser landed on the ground while not even making a move to fight back. Cana stood there with wide eyes.

"Jaser, what are you doing?!" She demanded. "Fight back!"

She went to step forward to help him, and before Sanjū could grab her, some of those men grabbed the both of them.

"Stay out of this, Girl." The man from the Kalahari tribe said. "Your guy doesn't want you hurt, and since you're not a part of this, we won't touch you. But if you try anything, we'll have to."

Cana growled in aggravation while wishing she could reach the cards in her bag. However, her arms were pinned at her sides. Some of the other men moved in on Jaser to beat him while he was down.

"Just leave him alone!" Cana snapped. "He didn't do anything to you!"

"Didn't do anything?!" The ring leader demanded. "The blood in his veins is dirtied with those whose lives have been lost due to this damn war! I put more blame on the house of Sahara than the Gobi tribe! The Sahara Tribe was once the royal family that held reign over Rajasthan, but they allowed this war to last all this this time! The boy who is supposed to be a prince of the royal family has come here for what?! Refuge?! He should be in his country fighting to end this war since his family is partially at fault!"

Cana's eyes widened when she heard that Jaser was part of some kind of royal family.

"Fighting…fighting is obviously not working." Jaser said from where he laid on the ground. "If fighting was all it took the war would be over by now."

He then grunted in pain when he was kicked in the gut. Cana stared down at him wondering why he wasn't trying to even protect himself. Jaser pushed himself to sit up.

"All this fighting has only bred more hate amongst our brethren." Jaser said as he stared up at the ringleader. "It is what keeps the war going, which is why I will not lift a finger to bring harm on anyone with Rajasthan blood in them. But if beating my body bloody will bring you any peace then go ahead."

He stood up with resolve in his eyes, and the ringleader stared into Jaser's eyes with wide eyes.

"I hope for a future of peace in Rajasthan, but how can one bring peace if he is only to fight and cause more violence to do so?" Jaser asked. "Now, I will admit I am not some man who has never caused harm to others, and I know in the future that I will continue fighting...I'm a fighter because I was raised to be one…but Rajasthan doesn't need a fighter."

It was silent for a long moment as the men from Rajasthan stared at Jaser. When it didn't seem as if they were going to continue fighting, Jaser walked forward with them parting ways for him. The men restraining Cana and Sanjū let them go as Jaser approached them.

"Let's get out of here." He said grinning as if nothing just happened.

He put his arm around Cana's shoulders to lead her away from there with Sanjū flying after them. Cana frowned looking up at Jaser's face in worry as he looked forward as they walked. Was he really going to pretend that didn't happen? How could he? She remained silent while planning to wait to question him once they were behind closed doors. Sanjū flew out in front of them to take the lead, so to lead them to the motel.

Once they reached it, Cana went to check in as Jaser hung out outside because they didn't know how the owner would react to seeing a beaten up Rajasthan standing in the small lobby. Jaser had noticed how his countrymen had been sitting around in the streets with the locals walking past them as if they didn't exist on their way here. He frowned wondering how things got this bad. His memories of Rajasthan just don't add up to how things are now.

He remembered Rajasthan just starting the war before he left with Sabbia…yet when he met Roscoe, he was told it had been 400 years since the war started. He also knows that he was the fifth son of King Kamil and his wife Anila…he had four older brothers that he can't remember. He had been just a baby when he lost them, and Sabbia took him in. The eldest of his brothers was Deva who would have been the next King. After him was the twins Bansi and Hiral, and then was Jaser's last brother Sohan. If Sabbia didn't tell Jaser about them as he was growing up, he wouldn't know who they were at all.

She had told him what started the war was the assassination of his family caused by the Gobi Tribe who had been trying to start a war for a while. One of the family servants had managed to get him out in time. The servant had risked the open desert to try and get Jaser away from his family's palace. Apparently the servant had heard of Sabbia the Desert Dragon, and had come to find her. He had begged for Sabbia to take in Jaser…and the rest was pretty much history after that. However, Sabbia told him the war had just been starting…and the sands has still been white then…why was his memory and what Sabbia told him so different from the facts? There's no way he had been in Rajasthan 400-years-go…right?

"Jaser."

Jaser snapped out of his thoughts to look at Cana who was standing in front of him with a worried expression on her face. Sanjū, who was hanging on her shoulder, had the same look of worry on her face.

"Sorry." He said as he put a grin on his face. "Guess I spaced out."

Cana frowned though said nothing. She just motioned for him to follow her. Jaser walked after Cana as she led the way through another entryway that led to the rooms. Once they made it to their room, Cana unlocked the door before sliding the door open. They stepped inside to see two queen-sized beds, a good that led to a bathroom, and a sliding door that led to a small sitting area. Jaser sat on the bed closest to the door that led outside. Sanjū landed beside him on the bed, and she curled up into his side. He smiled at her while reaching down to pat her gently on the head.

"I got a first aid kit from the front desk." Cana said as she pulled it out of her bag. "We need to take care of those cuts and the swelling."

Jaser blinked before reaching up to touch his right cheek, which had taken most of the hits. He held back a wince while frowning when he felt the swelling.

"Yeah, you look pretty bad." Cana said as she frowned. "You should have fought back."

"Fighting back wouldn't make anything better." Jaser said. "I could have defeated all of them without my magic, but it'd only prove that those of the Sahara bloodline are only good at beating down their fellow countrymen. I don't want to breed more hate amongst my brethren. Besides, what's the point of fighting people who wouldn't be able to fight back? Didn't you see how thin and sickly they looked? Yes, they got in a few swings, but they wouldn't have managed to continue on for much longer."

Cana's frown turned a bit thoughtful as she thought back to their encounter with the people from Rajasthan. Now that she thinks about it…they really hadn't looked very healthy.

"I have a much stronger body that can hold against their blows, so I took them." Jaser said. "So to take their feeling of helplessness even if just a little….the air stinks of helplessness here."

He gave a sigh as Cana got out the supplies she needed to care of his face, which was still swelling on his right side.

"I feel helpless myself." Jaser said as Cana started taking care of his face. "That man was right when he said that I should be in Rajasthan doing something."

"Like what?" Cana asked. "Like you told those men out there, you're a fighter, and Rajasthan doesn't need a fighter."

Jaser sighed guessing that was right, but perhaps he could make some kind of difference.

"And if you go over there with the intention of not fighting, you'll most likely be killed." Cana pointed out. "Don't think anyone from the guild would react well to that."

Cana frowned knowing she wouldn't handle that well. She didn't know why, but just the thought of Jaser going back to Rajasthan bothered her…a lot. Cana mentally shook herself as she finished patching up Jaser's face.

"Is your side really hurting you?" She asked as she placed her hand on his torso.

When he flinched at bit at her touch, she got an answer. She immediately got out what she needed from the first aid kit.

"I think…that I just might return to Rajasthan one day." Jaser said. "See how everything is with my own eyes."

"What part of you'll probably be killed if you return to Rajasthan did you not understand?!" Cana demanded as she lightly glared at Jaser. "Gees, are you hard of hearing?"

Jaser seemed a bit surprised by her glare as she finished doctoring his torso up. Cana then turned around to put away the supplies she didn't need back into the first aid kit. She turned back around to tell him that she was going to take a long soak before heading to the bar. However, she didn't get the words out because Jaser was suddenly standing with his arms going around her. Her eyes widened when she felt his lips on her forehead. He pulled back after a minute of silence to smile down at her.

"What was that for?" Cana asked.

"You looked upset…and whenever Rizzo used to get upset I would hug her and give her a kiss on the forehead." Jaser said. "Then I would promise her that I would be there whenever she was troubled. I give you the same promise, okay?"

His smiled grew as he continued to look down at Cana with those soft kind eyes. She felt her cheeks heat up a bit before she looked away with a scoff.

"Yeah, whatever." She said. "Just get some rest. We still have to take care of that sand monster. I hear it likes to attack as the fishermen are trying to set out for the day."

"Okay!" He said laughing.

He plopped down on the bed, which had Sanjū bouncing up before landing on his torso as he laid back on the bed. He was snoring a second later, which had Cana blinking in surprise. Sanjū just curled up on Jaser's chest while soon falling asleep as well. Cana just gave an aggravated sigh.

"This guy just keeps confusing me!" She complained before leaving the room with the plan of drinking all the alcohol she can get her hands on.

* * *

"Alright, I'm ready to go!" Jaser said as he stood up on the railing of the deck that overlooked the sandy beach by the docks. "Where's breakfas—I mean, the sand monster?! Yeah, where is it?"

Cana snorted rolling her eyes as Sanjū shook her head at Jaser. Thinking about his stomach as usual. Jaser put his hand up to cover his eyes from the early morning sun as he continued looking around for anything that resembled a monster.

"Hey, over there!" Sanjū said pointing.

The two mages looked over seeing that something was rising from the sand, which had Jaser leaning forward in excitement. A large beastly looking creature that appeared to be made completely of sand appeared while letting out a mighty roar. Jaser literally started drooling at the sight of the creature as all the fisherman yelled and screamed as they hurried out of the area. Cana quickly pulled out her cards as she prepared to fight the monster. However, Jaser jumping forward had her pausing. Cana and Sanjū watched as Jaser went flying towards the monster.

"FOOD!" He cried out in joy.

Cana's eyes widened as Jaser landed on top of the monster and literally bit a large chunk out of its head. It let out a roar while swiping its arm out towards Jaser. The Sand Dragon Slayer flipped up out of the way then landed on the sandy ground. It tried to hit Jaser again, but Jaser easily dodged out of the way.

"There's no point in me fighting, is there?" Cana asked with a deadpanned expression on her face.

"Probably not." Sanjū replied.

They then watched as Jaser rushed towards the monster that didn't seem to know what to do. Jaser appeared to start sucking in a deep breath, but Cana knew he was truly starting to eat the monster. Sand started flying off the monster into Jaser's mouth, which had the sand monster roaring in anger. Soon Jaser had managed to eat its entire right arm. It tried to swipe at Jaser with its left arm, but Jaser knocked back its arm with his own sand attack.

"Just get in my belly already!" Jaser ordered as he grinned.

He managed to jump back onto the monster again, and started eating it again. Cana and Sanjū stared in awe and slight disgust as Jaser was inhaling the sand monster into his mouth. Moments later the monster than had ben terrorizing this town was gone…and inside the belly of a very satisfied looking Dragon Slayer.

"Mission accomplished!" He said fist pumping. "And my stomach is full!"

Jaser then put his hands on his waist as he threw his head back to give a loud joyous laugh as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"He's going to regret eating that much when we have to make the return journey to Magnolia." Cana said.

"Aye." Sanjū agreed while having a small Happy moment.

As the two females watched Jaser continue laughing, they didn't know they were being watched by the man from yesterday who had been a ringleader of sorts with those other men. He frowned thoughtfully as he looked at Jaser.

"He could have easily beaten us yesterday." He murmured to himself. "Yet…he let all of us beat him down. Just what kind of man is he?"

"Jaser, come on!" Cana called out to him. "Let's just go collect the reward money and get out of here! It's time to head home!"

Jaser looked towards Cana and Sanjū as they were waiting for him. He grinned before easily jumping up to grab the railing so to pull himself over onto the deck.

"Heading home sounds nice." Jaser said. "I wonder how everyone is doing…I wonder how Rizzo is…do you think she's home yet?"

"We haven't been gone that long, you know?" Cana said. "And those passes Rizzo and the others have gave them a weeklong stay at Akane. We won't be seeing her for a few more days."

Jaser sighed guessing that all was true. He kind of wanted to see Rizzo to tell her about the sand monster…ah well, he guesses he'll be able to when she gets back.

* * *

At the Akane Beach Resort, the sun shined brightly as Rizzo was sitting under a beach umbrella playing a ukulele. She paused in doing that as a soft breeze blew by. She looked up at the sunny sky with a thoughtful look in her eyes.

"I wonder how the boys are doing." She said to herself.

"Hey, Rizzo!" Natsu called out getting her attention. "Come play in the water with us!"

Rizzo smiled thinking it'd be nice to take a dip in the water as she let her ukulele return to her guitar case. She got up to run towards the ocean where her friends were. As she started a water fight with Natsu, which poor Lucy got pulled into, she was sure the boys would be fine, and she decided she had a vacation to enjoy. She'd see her brothers in a few days' time, so there wasn't anything to worry about.


	29. Vacation Gone Wrong

Coco: I was just finishing up some one-shots I was working on, and I realized I never told you guys that I'm writing a series of Fairy Tail one-shots for my minor pairings in this story XD So...well, now you know, so please go check them out! And review to let me know what you think, okay? :D

* * *

Rizzo let out a relaxed sigh as she laid out on her blanket with the umbrella over her keeping her safe from the sun. She had sunglasses over her eyes, and she wore a two piece green bikini with a black skull design of her left breast. And the bikini left little to imagination. She was playing her ukulele in a relaxed manner as the others were off doing other things. She was humming to herself as she continued to strum the strings of the ukulele.

"Come on, Rizzo, get out from under that umbrella." Gray said as he ducked under her umbrella. "I know we're on vacation, but you don't have to be lazy."

Rizzo frowned up at Gray as she removed her glasses off of her face. Gray felt his face get a little warm as Rizzo sat up, which made her chest jiggle a bit. It made it nearly impossible not to stare at her breasts...especially since they looked as if they could pop out of her bikini top at any second. It was hard not staring at her when they weren't together, but now they are…and it seems worse. Gray blames his teenage hormones.

"But I'm so comfortable." Rizzo said. "You're not really going to make me get up are you, Frosty? Not that you could if you even tried."

Gray rolled his eyes at her quip as she went back to playing her ukulele. Gray sighed wondering if she'd ever leave the shelter of the umbrella. She's mostly just sat under this umbrella here ever since they arrived except for that moment when she started a water fight with Natsu, which Lucy had put an end to when she got pulled into it.

"Oh, come on, Rizzo." Erza said walking up. "It won't hurt to get up. Join us in a game of volleyball…unless you're afraid to lose."

That was the right thing to say to get her up because Rizzo was up and out from under the umbrella before Gray could blink.

"Bring it on, Erza." Rizzo said turning to point at the redhead as the back of her other hand, which held the ukulele, rested on her hip. "You're going down!"

Erza grinned as she tossed the ball up and down in her hand. Gray chuckled knowing he wouldn't be able to play while these two were going at it. He sat down deciding to watch as Rizzo returned her ukulele to her guitar case. She then went over to the volleyball net on the resort's beach.

"You can serve first." Rizzo said gesturing for Erza to go first.

Erza nodded then tossed the ball up into the air. She jumped up before spiking it as hard as she could towards Rizzo. The pinkette managed to bump it back to her, and that's how their volleyball war started. The ball kept going back and forth, and soon Lucy, Natsu, and Happy joined Gray to watch the two.

"Whoa, they're really getting intense." Lucy said as Rizzo jumped up to spike the ball hard over the net.

Erza hit it back, and Rizzo had to dive to hit it up into the air and back over the net. She hurried to jump up just as Erza bumped it back. Rizzo sent it back over the net with more ease this time.

"You go, Rizz!" Natsu shouted while grinning.

"Yeah, go, Rizz, go!" Happy echoed.

The two pumped their fists/paws up into the air as they continued cheering for the female pinkette. Lucy laughed at their enthusiasm as Gray watched the match intently. He was starting to get into it. Neither Erza nor Rizzo has made a point on the other, so it was decided that whoever made one point would win the game.

"Okay, time to stop playing around." Erza said as Rizzo was hitting the ball back.

Erza jumped up to meet the ball, and she spiked it extra hard. It hit Rizzo in the gut before she could prepare for it. Everyone gasped watching as Rizzo went smashing into the ground. She rolled a bit before finally coming to a stop.

"Rizzo!" Lucy called out.

Rizzo sat up rubbing her stomach, which was already red from where it had been hit. Her friends all went to check on her.

"Rizzo, I am so sorry." Erza said as she knelt down. "I did not mean to hurt you. Please, hit me for my penitence."

Without even hesitating, Rizzo socked Erza in the jaw before anyone could stop her. Erza hit the ground with mouths dropping in shock. Erza sat up rubbing her jaw as Rizzo felt back onto her back. The others let out sighs of relief when Erza didn't seem upset.

"I'll get you next time!" Rizzo declared as she continued to lay on the ground. "Just you wait, Erza!"

Gray chuckled just glad to see she was okay for the most part. If he had been hit that hard in the gut, he probably would have thrown up.

"Yeah, you'll definitely get her next time." Natsu said as he stood up while offering his hand to her.

"You bet I will!" Rizzo said as she took his hand.

Lucy and Erza laughed as Gray, who took her other hand, and Natsu helped Rizzo to her feet. Happy landed on Rizzo's shoulder, and she smiled at the feline.

"So what do you guys want to do now?" Rizzo asked as she adjusted her bikini.

"Let's have another water fight!" Natsu declared.

He picked up Lucy, who squealed in surprise, to carry her off towards the water.

"Natsu, put me down!" Lucy demanded as she pounded on his back.

He didn't listen, and the others watched as the Dragon Slayer dumped Lucy into the water. The blonde shrieked as she hit the water.

"Should we help her?" Rizzo asked.

Erza, Happy, and Gray blinked while watching as Lucy hopped out of the water. She grabbed Natsu to shove him under water.

"I think Lucy can handle herself." Erza said grinning.

"Aye." Happy and Gray said in unison.

Rizzo snorted in amusement as they continued to watch Lucy and Natsu battle it out in the water. Or more like watch as Lucy tried her hardest to drown Natsu. Rizzo smiled thinking today was a great. She'd have to hug and thank Loke next time she sees him.

"Well, I think we should join them!" Gray said.

He picked up Rizzo, which had her gasping in surprise. Happy, who flew off from Rizzo's shoulder, and Erza laughed as Gray carried Rizzo towards the water. Gray dumped her into the waves as Natsu was finally able to get out of Lucy's hold. Rizzo coughed and sputtered as she stood up next to Lucy.

"Okay, if that's how you want to play." Rizzo said as she cracked her neck. "Lucy, let's teach these boys how to properly fight in a water battle."

Rizzo snapped her fingers with her guitar case popping open to allow her violin to fly towards her. Lucy smiled seeing where Rizzo was going, so she grabbed Aquarius's key from her key pouch, which she always tried to have with her at all times. Both Natsu and Gray turned pale as they looked at the two girls.

"Song of the Mischievous Water Nymph!" Rizzo said as Lucy placed Aquarius's key in the water while saying, "Open: Gate of the Water Bearer, Aquarius!"

Gray and Natsu screamed grabbing onto each other as a water nymph with a not so friendly grin on her face along with a very unhappy looking Aquarius appeared.

"You think you can beat me in a water fight?!" Aquarius demanded as her urn filled with water. "I don't think so!"

"We're going to drown you~" The water nymph said giggling dementedly as she raised her hands to send a torrent of water towards Gray and Natsu.

Aquarius gave a shout while throwing more water towards the boys as Lucy, who was grateful not to be swept away this time, and Rizzo, who was suspended in air with Lucy, were watching from the safety of the magic circle under their feet courtesy of Rizzo who was still playing her violin. The boys got swept away as the other vacationers stood on the beach watching in utter shock. Erza just chuckled shaking her head in amusement.

"Whoa, so cool!" Happy said. "Hey, look there's fish!"

He pointed at the fish he could see in the tidal wave summoned by Rizzo's and Aquarius's magic. Some started to fall down to the beach as the wave came crashing down on the shoreline. Happy cheered trying to catch as many fish, which were still falling, as he could. The waves continued to splash about while not hurting the bystanders since Rizzo's playing kept the water from going everywhere. Even Aquarius's magic. Said Celestial Spirit "hmphed!" looking satisfied as Natsu and Gray washed up on shore while coughing up water. Aquarius then turned towards Lucy.

"Don't summon me for such a stupid reason again!" She snapped.

"Yes, ma'am!" Lucy squeaked.

Aquarius rolled her eyes as she returned to the celestial world. Rizzo stopped playing with the water nymph disappearing once Rizzo lifted the bow from the strings. Rizzo and Lucy landed back onto the beach after the magic circle disappeared out from under them.

"And that's how you win a water battle." Rizzo said as she shared a high five with Lucy who was laughing.

"Not cool!" Gray and Natsu said in unison.

* * *

After having a fun day at the beach, the others returned to the hotel to return to their rooms. Rizzo had taken a shower to get all the salt water off of her, and when she stepped out of her bathroom with a towel wrapped over her, Lucy, who was dressed rather nicely, had come knocking. The blonde said the boys wanted to head to the casino. She also came to offer to help Rizzo get ready. Since Rizzo hadn't packed a dress, Lucy demanded they return to Magnolia to get Rizzo one. It hadn't been hard to do since all they had to do was open Rizzo's guitar case and step through since it connected to wherever she was to her room in Fairy Hills.

"Whoa, this place is huge!" Lucy exclaimed.

Lucy looked around at the large "dorm room" that looked more like a rock star's mini mansion. It was very sleek and modern with a lot of black and white, but it had splashes of pink and neon green here and there in the décor. Its floors were dark tile, and going along nearly all the walls were glass cases that held instruments inside. There was also some modern and expensive looking art hanging on the walls. The ceiling was also very high up giving the illusion that the room was even bigger than it appeared.

"I needed the extra space for my instruments, so I busted down a few walls to connect to the other rooms." Rizzo explained. "Erza had to do the same thing for her room. Our rooms actually take up one complete half of this level in the building."

Lucy continued looking around in awe while completely shocked at how Rizzo was living. It was like she was a celebrity or something. Now that Lucy thinks about it, Rizzo does give off a rock star vibe, and the pinkette has actually had a few articles or spreads in Sorcerer's Weekly before like many members of Fairy Tail. Rizzo was also the seventh ranked bachelorette in Sorcerer's Weekly, but of course that will change once word gets out that Rizzo is dating Gray. In Lucy's mind, Rizzo practically was a celebrity.

"How much do you have to pay for this room?" Lucy asked.

"Well, one room costs 100 thousand jewel a month, and I knocked down three walls to connect four rooms." Rizzo said.

Lucy's mouth dropped open even more in shock. Rizzo has to pay a rent of 400 thousand jewel?!

"But then I recently extended my bathroom as well to add a tub to soak in, and 50 thousand jewel was added to my rent." Rizzo added. "So in total I spend 450 thousand jewel a month on rent."

She said this as if it wasn't a big deal, which nearly made Lucy want to fall over. How did Rizzo afford to pay 450 thousand jewel a month for this room?! Especially with how much of their pay is usually deducted from them when their team destroys something? Even if they didn't get a deduction in their pay, Rizzo still had to split the pay six ways since Happy demanded a cut. Rizzo has to take a lot of high paying jobs to have enough to pay her monthly rent. Lucy has trouble getting enough money for her apartment's rent a month.

"You must be wondering how I pay for all this." Rizzo said chuckling when she saw Lucy's expression.

Lucy nodded her head with her jaw still a bit unhinged. Rizzo chuckled once more as she closed Lucy's gaping mouth.

"Well, I did inherit a bit of money from my family that got me my first room here when I moved to Magnolia." Rizzo said. "Back then when I only had one room as long as I kept taking job after job, I could pay my rent for the month and still save up despite buying things I needed as well. Then people started hiring me for small playing gigs as well as doing mage work, which added to my income. I've made a large money cushion in my account, so I can afford expanding my room and still not getting a lot of jewel on jobs."

Lucy stared at Rizzo wishing that she was as good as managing money as Rizzo. Lucy wished she also had started saving up before running off from home. But she was getting by, which mattered the most.

"You must be really busy all the time." Lucy said. "Due to all that extra work you do."

"Actually, I've slowed down on all the extra work I used to do." Rizzo said while smiling. "Keeping up with our team takes up most of my time, but I don't mind. I enjoy spending time with you and the others."

Lucy smiled as well while happy to hear that. Lucy thought of Rizzo as one of her best friends, so it was nice to hear that Rizzo enjoyed spending time with her.

"Maybe next time I do a gig, you can come along, Lucy." Rizzo said. "It'll be a lot of fun. Natsu and Happy sometimes come along. Maybe the entire team can next time."

"Yeah!" Lucy said nodding. "I'd like that."

Rizzo smiled at Lucy before showing Lucy to where her bedroom was. Rizzo opened the double doors to her bedroom, and once again Lucy was shocked. Rizzo's bedroom was like the rest of her dorm room. It was sleek and modern. It had a large four poster bed, a sitting area with a large glass table and faux white tiger rug, a doorway that led into a large master bath, and Lucy saw a large walk in closet as well.

"Can I move in with you?" Lucy asked.

Rizzo chuckled as Lucy went towards Rizzo's large walk in closet. Lucy looked around seeing that a large white dress was built into the back wall of the closet.

"Where do you shop?" Lucy asked as she looked around at everything in the closet.

"One day we can have a girls' day, and I'll take you to all my favorite places." Rizzo promised Lucy. "We can even ask some of the other girls to come with us. I actually do a lot of my shopping with Cana, Levy, and Bisca."

Usually Cana and Rizzo would try to get Levy to buy clothes that were a bit on the risky side, but the bluenette would just blush and stick to what she's comfortable with. Bisca would always try to get Rizzo into something with a more Western style every time they go out. However, Rizzo would always refuse to put on anything that resembled a cowboy's hat or cowboy boots. Rizzo shuddered at the very thought of wearing either of those things. The style looked good on Bisca, but Rizzo wanted nothing to do with the Western style.

"Really?" Lucy asked smiling.

"Sure." Rizzo said nodding. "It's about time you spend more time with other guild members than just our team, and I'm sure the girls will love having you come along with us."

Lucy looked excited at the prospect of having a girls' day. Lucy then looked through Rizzo's clothes to see what kind of dress would be good for Rizzo to wear to the casino. Rizzo's closet was actually very organized, so it didn't take long for Lucy to find what she thought was the perfect dress. Once she found it, she found a few more items to hand to Rizzo who was wondering why Lucy was trying so hard to get her dressed up. Rizzo got dressed in everything Lucy had picked out for her, and then Lucy dragged her towards her vanity to put some makeup on her.

"Lucy, don't you think you're going a bit overboard with all of this?" Rizzo asked. "We're just hanging out with the others in a casino."

"I know that, but you have a boy to impress." Lucy said winking. "Don't you want to make Gray's jaw drop to the floor?"

Rizzo felt her cheeks warm just the teeniest bit, which gave Lucy the answer she wanted. Lucy giggled as she put makeup on Rizzo. She didn't go overboard, and used tones that complimented Rizzo's natural beauty. After finishing her makeup, Lucy quickly called out Cancer to do something about Rizzo's hair. The crab spirit looked over Rizzo's hair with a thoughtful look.

"Have you ever thought about growing it out, Bab—er, Rizzo-san?" Cancer asked.

Lucy looked at Cancer in shock when he dropped the baby to speak to Rizzo almost formally. Was it because Rizzo had called Cancer uncool when they first met?

"Well, I used to have long hair." Rizzo admitted. "But there was a little accident when Natsu was practicing a new fire move…and well, he caught my hair on fire. Most of it got singed, so it got cut down really short. But I was able to keep one side kinda long…I guess, I just really became fond of the style. I thought about it once or twice to grow it out…but I'm not sure."

"Then we'll just curl your bangs." Cancer said.

He got to work on her hair, and once he was done her already curly hair had more curl to it and some "umph!" as Cancer called it. Rizzo and Lucy thanked the spirit before he returned to the Celestial World.

"You look so cute!" Lucy said as she pulled Rizzo to her feet. "Come look!"

Lucy pulled Rizzo over to the full length mirror in the room, so Rizzo can see herself. She wore a neon green dress that had that had black lace around the bosom with a black bow tied in the middle of the lace. The dress also had a black feathery collar that wrapped around the entire neckline of the dress to the dip in the back. There was also black feathers going around the bottom of the dress, which didn't even stop at mid-thigh. She had on tightly knitted fishnet tights on as well, and on her feet black ankle boots with stiletto heels. Around her neck was a black choker, and she had on black fingerless gloves that stopped at her end of her palms.

"Hmm, I don't think I've ever gotten this dressed up before." Rizzo confessed.

Lucy smiled while quite happy with how Rizzo turned out looking after she helped her get ready.

"Okay, I think we're done here." Lucy said. "Let's get back to the hotel before the boys come looking for us to see what's taking so long."

Rizzo nodded her head then went with Lucy to the door outside Rizzo's bedroom in the main room that looked as if it belonged to a closet. However, when Rizzo opened it, there was nothing but a black hole. Lucy and Rizzo held hands then stepped into the darkness. They seemed to be climbing upstairs in the pitch back before Rizzo felt a "door" in front of her. She pushed up the "door" which allowed light to push through the darkness. Rizzo climbed out of the opening back into her hotel room. She helped Lucy out of the guitar case, and it closed once they were both out.

"That's really weird." Lucy said.

"You get used to it." Rizzo said with a small shrug. "Shall we join the boys?"

"You go ahead." Lucy said. "I still have to get Erza."

Rizzo nodded while waving goodbye to Lucy as she went to get Erza. Rizzo then looked at her guitar case knowing that'd really stick out if she took it with her. However, she couldn't just leave it. Sometimes having a guitar case to lug around could have its drawbacks. She thought about it for a moment before a brilliant idea hit her. The guitar case wasn't the only instrument case she had, and it wasn't the only instrument case that connected to her room in Magnolia. Rizzo snapped her fingers with the guitar case opening, and her piccolo case popping out.

The case almost looked like a small purse on the outside, which would be more convenient for her to carry around. The guitar case closed before being sucked up into the piccolo case. It then flew over to Rizzo after it closed. She put the strap over her shoulder while smiling. This worked so much better for her than carrying the guitar case. However, she'd definitely switch back to the guitar case later since it looked cooler to have around when she's working as a mage.

"Guess I better meet the boys downstairs." She said.

She left her room while heading down to casino where she was sure most of her friends would be waiting. Once she made it there, she looked for any signs of the others. She soon spotted Natsu, who was in his usual wear, and Happy kicking up a fuss by one of the games, which had her chuckling. She then saw Gray, who actually put on a dress shirt and tie, over by one of the tables. She decided to leave Natsu and Happy to their fussing, so she went over to Gray. She put her arms around his neck while letting them rest on his shoulders. He stiffened for a moment, but when Rizzo leaned over to smile at him, he relaxed.

"How's your luck, Frosty?" She asked.

He grinned as he turned back to the game at hand while enjoying the feel of her being so close.

"Hmm, well, I'm not broke." Gray said. "Of course, I just got started really."

Rizzo 'hmm'ed in acknowledgement as she rest her head against his with his scent of mint and snow relaxing her greatly. Gray continued playing his game while enjoying Rizzo being so close. He sometimes wondered why he didn't confess sooner. Rizzo kissed Gray's cheek, which had his grin grow partially, then she moved to sit beside him. He glanced at her while opening his mouth to say something, but the words caught in this throat when he saw what she was wearing.

"What?" She asked when noticing his look. "Do I look that ridiculous?"

She asked this jokingly, but she honestly hoped she didn't look ridiculous in her outfit.

"No." Gray assured her. "You look g-great."

Gray mentally cursed himself for stuttering like an idiot, but Rizzo smiled glad to hear he thought she looked great. Of course, he meant to say something like beautiful…but the word caught in this throat. He's not good with this whole romantic thing. In fact, he sometimes feels embarrassingly awkward about it all. Gray inwardly shook himself as he continued his game, but he found it hard not to have his eyes drift back to Rizzo who was watching on curiously. He opened his mouth to ask her if she wanted to play, but someone else spoke before he could.

"Uh, Rizzo-chan, Gray-san."

The two blinked before turning their eyes to see a vaguely familiar blue-haired woman standing there. Rizzo's eyes widened knowing who this woman was. She's one of the Element 4. Craylee had battled with her. Rizzo then frowned when seeing the bluenette was wearing a Fairy Tail pendant.

"Do you remember Juvia?" She asked looking a tad shy.

Rizzo titled her head remembering what Craylee had said about this woman. If Craylee took it easy on her…Well, she couldn't be all bad, right?

"Yeah, you're that chick from Phantom!" Gray said as he stood up.

He stepped in front of Rizzo while looking ready to fight as he put his hands together. However, before he could attack, Rizzo put her hand over his wrist to slightly push his hands down. He looked at her in confusion.

"Hold on a second." She said. "I don't think she's here to fight."

Gray frowned though nodded his head as he let his hands drop completely. However, he took Rizzo's hand, so to keep her close. She squeezed his hand as they stood side-by-side.

"Now, what do you want?" Rizzo asked calmly.

"Only to talk." Juvia said. "Please."

Gray wasn't sure if he completely trusted Juvia, but Rizzo seemed to be willing to give her a chance. So, he'd give Juvia a chance too. However, if she tried anything funny, he'd be ready to take her down.

"Fine." Gray said.

"Let's talk over drinks." Rizzo suggested.

Juvia nodded her head while smiling. This was progress. If she made friends with her beloved's sister figure then Craylee might fall in love with her. Besides, she wanted to protect Rizzo for Craylee's sake. The three of them walked off to go get some drinks. When they reached the bar, Gray made sure to sit between Rizzo and Juvia. Rizzo knew he was being protective of her.

While she didn't need the protection, she appreciated the gesture. He better not get overprotective though. The three put in orders for three separate drinks as they were getting comfortable. Rizzo ordered something nonalcoholic of course, which had Gray chuckling in amusement. He wondered if Rizzo would ever pick up a drink that was alcoholic. She did remember that the legal drinking age was fifteen, right? (something I learned recently. Apparently in the Fairy Tail universe it's okay to drink that young XD Here in America it's 21 years of age.)

"So…I heard Phantom was disbanded." Gray began. "That must have been tough on you."

"Yes, but now Juvia is a free mage!" Juvia said excitedly. "And now Juvia can join any guild I want."

Rizzo looked at the Fairy Tail pendant around Juvia's neck, which gave her a good idea what guild the water mage wanted to join.

"Let me guess, you want to join Fairy Tail." Rizzo said.

"Oh, yes, very much so." Juvia said.

"I don't know." Gray said. "After everything that went down…"

He trailed off giving a shrug. He didn't know much about the water woman. Only that Craylee didn't beat the living crap out of her, and Craylee was so merciless to everyone else from Phantom he had went up against. And the redhead didn't seem like the type of guy to take it easy on an opponent just because she's a woman.

"Well, it's not really our decision." Rizzo said. "It's Master Makarov's choice. I'm sure Craylee would speak in favor for her. She has to have some kind of redeeming quality if he went easy on her. Or he saw something in her that he felt a connection to."

Juvia blushed darkly when hearing this, and she was ready to burst in happiness. Her beloved shared her feelings?!

"But it isn't his decision anyway." Gray said. "Like you said, Master will have to decide. Craylee might try to speak up for her, but the old man will make the final decision."

Rizzo nodded her agreement then took a sip from her drink, which was sitting in front of her.

"Oh, Juvia will do anything, I promise!" Juvia said.

"You might want to be careful about what you promise." Rizzo warned Juvia as she chuckled

Gray nodded in agreement as he lightly grinned. Rizzo then stiffened when feeling a not so friendly presence behind the three of them.

"Gray Fullbuster, Rizzo Sweeney."

The three turned seeing a large man standing behind them. Before they could say anything an explosive attack came from the man. Gray covered Rizzo with his body as he pulled her close. They hit the ground with Juvia. The attack cleared with Gray lifting his head to glare at the man who attacked.

"Juvia, look after Rizzo." Gray said. "I'm teaching this guy a lesson."

"I don't need protection!" Rizzo pointed out.

Gray ignored her as he stood up while facing the metal faced man in front of them. She went unheard as Juvia moved in closer to her to be there to protect her if needed. Juvia had to look after Rizzo for Craylee's sake.

"Now what's your problem, pal?" Gray demanded.

"Where is Erza?" He asked.

"Erza?" Gray asked.

The man nodded his head as Rizzo's entire body stiffened. She then stood up to stand beside Gray.

"You want Erza?" Rizzo asked softly as her hands clenched into fists. "Like we'd tell you, metal face. I might not get along with Erza, but she's family, so don't think we'll let you get to her."

The man frowned looking as if he was about to attack again, but Juvia appeared between him and Rizzo.

"Juvia will not let you lay a hand on my beloved Craylee-sama's sister." Juvia said. "You'll have to go through Juvia first!"

Rizzo and Gray frowned in confusion. Her _beloved_ Craylee-sama's sister? Was she really in love with Craylee? Did her brother know about this?

"Erza needs your help right now." Juvia said to the two Fairy Tail mages. "Juvia senses she maybe in grave danger."

"You're right." Gray said.

The man suddenly placed two fingers to his temple, which is something Rizzo has seen Warren do many times.

"Ah, you've located her." He said. "So I should clean things up here? Understood."

Suddenly everything went black throughout the entire casino, which had Rizzo on edge.

"What happened to the lights?" Gray asked.

"It's magic of the dark lineage." The man said within the dark. "Dark Moment."

It became alight behind the three of them, and before they could react there was a loud explosion.

* * *

Rizzo, who was still confused as to how they ended up "inside" Juvia, blinked from within the water Juvia put them in when she could have sworn she heard Lucy screaming.

"Lucy is here." Rizzo said.

"Yep, that's definitely her voice." Gray said as Lucy's screaming got louder.

Rizzo nodded her head wondering what Lucy was actually screaming about. Juvia started becoming solid again, which had the other two coming out of the water spell.

"There's no need to panic." Juvia said.

"I remember you." Lucy said as she stood up defensively. "You're one of the Element 4!"

Lucy looked as if she was getting ready to attack as she made a grab for her keys.

"Lucy, wait!" Gray said.

Juvia stepped back allowing Gray and Rizzo to come out of the water lock spell she used. Gray was on top of Rizzo in a very suggestive position, and if it was any other time, Lucy probably would have teased them about it.

"Yeah, let's all just take a moment to chill." Rizzo said. "Juvia is helping us out."

Juvia smiled brightly while thinking she scored some points on getting on Rizzo's good size.

"That's right." Juvia said as her smile dropped when looking at her love rival. "Juvia pulled Gray-san and Craylee-sama's sister, Rizzo-chan, inside me to insure their safety."

"Is it just me, or does that seem really weird?" Lucy asked.

Well, Rizzo thought it was a bit weird, but at least they were okay. However, the bad guys got away.

"Ah, Gray, you mind getting off of me now?" Rizzo asked while trying to fight off a blush.

Gray blinked before his eyes widened when he finally realized just what kind of position they were in. Her butt was pressed against his crotch, and he could feel her body heat practically melt into his. He quickly got off of her while coughing to hide his embarrassment. Rizzo got off the ground with Juvia's help as her boyfriend was trying to compose himself.

"This dude attacked, so I created two ice decoys of Rizzo and me to distract him until I could figure out our plan of attack." Gray said once he calmed down.

Rizzo nodded her head as Gray loosened his tie before tossing it and then his shirt to the side.

"Juvia wanted to keep the real Rizzo-chan and Gray-san safe, so Juvia pulled them inside my water lock until Juvia knew the danger had passed." Juvia explained.

"Yeah, and we couldn't do anything from in there." Gray said. "Thanks to you the creep got away."

Juvia cried out in shock, and she looked at Rizzo to see if the pinkette disapproved of what she had done. If she makes an enemy out of Rizzo, Craylee may never want to be with Juvia!

"Oh, Gray, calm down." Rizzo said. "Juvia was only trying to help out like any friend would do."

Juvia perked up while looking quite shocked that Rizzo referred to her as a friend. She thought of her as a friend? No, has ever called her a friend before.

"Whatever." Gray said. "Do you know where the others are?"

"No, I don't." Lucy said. "It's bad. They took Erza and Happy."

Rizzo narrowed her eyes while less than pleased that Erza and Happy had been taken from them. Suddenly fire blasted up into the air as Natsu stood up giving a roar.

"Is that—?" Lucy and Gray muttered at the same time.

"Natsu!" Rizzo called out.

Rizzo went running towards her friend with the other three following behind her until they reached Natsu.

"What happened to you?" Gray asked.

"Hey, what kind of jerk shoots people, huh?!" He demanded. "I mean, someone could get really hurt."

While the other three sweat-dropped, Rizzo smiled while hugging her friend since she was glad he was okay. Gray tried to ignore the tightening in his chest as Natsu put his own arms around Rizzo. He then mentally berated himself. He knew he didn't have to get jealous since Rizzo and Natsu were like brother and sister just as much as how the Treblemen were Rizzo's brothers.

"Uh, I'm sure that'd kill anyone who wasn't a weirdo like you." Lucy said.

"Juvia has to agree." Juvia said reluctantly agreeing with her love rival.

Rizzo then had to lean away from Natsu when a fire burned in his mouth as he threw his arms up.

"I'm going to beat that Blockhead!" He declared loudly. "He's not getting away with this!"

Natsu grabbed Rizzo's hand to pull her along as he took off running as fast as he could.

"Natsu, bring back my girlfriend!" Gray shouted after them.

Natsu didn't seem to hear him because he picked up his pace to go even faster. Natsu then ran right through the doors of the resort, which had them flying off their hinges. He took off down the beach with Rizzo's hand still tight in his grasp as said female pinkette kept up as much as she could.

"I'm coming for ya, Blockhead!" Natsu roared.

"Who the heck is Blockhead?" Rizzo asked in confusion.


	30. Infiltrating the Tower of Heaven

"I'm worried about those people stuck in the cards." Lucy spoke up to break the silence.

"We let the military know about them." Gray pointed out. "They'll be fine."

"I hope so." Lucy said.

Rizzo just sighed as she pat Natsu on the back. He was currently hanging over the side of their boat looking ready to throw up. Once Rizzo had calmed Natsu down enough to wait for the others, everyone got on a boat in hopes of going after Erza whose scent Natsu's nose was following.

"Where are we anyway?" Rizzo asked.

"Tch, no clue." Gray said while frowning.

"Juvia has no idea either. We've been following Salamander's lead." Juvia commented.

"Natsu, are you sure we're going the right direction?" Lucy asked as she glanced back at Natsu.

He just gagged while nearly falling overboard, but Rizzo pulled him back up. She looked down at him sympathetically as she continued to rub his back.

"Man, we're relying on your sense of smell!" Gray snapped. "Pull it together!"

He grunted in pain the next second when Rizzo hit him in the side with her elbow.

"I know it's hard, Natsu, but we need you to pull it together a little, okay?" Rizzo asked gently.

"Yes, Salamander, don't disappoint my new friend!" Juvia said.

Natsu just groaned again as another wave of nausea hit him pretty hard. He really hated boats and other modes of transportation.

"Gees, I can't believe how easy they were able to knock us out, and kidnap Erza and Happy." Gray complained as he looked around. "We're pathetic."

Rizzo frowned because she was feeling the same. She let her friends get taken. She should have had an instrument out at the ready the moment that guy showed up. However, she doesn't even know if she'd be able put get an instrument out of her case fast enough. Sometimes having holder type magic could really have its drawbacks, but she loves music magic, which is why she'd never give it up.

 _'Don't worry, little one.'_ Raoul spoke within her mind. _'Once you complete the training I'm giving you, you won't have to worry about giving up your magic…it will evolve into something amazing.'_

Rizzo lightly sighed knowing that was true, but since she wasn't even close to completing her new training, it didn't help her now. Rizzo mentally shook herself because she couldn't doubt herself. She's the third strongest female in Fairy Tail—fourth if you count Mirajane even if she has lost her magic and then Erza and Amarante are above her, of course—, and Rizzo got that strong using holder type magic. However, she still wished she would have acted faster to stop that guy. Juvia looked towards Rizzo while noticing she looked a bit down about all of this.

"In our defense, they must have been powerful mages to beat one as strong as Erza-san." Juvia pointed out while trying to cheer up Rizzo.

"What?!" Gray demanded as he glared lividly at Juvia. "They didn't beat her! Quit talking like you know her cause you don't!

Juvia whimpered as she flinched away from the intense glare. Lucy was about to tell Gray to calm down, but Rizzo beat her too it.

"Gray, that's enough." Rizzo said. "Calm down."

Gray growled before sitting down beside Rizzo who placed her hand over one of his own. She knew he was worried, but snapping wasn't going to help their current situation.

"Those goons, who attacked us, said they were old friends of Erza's." Lucy said looking somber. "Which makes me wonder if we know her any better than Juvia does."

That was unfortunately all possible. Erza didn't share much about her past. Not that Rizzo faulted Erza for that. Rizzo only told Natsu and Happy about her past, and Makarov knew about it because he had been close friends with Roscoe. Her other friends and guildmates only learned about Rizzo's past when it was forced into the light.

"I don't give a damn about Erza's past before Fairy Tail." Rizzo said as she moved her hands into her lap. "All I need to know is that a member of our family was taken, and even I can't stand Erza…I will fight with everyone here to get her back."

Lucy looked at Rizzo with a curious look. Lucy still had no idea why Rizzo seemed so cold towards Erza. It was a mystery to her just as much as Erza's past was. In all honesty, Lucy didn't know how her friends lived together the last few years. She doesn't know how they formed bonds, or why they might not have in Rizzo and Erza's case.

"Erza once told Rizzo that her magic was useless." Gray said when he saw Lucy's expression.

Lucy and Juvia's eyes widened in shock as Rizzo's hands clenched tightly into two fists.

"It was around when I first started Fairy Tail." Rizzo said. "I had been showing Natsu, Happy, Gray and Lis…and some of the others my magic. I played my father's guitar for them, and made music notes of color dance through the air. It had been one of the first spells my father taught me before…before he went on a mission, and never came back. I was so proud of it, and everyone seemed to enjoy it…but then Erza opened her mouth…and pointed out that my magic would be useless in battle. That is was weak, and wouldn't be able to protect anyone or fight against my enemies."

Rizzo's body shook as she remembered that day, and how angry she had been.

"I think it had been her way to show concern because she had added I shouldn't be a mage, and live a normal, safe life." Rizzo continued. "However, I couldn't accept that…I promised my granddaddy that I would become a great mage to use my magic for good, and after just losing everyone, I made a vow to become as strong as I possibly could. Not to mention that I love music magic to my very core because it was something my ancestor created. So I became very angry with Erza because it was like she was degrading not only myself but the magic that Master Raoul worked so hard on. I vowed on that day that Erza would be my rival, and that someday I would show her what music magic is capable of by beating her. Until then, I cannot see her as my friend…but I'm sure as hell not letting anything happening to her until I show her how strong my magic is."

Gray reached out to pull Rizzo close when her body gave another shake that she couldn't control.

"Erza apologized a few years later to Rizzo when Rizzo had went on a big job and saved a bunch of people with her magic." Gray said. "But Erza goaded Rizzo afterwards by saying that Rizzo's magic was still too weak to go against her."

Lucy looked at Rizzo while now completely understanding her relationship with Erza now. Erza had said something that hurt Rizzo, which pushed the pinkette to train even harder. Lucy thinks that Erza being hard on Rizzo is a way to get Rizzo to give it her all to become strong. Erza must want Rizzo to be all that she can be. Lucy thinks that Rizzo knows that as well, and even if she is still a bit angry with Erza, she mostly puts on an act to make it look like she truly dislikes the redhead.

"And I am going to beat her." Rizzo said grinning. "Until then I won't be able to accept any form of apology, or call myself better than Erza. However, after we save her, I think I might have a bit of fun rubbing it in her face that she needed saving in the first place."

Lucy sweat-dropped though a chuckle left her lips as she looked at her pink-haired friend. Gray chuckled as well as he leaned his head against hers.

"What the—?" Natsu, who was miraculously able to stand, murmured suddenly. "I just got a weird feeling."

Rizzo blinked curiously before picking up the sounds of birds in the air. She turned her head seeing a flock heading past them. However, the birds fell to the water as everyone stood.

"The birds." Lucy muttered as she put her hand over her mouth.

Rizzo narrowed her eyes. There was a foul feeling in the air. Was this the weird feeling that Natsu was talking about?

"What's happening to them?" Gray asked.

Rizzo didn't know, but she didn't like this at all. Their boat then lightly hit something, so they all looked down to see remains of a wreckage and dead fish.

"Not the fish too." Gray said.

"Juvia has never seen anything like it." Juvia said.

"And that looks as if this wreckage belongs to a Fiore naval ship." Rizzo said when she saw the flag in the water.

All this was turning even more foreboding by the second, and it had Rizzo on edge.

"Okay, I'm creeped out." Lucy said.

Rizzo reached out to pat Lucy on her shoulder, so to give her a bit of comfort.

"Hey, what's that?" Natsu called out.

Rizzo and the others turned seeing a tall ominous tower starting to come into view from the distance. Rizzo's gut churned with the feeling from earlier getting worse as she looked upon the tower.

"It must be…the Tower of Heaven." Lucy said.

Which meant they made it to where those goons took Erza. Rizzo grabbed her instrument case, which she had switched back to her guitar case, to put it on her back just in case she needed it in a split moment's notice.

"Juvia will protect us." Juvia said.

She raised her hand with a blue magic circle appearing above her. Water then started collecting around their entire boat to form a water bubble.

"My water dome will keep us from being seen." Juvia said.

"Nice work, Juvia." Lucy said.

"Yeah, good job." Rizzo added.

Juvia smiled glad to hear her new friend praise her. Juvia was making good progress in befriending Rizzo...who would hopefully be her sister-in-law someday. As they were getting closer, Natsu couldn't manage to stand any longer. He fell over with Rizzo immediately checking on him.

"I can't take it." He groaned.

"Just hold on." Lucy said. "We're almost there."

"That's it." Gray said. "Next time we go somewhere, we're knocking him out first."

He then stiffened when he got a glare from his girlfriend. Gees, they're together now, and she's still mean to him. It took a bit longer, but they finally reached the dock soon enough. They quickly ran across the dock before they could be spotted by anyone who might be on guard. They made it to the rocky shore while looking up the stone steps to see many guards standing by on watch.

"We need to try and find some other way in." Rizzo said.

"Juvia can look for an underwater route." She volunteered.

She then dove underwater to do as she said she would. The others remained on land while trying to figure out if there could be a way up the steps in case Juvia couldn't find a way underwater.

"They've got a ton of look outs." Gray said frowning.

"Let's charge them." Natsu whispered with excitement in his tone.

"Don't even think about it." Lucy whispered back. "Remember they have Erza and Happy. If we screw this up, we could be putting them in danger."

"If Juvia can't find another way, we won't have a choice." Rizzo pointed out.

"Shut-it! You just want to cause trouble like Natsu!" Lucy accused.

Rizzo blinked "innocently" at Lucy, but it was hard to look innocent when she had her amplifiers and guitar already out to attack. Lucy groaned wondering why she had to be stuck putting up with two pinkettes with a love for destruction.

"Man, this is going to be tricky." Gray said then looked to Rizzo. "Now put those away."

Rizzo pouted though went to do as she was told. She very lightly snapped her fingers to have her guitar case open, so it could suck back in the amplifiers and the guitar. She then crossed her arms over her chest as she stood beside Natsu who looked equally as disappointed. Gray just rolled his eyes at the two pouting pinkettes.

"Juvia found an underwater passageway into the tower." Juvia said as she returned.

Rizzo grinned guessing things worked out…but…it sure would have been nice to cause a ruckus...ah well... maybe next time!

"Seriously?" Gray asked. "Way to go."

"You hear that, Lucy?!" Juvia asked triumphantly. "Juvia was just given praise for being useful! Once Craylee-sama learns of this he will love Juvia more than you, love rival!"

"Yeah, yeah." Lucy said while sighing.

Lucy really had no idea what made Juvia think that Craylee was in love her, or what made Juvia think that she was in love with Craylee. Lucy was still a bit stumped on why Juvia loved Craylee in the first place. Sure, he was cute, but he practically had a heart incased in ice. Rizzo just chuckled finding amusement in the fact that her youngest older brother had his first admirer. She couldn't wait to see how Craylee deals with this.

"We can swim there in ten minutes." Juvia said while getting back to business.

"We can hold our breath that long, right?" Natsu said.

"Probably." Gray said.

"I don't see why not." Rizzo said shrugging.

"That's not humanly possible, ya dopes!" Lucy snapped.

Rizzo pouted at being called a dope, but she guessed that Lucy did have a point. The longest Rizzo has ever gone holding her breath was like two minutes, and that had been hard enough.

"In that case, Juvia suggests you wear these." Juvia said as she held up a water bubble. "It's a water shell containing oxygen. This way you can breathe while underwater."

Rizzo blinked while impressed with how useful Juvia was being on this mission to save Erza. She really can't be bad if she's trying so hard to help.

"Wow, you're awesome." Natsu said. "And who are you again?"

Juvia hung her head in shock and despair that she had been so easily forgotten. Was she really that forgettable?

"Natsu, she was a member of the Element 4, remember?" Rizzo asked. "Her name is Juvia. Ring any bells?"

Natsu blinked before squinting his eyes to really concentrate on Juvia for a moment.

"Oh, yeah." He said laughing. "Craylee kicked her ass, right?"

Rizzo nodded her head then started to slip the straps of her dress off her shoulders.

"What are you doing?!" Gray demanded a little loudly as his eyes bulged nearly out of his head.

He also blushed darkly as Rizzo paused in what she was doing. She quirked her brow at him wondering what his deal was.

"I don't want this dress to get wet." Rizzo said. "I paid a lot for it. Besides, I wore my bikini under it, so it's not like I'm stripping to my skivvies."

Gray calmed down while a bit embarrassed he had reacted as he had, but he had really thought Rizzo was stripping to her underwear there for a moment.

"I wore my bikini under my clothes too." Lucy said as she untied the back of her dress.

Their dresses both dropped to the ground to reveal the girls really did have their bikinis on. Rizzo opened her guitar case to drop her dress in, and Lucy did the same.

"Okay, I'm ready to go." Rizzo said as she put her now closed guitar case on her back. "I'm so glad that Craylee added waterproof thread to my guitar case."

She didn't want anything happening to it since it had belonged to her father after all. Juvia gave each of them their own water shell before they all dove into the water. They swam underwater for ten minutes as Juvia said it would take before coming to an opening. Once they climbed up out of the water, Rizzo removed the water shell from her head.

"So we're beneath the tower now, huh?" Gray asked.

Rizzo looked around while not really seeing a way to go any farther into the tower from here.

"I wonder where they're keeping Erza and Happy." Natsu, who had his scarf around his head, said.

"Guess we find a way in, so we can find out." Rizzo said.

The boys nodded in agreement as Lucy took off her water shell with a smile on her face.

"They might look silly, but they sure do work." Lucy said.

"Juvia impressed you made it here because I purposely made your shell smaller, so you would have trouble breathing." Juvia confessed.

"Gee, thanks." Lucy said sarcastically as the water shell popped.

There was then a loud roar in the air that had the group looking up to see a guard riding one of those flying beasts had spotted them.

"Intruders!" He shouted as more guards appeared. "Identify yourselves!"

Rizzo narrowed her eyes as she snapped her fingers to have her guitar case move to float behind her. It opened up while ready to give an instrument to her the moment she demanded it.

"Guess we don't have a choice." Gray said. "We're going to have to fight them."

"Yes." Juvia agreed.

Rizzo stood beside Natsu as both of their magic started to build. Rizzo held out her hand silently with her acoustic guitar falling down to her hand.

"You losers want to know who we are." Natsu said as he narrowed his eyes.

"You're going to regret asking because we're the mages who are going to pound your faces in!" Rizzo shouted.

"Yeah!" Natsu agreed with her loudly.

He then caused an explosion with his magic to give cover to himself and his friends. The guards gasped unable to see the mages below until they all jumped up out of the smoke.

"We're from Fairy Tail!" Natsu declared before follow up with a Fire Dragon: Roar.

"Ow, so hot!" The guards complained.

"Okay, Ice-Make: Lance!" Gray shouted.

Once the ice hit them they complained about being cold now. Rizzo rolled her eyes while getting tired of their complaining. She landed on one of the small bridges linking the pillars together. Some of the men blushed at the sight of her in her bikini as she readied her acoustic guitar.

"Quit your whining." She said. "We came here to kick ass, so don't expect us to go soft on you. Now, Song of the Raging Bull!"

She started playing her acoustic guitar (think of a fast paced Spanish tune) with a large bull appearing from the magic circle that appeared in front of her. It scuffed the ground with its hoof before letting out a loud bellow. The guards squealed in fright as the bull charged forward to trample them under his hooves for to knock them around with his mighty horns. As the bull was causing mayhem, Rizzo continued to play with a grin on her face. On another bridge, Lucy landed on top of it with the men getting hot and bothered by the bikini she was wearing. Lucy just narrowed her eyes as she grabbed Virgo's Key.

"Open: Gate of the Maiden!" Lucy shouted. "Virgo!"

A cloud of dust appeared as Virgo appeared out of the ground after being summoned.

"You summoned me, Princess?" Virgo asked.

The guards whistled and cat-called at Virgo as well, which had Lucy getting very annoyed.

"These pervs need to be punished." Lucy said as she pointed towards the guards.

"As you wish." Virgo said as her eyes glowed red.

Seconds later the guards were crying out in pain as Virgo made quick work of them. Lucy smiled in satisfaction as Juvia was dealing with her own opponents below. One tried to slice through her, but her body wasn't effected at all due to it being made of water.

"It's like her body is made of water!" A guard shouted.

"Careful, Men!" Another guard warned. "Blades won't affect her!"

"But I bet our guns will!" A third guard said.

They tried firing at Juvia, and she stood still taking the hits since it had no effect on her body. Juvia looked a bit bored by it all as they continued to shoot until they realized it wasn't helping them.

"What is up with this chick?" One asked as Juvia's body returned to normal.

"Drip, drip, drop." Juvia said then slashed her arm forward to send a torrent of water at the men. "Water Slicer!"

They all cried out as they were carried away by the water that Juvia sent at them. The group of five mages continued on fighting until all the guards were finished off. As the bull stomped on the last guard, Rizzo whirled around while lifting her guitar up as she played the last few chords.

"Olé!" Rizzo cheered in victory as she finished her song.

The bull seemed to strike a pose behind her until it disappeared due to the song being finished.

"Okay, okay, you won." Gray said as he shook his head. "Now come down here."

Rizzo frowned at Gray for not letting her have her moment before she let her acoustic guitar float back to her guitar case. As she jumped down to the others, her guitar case returned to strap onto her back.

"That seems to have done the job." Juvia said.

"Good job, Team." Gray praised.

Rizzo and Natsu shared grins as they gave each other a high-five due to a job well done.

"I hope we're not calling attention to—oh, who am I kidding?" Lucy groaned as gave up worrying since she knew it was pointless.

"I'm afraid so, Miss." Virgo agreed.

Lucy just hid her face in her hands as Natsu picked up one of the guards to question him.

"So where's the Blockhead, buddy?" Natsu demanded.

It seemed as if the guard didn't have to reply since the weird stone face in the tower's side opened up. An odd stone ladder dropped to the ground for them, which had Rizzo frowning. It looked as if their enemy wanted them to come in, which couldn't mean anything good. However, they needed inside, so they had no choice, but to do as the enemy wanted.

"What's that?" Natsu asked.

"I think that's their way of saying come on in." Gray said as he frowned.

"I don't like the thought of them wanting us to come in." Rizzo said. "We're going to have to stay sharp. They undoubtedly have something planned for us."

* * *

Rizzo looked around with the others as they stood in a room that appeared to be a formal dining room. It even had a large spread of food out…A large spread of food that Rizzo, the boys, and Juvia were helping themselves to.

"Hey, Blockhead!" Natsu shouted then stuffed more food into his mouth.

"Gees, would you keep it down?!" Lucy demanded.

"I don't see the point sneaking around anymore." Gray said as he held a chicken leg in his hand. "After all that ruckus downstairs."

Rizzo nodded her head in agreement then took a big bite out of one of the buttered rolls she had gotten off the table.

"What the heck are you guys eating?!" Lucy demanded.

"I suggest you join them before there's nothing left." Virgo suggested helpfully.

Lucy declined as politely as possible as she sweat-dropped. She had idiots for guildmates, didn't she?

"Come on, Luce." Rizzo said as she put her arm around Lucy's shoulders. "At least have a bite or two to recover your strength."

Lucy sighed though accepted the roll that Rizzo held out for her to take. Rizzo smiled before finishing off her own roll.

"The door that let us in was controlled by a magic user." Juvia pointed out.

"Then they're well aware of our presence." Virgo added.

"I already figured as much." Rizzo said. "We'll just have to be careful from here on out."

Lucy nodded in agreement as Rizzo snatched some meat off Gray's plate, which had him protesting. Lucy shook her head at the pinkette as she ate in an almost unladylike manner.

"Why would they let us in?" Lucy asked.

"Do you think they're trying to provoke us?" Gray asked.

He then bat away Rizzo's hand when she reached for more of the food on his plate. There's was plenty on the table that she could have. Rizzo pouted at him then grabbed another roll since they were so tasty. As she was eating it, she turned to look at Lucy as the blonde spoke.

"I don't know." Lucy said.

"I think it's all a game to these guys." Rizzo admitted. "We passed level one, so I guess they decided to let us continue the game for their own enjoyment."

It honestly wouldn't surprise her considering how dark mages could be. She's dealt with a lot of them since most of the jobs she takes on has to do with stopping dark mages or dark guilds as a whole.

"Not to be rude, but your bikinis leave little to the imagination." Virgo cut in.

"Should I change?" Lucy asked looking a bit started.

Rizzo just blinked while not really caring how "exposed" she was. She's very comfortable with her body. Now, she'd never go around nude, but as long as her "intimate" parts were covered, she was at ease.

"Yes, you both should." Virgo said with a glint in her eyes. "I'll help you both."

"Wait, right here?!" Lucy demanded.

"What—? Don't—" Rizzo didn't get to finish her protests.

Virgo quickly stripped her and Lucy to the nude, which had Rizzo blushing darkly as she tried to cover herself. Gray's eyes widened when he caught sight of Rizzo naked, and a dark blush covered his cheeks.

"Holy…" He murmured without being able to say much else.

"Gray-san, cover your eyes!" Juvia ordered. "Don't ogle Craylee-sama's sister like that!"

Gray didn't seem to hear Juvia, or maybe he just couldn't pull his eyes away from Rizzo at the moment. Soon Rizzo and Lucy were both in new outfits, and Rizzo was still blushing as she looked down at the ground. She was…nude…in front of people and in this strange place. If the boys weren't here it wouldn't have been as embarrassing, but she knew for a fact that Gray got an eyeful of her nude body.

"I brought these outfits over from the Celestial World for you both." Virgo said.

Rizzo looked down at her outfit, which wasn't her style at all. It had a top that kind of was designed like Lucy's dressed. It was a strapless green and yellow top that fit her loosely, and flowed down to her bellybutton in the front. However, in the back it went down past her hips. She then had on yellow daisy dukes that hugged her hips, and on her feet were green sandals with small heels. And finally on top her head was a green bandana that matched the one on Lucy's head.

"What do you think, boys?" Lucy asked. "Do we look super cute in these outfits or what?"

Gray and Natsu stood up to look at the girls as Rizzo spun around trying to see her outfit from all angles.

"Yeah, you both look great." Gray said though his eyes were on Rizzo.

"It's a cute outfit, but not really…me." Rizzo said. "Thanks though, I guess, Virgo."

Virgo nodded her head while glad to have helped her princess and her princess's friend.

"I wish you luck, Princess." Virgo said as she dipped her head.

Lucy thanked Virgo, and the second, the spirit was gone, Rizzo threw open her guitar case and jumped inside. Lucy sweat-dropped guessing that Rizzo couldn't deal with the clothes she was wearing since they didn't give off that rock star vibe.

"Ah, did you guys want me to see if Virgo could get you a change of clothes too?" Lucy asked.

"Nah," Gray said as he was drying his pants next to a flaming Natsu said. "This does the trick."

"He's not a dryer, ya know!" Lucy pointed out.

"The intruders! We found them!" A guard shouted.

Lucy gasped as a bunch of guards started rushing into the room, but they were soon taken out by none other than Erza.

"Erza!" Lucy exclaimed.

* * *

Rizzo hummed to herself a she quickly went through her clothes to find something more her style. It was nice of Virgo to get her some clothes, but Rizzo almost felt…naked while not wearing her usual neon green and pink color theme and something leather or rocker like. It took her more time than she'd like to admit, but she finally found something she could be satisfied with. Rizzo quickly got re-dressed then stood to look at herself in the mirror for a moment.

Rizzo now wore a white corset under a pink leather jacket that stopped before her bellybutton. Its sleeves stopped just halfway past her elbows, and on her hands were neon green fingerless gloves. She wore a pair of tight fitting black leather pants as well with a neon green belt going around her waist. The belt buckle was in the shape of the Fairy Tail emblem, and it shined silver. On her feet were black combat boots with pink laces. And to finish off her new outfit was spiked choker around her neck.

"Okay, time to get back to the others before I miss anything too important!" Rizzo said.

Rizzo left her room to head towards the closet that actually connected her to her guitar case. She went through it, and when she stepped out of her guitar case, she saw that Erza was with the group now…and Natsu wasn't.

"Ah…where's Natsu?" Rizzo asked.

Lucy jumped at her sudden reappearance before whirling around to see that Rizzo had completely changed her outfit.

"Rizzo, you're back!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Yeah." Rizzo said. "Now where's my fire-breathing best friend? And since when did Erza get here?"

She wasn't gone that long was she? She knows that sometimes minutes can be lost between portal connections from her guitar case to her room. However, it only seems to affect people, and not her instruments since there's never a delay when she uses her magic to call forth an instrument. Maybe it's because the portal's true purpose wasn't to transport living things…hmm, she'll have to look into that later.

"Salamander ran off a little while ago after Erza-san showed up." Juvia explained. "Erza-san was just now explaining how she's connected to all of this."

Rizzo hummed as she turned her green eyes onto Erza who almost seemed nervous to see what Rizzo would said.

"Well, looks like I didn't miss anything important then." Rizzo said finally.

"Huh?" Lucy asked with wide eyes while a bit appalled Rizzo didn't care about Erza and her painful connection to this place. "What—?"

"I already said it once." Rizzo cut in. "I don't give a damn about Erza's past prior to her time of being in Fairy Tail. All I needed to know was that these bastards captured her…a member of my family even if she annoys the holy hell out of me. That was all I needed to come here to try and save her. Secondly, I still don't need to know what horrible things happened to Erza. I figured out on my own that these people made Erza cry…which is enough for me to beat the shit out of every last one of them. So keep the storytelling to yourself, because whether I know of her past or not, it won't change what I'm planning to do."

Erza stared at Rizzo in shock as the pinkette crossed her arms over her chest in a firm manner. Gray chuckled with a grin on his face because no matter how many times Rizzo says she can't stand Erza, it was obvious that the pinkette cared for Erza.

"Now, I believe we have work to do." Rizzo said. "There's still asses to kick, and we still need to find Happy and now Natsu."


	31. Let the Games Begin

"Now, if you want to stand here and keep talking be my guest." Rizzo said. "I'm ending all this."

Rizzo started walking forward, but Erza held out her arm to block Rizzo's path. Rizzo frowned at Erza in question.

"I'm sorry, Rizzo, but this is my fight." Erza said. "The people here are trying to resurrect Zeref then going to heaven to become rulers of everyone, and won't let anyone get in their way, which makes this dangerous. You can't interfere."

"Like hell I can't." Rizzo said. "Don't start pulling this crap that it's only your problem."

Erza frowned wondering what Rizzo was trying to say. Rizzo shoved Erza arm away, but didn't take a step farther as she stared Erza down. Gray and Lucy stood there tensely while hoping that they wouldn't have to stop a fight between their guildmates at a time like this.

"I understand this is personal for you, but you can't keep us out of it." Rizzo said. "You should know, Erza, that when you're a member of a guild, you never have to hold a heavy burden all on your own. Of course, I suppose I'm a bit hypocritical considering I didn't want any of you coming to my aid when Devil's Lament came for me again…I didn't want any of you putting yourselves in danger. Yet you all showed up, and promised to keep me safe to bring me home. You butt into my business, so don't think you can butt me out of yours."

Erza shook with tears in her eyes as Rizzo gave her a steady glare that showed she wouldn't be changing her mind anytime soon.

"Besides, if these guys are as bad as they seem to be, you'll need all the help you can get." Rizzo added. "You were kidnapped by the underlings after all, so what makes you think you can beat their boss?"

Rizzo shot a condescending smile at Erza, which had the redhead's lips twitching up in amusement despite the situation. Lucy and Gray smiled as well when seeing Erza looked a bit better.

"Okay, I know you want to get going, Rizzo, but there are still a few things confusing me." Lucy said as she cupped her chin. "These old friends of yours, Erza, confuse me. Why are they accusing you of betraying them? Don't they realize Jellal is the bad guy, here?"

Rizzo frowned not really caring about all of this. She wanted to find Natsu and Happy, kick ass, and go back to the resort to relax.

"It's not their fault." Erza said in her friends' defense. "I'm sure he fed them a bunch of lies about me once I left. That just doesn't change the fact that I abandoned them so long ago. In the end, I guess you can say I did betray them."

"Boohoo, I don't care." Rizzo said. "Those details don't matter now. Isn't that right, Erza?"

Erza nodded her head as Lucy sighed wishing Rizzo would be more sensitive. Gray wasn't all surprised that Rizzo was making "light" of all this. Rizzo knew Erza better than most people believed. She probably knew that Erza wasn't looking for sympathy right now. So Rizzo was keeping everything on track even if she seems cold doing so.

"Rizzo is right." Erza said. "None of that matters now. If I can defeat Jellal, it'll all be over. Leave it to me, okay?"

"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm in this thing?" Rizzo asked with her eyebrow twitching in annoyance. "I don't follow orders from you, Fairy Queen Girl. So bite me."

Erza lightly chuckled in amusement, which had Rizzo's eyebrow twitching even more. She looked as if she was ready to hit Erza, so Lucy and Juvia had to grab her to hold her back. When Rizzo picked up the sound of footsteps, she forgot all about smacking Erza to turn to see who was coming. It was one of Erza's buddies.

"Nee-san, that's not true." Shō said. "Why…why are you lying to them?"

"Shō," Erza began, but Shō continued talking.

"You think by making yourself the martyr that you're going to get sympathy from your friends?" Shō demanded. "That's not how it happened and you know it."

Rizzo sighed really not caring about what happened in the past. Erza could have been in the wrong in the past, and Rizzo still not care. Erza is family, and no one in a family is perfect. But as long as Erza is family, it was enough cause for Rizzo to beat up those who tried to hurt Erza. Besides, if Erza died, Rizzo would never get to show the redhead the power of music magic, which is the most important thing here (Yeah, keep telling yourself that, Rizzo. You know you care about Erza.).

"You blew up the boats we were going to use to escape." Shō accused. "And then you left on your own. We would have ended up at the bottom of the sea if it hadn't been for Jellal. He saved us. He warned us not to trust mages like you who haven't learned to use their magic properly!"

Rizzo frowned while actually feeling sympathy for this boy. He obviously wasn't their enemy…just some poor soul that Jellal has been manipulating. It almost reminded her of how Caspian had used his very own children as his puppets for a century to get what he wanted. And that thought mad her angry. This Jellal guy needed his ass kicked big time.

"He said that you had become drunk with magical power, and that you didn't want anything to do with your past…or people you left behind!" Shō cried with tears entering his eyes.

Erza remained silent while not even trying to defend herself to Shō as his shoulders shook.

"Did you ever think he might be lying?" Gray asked.

"People like this Jellal guy don't have good track records when it comes to telling the truth." Rizzo added.

"If you truly knew Erza then you would know she would truly never do something so horrible." Lucy said.

Shō glared at the three Fairy Tail mages who looked so sure that Erza was telling them the truth. It made him angry.

"You only think you know her." Shō said. "You weren't there back then. You don't know anything about us. After you left, Jellal's words were my only salvation! And that's why—I spent all these years trying to finish the tower for him. I did it for his sake. Now you're trying to tell me that was all a lie?! You really expect me to believe…that you're telling the truth and that Jellal's been lying to us this whole time?!"

"That's right." A voice that Rizzo quickly recognized said seemingly out of thin air.

A dark smokey substance appeared behind Shō before that metal-jawed man appeared. Rizzo and Gray immediately stiffened at the sight of the man. Gray moved in front of Rizzo who was getting tired of the overprotective act even though he means well.

"Why you—!" Gray began, but was cut off.

"Wait." Juvia said as she placed her hand in front of him. "He doesn't pose a threat, Gray-san, Rizzo-chan. He never meant you any harm. At the resort he knew he was attacking your ice decoys."

Rizzo frowned as she stepped up to stand beside Gray with her arms crossed over her chest. Now she was just confused.

"But how?" Gray asked.

"Since it was he who cast the darkness spell it had no effect on him." Juvia explained. "Juvia came along in hopes of finding out why he had chosen to spare you and Rizzo-chan."

Juvia moved to place her hand of Rizzo's shoulder as said girl just sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. So this guy was actually a good guy...and he seemed not to be under the delusion of Erza being a betrayer like Shō seemed to be.

"I expect no less from a member of Phantom's Element 4." He said.

"I don't understand." Shō said.

Everyone turned to look back at the blonde boy as he stared at his friend in confusion.

"I had to fool you and the others into thinking I killed them." He explained. "I hoped our attack would lure him here."

So he wanted them to come here? Couldn't he have just asked them to come here? Rizzo sighed guessing not, or he might would have.

"So you were lying too?" Shō asked as he shook then looked away with the tears ready to fall from his face. "How could you do that to me?"

His friend, whose name Rizzo hasn't learned, stepped up towards Shō to place his large hand on the younger man's shoulder.

"I'm sorry." He said. "Jellal had you under his spell, and I couldn't convince you otherwise. So I played along until the time was right."

This guy had to have a lot of patience to go this long pretending to be another one of Jellal's puppets. Rizzo would have cracked years ago if she was this guy, and just tried to fight Jellal herself, which probably would have ended badly.

"So, you knew all along." Erza said in realization.

The man turned around to look down at Erza softly with his one good eye. The way he looked at her…Rizzo could tell the man carried feelings for Erza.

"I've always believed in you, Erza." He said. "And there's nothing that could change that."

Yeah, this guy definitely has some strong feelings for Erza, Rizzo realized. She didn't understand why since Erza's like…well, Erza, but who was she to judge someone's personal romantic tastes? She's the one who's in love with a moronic ice mage with stripping problems. Gray frowned getting a weird feeling that he was being insulted.

"I mean those words from the bottom of my heart." He said as he and Erza held hands.

"Simon." Erza murmured before hugging him.

Simon hugged her as well, and even though it was always nice to see friends hugging, Rizzo would much rather get the show on the road because she was getting worried about Natsu and Happy.

"I never knew." Shō, who had sunk to the floor onto his knees, said. "I can't believe I blindly followed him all these years. I doubted you…cause you left me all alone! You had no idea how much that hurt!"

He hit the ground as sobs wrecked through his entire body. Rizzo looked down at him sympathetically. She knows the pain and loneliness that came after losing a cherished one. So she understands just a little bit what kind of pain Shō was feeling now.

"I don't know what to do!" Shō cried. "I don't even know which one of you I should believe anymore!"

Erza quietly moved to crouch in front of Shō as the sobs and tears running down his face continued.

"I know this is a lot to take in all this at once, but, Shō, there's something you should know." Erza said softly. "Though it has been many years, I never once forgotten about any of you."

She then brought Shō into her arms to give him a soft hug, and the boy was lucky she didn't smash his head against her armor.

"I'm sorry I couldn't stand up to him, but I was so weak back then." Erza said. "Please, forgive me."

Shō just continued to cry into Erza's armor covered bosom as she stroked his hair gently.

"Now you're stronger and ready to face him, isn't that right?" Simon asked, which got a nod from Erza. "I've waited all these years for this very moment hoping a group of powerful mages would gather here."

"So what do you have planned?" Lucy asked.

"We're going to take down Jellal." Simon said. "We can do it if we work together, but first we must keep Salamander and Wally from clashing."

"Then let's go." Rizzo said. "I'm tired of standing around here."

* * *

Rizzo ran up the stairs with the others with Gray beside her and Juvia close behind. Simon was leading them up the stairs, and Lucy was right behind him. Then bringing up the rear of their little group was Erza and Shō.

"Something's interfering with my communication with Wally and Millianna." Simon said as he touched his temple. "I can't even tell where they are now."

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked.

"He's talking about telepathic communication." Juvia explained.

Like how Warren can communicate with everyone in the guild through his telepathic powers. Rizzo knows how it works, and she knows that there are actually many ways to cut a telepathic connection between people. Warren masters in telepathic magic, so it was much harder to cut into his connections. Rizzo paused in running when she realized the group lost two of its members. She looked back seeing that Erza and Shō had paused to talk.

"Hurry up, Guys." She called back. "We can't dawdle here."

"Right." Erza said nodding.

They started following again, so Rizzo returned to running as well. She easily caught back up the others.

"Juvia, are you sure we can trust this guy?" Gray asked softly. "I mean, I understand he wasn't actually trying to kill us back at the resort, but still."

"I won't make excuses for my actions." Simon spoke up.

Gray frowned because he hadn't meant for Simon to hear what he said to Juvia.

"I didn't think you could hear me." Gray said.

"Obviously he can, Frosty." Rizzo teased.

Gray rolled his eyes at her as they all continued running up the stairs that seemed never-ending.

"Any mage who was incapable of surviving that would never have had a chance against Jellal." Simon said. "I never doubted that Natsu wouldn't survive the attack. I was confident he would survive."

"Oh, yeah, well what about me?!" Lucy asked.

"It doesn't matter what he thought, Lucy." Rizzo said.

Lucy blinked in confusion as she looked back at Rizzo who had a big grin on her face.

"You're here, which is what matters." Rizzo said. "If he did doubt you, well, you showed him, didn't he?"

Lucy blinked once more before she felt a smile pull across her face. She giggled as she nodded her head because Rizzo was right.

"None of you can comprehend the full extent of Natsu's ability." Simon continued on as if the girls didn't speak. "Once he awakens the true power within, evil will fall in his wake."

* * *

 _"I welcome you to the Tower of Heaven. My name is Jellal and I am the ruler of this tower."_

Rizzo and the others came to a halt when the voice came through the air. Rizzo frowned getting a bad vibe just from this guy's voice.

 _"I see the players have been arranged_." Jellal continued.

So Rizzo was right when she said this was a game to the person would allowed them this far.

"Say what?" Gray murmured.

"So he knows we're here." Simon said. "He could be lurking anywhere in the tower waiting for us."

Well, Rizzo didn't like the sound of that, but if she came across him, she wouldn't be too afraid to fight him.

 _"I'm delighted you came all this way to see me."_ Jellal said. _"Shall we play a round of Heaven's Game?"_

"You can take your game and shove it right up your ass!" Rizzo shouted.

Gray placed his hand on Rizzo's shoulders in hopes of getting her to calm down.

 _"The rules are really quite simple."_ Jellal went on as if Rizzo hadn't spoken. _"I wish to use Erza as a sacrifice in a ceremony to resurrect Lord Zeref."_

Rizzo stiffened along with her friends as her hands clenched into tight fists to control the shaking in her body that was due to anger.

"No, I won't let you!" Shō growled.

 _"If I succeed, the Gates of Heaven will open—crowning my victory."_ Jellal explained. _"However, if you can find a way to stop me, you'll be the winners of the game. To make things a little more interesting I've enlisted four knights to battle on my behalf."_

Rizzo would bet money that those "knights" were actually mages that specialized in assassination, which meant they were from a dark guild. All the more reason for Rizzo to fight. Dark mages rubbed her the wrong way, but ones that specialized in assassination really pissed her off.

"Four knights?" Simon asked. "Who could they be?"

If Simon didn't know who they were then Jellal must have recently employed them. Or kept them a secret all this time.

 _"The only way you'll be able to get to me is if you can defeat them."_ Jellal said. _"In other words a four on nine battle royal…and there's one more surprise. The Magic Council has the Satellite Square focused completely on this tower, and it's highly likely they will attack. At this very moment they're voting on whether they should fire an Etherion Blast."_

Rizzo's eyes widened knowing very much what an Etherion Blast could do to them…to this entire tower. Rizzo heard faint protesting over the sound system, but vaguely payed attention to it. They had bigger worries than some squabble between Jellal and one of his men.

 _"There's no telling how much time is left_." Jellal finally continued to address them. _"Should the Etherion strike, complete annihilation is immediate. No players left to win. Game over."_

"What kind of messed up game is this?" Lucy asked.

Rizzo wasn't sure, but she definitely didn't want to be playing. However, she didn't plan to lose either.

"But that doesn't make any sense to me." Erza said. "Why would the Magic Council resort such to drastic measures?"

Rizzo suddenly heard Erza gasp, and when she whirled around, she saw that Shō had put Erza into a card.

"Erza!" Gray exclaimed.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Simon demanded.

 _"Now then let the game begin."_ Jellal declared.

The glowing eyes disappeared, but now the group had to worry about Shō going AWOL.

"I won't let him lay a finger on her." Shō said.

Well, that was all good, but if Erza is in there, she can't fight. And Rizzo knew and would admit, albeit extremely reluctantly, that they needed Erza in this battle.

"Let me out of here!" Erza demanded.

"I'll beat Jellal all by myself if I have to!" Shō declared.

He started running off, which had Rizzo's brow twitching in annoyance. She knew this kid was dealing with a lot of mental turmoil right now, but he really wasn't helping.

"No, you can't do it alone!" Simon shouted as he went to pursue Shō.

"Hold up!" Gray called out then turned to the girls. "You three look for Natsu, okay? We need to find him before he does something stupid. Like fight Jellal on his own."

"Okay, so find Natsu and then help him fight Jellal." Rizzo said. "Got it!"

She gave a thumbs up before grabbing Juvia and Lucy's hands to pull them along in the opposite direction. Lucy immediately started to beg Rizzo to slow down as Juvia just went along with her.

"That's not what I said!" Gray snapped. "Rizzo!"

"See ya later, Frosty!" Rizzo called over her shoulder as she continued running.

Gray groaned hanging his head while wondering why she had to be so difficult. Rizzo just kept running as she finally let go of Lucy and Juvia's hands. They continued going down the hall, and when they passed doors, Rizzo would kick them in before looking inside.

"Uh, Rizzo, do you have to kick the doors in?" Lucy asked as they moved on. "I mean, couldn't you just open them?"

"Opening them properly wastes too much time!" Rizzo said. "We have a lot of tower to cover."

Lucy just sighed knowing that Rizzo wouldn't listen, so she continued on with Rizzo's "method" of searching. They then gave to a room where the only way out was through tunnels in the wall that curled up.

"Which way do we go?" Rizzo asked herself as Lucy and Juvia started calling for Natsu.

Rizzo frowned looking at the tunnels while not sure which route to take. She really needed to find Natsu before he found Jellal first, and kicked his ass without her.

"Natsu!" Lucy shouted as Rizzo was still thinking.

"Salamander!" Juvia added afterwards.

"Hmm, Natsu can't be near here if he isn't answering." Rizzo said. "His hearing his amplified down to his Dragon Slayer magic. He'd be able to hear us even if he was just up one of these tunnels."

Lucy nodded in agreement while starting to get really worried about Natsu and Happy.

"And then he's just like Gajeel-kun." Juvia said. "Does he have a keen nose as well?"

"Gajeel-kun, huh?" Lucy questioned.

Juvia just sighed as she turned away from Lucy with her usual blank expression on her face.

"Juvia doesn't mind searching with Rizzo-chan, but Juvia doesn't understand why this blonde bimbo had to come along." Juvia said almost to herself.

Rizzo sweat-dropped still not quite understanding what Juvia had against Lucy who seemed annoyed.

"It's not like I want to work with you either." Lucy said.

Juvia just sighed once more as she continued to look away from Lucy. Rizzo was about to suggest they just get back to looking for Natsu. However, as she opened her mouth, she heard the familiar sound of a guitar blasting down through one of the tunnels.

"What is making that awful noise?!" Lucy demanded. "Is it a guitar?"

"No doubt about it." Rizzo said. "I'd know the sound of a guitar anywhere."

"It's so loud!" Lucy complained.

She covered her ears with her hands while wondering how Rizzo and Juvia could stand the sound of it.

"Juvia happens to think it sounds cool." Juvia said.

"It's hardcore for sure." Rizzo said grinning.

"You both have some major issues!" Lucy said.

Rizzo tilted her head wondering what was wrong with the sound the guitar was making. Like Juvia said it sounded pretty cool. The blasting notes continued as a man made an appearance at the end of one of the tunnels. He was tall and lanky with long bluish-black hair that touched the ground. He was paper white with face paint on his face. He was also shirtless, which showed the tattoo across his chest. However, he had spiked shoulder guards on his shoulders, and his pants and boots gave him a rock star look. As he continued playing, he gave a scream while whipping his hair around.

"You babes, dig my destruction solo?" He asked once he stopped playing as he wagged his tongue.

"Check out the hair!" Lucy exclaimed.

Rizzo will admit he did have an impressive head of hair, but she could never go for that kind of look with her own hair. She preferred it short.

"I'm an assassin with the Death's Head Order." The man said. "Pretty rockin' name, huh? A death head is like a skull, get it?"

Rizzo narrowed her eyes knowing this rock star was her enemy, which meant they wouldn't be bonding over the best rock hits anytime soon.

"Juvia takes it that you are one of the four knights that Jellal spoke of." Juvia said.

"Well, one of us is more of a stable boy. He isn't up to my level, ya dig? I'm the wing of the Trinity Raven." He said as he played a few chords. "When they scream Vidaldus Taka, they're screaming about me. ROCK YEAH!"

As he screamed, his hair shot out towards the girls. Lucy screamed while immediately starting to dodge as Rizzo used her guitar case as a shield and something to bat away the hair that came at her and Juvia.

"Pinky, you sure got some moves." Vidaldus said. "That guitar case just for show? Can you even play guitar?"

Rizzo grinned as she tossed her guitar case up into the air. It opened with her trusty electric guitar falling out. She caught it with ease before putting the strap around her.

"You want to find out?" Rizzo asked. "I dig the chords you're playing, Vidaldus, but there's only enough room for one rock star in this joint. And let me tell you, I'm unmatched in the ways of rock."

Vidaldus grinned at the challenge in her words as Rizzo started playing her own hard chords.

"What's your name, Babe?" Vidaldus asked.

"Rizzo Sweeney." Rizzo replied. "So what do you say? Guitar battle right here and now."

"I'm digging it." Vidaldus agreed to her challenge.

He started playing a few chords as well, and their magic was so strong that Lucy and Juvia could feel the ground underneath them shake. Lucy was getting a bit uneasy as the tension in the air as Rizzo grinned in excitement.

"Lucy, Juvia, you two keep on going." Rizzo said. "This guy needs to learn which of us is the brightest star rocking the sky tonight."

Lucy looked at Rizzo's face seeing that the pinkette really wanted to fight this guy on her own.

"Are you sure?" Lucy asked anyway.

"100%." Rizzo said. "Now get going. Find Natsu and tell him not to kick Jellal's ass without me."

Lucy frowned though nodded her head. She ran towards one of the tunnels before managing to hop up into it. She was about to climb up, but paused when she realized Juvia wasn't following her.

"Juvia, come on." Lucy said. "Trust me, you don't want to be here once Rizzo let's loose!"

Juvia remained standing beside Rizzo as the pinkette turned towards her with a questioning look in her eyes.

"No, Juvia will stay here to help Rizzo-chan." Juvia said determinedly. "Not only is she the sister of Craylee-sama, but she is also my friend! Juvia will help my new friend."

Rizzo stared at her a moment longer before letting out a small sigh as she looked back to Vidaldus.

"Lucy, if you think you'll be okay alone, keep on going." Rizzo said. "If not, wait there until we're done."

Lucy looked between Rizzo and Juvia seeing that the bluenette wouldn't be leaving here until Rizzo did. Lucy bit her lip really wondering if she'd be okay. She shook her head knowing she couldn't hang around here just because she knew she wasn't as strong as her friends. Finding Natsu as soon as possible was a priority.

"I'm going to keep going!" Lucy said. "Just hurry up here, okay? We can't keep separating like this."

"You got it." Rizzo said as she grinned. "Don't worry, Luce, we'll catch up to you before you even miss us."

Lucy smiled as well before she started climbing up the tunnel as she climbed she could heard an explosion of sound coming from the two guitars. She really hoped Rizzo and Juvia would be okay. Lucy kept climbing until she got to the opening in the tunnel. She stepped out of it while looking around to see that she was in another room that split with even more tunnels.

"Great now where do I go?" She asked.

"Nowhere."

Lucy gasped whirling around to see a man in one of the entry ways into a tunnel. He looked to be in his mid to late twenties, and he had dark hair and eyes. He wore a suit, and there was like an air of confidence around him.

"What did you say?" Lucy said.

"I said you're going nowhere." He repeated. "This is the end for you, little mage. And those little friends of yours won't be lasting long against Vidaldus. Looks like it's game over for all three of you."


	32. Silver Keys and Duets

Lucy frowned as she stood in front of her opponent as she hoped Rizzo and Juvia would be okay fighting that freak with the guitar. He seemed pretty strong, but Lucy was sure Rizzo is the stronger music mage. And she had Juvia at her side, which meant she needed to focus on her fight.

"Okay!" Lucy said while pulling out one of her gold keys. "Open: Gate of the Golden Bull, Taurus!"

After a blast of light exploded, Taurus stood there with his axe in hand and ready to go.

"Hey, Lucy-san, your body is looking extra smoking hot today." He complimented with hearts in his eyes.

Lucy sighed wishing Taurus wasn't a mega pervert. When she heard clapping, she and Taurus turned to face her opponent who was grinning.

"Impressive." He said. "You're a celestial mage, and you happen to have a zodiac key. This might be a good fight after all."

"I have more than just one zodiac key, buddy!" Lucy said as she pointed at him. "I have six including Taurus here!"

The man's grin widened while looking even more excited for this fight about to happen.

"Even better." He said then pulled out a silver key. "Let me introduce myself. I am Reggie Olsen, and I am a celestial mage as well. Now, open: Gate of the Great Dog, Laelaps!"

"How did he get his hand on _her_ key?!" Taurus asked.

A light exploded in the room, and once the light disappeared a woman stood there. The woman had extremely messy black hair that fell past her shoulder. Her eyes were golden and had the sharpness of a hunter. Where her ears should be were two dog like ears that pointed out sideways and cupped down. She had one canine sticking out from under her upper lip. There was a small scar going over the left corner of her mouth. She also had a few scars over her arms and torso. She also had a black scruffy tail that stuck out of a hole in her pants.

She had on a black top that was split down the middle starting from below her breasts to show off her torso. The top was trimmed with gray fur, and it was strapless. She had on black leather pants that appeared to be stitched together jaggedly. On her feet were black boots with gray fur sticking out at the top. Around her neck was a dog collar with spikes and a broken chain hung off of it where it stopped at her chest. She had black archer gloves on her hands, and a quiver of arrows and a bow were on her back with the leather strap going across her chest.

"Oh, Hamburger, it's been a while." Laelaps said while looking at Taurus.

Lucy blinked a few times. Did she really just call Taurus…Hamburger? Lucy then shook her head because she couldn't be thinking about that now. She couldn't get distracted.

"Taurus, you know her?" Lucy asked her spirit.

"Laelaps is well known in the Celestial World." Taurus said. "She is the strongest silver key, and has been known to hold her own against the zodiac spirits. She's beaten me before."

Lucy's eyes widened as she looked back at Laelaps as the dog spirit looked to her master for orders.

"That walking steak is right." Reggie said grinning. "Laelaps's constellation has the brightest star in the sky amongst its formation. It gives her an extreme power boost. She is also one of the fastest spirits there are, and as the legend goes Laelaps has never lost her prey once she sets her sight on it. She always catches it."

Lucy's eyes widened even more. There was a silver key that strong? Would she be able to beat this guy with her celestial spirits' help?

"Laelaps is the only key I have." Reggie admitted. "However, I've never had the need for another one because she has never disappointed. Now, Laelaps, crush this girl and her spirits."

"As you wish, Alpha." She said.

Then in the blink of an eye she appeared in front of Taurus. He barely had the time to put his axe out in front of him to block her kick. Lucy gasped as Laelaps vanished again before appearing beside Taurus. She spun around shooting out her leg, which caught the large bull man in the side. He went sailing through the air before hitting the wall.

"Looks like I'm done for." He said with swirls in his eyes.

He vanished to go back to the Celestial World, and Lucy quickly pulled out another key. However, her hand was suddenly pushed down. She gasped turning her head to see Loke standing beside her. He was wearing a suit now instead of his usual outfit around the guild, and his hair was longer. It almost looked like a mane on top his head.

"Loke, what are you doing here?" Lucy asked. "How are you here?"

Loke didn't take his eyes off of Laelaps, and the dog spirit paused in her assault.

"It seems like I can let myself through the gate regardless of your will, Lucy." Loke said. "Sorry, but allow me to fight Laelaps. Out of your celestial spirits only Aquarius and I have beaten her."

Lucy's eyes widened when hearing that. She knew Loke was still most likely weak from being out of the Celestial World for so long, but it wasn't like she could summon Aquarius. There wasn't any water here for her to use.

"But, Loke, are you sure?" Lucy asked. "Aren't you still recovering?"

Loke finally took his eyes off of Laelaps to grin back at Lucy who was looking at him in worry.

"It's true I'm not up to full strength, but I have enough for this fight." He said. "Don't worry, Lucy, I can do this."

"No, we can do this." Lucy said as she brought out her whip. "I fight alongside my spirits."

Loke smiled at Lucy as she stood there determined to help him out. She really was a kind owner.

"I see you found a kind owner." Laelaps said.

Loke and Lucy turned towards her, and Lucy was surprised to see the soft smile on the spirit's face.

"I didn't even know you were back in the spirit world, Leo." Laelaps continued. "But I'm glad."

Loke smiled at Laelaps in return, and Lucy had a feeling they were like old friends. The reunion was then broken when a whip cracked out to hit Laelaps across the face, and it wasn't Lucy's whip. Laelaps let out a sharp whine as Loke and Lucy gasped in surprise. Loke then turned to glare at Reggie since he was the culprit.

"Don't be making small talk!" Reggie snapped. "I told you to crush this girl and her spirits. Don't make me wait."

Laelaps nodded her head as she dropped her hand from her forehead to reveal a deep cut caused by the whip.

"Why would you do that?!" Lucy demanded. "How could you hurt her? She's your comrade!"

"Comrade?" Reggie scoffed. "Laelaps is merely a tool at my disposal."

Loke's hands clenched into fists as a growl built up in his throat. He hates when mages think of him and his kind as merely tools. They were living creatures with emotions and personalities of their own. They weren't tools.

"Now go, Laelaps!" Reggie ordered.

"Yes, Alpha." Laelaps said.

In a flash, Laelaps shot forward with her fist out. Loke was barely able to dodge. He lashed out his own fist a second later, but Laelaps twirled past his fist to avoid it. She then used her knee to hit him in his ribs. He grunted a bit in pain while sure one or two of his ribs broke. He jumped back to avoid her next kick.

"You're slower than usual, Pussycat." Laelaps said.

"Guess I'm out of practice, Poochie." Loke said grinning.

Laelaps shook her head at him then went to kick him right in the jaw. However, he managed to catch her by her ankle. Her eyes widened in surprise. His grin grew as he spun around to toss her towards the wall. She hit it hard then fell down to her knees with the wind momentarily knocked out of her. A second later Reggie's whip cracked against her again, which had her crying out. It sliced her arm open, and Loke snarled in anger.

"Stop hurting her!" He snapped at Reggie.

Reggie just chuckled cruelly as he cracked his whip again, and this time it sliced her across the eye. Laelaps put her hand over eye as Lucy felt tears enter her own eyes. This wasn't how celestial spirits were supposed to be treated.

"If she isn't going to obey, she deserves to be punished." Reggie said. "Now on your feet, Laelaps! Finish this now! That's an order."

Laelaps got up silently then held out her hand beside her with magic collecting there.

"Sirius, please, battle alongside me." She said.

Lucy gasped as power exploded from Laelaps as silver light engulfed the spirit. Loke quickly got into his own stance with his own power building.

"O Regulus, grant me strength." Loke said.

Golden light surrounded him as he and Laelaps faced each other. In the blink of an eye, Laelaps drew her bow and notched an arrow. She fired at Loke with the arrow in cased with Sirius's powerful light. Loke jumped forward to meet the arrow, and he thrust his fist forward as it glowed gold. His fist met the arrow, and the two attacks exploded in the middle. It created a dust cloud in the room, and Lucy coughed while temporarily blinded. She heard clashing within the cloud while knowing that Loke and Laelaps were continuing their fight.

Once the dust cloud vanished, Lucy watched as one of Laelaps's arrows nicked Loke in the side. He grunted in pain then shot out a beam of light at Laelaps. She barely dodged the attack, but her right leg hadn't been so lucky. Laelaps winced unable to put much weight on her foot now. The spirits went at each other again, and this time Laelaps attacked Loke without her arrows and bow. She went to punch Loke in the face, but he blocked her punch with his arm. He punched her across the face, which sent her rolling across the ground. She stopped rolling in front of a pissed of Reggie who proceeded to kick her.

"Useless!" He spat as he continued to kick her. "You're supposed to win me every battle! Are you taking it easy on him because he's an old friend?! I am your master, and you are to do as I order!"

Loke growled with his teeth grinding together with every blow that Laelaps took. Tears rolled down Lucy's cheeks as she watched Laelaps get abused by her owner.

"Stop it!" Lucy cried, which had Reggie halting. "Stop hurting her! She's supposed to be your comrade! You aren't supposed to hurt your comrades."

Laelaps laid there shocked that Lucy was defending her even though she wasn't Lucy's spirit. Laelaps then whimpered when Reggie stomped his foot on her head.

"Don't make me say it again!" Reggie snapped. "This creature here under my foot is merely a tool! This bitch is mine to control. What I do to her is my business not yours, little girl!"

Loke suddenly appeared in front of Reggie, and the man gasped as Loke lifted him up into the air. Reggie gulped when seeing Loke's hatred filled gaze.

"She isn't a tool!" Loke snarled. "She is a living being with emotions! She feels pain, love, sadness, and happiness. She isn't something you can just toy with."

Loke was about to toss Reggie across the room, but Laelaps got off the floor. She got her owner away from Loke then put distance between them. Lucy watched in shock as Laelaps stood protectively in front of Reggie after everything he's done to her.

"Thank-you, Leo." Laelaps said. "For trying to help me, but I can't let you hurt my owner. I'm sure you understand."

Loke frowned though he nodded his head. He knew all too well that fighting for their master and protecting them was a celestial spirit's pride. Laelaps then looked past Loke to Lucy.

"And thank-you…Lucy, wasn't it?" Laelaps asked.

Lucy nodded her head, and Laelaps smiled softly at the young blonde human girl.

"Thank-you, Lucy." Laelaps said. "Not only for being kind towards me…but for being kind to Leo. It makes me happy to see he has found such a compassionate owner. I'm sure all your spirits are very happy to have you as their owner."

Loke's hands clenched into fists. He didn't want this fight to continue. However, he wanted to be the one to save Laelaps from this bastard, which meant…unfortunately that he would have to go through her first.

"Laelaps, do not make me have to tell you again to finish this girl!" Reggie snapped.

Laelaps didn't move an inch, which had Reggie growl in aggravation. He raised his whip then struck out with it to strike Laelaps across the back. It ripped through her shirt and into her skin. She bit back a whimper as she remained standing there.

"Are you even listening to me, bitch?!" He demanded.

He struck again and again with blood starting to drip off of Laelaps's body. Lucy flinched every time the whip came down across Laelaps's skin. Loke tried to go after Reggie to take him down, but Laelaps moved to block his path.

"I won't harm your owner, who cares so much for us Celestial Spirits, but I won't just stand there to let you hurt mine either." Laelaps said. "So either defeat me or walk away."

Loke growled in frustration not sure how to proceed. He couldn't just defeat Laelaps then move on because she'd still be stuck with this prick as a master. He couldn't just leave her contracted to this guy. However, the only way to break a contract between a spirit and his or her mage was if the mage died or was arrested. Some spirits give special conditions to their masters, but that was rare. How was he going to break Laelaps's contract with Reggie?

"WHAT?!" Reggie demanded. "Are you saying you're going to disobey a direct order?"

"Yes, I am, Alpha." Laelaps said. "I cannot hurt this girl. She loves us…the spirits. She has a pure heart that I will not snuff out."

"Then you are useless!" Reggie said. "You are of no use to me!"

Laelaps grinned suddenly as she turned her two golden orbs on Reggie who was steaming mad.

"Then our contract is over." Laelaps said.

Reggie's eyes widened when realizing what he had said. Lucy and Loke frowned in confusion.

"Reggie Olsen, when I struck a contract with you, I told you that I would be your spirit until your death, or until I am no longer of use to you." Laelaps said. "You agreed to these terms. You swore if you were ever to say I was no longer of use to you that our contract would be terminated. I will be taking my key now."

Before Reggie could protest, Laelaps's key flew out of his hand into her own.

"You…You tricked me!" Reggie screamed while red in the face. "You bitch!"

He went to strike her with his whip, but Loke appeared in front of Laelaps to catch the whip with his bare hand. It cut into his skin, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Let me finish this, Poochie." Loke said as he glanced back at Laelaps. "You look like you could use a rest."

"I don't need your protection, Pussycat." Laelaps said. "I'm the leader of the Silver Keys after all. However, a nap does sound nice."

Loke chuckled while knowing that Laelaps could be stubborn about accepting help. She then tossed her key towards Lucy who gasped while barely catching the key in her hands. Lucy looked at Laelaps with a questioning gaze.

"If it's okay with you, I'd like to strike a contract between the two of us once I'm done with my nap." Laelaps said. "I hope you'll consider it. I'm not as grand as many hold me up to be. I do lose battles, but I'd like to think I'd be of some use to you as your celestial spirit."

Before Lucy could reply Laelaps disappeared back into the Celestial World. Lucy looked down at the silver key in her hand.

"Loke, let's kick this guy's butt for our new friend." Lucy said grinning.

"Right." Loke said grinning as well.

* * *

Rizzo, who was still battling Vidaldus, paused in her playing when a shrill scream could be heard. What the heck was that?

"Hmph, Reggie was defeated." Vidaldus said. "Not matter. I'll send you all straight to hell myself."

Rizzo frowned at Vidaldus as Juvia continued to remain at her side in case she needed help. So far Vidaldus and Rizzo have been unable to get the advantage in this battle of rock. Rizzo will admit this guy is good, but she wasn't about to let herself be beaten by him.

"Well, it's time to speed time up, Sexy Ladies." Vidaldus said to the women. "I can't keep playing around with you two."

Rizzo narrowed her eyes while feeling very insulted by Vidaldus implying that he was messing around with them as if they weren't a real challenge to him. Well, Rizzo was going to have to make him take her seriously. They've learned during this fight that not only could he play guitar magic, but his hair had its own power as well. Besides being able to use his hair offensively, he can absorb liquids into his hair, which Juvia's magic was pretty much useless.

"Now, eenie-meenie-minee-mo-oh-no-I-just-got-to-catch-one-of-these-hot-chick-by-the-toe!" Vidaldus said while moving his finger between Rizzo and Juvia the entire time before finally landing on Juvia. "You're it, Babe! I'm going to make you my succubus!"

Rizzo stiffened wondering if he had really learned to hit the right chords to know now to enslave someone. She knew his power would be nothing like the Pied Piper's enslavement magic, but this spell would definitely bring her and Juvia problems. Rizzo went to play counter active chords, but Vidaldus was faster this time. He played the screeching notes on his guitar with his magic hitting Juvia full force.

"Rock of Succubus!" He shouted.

Juvia cried out wondering what was going on as the magic started to affect her body.

"Shit!" Rizzo cursed. "Juvia!"

"Stay back!" Juvia warned. "He's too dangerous!"

She let out a final scream as a blinding purple light over took her. A smoke screen then filled the room, which made it impossible for Rizzo to see for a moment.

"Juvia, speak to me!" Rizzo called out as the smoke was just starting to clear.

"She's my slave now, Babe." Vidaldus said.

Rizzo felt her blood run cold when she heard that, and soon she saw a figure stepping forward. She frowned as the figure became clearer to see. Her eyes widened when she saw Juvia's new appearance. She looked like a rock star groupie as she stood there dressed in leather and wearing her hair wild and down.

"Juvia is going to take you on a ride straight to hell, Pinkette." Juvia said as she gave an unfriendly grin. "Say your prayers if you wanna, but you're still going to burn in hell tonight."

She started laughing manically with her tongue hanging out in a similar manner as Vidaldus.

"Oh yeah!" Juvia exclaimed. "Are you ready to rock?"

Rizzo looked at Juvia, and what Vidaldus did to the bluenette as her blood started to boil in anger. This man crossed the line. This wasn't going to be a "friendly" competition between two musicians anymore. Vidaldus made her angry, and he was going to regret it deeply. Rizzo stood there with her body shaking in anger as Vidaldus had his guitar wailing.

"Yeah, feel the noise!" Juvia cheered.

She then whipped her hair around like Vidaldus as he continued to play his guitar.

"Get ready, Babe." Vidaldus said. "I'm—!"

He cut himself off as he stiffened in surprise when an explosion of power came from Rizzo. A torrent of power whirled around Rizzo to whip her hair and clothes around.

"How a dare you." Rizzo said as she looked up to glare at Vidaldus lividly. "I won't let you get away with what you've done to Juvia. Prepare yourself because I'm bringing all my best head banging tunes out now."

"Oh, Baby, you're getting my hot and bothered." Vidaldus said.

"This baby is about to get the spanking of her life." Juvia said.

She then turned into water before rushing right towards Rizzo. Rizzo stood there calmly as she took the water that Juvia threw her away as a tube of water whirled around her.

"Is splashing me with water supposed to do anything?" Rizzo asked. "If you're going to make Juvia attack me, at least use her full potential!"

Rizzo slammed down on her guitar strings with the music so loud that it sent Juvia flying backwards away from her.

"Whoa, this girl is Mean Street." Vidaldus said as he watched Rizzo start to play real aggressively on her guitar.

Rizzo banged her head as she ripped through the guitar riffs she was playing. Dark clouds started to appear above them as she continued playing.

"Song of the Northern Hailstorm." Rizzo said as lifted her head.

Large pieces of hail started falling from above to head straight towards Vidaldus. He jumped and hopped around to try and avoid them, but a few hit them.

"Babe, could you stop that chick's playing?!" Vidaldus asked.

Juvia, who managed to get up off the ground, quickly returned to her water form. She rushed Rizzo then knocked the pinkette down, which made her stop playing the song. Rizzo cursed as Juvia sent her flying again.

"Yeah, now we're really rocking!" Vidaldus said. "But I need more screaming."

Rizzo just frowned as she flipped while still in the air before landing on her feet in a crouch a few feet away. She then had to dodge Juvia's next attack, which was a water whip attack.

"Juvia, I know this guy is controlling you right now, but you can fight it!" Rizzo said. "He doesn't have complete control over you! You were an S-Class level mage in Phantom! Don't tell me you're going to let this guy push you around! If you want to join Fairy Tail, you can't allow someone to treat you like this because Fairy Tail mages don't let alone push them around!"

Juvia just continued to look at her with those crazy eyes, and Rizzo frowned knowing that mere words wouldn't be able to get to the water woman. However, Rizzo didn't want to attack Juvia directly because she didn't want to hurt her.

"Alright then." Rizzo said as she stood.

Rizzo ripped some wicked chords with the ground itself ripping up as the magic went rushing towards Vidaldus. It hit him straight on, and he went flying into the wall behind him. He coughed with blood coming from his mouth. Rizzo kept playing with the pressure doubling on Vidaldus. He felt as if he was being crushed. He grit this teeth as he forced his hands to continue playing his guitar. He used his own playing to counter act against Rizzo's attack, which freed him from her spell. Rizzo was very unpleased that he was able to break her music magic spell.

"We're going to have to step up our game, Baby." Vidaldus said.

"You got it!" Juvia said. "This girl is definitely going to hell."

Juvia, who returned to her water form, came rushing towards Rizzo to completely engulf her in water. Rizzo frowned because this guy was tough. She'd give him that. Rizzo stood there as the water rushed over her as she thought about what she could possibly do next. She just might have to use a direct attack on Juvia, but she'd rather not hurt the bluenette. However, her hesitant approach to this fight is why she just hasn't beat this guy yet. Would she have to use _that_ song to get Juvia back? Rizzo hasn't perfected it yet, which means it could leave permanent effects on her. Rizzo might not have a choice though.

 _"Rizzo-chan, can you hear me?"_

Rizzo blinked wondering if she really just heard Juvia right now. Like the real Juvia?

 _"Juvia is sorry. Juvia can't control my actions."_ Juvia continued speaking to Rizzo through the water. _"Juvia doesn't want to hurt you because I consider you a friend. Juvia was very happy when you called me your friend. You have been so kind to Juvia. Juvia really likes you, Rizzo-chan. Juvia has grown to love everyone I have met in Fairy Tail. They care about others. They like to have fun. They're so friendly and warm. Fairy Tail mages are like rays of sunshine that chase away the clouds on a gloomy day. Before Juvia met all of you, I never knew a guild could be such a happy place. For the first time in my life…Juvia felt as if I was making friends I could trust. But who would want to be friends with a girl who would bring them misfortune?"_

Rizzo floated there with a solemn expression on her face. Juvia was crying…Rizzo could tell. It was as if Rizzo could feel her warm tears hitting her now. Rizzo's eyes then narrowed. Vidaldus…this was all his fault. He turned Juvia into a slave, and now she's crying. Rizzo will not forgive him, and she'll get Juvia back.

"Now, Juvia, it's time for the big finally, baby!" Vidaldus shouted.

Juvia threw Rizzo out of the water, and Rizzo landed on her side before flipping back up onto her feet while she was still skidding across the ground. She looked towards Juvia and Vidaldus with a plan in mind.

"Oh yeah!" Juvia said as she held up her water arm "You ready to be rocked?"

"Juvia, I don't want you to worry, okay?" Rizzo asked as she grinned. "Because I promise you as your friend that I will free you from this man's control. Afterwards we can return to Fairy Tail together. I know for a fact that someone like you…someone who would shed tears for a friend will always be welcomed in the Fairy Tail guild."

Juvia stared at Rizzo in surprise as tears started collected in her eyes before slipping down her eyes.

 _…Rizzo…_

"What a load of crap." Vidaldus said. "Let's send this chick to hell already. Sorry. You are a rocking chick, but this is the end for you! Hit it, Baby!"

Juvia stiffened when she felt that man's control having her move on her own. Rizzo just calmly started playing slow, mellow notes.

"Oh, Juvia will." Juvia said. "My water jigsaw will cut her into little pieces. No encore for you!"

Juvia came flying towards Rizzo, who was still just playing the entry, to the song she was working up. Rizzo grinned just as Juvia was about to hit her. Suddenly, Rizzo flipped over Juvia while not even breaking stride in playing her guitar.

"Whoa." Vidaldus said.

"You wanted hell! Well, I'm giving it to you! Song of Hell's Fire!" Rizzo said as she landed on her feet as her playing went from slow to fast and hard in an instant.

Fire ripped through the ground to dance dangerously close to Vidaldus who had to lean away.

"You forget I still control your friend, baby!" Vidaldus said. "Juvia, take her out!"

Juvia went to attack Rizzo from behind, but Rizzo just kept playing with the entire place shaking and rumbling as the fire continued to rip through the place.

"I didn't forget anything." Rizzo said. "Now, Duet Guitar mode!"

"Huh?" Vidaldus muttered.

Suddenly a shadow shadowy figure appeared beside Rizzo while holding a dark shape that looked like a guitar. The shadow figure started playing a different set of notes that was so different yet fit in well with Rizzo's song.

"What kind of composition is this?" Vidaldus asked. "The songs being played are so different yet they merge together harmoniously! How rocking!"

"Song of Rebellion!" Rizzo shadowed with her voice being overlapped by the shadow figure's voice.

Juvia froze mid-attack with her eyes widening when she felt as if her body was pulsating.

"What?!" Vidaldus shouted. "My control on the water babe is slipping?!"

Rizzo and the shadow figure kept playing with the fire closing in on Vidaldus as the other song continued to work on Juvia.

"Time for a rocking finish!" Rizzo said. "This is what you get for messing with a real rock star like me!"

Vidaldus screamed as red devils sprung from the fire to grab onto him. They all laughed evilly as their fiery touch burned his skin. One ripped off his hair, and another bit him.

"Looks like I'm going to hell!" Vidaldus said.

There was an explosion after that as Rizzo slammed the chords to finish both songs in unison. Once the smoke cleared, Rizzo stood there huffing while feeling a bit drained. The shadowy figure disappeared from beside her.

"Hey, Jellal, if you're listening in right now, I want you to know that I'll be bringing the encore to you." Rizzo said as she looked up at the ceiling. "So be ready!"

Rizzo then turned to look behind her to see that Juvia, who looked as if she had returned to normal, was sitting there on her knees.

"Rizzo-chan…" Juvia said.

Rizzo smiled happily when seeing that Juvia was okay. Rizzo then walked over towards Juvia before dropping down onto her knees in front of Juvia with her guitar lightly hitting to the ground.

"Ah, Rizzo-chan, are you okay?!" Juvia asked worried.

She then gasped when Rizzo put her arms around her. Juvia blinked as Rizzo hugged her tightly.

"I'm glad you're okay." Rizzo said. "I was worried."

Juvia felt tears enter her eyes as she hugged Rizzo back just as tightly. She was glad Rizzo was okay as well. Juvia had really thought she might hurt Rizzo there for a second.

"Rizzo-chan, Juvia is sorry." Juvia said.

"Don't be." Rizzo said. "It's all over now."

"Juvia! Rizzo!"

Rizzo pulled away from Juvia to look over at one of the tunnels to see Lucy climbing out of it.

"Lucy." Rizzo said smiling. "You're ba…"

Rizzo trailed off as she started feeling light headed all of a sudden. She fell over on her side unconscious with Juvia and Lucy gasping.

"Rizzo!/Rizzo-chan!" They yelled in unison.

Juvia placed her hand on Rizzo's shoulder as Lucy hurried over to them. She dropped down onto her knees as Rizzo's guitar went back to its case before the case snapped shut and fell to the ground.

"Rizzo! Rizzo, what's wrong?!" Lucy asked as she gently put Rizzo onto her back.

Rizzo didn't answer as she continued to lay there. There was sigh, which had Lucy and Juvia's heads snapping up. A man who Lucy recognized stood there.

"Master Raoul!" Lucy said.

Juvia frowned in confusion because she didn't know who this man was, but he did share some resemblance to Rizzo.

"I warned her about trying a full dual composition." He said as he shook his head. "Of course she didn't listen."

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked.

Raoul sighed as he squatted in front of the two women who were very worried about their friend.

"I'm teaching Rizzo stronger music magic." Raoul said. "Right now she's just on step one. She hasn't completed it yet, which makes it dangerous for her to use. She's just lucky all it did was knock her out. She'll be fine in a few minutes…well, she'll wake up in a few minutes, but her body won't be able to continue fighting for a few hours."

Lucy relaxed when hearing that Rizzo would be alright in the end, but they needed to keep going, didn't they? Lucy shook her head.

"I think resting for a bit will be a good idea." Lucy said.

"Yes." Juvia said nodding.

Raoul smiled at the girls as they both laid beside Rizzo whirled curled in towards her almost protectively.

"Yes, you all have deserved a good rest." Raoul said.

He then sighed as he looked up with a frown on his face. Something in the air didn't feel right. He felt as if something powerful…somewhere was building power, and it didn't bode well with him.

"Maybe in my old age I'm going a bit senile." He muttered to himself. "Well, it's not like I can do anything."

He sighed before disappearing from sight to leave the girls to rest and recover their strength.


	33. The End of Heaven's Game

Rizzo groaned as she started coming back to consciousness. Why did she feel as if she was on something moving?

"Rizzo."

 _…Gray…_

It sounded like Gray's voice. Rizzo felt something warm cup her cheeks as her eyes started to flutter open. As the blurring cleared up, she saw Gray looking at her in worry.

"Gray." She murmured.

Gray let out a sigh of relief as he leaned his forehead against hers for a moment. He then pulled back, which allowed Rizzo to see they were outside. She sat up completely seeing they were in a boat with Erza's old friends and their friends. Wait, Simon, Erza, and Natsu weren't here.

"What's going on?" Rizzo asked. "Where's Erza and Natsu? What about that Simon guy? And what are _they_ doing here?"

She pointed towards Shō, Millianna, and Wally who were all sitting on one side of boat. Lucy and Gray frowned looking down at the ground.

"Erza went on to fight Jellal." Shō said softly.

"Simon took Natsu on, so he can back up Erza." Happy said. "Simon told all of us to get on a boat to start heading away from here because the council decided to fire an Etherion Blast."

Rizzo's eyes widened when she heard that. If an Etherion Blast really does get fired upon the Tower of Heaven, it'll be destroyed completely.

"We have to go back then!" Rizzo said.

She then winced while holding her chest as it throbbed painfully. She felt as if someone was clenching her heart in their hands.

"Rizzo!" Her friends cried out in worry.

Gray hurried to pull her into his arms before she could fall back onto the boat.

"We….We have to go back…We have to." Rizzo said as tears entered her eyes. "Natsu…Erza…"

Gray looked at her softly as her body shook in pain. She grit her teeth trying to ignore the pain.

"Rizzo, you're not in any shape to do anything." Gray said. "And believe me, I want to go back too…but all of us aren't in the shape to help. We just have to believe in Natsu and Erza."

Rizzo just looked up at the sky as it started turning ominously dark. Believe in Natsu…and Erza, huh? Another throb of pain went through Rizzo's chest, but she managed to control her reaction to it this time. Was this the effects left from using the dual composition mode?

 _'Yes,'_ Raoul replied in her mind. _'I warned you that it wasn't ready for an actual battle. Your body isn't used to the kind of magic I am teaching you. There's going to be many of these…"growing pains" until it grows used to this new style of music magic, which is why I told you to be careful.'_

Rizzo didn't really have a choice though. She had to free Juvia from Vidaldus somehow.

 _'She probably would have been freed the moment you defeated him with the Hell's Fire composition.'_ Raoul helpfully pointed out.

Oh…yeah…Rizzo could have sworn she heard Raoul sigh from within her mind.

"What's that bright light?" Lucy asked.

Rizzo looked up at the sky with the others to see a light coming through the clouds over the tower. Rizzo felt dread feel her.

"It's gotta be the Etherion." Wally replied.

Millianna whimpered as everyone else was feeling so much worry fill their hearts.

"Oh, no." Happy said. "Come on, you guys. Hurry up and get out of there now."

Rizzo forced herself to sit up on her own as she turned back towards the Tower of Heaven. Where were Natsu and Erza? Minutes passed with the light getting brighter until a beam of light could be seen getting closer to the tower.

"It's going straight towards the tower." Happy said.

"Natsu…Erza…" Gray muttered with a look of horror on his face.

Rizzo felt tears slipping down her eyes as the blast hit the tower blinding everything.

"NATSU! ERZA!" Rizzo screamed as their bloat thrashed in the waves.

Suddenly the boat was tipped over in the waves, which sent everyone flying towards the water.

"Water Sphere!"

Water wrapped around them to form a bubble that kept them from falling into the water. Rizzo looked seeing Juvia had acted quickly to keep them all out of the churning waters below. Rizzo would have thanked her, but Rizzo was too worried to know what happened to the tower, which was still being blasted. Gray held her close as they both watched on in horror. When the attack stopped a large pillar of smoke was in the way.

"What's happening?" Lucy asked.

"Oh, no, did we lose them?" Happy asked.

The smoke started clearing to show that the outside of the tower had crumbled leaving behind a crystalized like material behind.

"What's that?" Happy asked. "A crystal?

"No, not a crystal." Gray said. "That's a lacrima."

A very huge lacrima, and Rizzo had a pretty good idea what it had been used for.

"So you think they're okay?" Lucy asked. "Maybe they survived the blast, they're still inside."

Rizzo supposed that it was possible, and she really wished to believe it was true. She wanted to believe her friends were alright.

"Does this mean that that giant lacrima is the R-System?" Rizzo asked.

"Yeah." Wally replied. "This is the first time I've seen in in action, but I think this is what Jellal was talking about."

"Meow…it's been activated." Millianna said.

Rizzo frowned because that didn't sound good at all. If it was activated, Jellal was a step closer to his goal.

"And what the heck does that mean?" Lucy asked. "Is Zeref going to be resurrected?"

Rizzo really hoped that the answer was no because she didn't want to deal with a dark mage. Not that she could deal with Zeref anyway. She was having trouble standing right now.

"We don't know." Shō said honestly. "We may have helped Jellal build it, but we've never seen it activated before."

"Now, Natsu and Erza are trapped inside that thing." Gray said.

"That's right." Shō said. "Along with Simon and Jellal."

Rizzo grit her teeth really wishing she was there to help Natsu and Erza. However with how her chest was still throbbing, she was sure that she'd be useless. If she tried to use her magic right now…she wasn't sure what would happen. Rizzo sunk to her knees unable to remain standing any longer.

"Rizzo." Gray said with worry in his tone as he knelt beside her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, my body…just needs to rest." Rizzo said. "I tried a new spell before it was ready…I'm paying for it."

Gray nodded as he pulled her close to allow her to lean on him. He had been really worried when Wally and Millianna showed up with the girls and he saw Rizzo unconscious. Lucy had explained to Gray what Raoul told her, and when a few minutes had passed without her waking, the worry only got worse. He was relieved now that she was awake.

"Do you think Natsu and Erza are okay in there?" Lucy asked.

"They're going to be fine, I know it." Happy said. "They're two of Fairy Tail's strongest mages. They can handle this."

"He's right." Gray said. "Since we can't help them we just have to have faith that they're going to make it out of this."

Rizzo did have faith. She knew that Natsu and Erza would be just fine. They'd kick Jellal's ass then return to all of them. Rizzo believed that whole-heartedly. Rizzo then chuckled, which got everyone's attention.

"Gees, once again Erza is being a real pain in the ass." Rizzo said. "I could be resting at the resort right now. Not worry about all this. When all this over I except a very heartfelt and length apology."

Her friends all smiled at her and chuckled as well. Wally, Shō, and Millianna seemed a bit surprised they could smile at a time like this. Did they really have so much confidence in Erza and Natsu that they didn't worry about how things would end? Minutes passed with everyone unsure of what was happening, but then there was a large explosion from the top of the tower.

"What happened?" Gray asked.

"The top of it blew off." Happy said.

"But…they'll be okay, won't they?" Lucy asked.

Rizzo frowned though held onto the faith that their friends would be alright in the end. She placed her hands over her heart as she bowed her head in silent prayer. If there is a higher power, she prayed it would look over her friends and bring them back alive. She then looked back up at the tower.

"Natsu, Erza, we believe in you." She murmured as the fighting continued.

It looked as if someone was fighting in the sky as sparks went off in the air above the tower. Rizzo thought she saw flames in the sky before they rammed down into the tower. There were then several explosions happening over the tower with bits and pieces of it falling. It sent waves rocking as the pieces fell into the water. Even inside the water bubble Juvia created, it had all of them rocking round due to the large waves.

"What in the world is going on?!" Shō asked.

"Was that another explosion?" Wally questioned.

"No." Rizzo said as she smiled. "That was our very own destructive fireball."

"Natsu!" Happy cheered.

Only Natsu could cause that much destruction like that with just a single blow.

"You're both right." Lucy said. "He's got to be up there fighting someone."

And Rizzo would bet her entire life savings that the person he was fighting happened to be Jellal.

"Oh, no." Millianna fretted. "Do you think…they're going to be okay?"

"I sure hope so." Gray said. "But it's still too soon to tell because it seems like he's going on a major rampage."

"Yeah, and he's doing it without me!" Rizzo said throwing her arms up into the air. "Not cool, Natsu!"

Almost everyone sweat-dropped as they looked at the female pinkette. Happy just laughed as he smiled. Juvia also had a smile on her face as she looked at Rizzo in amusement.

"Personally, I'm glad you're not up there." Lucy said. "If you and Natsu teamed up it'd be like the Etherion Blast all over again."

"No need to exaggerate, Lucy." Rizzo said pouting.

"No, I'm pretty sure she described how it'd be if you two teamed up perfectly." Gray said.

Rizzo rolled her eyes at the two of them because she and Natsu weren't that destructive. They haven't even destroyed an entire town in a while. Of course, on all their missions, the team never let them fight alongside each other. They haven't gotten to actually team up in a while. The light teasing atmosphere dropped immediately when bright lights shined around the Tower of Heaven. Rizzo frowned when feeling the intense magical energy coming from the tower.

"Meow, so pretty." Millianna said.

"This is bad news." Wally said.

That didn't make Rizzo feel any better when those words left his mouth. It made her worry more.

"There's an incredible amount of magical energy resonating from that light." Juvia said.

"That's not a good sign." Gray said. "The Ethernano inside the tower must be getting out of control."

"What?!" Lucy demanded. "What is that?!"

It was something that was really, really, not good. Rizzo felt dread overtake her as the light got brighter.

"Magic energy from the Etherion." Shō explained.

"It's dangerous for that much of it to be contained in one place for too long." Happy said.

"And that's because the energy builds until it becomes extremely unstable." Rizzo said as she frowned.

Lucy wasn't like the sound of this at all, and just like Rizzo, she was filled with dread.

"With nowhere to go the Ethernano will continue growing until it bursts." Juvia explained. "Causing a tremendous explosion."

"What?!" Wally asked. "We better start making tracks before we're dead meat."

"But what about the others trapped inside?!" Shō demanded.

Rizzo grit her teeth together harshly while unsure what to do. It wasn't like they had many options, but leaving the others behind was an option she couldn't even think to consider.

"At this point there's no sense in wondering who's going to make it out of there alive and who's not." Gray said. "Because if that tower explodes it'll wipe us all out."

Rizzo touched her guitar case, which was on her back as usual. Could she use it? She could have the others go inside. It'll send them to her room in Fairy Hills…far away from here. Then she can try to make it to the tower to get Natsu, Erza, and even Simon. If she doesn't make…well, at least she would have died trying to save her friends.

"Rizzo, no."

Gray grabbed Rizzo's hands to pull them away from her case. She looked at him with wide eyes.

"I know what you're thinking." Gray said. "But sending us all back to Magnolia isn't an option."

"Of course it is!" Rizzo retorted. "All you have to do is go through the guitar case back to my room in Fairy Hills! You'll all be safe!"

"But, Rizzo, that won't save you, Erza, Natsu, or even Simon." Lucy said softly. "We know you wouldn't come with us…and you know you wouldn't make it in time."

Tears entered Rizzo's eyes, and Gray pulled her close to wrap his arms around her shoulders as the tears started to slip down her cheeks.

"It's okay." Gray said. "No matter what happens we'll all be here together."

Rizzo grit her teeth tightly as she put her arms around Gray. She wasn't afraid of death. If the blast came and it really turned out to be lethal, it wouldn't bother her. But…she wished her stupid friends would have the sense to escape while they could. However, she had a feeling that even if she tried to force them…they'd find some way to get back through in the end, so Rizzo just closed her eyes as she tightened her arms around Gray. The tower finally exploded, and Rizzo was sure this was the end.

"Oh, crap, it's exploding!" Wally shouted.

"No, it's not!" Gray said. "Take a closer look."

Rizzo pulled back from Gray to see all the magic energy was being sent up into the sky.

"The magic energy is shooting upwards out of the tower." Gray said. "Into the sky!"

The aftershock from the blast sent them flying backwards away from the tower…that was suddenly gone.

"Where'd the tower go?!" Happy shouted.

"It was just there a second ago!" Shō pointed out.

"Natsu, where are you?!" Lucy cried out.

"Natsu! Erza!" Rizzo screamed.

They were still sent backwards with the strong blast sending them clear back to the shores near the Akane Resort. Juvia's water bubble disappeared with the group falling into the sand. Rizzo laid there finding herself unable to move. It seemed as if her body was still recovering from that magic she used. Rizzo grit her teeth then forced herself to move at least enough to get her sitting up. She looked around seeing the others sprawled around her as well. They all seemed in one piece. Rizzo shook her head trying to get the blurriness out of her vision.

"Rizzo, you okay?" Gray asked as he sat up.

Rizzo nodded her head though even if she was physically okay…her heart ached with worry…Natsu…Erza…where were they? Did they make it? Or did they disappear long with the Tower of Heaven? Tears rolled down Rizzo's cheeks as she expected the worst.

"Rizzo, look." Gray said sounding shock.

Rizzo looked up at him in confusion before she turned her head. Her eyes widened when she saw Natsu and Erza in the water not far from them.

"Natsu…Erza." She murmured.

The others started to notice them as well, and they hurried to their feet. Gray helped Rizzo to her own before they all started hurrying towards the three of them.

"Erza!" Everyone called.

Natsu and Erza fell into the swallow sea water as Rizzo picked up her pace. Her sore body be damned. It wasn't going to keep her away from her friends. Rizzo felt tears run down her cheeks as they all got closer. When they reached the two, Erza stood up to hug Lucy when the blonde jumped towards her.

"Erza!" Lucy cried. "We were all so worried."

Erza smiled as she held Lucy closely to her while so happy to see her friends again. Rizzo set her guitar case down then hugged Natsu as her fellow pinkette was standing up.

"Can't believe you went and had all the fun without me." She joked weakly. "I was planning to rock down the place, ya know?"

Natsu chuckled as he gave Rizzo a big hug. Gray smiled glad to see that they didn't lose anyone today.

"Sorry." Natsu said. "I promise that next time we can tear down something together."

Rizzo pulled back to smile at Natsu as she cupped his cheek. He's like a brother to her…and if she had lost him…she mentally shook herself while not eve wanting to think about it. Natsu gave her a big grin that brought more tears to her eyes. She then took a deep breath as she turned to face Erza who was hugging Shō now. Rizzo tapped her on the shoulder, and Erza turned towards Rizzo as she let go of Shō.

"You caused a lot of trouble, ya know." Rizzo said as she frowned. "I expect some serious apology here."

Erza smiled as Rizzo crossed her arms over her chest. It was obvious that the pinkette was being serious.

"I'm very sorry, Rizzo." Erza said. "Next time we go on vacation I'll be sure not to bring trouble down upon us."

Rizzo was silent for a moment before she scoffed while turning away from Erza.

"That was a pretty pathetic apology, but I guess I'll accept it." Rizzo said. "And you're lucky you're beat up, or I would have punched you in the face for all the trouble you caused."

Rizzo then stiffened when Erza hugged her from behind with a soft smile on her face.

"I love you too, Rizzo." Erza said. "And I'm glad you're safe."

Rizzo blushed a bit when she saw the others smiling towards them, which embarrassed her. Rizzo didn't push Erza away, however, which had Erza's smile growing. Erza really was glad that all her friends were okay.

* * *

Rizzo sat at the table with Erza, Lucy, Happy, and Gray as Natsu was snoring away in the bed in one of the resort hotel rooms. It's been three days since everything went down at the Tower of Heaven, and Rizzo had managed to get the resort to give them a few extra days. How? Well, let's just say she brought up suing because if they had better security then she wouldn't be as emotionally traumatized as she is now after being attacked by such "vicious" mages. She even managed to swing rooms for Erza's friends.

"You think he's going to be okay?" Gray asked.

"I can't believe he's been sleeping for the last three days." Lucy said.

Rizzo didn't really blame Natsu considering he had eaten parts of that giant lacrima which was full of Ethernano. If she was him, she'd be out for days too.

"Yeah, well that's what he gets for eating all that Ethernanao." Gray said.

"Say that again, and I'll smack ya!" Natsu, who suddenly sprung up into a sitting position, snapped.

"You're awake!" Happy said.

However, that didn't seem to be the case since Natsu fell right back onto the bed to continue snoring.

"That punk just woke up to pick a fight with me?!" Gray demanded.

He calmed down when Rizzo took his hand as she and Lucy laughed in amusement. He grumbled in annoyance as he intertwined his and Rizzo's fingers.

"How are you doing, Rizzo?" Lucy asked. "Feeling back to full health?"

Everyone looked towards the pinkette as she raised her free hand to clench it into a fist.

"My body feels fine now." Rizzo said. "I just feel a bit tired, I guess. Almost as if I could sleep for a few days, but all in all I'm fine."

And next time she tries that spell in an actual battle it won't have such a drain on her body. Of that she's certain off because once they get back to Magnolia she plans to dive into some serious training.

"I know I've already said this, but I'm sorry for causing so much trouble." Erza said.

"Aw, you don't have to keep apologizing to us." Lucy said.

"What?" Rizzo asked. "She should apologize a thousand times over."

Lucy sweat-dropped when Rizzo said that, but Erza just chuckled in amusement. Erza then blinked remembering something.

"Rizzo, where's your friend?" Erza asked. "I wanted to thank her."

"Oh, you mean Juvia?" Rizzo asked. "Well, she left some time ago. She wanted to speak with the Master about joining our guild. I told her I'd come with her, but she said it was something she wanted to do on her own. I really hope the Master lets her join."

Rizzo smiled because she really likes Juvia. The bluenette was someone who Rizzo already considered a friend.

"I see." Erza said.

* * *

The next day, Rizzo sat on the sand in a more isolated part of Akane's beach. She was sitting in a meditative position as she thought about last night. It had been a sad farewell to Shō and the others. Erza had cried many tears as she said her goodbyes to their new and unofficial guildmates who had decided to leave. Rizzo hoped they found happiness in their new lives. Rizzo then let out a breath as she once again concentrated on her magic.

In front of her a green light, which was her magic energy, appeared in front of her. It shaped into a violin and bow, and Rizzo grit her teeth together as she tried to keep the shape of the violin and bow up. It was hard trying to give her magic a physical form like this because her body was so used to focusing her magic into something like a magical instrument. Trying to get her magic to form a physical violin and bow was proving to be very challenging.

It was easy when she already had another instrument out. Like when she pulls out her instruments for the conductor mode, and she has instruments "divide" to form sections. It was really just her magic making copies of the instruments already out. She did that when she played the second mode of her Song of the Fairies spell that had three violins copied from the one she was playing. Then when she did the duet composition it was the same, but wasn't at the same time because if the instrument was just a copy, it'd play the same song she was. She had to create a different guitar with her magic, so to get it to play a different song than she was, which is why her body had reacted as it had.

"That's good." Raoul, who was standing in front of her, said. "Now, try to get it to play."

Rizzo let out a breath as she focused on getting the violin to play for her. The bow started to move across the strings, but when a screeching noise came from the instrument, Rizzo lost her concentration with the violin and bow vanishing. She huffed hanging her head as a bit of sweat left her bow.

"Damn." She cursed. "Not again."

Raoul chuckled shaking his head because seeing Rizzo like this reminded him of himself. When he had first tried this form of music magic, which wasn't long before his death, he used to get so frustrated as well.

"It was a good try." Raoul said. "You're picking it up faster than I had when I first started."

"Only because you're helping me." Rizzo said. "If I was on my own, I probably wouldn't have even thought of taking music magic to this level."

Raoul smiled while kneeling down in front of Rizzo to place his hand on top of Rizzo's head. She looked up at him as he looked at her with a kind gaze.

"I'm sure you would have thought about it someday." Raoul said. "And I'm sure you could have figured it out on your own. But you don't have to do that because I am here to help as you said. Now, don't get frustrated, okay? You'll get this. I have complete faith in you, Rizzo."

Rizzo blinked before a big smile spread across her face, and she nodded her head. Having Raoul here with her…it was like having her father back in her life. This kind and gentle guidance is something she hasn't felt in a while, and it made her happy. Raoul felt something similar. However, for him it was like finally getting the chance to be a father. He ruffled her hair once then stood up.

"Well, my time is up." He said. "I have to return back inside your soul. We'll pick up this training again in Magnolia. I think you're friends are ready to go anyway."

"Rizzo!"

Rizzo blinked turning her head seeing Natsu coming her way with Happy flying at his side. Looked as if Raoul was right. She turned back towards Raoul to thank him for the training, but he was already gone. She sighed before standing up and dusting off her clothes.

"Time to go?" She asked when the boys reached her.

"Yeah." Natsu said. "Everyone's been looking for you, so we can go. What were you doing out here anyway?"

"Top secret training." She said smiling.

"Huh? Top secret training?" Natsu asked before his entire face lit up. "That sounds so cool! Tell us!"

"Aye!" Happy added.

Rizzo laughed before hurrying off in the direction of the resort building without saying a word.

"Rizzo, come on!" Natsu called out as he hurried after her. "You can't say something like that then not tell us!"

"Yeah, not cool!" Happy agreed.

"If you don't hurry, guys, I'll beat you back to the others!" Was all she replied.

"Rizzo!" Natsu whined.

Rizzo let out another laugh while happy with the thought of finally going home. She missed everyone at Fairy Tail. Vacation is fun and all, but nothing beats being at home with family.


	34. Home Sweet Home

Coco: And this brings an end to the Tower of Heaven Arc! Gees, I feel like I'm flying write through these arcs XD I just hope I can keep the pace I've got going now XD Now down to certain business while I have you attention...unless you're one of those people who always skip the author's notes then I guess I don't have your attention. Anyway! Time to stop rambling, and get to the points.

 **IMPORTANT:**

1) I don't plan to do fillers. Maybe a filler episode here and there, but not the arcs. Sorry. I have my own filler chapters like Jaser's Tale: The Prince From Rajasthan. But besides something like that there won't be many fillers added even though I'm using the anime to help me write these stories instead of the manga, and it's full of fillers. XD

2) I've got this idea to write a small, short story for Fairy Tail Zero. Well, it'll be during that time period, but not really follow the actual that much. Not really anyway because it'll will be following Raoul's story up until probably the formation of Treble Chambers. Or to even show what exactly what happened between Raoul and Caspian. The main characters will be Raoul, Caspian, and their love interest Tatia (who later becomes Raoul's wife). A few other new characters will be thrown into the mix. However, I'm not going to write it officially until I know if you all are interested, which is why I set up a poll. **SO GO VOTE!**

3) Also I see we're nearly reaching the 100th review mark! And in some of my previous stories on my last account, I gave a **"prize"** to my 100th reviewer. I'm going to do the same here. What is the prize? Whoever the 100th reviewer is will have the option of helping me create an OC to add to the story. Now, I will have certain "guidelines" for this OC, but basically the reviewer tells me what they want to see in OC. Then together we create that OC. Now here are the **rules** :

-You can't just go back to start reviewing chapters you've read before to start racking up reviews just to try to get to 100

-In fact, this "challenge" will start on chapter 31 since it and chapters 32-34 were all posted on today 2/17/16

-You can leave only one review or each chapter.

-If the 100th reviewer decides not to claim the prize, I will go to reviewer 99. If they decline, I go to reviewer 98, and I'm sure you get the idea.

NOW! That has all been explained let's start the chapter~

* * *

Rizzo stood with the others as she gawked up at the newly finished guildhall. It was…so big…just so different.

"Wow." Lucy muttered.

"Well, this is a surprise." Erza said.

"They finished building it?" Happy and Natsu asked in unison.

"Is it just me…or is it…bigger?" Rizzo asked.

"It's not just you." Gray assured her.

Rizzo nodded her head glad she wasn't just seeing things. It was all just so different than she remembers. The group walked through the gate though paused when seeing what awaited them inside.

"Are you kidding me?" Gray asked. "We've got a café now?"

Rizzo blinked as she stood beside the gawking Natsu. As she looked around she could have sworn there were people here that she didn't know. Did more people join the guild, or did they now cater to townspeople here?

"Do we really need a gift shop too?" Lucy asked.

The group turned their heads to see what Lucy was talking about, and Rizzo's eyes widened when she saw who was standing behind the counter of the shop.

"Hey there." Max greeted. "Glad you guys made it back okay. What's new?"

"MAX!~" Rizzo greeted loudly as she shoved her guitar case at Gray.

The ice mage barely got a hold of it in time, and he sighed as Rizzo went running towards the shop. She jumped over the counter to hug Max who laughed.

"You're home." She said happily.

Lucy blinked wondering if Rizzo welcomed everyone from Fairy Tail home with so much enthusiasm. Gray shook his head chuckling. Rizzo just couldn't seem to help but hugging everyone who came back after being gone for so long. And it's been a while since Max has been back.

"Hey, Rizzo, good to see you again." Max said as the music mage pulled away from him. "I met your friends earlier. That Jaser guy keeps asking me if he can eat my magic."

Rizzo laughed not surprised. Jaser is a Sand Dragon Slayer, and since Max uses sand magic, Jaser must think of him as a walking buffet. Max better watch out for Jaser or he might become attached to him…maybe even literally.

"They got you working the gift shop, Max?" Happy asked as he flew over. "It's been a while since we've seen you around the guild."

"Well, Master made me go back to school because he wanted me to take some business classes." Max explained.

Happy nodded his head guessing that made sense to him. He then wondered if he should go to school to learn something too….nah. They probably don't let cats in anyway. Besides it sounds like too much work.

"You're Max Alors!" Lucy said as she joined them. "I read about you in Sorcerer's Weekly!"

Rizzo leaned back away from Lucy while still freaked out by Lucy's fangirl side that likes to flare at random moments.

"Yes, ma'am, that'd be me." Max said giving her an odd grin. "And you know, I've heard a lot about you, Lucy."

"I don't want to think about the crazy things they've told you." Lucy said as she slunk to the ground.

Rizzo chuckled in amusement then jumped over the counter to crouch down beside Lucy. She placed a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulders as Lucy practically cried while imagining just what Max was told about her. It was probably something really embarrassing and not even true.

"So what kind of stuff are you selling here?" Happy asked.

"Heh, we've got t-shirts, wristbands, mugs, towels, and of course there's our most popular item." Max said.

Lucy and Rizzo looked up as Max placed a Lucy action figure in front of Happy.

"Whoa, a Lucy action figure." He said while picking it up.

"Ah! Nobody ever asked me if I was okay with that!" Lucy cried.

Everyone ignored her as Rizzo looked over Happy's head to get a better look at the action figure.

"She's poseable and her clothes come off!" Max added.

Lucy let out a shrill scream of embarrassment. Rizzo looked away hoping she didn't have an action figure that could lose her clothes.

"We're working on getting action figures of everyone in Fairy Tail. Especially our most well-known members." Max said. "Actually, the prototype for Rizzo's action figure came in today. It just needs the Master's approval before being put into mass production."

Rizzo frowned looking towards Max as he brought out an action figure of Rizzo. The rest of their team moved in to look at it as well. The action figure was dressed in Rizzo's usual outfit (the one she wore in chapter one), and it was posed with it holding a little guitar.

"It comes with additional instrument pieces that are held in this guitar case." Max said.

He brought out a small guitar case that was actually bigger than the action figure, and when Max opened it there were a few instruments inside.

"I suppose it's pretty cool." Rizzo said. "But if you were going to use my beautiful face to sell things, why'd it'd have to be on an action figure?"

Lucy sweat-dropped really wondering if that was the only problem that Rizzo had with the whole thing?

"Well, we actually have Rizzo mugs, towels, t-shirts, and I was wondering if you could sign some drumsticks for me." Max said. "Almost everyone in the guild has items like mugs, towels, and t-shirts. But our big players have their own personal item. Which reminds you me, I need all your signatures on a few items. Because if they have signatures, the items sell faster."

"Alright." Rizzo, who suddenly had a marker, said. "I'll sign a few things."

"You're really okay with all this?!" Lucy asked in shock.

Max just grinned as he held out some drumsticks for Rizzo to put her signature on them. Lucy watched in shock when Erza, Gray, Natsu, and even Happy signed a few things when Max handed over markers to them. Erza signed a few plastic swords, Gray signed the packaging of a few knockoffs of his necklace, Natsu sloppily signed on a few wristbands that were exactly like his own, and Happy signed a Happy plushie. Lucy sweat-dropped wondering why she had such weird friends. They were acting as if this wasn't a big deal.

"Thanks, guys." Max said.

"No problem." Rizzo said smiling. "We need to sell as much as we can considering that the guild is always owing someone money due to all the destruction we cause."

Max laughed because that was true. Lucy sweat-dropped again as she hung her head. They were way too okay with the fact that they're a group of destructive mages. The team then moved to inside the guild to see it had been remodeled a lot too. There was even a stage. Rizzo grinned when she got a look at it. She knew where she'd be spending a lot of her time.

"Pretty." Lucy and Happy said in awe.

"I could get used to this." Erza said.

Rizzo, who had taken back her guitar case, nodded her head in agreement then noticed that Natsu looked very unhappy. Gray seemed to notice as well.

"Hey, man, what's wrong?" Gray asked.

"I'm not good with change." Natsu explained.

Rizzo chuckled while putting her arm around her friend who continued to pout from behind his scarf.

"It's so good to have you back, Lu-chan!" Levy called out.

"Oh, hiya, Levy!" Lucy called back.

"Isn't this awesome?" Levy asked. "Guess what? Now we've got a swimming pool behind the bar."

She opened the door in the back to show them, and Rizzo's mouth dropped open in shock. Was that really necessary? Romeo, who was at the pool, peeked his head inside to greet them back.

"That's kind of weird." Lucy said.

Rizzo had to slightly agree with Lucy. Yeah, it'd be cool to lay by the pool and tan…but it was still kind of weird. A café…a pool…why did they need these things?

"It's just not the same." Natsu complained.

Levy then took the group down to the basement to see that things had been changed here as well.

"We've even got a game room down in the basement." Levy said.

"You're back." Macao said.

"Took you long enough." Wakaba teased.

Rizzo just blinked not sure how to react to all of this. Once again most of the things didn't seem necessary in her book. However that stage…she was going to love that.

"Does it need to be this big?" Lucy asked.

"I don't like it." Natsu said.

Levy just smiled as she took them back up to the main floor to point up to the second floor.

"But the biggest change is upstairs." Levy said. "Because now everyone's allowed to go up to the second floor.

Elfman, who was on the second floor, looked over the railing. He grinned while welcoming them all back, and Rizzo smiled as she waved up at him.

"Master actually let's more of us go on S-class quests, but only if an S-class mage comes along." Levy explained.

"You can't complain about this, Natsu!" Rizzo said as she put her arm around her friend's shoulders. "This means we can go on more of those quests too, and if we do well on them, Master Makarov will take us more seriously. When the trials come around for this year—"

"He'll have to put us up for the running!" Natsu said following her train of thought.

Rizzo nodded her head as she and Natsu shared an excited grin with each other. Happy smiled as well as he flew next to them. Lucy frowned in confusion. She had no idea what kind of trials they were talking about.

"And next time, let's not take Erza." Rizzo continued. "She'll just try to take over the mission."

Erza frowned at Rizzo, who either didn't notice or didn't care, and Lucy was sure it was the latter.

"But who else could we take?" Natsu asked. "Laxus hates us, Amarante wouldn't go with us if Laxus tells her not too, Gildarts is never here, and Msytogen puts us to sleep whenever he comes home."

Lucy blinked as she tilted her head to the side in confusion. Who in the world was Gildarts? And does Amarante really follow orders from Laxus?

"Mira is technically an S-class mage." Rizzo pointed out. "And Mira would give us free reign to let us do whatever we want."

"But she's usually busy here." Happy pointed out.

Rizzo deflated a bit before she remember a certain violet-haired brother of hers.

"Then Breccan!" Rizzo said. "He'd totally let us do things our way just as much as Mira would."

Natsu's grin turned devious, which had his canines looking sharper than they actually were. Lucy leaned away from him and Rizzo who was sporting a grin much like his. Gray shook his head at the two idiots…one of which was his girlfriend. There was a chuckle that had the group turning their heads to see Breccan, who was the very guy they were talking about, and the rest of Treblemen standing behind them.

"Still as devious as ever, Rizzo." Breccan said as he walked over to ruffle her hair. "But if you ask nicely, I might go along with your plan."

Rizzo bat his hand away while pouting since she didn't like her hair being messed with.

"We're so glad to have you back!" Sven said as he skipped over to Lucy.

Lucy smiled at the tiny blonde as he took her hands to hold between the two of them. Natsu and Jaser exchanged a fist bump in greeting as Craylee hung back with his hands in his pockets.

"Well, I'm glad you dunderheads made it back safely." Makarov said.

The group turned seeing Juvia, who was sporting a new look, standing next to him.

"Master." Erza greeted.

"I'd like you to meet Fairy Tail's newest member Juvia." Makarov said. "Isn't she a cutie?"

"Juvia can't wait to work with you." She said giving a curtsey.

Rizzo grinned at Juvia while raising her hand in a wave it was really nice to that she made it in after all. She then went over to the bluenette to give her a hug in welcome. Juvia hugged her back, and Craylee tilted his head. Since when were they good friends?

"Glad to see you made it in, Juvia." Rizzo said as she let go of Juvia.

"Heh, so you actually made it in." Gray said grinning as he came to stand by Rizzo.

Juvia smiled at the couple while glad they made it back from the resort. Juvia has been dying to see Rizzo again, but while she was gone, Juvia still had Craylee's company…not that Juvia mustered up the courage to speak with him the last few days.

"Thanks so much for helping us in Akane." Erza said.

"No, Juvia should be thanking you." Juvia said. "Because now Juvia found a new guild."

"Well, I'm sure you'll fit in fine here." Rizzo said.

Juvia nodded really hoping so. She then glanced shyly at Craylee as he turned his head towards her. She nearly fainted when his gaze lasted on her for more than three seconds.

"Hey, Girl!" Lucy greeted.

It was like a switch was flipped, and Juvia turned to blast her malice towards Lucy who sweat-dropped.

"We will fight for Craylee-sama!" Juvia growled.

"That won't be necessary." Lucy said.

Juvia just continued to glare as Rizzo snorted from behind her hand. She looked at Craylee to see him pinching the bridge of his nose and sighing.

"Look at you, such a ladies man, Otōto (younger brother)." Sven teased.

He then cried out when Craylee pinched Sven's cheek "a bit" too tightly. Sven whined trying to get loose from Craylee's hold as Breccan sighed shaking his head. Jaser blinked wondering if he should interfere. Rizzo just snorted in amusement.

"We also added another new member to the guild." Makarov continued. "Someone you might recognize."

Makarov turned to look at this person, and the group looked as well. Their eyes widened when seeing who it was.

"What him?! Are you kidding me?!" Gray demanded.

"Gajeel!" Natsu snarled.

He and Gray got into a fighting stance as they faced the Iron Dragon Slayer who just stared at them.

"Why'd you let him in here, Gramps?!" Gray asked.

Juvia stepped between the two boys while putting up her hands in a nonthreatening manner.

"Calm down, Juvia asked him to come along with me." Juvia said.

Lucy admired Juvia's loyalty to her friends, but Gajeel caused this guild so much pain. He brutally attacked Shadow Gear too.

"Ah, come on, Guys, let's relax." Jaser said. "Gajeel is kind of rough around the edges, but since he got here he hasn't caused any trouble."

Rizzo looked at Jaser as he stood up for the Iron Dragon Slayer. She knew he felt as if all Dragon Slayers were like family, but considering all that this one did to the guild…it'd be hard for everyone to accept him.

"I don't mind Juvia." Erza said. "But he's the one responsible for destroying our guildhall!"

Rizzo remained silent this entire time as Gajeel looked away with an annoyed look on his face. She honestly didn't like the thought of this guy joining their guild. He had been harsh on not only Lucy, but he had brutally beaten Levy, Jet, and Droy. However, Makarov had seen something in the Dragon Slayer that he must have thought was worth redemption.

"Now, now, remember what I taught you." Makarov said. "Yesterday's enemy can be today's friend, right?"

"Yeah," Levy said from where she was crouched beside the table. "If I'm okay with him here then you should be too."

Rizzo looked at Levy seeing she was still a bit scared, but she was obviously trying to go by Makarov's teachings. Natsu growled as he stepped up to the table to glare at Gajeel.

"There ain't no way." Natsu said as slammed his hand onto the table. "I can't work with somebody I don't trust."

Gajeel just turned towards Natsu with a dark and unfriendly look on his face as he glared at Natsu.

"What's the big deal?" Gajeel asked. "It's not like I wanna be your buddy."

"Man, that's cold!" Natsu yelled.

Gajeel then stood up onto his feel as he and Natsu continued to glare at each other.

"The only reason I'm here is to get work." Gajeel said. "I hate this stupid guild and everyone in it. But times are tough, so I had no choice, but to join."

"Shut-up, loser!" Natsu snapped.

The two growled at each other as Rizzo glanced down at Makarov.

"Master, do you truly believe he will be alright here?" Rizzo asked.

"I do." Makarov said nodding.

Rizzo sighed guessing that meant there was only one right thing to do here. She went over to Natsu and Gajeel, and she placed her hand on Natsu's shoulder, which had him glancing back at her curiously. She gave him a look that told him to stand down. He frowned though stepped back. Everyone watched as Rizzo stepped in front of Natsu to stand before Gajeel. Gajeel didn't even have time to ask her what her deal was before her fist connected to his jaw. He went flying over the table he had been sitting at to crash into one a few feet away. Rizzo shook out her hand as everyone stared at her in shock.

"That settles it." Rizzo said as Gajeel sat up to glare at her. "That punch right there is for all my guildmates you hurt and for the destroyed guildhall. Consider your slate cleared. Now, make sure to do well on this new path given to you by the Master. You're a member of Fairy Tail now whether you like this guild or not, and anything done to stain the name of Fairy Tail will _not_ be forgiven."

Gajeel looked at Rizzo with actual surprise on his face. She…forgave him just after one punch? Just that one punch…was enough for her to welcome him to the guild? Gajeel wasn't the only one surprised by Rizzo's declaration. The entire guild stared at her stunned.

"As for the rest of you." Rizzo said. "As Master Makarov said, 'Yesterday's enemy can be today's friend', so remember that from now on. Besides, if Master trusts this guy then I guess we should as well. I'm not saying I'm particularly happy with it. However, giving him the cold shoulder isn't going to help in any form. I expect all of you to at least stop slandering him."

Everyone stared at Rizzo while kind of surprised she handled all of this so level-headedly. Gajeel stared at Rizzo wondering if there was something screwy wrong with her head. Even he wouldn't have forgiven himself as quick if he was in their shoes. Rizzo glared at him as if she knew what he was thinking.

"Well, I guess that's over." Craylee said. "Not that I care if Black Steel is here for not."

Juvia smiled looking towards Craylee while glad he wasn't upset with her choice to bring Gajeel here. Rizzo then grabbed the back of Natsu's shirt to pull him away from Gajeel when they started growling at each other.

"Okay, Natsu, down boy." Rizzo said.

Natsu pouted crossing his arms as he allowed Rizzo to drag him along. Gray rolled his eyes at both pinkettes when the lights suddenly went out. Rizzo and Natsu blinked wondering what was going on. Suddenly a light shined on the stage with Mirajane sitting there with a guitar in her lap and a magic microphone floating in front of her.

"Oh, hey, we made it back, Mira!" Natsu called out.

"Good to see you." Mirajane said smiling. "I'd like to dedicate this song to Fairy Tail's strongest team, and congratulate them on their safe return."

Rizzo smiled as Mirajane started to strum her guitar as members of the guild whistled and cheered for her.

 _"As I walk past your room_

 _My shadow falls through your door_

 _One more day you're not here_

Rizzo sat down with the others as Mirajane's sweet voice continued to flow through the room. Rizzo liked performing herself, but it was nice listening to others even more.

 _Gazing up at the stars above_

 _I pray that they guide your way_

 _Just look up and follow the starlight back home to me soon_

 _So when your eyes begin fill with tears, look up_

Rizzo leaned back in her chair while closing her eyes, and Gray smiled at her as he put his arm around her torso. She leaned her head against his shoulder as Mirajane continued playing.

 _I will be waiting here_

 _Under the starry sky_

 _To light your pathway just count on the stars_

 _Follow to them home to your door_

 _Follow them home."_

Once Mirajane finished the last note, everyone cheered and clapped for the white-haired woman. Mirajane stood up to bow to the crowd.

"Awesome!" Macao called out. "Who's next?!"

"Rizzo!" Some people called out. "Rizzo! Rizzo!"

Rizzo blinked sitting up in her seat as all her friends smiled at her. She sighed guessing she didn't have a choice. She was about to stand up, but someone apparently beat her on stage because the lights went off again. When they light came back on everyone was shocked to see Gajeel sitting there dressed in a nice white suit while holding a gnarly looking guitar.

"What the—?!" Natsu shouted.

Rizzo's brow quirked while quite curious to see if the Iron Dragon Slayer had some music in his soul.

"I wrote a song I call best friend." Gajeel said. "Would you like to hear it? Well, here it goes."

He ignored the people bowing and throwing things at him. Rizzo sighed thinking she told everyone to try and be nice to this guy.

"SHUT-IT!" She shouted.

Everyone froze turning to look at the pinkette as she crossed her arms over her chest with an annoyed look on her face.

"Sit down and listen, or so help me, the only performance you'll be getting from me is getting my guitar smashed into your faces." Rizzo said.

Everyone immediately sat down without even a peep leaving their mouths. Rizzo nodded in satisfaction. She didn't like people being rude and loud when a performer was being brave enough to put themselves out there by singing in front of people. Even if that performer was once part of a guild that destroyed their first guildhall.

 _"Sparking and colorful, shooby do ba_." Gajeel began. _"Ya caught my eye like a shining piece of metal so cool."_

Everyone was shocked when to hear that Gajeel's singing was actually really good. They started cheering as Gajeel continued. Rizzo closed her eyes bobbing her head to the music while actually kind of digging what Gajeel was putting out. She was so caught up into the music that she didn't notice that some people who still had hard feelings towards Gajeel threw things at him.

"Man, this has got to be the worst song I've ever heard!" Natsu snapped.

Rizzo opened her eyes to look at her friend, and her eyes widened when he was hit the face with a guitar.

"Natsu!" Rizzo said. "Guitar!"

Natsu jumped up to shout at Gajeel as the Iron Dragon Slayer had started playing the harmonica. Rizzo just checked on the guitar, which didn't look too good.

"Treat instruments with love not violence!" She said as she pointed towards Gajeel.

Lucy sweat-dropped knowing that this was all just going to go into death spiraling from here. Gajeel and Natsu started brawling, which was already breaking things.

"Please, stop!" Makarov begged.

Natsu was just going to continue throwing punches, but he got a mug to the face instead.

"Which one of you wise guys threw that, huh?!" Natsu demanded.

Gray growled standing up from the table, and he accidently hit Erza, which made her knock over her strawberry cake.

"Natsu, would you quit fooling around?!" Gray demanded.

"Hit him, Natsu!" Rizzo shouted. "He treated this poor defenseless guitar horribly! He deserves punishment!"

Gray groaned wishing that Rizzo wouldn't encourage all the fire muncher. It got worse when Rizzo decided to jump into the fray that was Natsu as Gajeel's fight. As Rizzo was getting into all of it, Erza's cake was stepped on by Elfman, which had her squealing sounding pained.

"If you're real men, you'd take this outside!" Elfman said.

He was then sent flying when Erza kicked him in the face while looking livid.

"Watch it, you oaf!" Erza growled.

The fighting continued with everyone getting into a large fight as Makarov cried about everything being destroyed. Rizzo and Natsu rolled across the ground before coming to a stop. They sat up looking around seeing all the fighting that was going on. Erza was taking down people left and right, and Gray was beating down a few of the weaker members of the guild when they tried to sneak up on him.

Breccan was sitting calmly in his chair smoking, but everyone who got too close was sent flying through the air via his vibration magic. Craylee looked very annoyed as he kicked ass without the usage of his magic, and Juvia fawned over him from a safe distance. Jaser was laughing loudly as he had one guy in an arm lock, and punching other people with his free hand. Even Sven was having fun as he threw some guy over his shoulder as if he weighed as light as paper.

"Now this feels like home." Natsu said grinning.

"You got that right." Rizzo said laughing.

"Quit smiling, morons!" Gajeel snapped.

He jumped them, which continued their tussling across the ground. Behind the bar, Happy, Sanjū, who had lost her tea due to the brawling, and Lucy sighed with their heads hung. Just another day in Fairy Tail.


	35. Sexy Lingerie and Ice Cream

Rizzo let out a yawn as she walked into in the kitchen in Fairy Hills. It wasn't anything fancy, but it certainly served its purpose. Sanjū was hanging off her shoulder, but once they entered the kitchen, Sanjū dropped down to the counter.

"Morning, Rizzo, Sanjū." Bisca greeted the pinkette and her pink-furred feline companion.

Sanjū, who wasn't fully awake, raised her paw in a wave before going over to where she kept her teabags in the kitchen.

"Morning, Bisca." Rizzo said smiling.

Bisca smiled in return as Rizzo went over to the coffee bot to pour herself one hot cup of coffee. She really needed this. She felt dead on her feet. Last night she stayed up late writing a composition she has planned for the Harvest Festival. Fairy Tail was handling the parade as usual, and there was this new mode in her music magic she wanted to try. Makarov gave her the all clear for it a few days ago.

"Not to be rude, Girl, but you look a bit zombish this morning." Bisca said.

"Late night." Rizzo said. "I know I probably look awful right now."

She then took a sip from the coffee as Sanjū was preparing a teapot, so to start boiling water.

"Well, you better freshen up before going to see your man at the guild, little lady." Bisca teased.

"Gray has seen me at my best and at my worst, so I'm not worried about him seeing me like this." Rizzo said.

She gestured to her current state. Her hair was currently disheveled, and her pink and black pajamas were wrinkly. But she didn't give a damn.

"Well, you better feel up for some shopping." Cana said as she walked into the kitchen. "You, Sanjū, Bisca, Levy, Erza, and I are hitting the town to get some kimonos for the festival."

Rizzo blinked remembering that it was around that time to go kimono shopping. The girls always went shopping for kimonos before the Harvest Festival.

"We should ask Lucy to come along." Rizzo said. "And Juvia too."

"Good idea." Cana said smiling.

"I don't have a problem with them joining in." Bisca said.

Rizzo smiled while not all that surprised the girls didn't have a problem with Lucy or Juvia coming along. It'd be good for Lucy anyway to get involved with in activities outside of guild work, and to do it with her guildmates. And Juvia is still very new here, so it'd be good for her to feel like part of the guild through spending time with the girls.

"I'll get dressed then head for Lucy's place while you tell Juvia." Rizzo said. "Meet you in front of the guildhall later with the others in an hour?"

"Yeah, sounds like a plan." Cana said nodding.

Rizzo nodded then finished her coffee before setting the mug in the sink. Bisca said she'd take care of it, so Rizzo headed for her room after picking up Sanjū who had a cup of herbal tea in her paws. Rizzo went up to her room, and set Sanjū, who let out a yawn, onto her pillow in her little corner of the room that she had picked out. Rizzo smiled at how cute Sanjū was as she scratched the top of her head. Rizzo then went to her bedroom closet, so to get dressed. She decided to keep it a bit simpler today, but just by grabbing jeans, a pink t-shirt, neon green jacket, and a pair of pink vans. Once dressed, she went back out of her bedroom to see Sanjū had finished her tea and was dressed to go.

"Okay, Sanjū, let's go." Rizzo said smiling while grabbing her piccolo case, which she had switched out for her guitar case again, so it wouldn't be in the way.

Sanjū nodded her head then flew up into the air to each Rizzo, so to rest on her shoulder. Rizzo and Sanjū left their room. Rizzo went out the front door of Fairy Hills. Rizzo hummed merrily as she practically skipped down the path from Fairy Hills into town. She waved to the townspeople who called out to her in good-morning as she made her way towards Lucy's apartment. Once Rizzo reached it, she let herself in as usual.

"Lucy!" She called.

Lucy, who had been sleeping, squeaked in surprise before rolling right out of her bed onto the floor. Lucy blinked looking up above her to see Rizzo and Sanjū leaning over her.

"What are you doing on the floor?" Rizzo asked.

Lucy just sighed wishing her _dearest_ friends would learn how to knock before entering to give her some kind of warning.

"What are you doing here?" Lucy asked.

"The girls and I are going shopping for kimonos to wear at the Harvest Festival." Rizzo explained. "After the parade we girls always change into kimonos to where around the festival."

Lucy blinked in confusion because she had no idea what festival Rizzo was talking about. Rizzo, who noticed her look of confusion, decided to explain. First, she held out her hand to Lucy, so to help the blonde up as Sanjū went to help herself to Lucy's tea selection. Once on her feet, Lucy sat down on her bed with Rizzo doing the same.

"The Harvest Festival is something that happens annually." Rizzo said. "Our guild is usually in charge of the parade or at least a really big part of it. This year the town has given Master Makarov more free reign with what to do for the festival."

"Whoa, so you're going to be in a parade?" Lucy asked.

"No." Rizzo said as she shook her head. " _We're_ going to be in the parade. Everyone in the guild participates in the parade. It's how it's always been. We try to change things up every year, but everyone usually knows their jobs after doing it for so long."

Lucy blinked wondering what it'd be like to be in a parade. And she wondered what she would do.

"What do you usually do, Rizzo?" Lucy asked.

"Well, most of the time I'm displaying my music magic in some form or another." Rizzo said as she smiled. "The kids really seem to like to hear me play my guitar. But this year I'm changing things up a bit."

"Changing how?" Lucy asked.

"Can't tell." Rizzo said with her smiling widening. "It's something I working out with the Master."

"Aw, you can't say something like that then not tell me!~" Lucy whined.

Rizzo laughed then just told Lucy to hurry up and get ready, so they can meet the other girls. Lucy pouted though went to get dressed as Sanjū finished making tea. She sat down on Lucy's bed then started drinking the tea. Rizzo smiled at her while petting her head.

"You going to be with me during the parade?" Rizzo asked.

"Of course," Sanjū replied. "I always do the parade with you, don't I? It's our little tradition."

Rizzo's smile widened a bit while glad to hear it. She thought Sanjū might want to join Jaser and the boys. Speaking of them, Rizzo had no idea what her brothers had planned for the parade. Did they even know about it? She was pretty sure Craylee did at least because Rizzo heard that Makarov was seeing if Craylee could maybe help with the costume designs for this year. And, of course, since he's Craylee, he promised Makarov he could design and make every single costume they needed for the parade. Which reminds her that she needs to see him soon to give him her measurements.

"So are we just going shopping for kimonos?" Lucy asked as she came out of her bathroom dressed.

"Well, our shopping trips usually start out with usual goals, but our goals usually go out the window." Rizzo said laughing. "Usually we end up going to every other clothing store in Magnolia before finally getting to the one we need to get to."

Lucy smiled because that sounded like a lot fun to her. She's never really gone on a shopping trip with a bunch of girls that were just friends and not servants.

"Ready to go?" Rizzo asked.

"Yeah!" Lucy said nodding.

Sanjū sighed wishing she had more time to enjoy the tea, but she supposes she'll just have to get more when they all stop for lunch. Sanjū flew after the two girls as they were leaving Lucy's apartment.

"We're meeting the other girls at the guild." Rizzo said. "Maybe Mira will be able to take some time off serving people and join us."

"The more of us the better." Lucy said smiling.

The two friends walked towards the guild together while chatting and Sanjū continued to fly beside them. When they reached the guildhall the others girls hadn't arrived yet, so they decided to take a seat at one of the tables.

"Oh, good-morning, Lucy, Rizzo." Mirajane said pleasantly as she walked up to them. "You're both here earlier than usual."

"We're doing a girls' shopping today, Mira, and we wanted to get an early start as usual." Rizzo explained. "Do you think you could come along?"

"Well, I would love to, but I'm so busy here." Mirajane said.

Lucy frowned a bit while wishing that Mirajane could come along with them. It'd be more fun with her. Rizzo was thinking the same as she let out a sigh.

"Mirajane, if you want to go, I can cover for you here." Breccan said as he walked up. "You work so hard. You deserve a girls' day out."

Mirajane seemed surprised by Breccan's offer as he looked at her with a sincere expression. Rizzo grinned because if Breccan did this then Mirajane really could come along.

"Are you sure?" Mirajane asked. "It can be a bit overwhelming at times."

Breccan chuckled then gently took the tray that Mirajane had been holding away from her.

"I think I can manage." Breccan said. "And if not, I'll ask our brothers to help out."

He gestured to himself and Rizzo when he said "our brothers" before glancing over at said boys. Craylee was patching up a hole in Alzach's poncho, which had been caused during his last mission. Sven was writing away in his Children's Storybook with his glasses perched on his nose, and Levy was sitting beside him as she watched in fascination at what he was writing. Jaser was just cutting it up with Jet, Droy, Warren, and Max probably over something trivial.

"Well, if you're sure." Mirajane said.

"Completely sure." Breccan said smiling kindly. "Everyone here will just have to put up with my ugly mug today instead of your pretty face."

Mirajane giggled behind her hand as Rizzo and Lucy exchanged a glance. Was Breccan flirting with Mirajane? The two friends smiled while both thinking about how cute the two S-class mages would be together.

"Thank-you, Breccan." Mirajane said. "That's very nice of you. Now, the boys might be disappointed I'm not here, but I'm sure the ladies will enjoy having you as their server."

Breccan chuckled not really sure about that. Rizzo and Lucy's smiles widened as they continued watching the two older mages speak.

"You girls enjoy your shopping trip." Breccan said to Rizzo and Lucy.

"We will." They said in unison.

They then waved goodbye to Breccan as he walked off to continue Mirajane's job. Mirajane gasped in surprise when she was pulled to sit down beside Lucy.

"So, Mira, you and Breccan seem to be getting close." Rizzo said _casually_ as she grinned.

"Is there something wrong with that?" Mirajane asked blinking.

"Of course not." Lucy said as her smile widened once more. "In fact, we think it's rather cute how close you two seem to be. I mean, I'm pretty sure I saw some flirting happening right then. Didn't you, Rizzo?"

"I definitely saw some flirting, Lu." Rizzo agreed nodding.

Mirajane giggled in amusement at the two of them as they kept giving her _knowing_ looks.

"I think you two are looking too far into a simple conversation." Mirajane said.

"Listen, Mira, I know Breccan better than almost anyone besides my brothers, so I know when he's flirting." Rizzo said. "And let me tell you…he was flirting."

Mirajane actually felt her cheeks heat up a bit when Rizzo said that. Lucy and Rizzo smirked when seeing the light pink color on their friend's cheeks. Rizzo then felt an arm go around her shoulders, so she turned her head to see Gray sitting down beside her as Natsu and Happy took the seats across from them.

"Hey, guys." Lucy said smiling.

"What are you girls talking about?" Gray asked.

Lucy and Rizzo grinned in an almost secretive manner as Mirajane said nothing. Gray and Natsu blinked wondering what was up with them.

"Shopping day." Rizzo said finally.

"Oh, you're doing your annual kimono shopping day with the girls?" Gray asked looking a tad disappointed.

Rizzo tilted her head wondering why Gray seemed disappointed to hear about her and the girls' shopping plans. He then chuckled as he scratched the back of his head.

"I guess asking you out on a date is out of the question." He said.

Lucy and Mirajane awed when Gray said that as Natsu made a "yuck" face. Rizzo blushed a bit since she and Gray haven't been on their first date yet.

"Well, if you're not busy tomorrow, I wouldn't mind going on a date." She said smiling.

There were more awws and gags when she said that, and she frowned at the girls wishing they'd stop doing that. She then reached out to pat Natsu on the head to console him. She knew this was hard on him since his best friend was now dating his "rival/nemesis". Gray just grinned while ignoring Natsu's disappointed.

"Meet you at Fairy Hills tomorrow at ten?" Gray asked.

"Sounds like a plan." Rizzo said. "But where are we going?"

"You'll find out tomorrow." He said. Gray said smirking.

"Not cool, Gray!" Rizzo complained.

Gray just chuckled as Rizzo pouted at him. Before she could grill him for answers, Cana and the other girls finally made it.

"Let's go!" Lucy said excitedly as she jumped up onto her feet.

Mirajane laughed in amusement by Lucy's excitement while getting up from the table. Lucy grabbed Rizzo by the wrist to pull her along as she whined about Gray being mean, which had the ice mage grinning. Rizzo finally just went along with Lucy and Mirajane to join Cana, Bisca, Levy, Juvia, and Erza.

"Well, I guess we better get going." Rizzo said. "We know this trip for kimonos is going to turn into something more as usual."

The girls laughed as Cana put her arm around Rizzo's shoulder as the pinkette was smiling.

"You heard the lady!" Cana said. "Let's get this show on the road."

The girls left while chatting about their day of shopping and where they might grab lunch later today.

"Gees, what are we going to do?" Natsu said. "Apparently missions are out of the question since the girls are out…being girly."

Gray rolled his eyes as Natsu crossed his arms over his chest with a frown on his face.

"Why not finally fight Jaser like you keep saying you want to?" Happy, who paused in eating his fish, asked.

A large grin light up Natsu's face when Happy reminded him of fighting Jaser.

"Great idea, little buddy!" Natsu said. "Hey, Jaser!"

Jaser looked over his shoulder to Natsu who hopped out of his seat to stand on the table.

"Let's finally have that fight!" Natsu said.

Jaser grinned looking excited as he hopped up onto his feet, but before they could take it outside, Breccan used his magic is shake what was under them to knock them off their feet.

"Wait until everyone's more awake before you start brawling." Breccan said.

"Fine." Both Dragon Slayers whined while pouting.

"Idiots." Gray and Craylee said in unison.

* * *

"So, girls, where are we stopping first?" Bisca asked.

"Somewhere we can get Rizzo a new outfit for her date tomorrow~" Lucy said as she hip bumped Rizzo.

The pinkette frowned at her friend as the other girls started grinning and teasing Rizzo.

"I'll remember this, Lucy." Rizzo warned.

Lucy just snorted before pulling Rizzo along as all the girls started giving opinions on what Rizzo should buy.

"Why do I need to buy a new outfit?" Rizzo said. "I have plenty of clothes."

"When you're going on a first date, you always have to pull out a new outfit, Rizzo." Mirajane said.

Rizzo shook her head not understanding that logic, but all the girls seemed to agree with Mirajane.

"I'm not getting out of it either way am I?" She asked.

"No, you're not, Ri-chan." Levy said while smiling. "Now where to first?"

"Well, if the date leads to the bedroom, you'll need a sexy pair of underwear." Cana said grinning.

Juvia blushed at what Cana was saying. Had she no decency? Juvia then looked down as she bit her lip. Would Craylee like her more if she wore skimpy underwear?

"Rizzo has racy underwear covered." Erza said blushing as she remembered what she saw in Rizzo's underwear drawer.

She still didn't understand how anyone could wear such underwear in public even if it is under their clothes.

"Oh, really?" Cana asked smirking.

"They're comfortable." Rizzo said as she shrugged. "All I own is "sexy lingerie" because I prefer it. Why only buy a few pair for special occasions when I can wear it every day?"

Levy blushed at the very thought of wearing sexy lingerie once let alone everyday. Bisca was blushing as well as she had a small image of Alzach catching sight of her in such underwear. Her blush darkened with her face feeling extremely warm. Juvia's previous blush turned redder as she had a similar image to Bisca, but with Craylee in the place of Alzach. Rizzo looked at her friends wondering why all of them had such red faces.

"You know, I'm still curious to where you get your underwear." Erza said.

"I want to know now too." Lucy said.

"We passed the two about three stores back." Rizzo said as she turned pointing.

She was then being dragged along by Cana this time who turned around to head towards where Rizzo was pointing. Rizzo blinked wondering if she was going to be dragged around all day. She chuckled shrugging since it wasn't that big of a deal as long as everyone was enjoying themselves. They went a few stores back, and once they reached the store Rizzo frequents for her lingerie, the pinkette tugged Cana to a stop.

"Well, here it is." Rizzo said gesturing up to it. "Madam Cherie's Lingerie Emporium."

Suddenly the door bust open, which had all the girls, but Rizzo, jumping back in shock. Standing there was a beautiful woman who looked to be in her early to mid-forties. She had deep green-colored hair and sapphire eyes. She had a curved figure and heart-shaped face.

"Rizzo, my darling little girl!" The woman gushed. "How happy I am to see you. It has been too long, my little strawberry!"

She pinched Rizzo's cheek as the other girls stared at this woman wondering what was up with her.

"Hello, Madam Cherie." Rizzo said. "Any new shipments come in since I was last here?"

"Yes, little one." Cherie said as she gently tapped Rizzo's nose. "Plenty of new lingerie for you to choose from."

Cherie turned her eyes on the girls behind Rizzo as she flipped out a fan to cover the bottom half of her face. Levy and Lucy jumped while grabbing onto each other. This woman freaked them out a bit. Mirajane and Erza exchanged a glance with the prior shrugging her shoulders while giggling. Juvia tilted her head curiously at this woman as Bisca and Cana just stood there silently. Sanjū sighed wishing Cherie would try to calm her zealous personality.

"…oh, Rizzo, who are your friends?" Cherie asked.

"Madam Cherie, these are some of my friends from Fairy Tail." Rizzo said. "The blonde is Lucy and the redhead is Erza. They're both on my team. Then there is Cana the brunette, and the green-haired cowgirl is Bisca. Mirajane is the girl with white-hair and a big smile on her face. Then the light blue-haired girl is Levy, and the other bluenette is Juvia. She's a new addition to the guild, but we're already all great friends with her. And you know Sanjū, of course."

Juvia's eyes widened when Rizzo said that, but she then smiled while happy to hear her say such kind things.

"Well, any friends of my little strawberry is welcome here!" Cherie said. "Please come in! Since today is a day of new meetings you all maybe take anything you want from the new shipment free of charge~"

"'Little strawberry'?" Levy asked sweat-dropping.

She looked towards Rizzo who just smiled and shrugged her shoulders as if she was used to being called that.

"Really? Thanks so much." Lucy said while smiling at Cherie.

"You're welcome, little sunflower." Cherie said as she tapped Lucy's nose.

Lucy sweat-dropped wondering if she was really just given a new nickname. The girls all went into the store as they followed Cherie inside. Levy, Juvia, Bisca, and Erza gasped in shock when seeing all the sexy lingerie there was in just this store that didn't seem that big on the outside.

"Woo, this is really was sexy stuff." Cana said chuckling. "I might have to start coming here for my underwear."

"Me too." Lucy said as she picked up a bra and panty matching set. "These are cute."

Rizzo grinned seeing that at least two of her friends seemed to be impressed. The others…just looked uncomfortable, which had her chuckling. Cherie, who had disappeared into the back for a moment, returned with a crate that she was rolling out. The girls gathered around as Cherie opened the crate to reveal the skimpy items inside.

"Here you go, mes petits chéris." She said smiling. "The new shipment. Please, help yourselves."

"Thank-you, Madam." Rizzo said.

"Actually, Madam Cherie, maybe you could help us out." Lucy said. "See Rizzo has a date tomorrow—"

"And we need to find her the perfect undergarments for it." Cana finished as she smiled while putting her arm around Rizzo's shoulders.

Rizzo sighed wondering why they seemed so dead set on getting her sexy lingerie for her date. Cherie smiled as she looked towards Rizzo.

"My little strawberry has found a man?" Cherie asked.

"Yep!" Lucy said while nodding.

Cherie, whose smile had widened greatly, clapped looking very pleased to hear this.

"This is wonderful news!" Cherie said. "Oh, I had been so worried my little strawberry would never find a man."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Rizzo demanded as she blushed.

Cherie chuckled behind her fan, which she still held in front of her face to hide her nose down behind it.

"Sorry, little strawberry, but you're always so shy about anything romantic that I thought you would be able to even admit feelings for a man." Cherie confused.

Rizzo huffed looking away with a blush on her face as some of the girls giggled in amusement. Rizzo felt a hand put on her shoulder, so she turned her head to see Juvia.

"Don't worry, Rizzo-chan." Juvia said. "You have Gray-san now, which is what matters."

Rizzo blinked before a smile pulled across her face as she nodded her head, which had Juvia smiling as well.

"Yeah." Rizzo said.

"Gray?"

Rizzo and Juvia jumped when Cherie's voice came from beside them all of a sudden. They looked towards the older woman seeing a thoughtful expression on her face. Her face then lit up as she hit her fan, which was closed now, into her open palm while going "ah-ha!".

"You mean that young dark-haired mage that likes to strip!" Cherie said.

"Yeah…that's Gray." Rizzo said as she scratched the back of her head. "He's an idiot with a stripping habit…but I guess I'm okay with that."

Rizzo smiled shrugging her shoulders, and Cherie awed as she dabbed at her eyes, which were watering.

"We must find you the perfect underwear for your date!" Cherie declared.

"Why?! It's not like he'll be seeing my underwear!" Rizzo retorted.

She went unheard as she was dragged towards the dressing rooms by Cherie who was apparently stronger than she looked. As she was being dragged away, Lucy suddenly tilted her head to the side while looking curious.

"Ya know…I'm kind of wondering what the guys are up to." Lucy said.

* * *

Back at the Fairy Tail guild many were gather outside with a circle of open space in the middle of the large crowd where only Jaser and Natsu stood. They both were sporting large and excited grins as they faced each other. Craylee and Sven were taking bets off to the side with Happy resting on Craylee's shoulder the entire time.

"Last call for bets!" Sven called out. "Anymore bets?!"

A few more people hurried over to place bets before the fight could get started.

"Who do you think will win?" Alzach asked his friends.

"Not sure." Jet replied. "Both Natsu and Jaser are strong Dragon Slayers."

There were nods and murmurs of agreement as everyone stood around waiting for the fight to start.

"We've watched Natsu become strong over the years." Gray admitted. "However, we've seen what Jaser can do as well. Remember how much he was beating the shit out of Gajeel?"

Gajeel, who heard what Gray said, grumbled and glared towards the ice mage from where he stood alone a few feet away.

"Jaser was like a completely different person during that fight with Phantom." Nab said.

"He was a real man!" Elfman said nodding.

"No, he was more like a dragon." Vijeeter said.

Everyone looked towards the Rajasthan Native as he grinned while cracking his knuckles. He didn't have the exact same look in his eyes from when he fought Gajeel, but his pupils did seem to slit like a reptile's and his eyes a sharper gold color.

"I'm not going to take it easy on you, Natsu." Jaser warned. "I'm coming at you with everything Sabbia taught me."

"Back at ya." Natsu said as he grinned. "Igneel didn't teach a weakling, so you better be ready."

The very air around then seemed to crackle with excited tension as everyone waited to see what would happen. Makarov stepped up clearing his throat as Breccan stood behind him.

"Okay, Round 1 start!" He declared.

The two Dragon Slayers didn't waste any time in rushing towards each other with their respective elements collecting on their fists.

"Fire Dragon: Iron Fist!/Sand Dragon: Soaring Fist!" They shouted in unison.

They shot their fists forward with them clashing, which sent out a blast of power. Some covered their faces and turned away, so to avoid the bright light cause by the clashing attacks. Once the light disappeared, everyone looked back to see the boys hadn't paused once as they continued to fight. They were swapping hits back at forth, and even when they were punched in the face they continued grinning.

"You've got this, Jaser!" Sven called out. "Show him the power of one of the Treblemen!"

Craylee just watched the fight silently as Jaser head-butted Natsu to send him to the ground. Jaser then tried to hit Natsu, who was still on the ground, with a swift sand kick to his gut. However, Natsu pin wheeled out of the way. He tried to use his own head-butt move on Jaser, but the older Dragon Slayer nimble back flipped out of the way. Jaser landed on his feet before fluidly moving his arms as he started to spin around.

"Sand Dragon: Spinning Funnel!" He shouted as he finished spinning around.

The rapidly sand funnel went speeding towards Natsu who brought up his arms to block it. The attack sent him skidding back a few feet, and managed to cut up his arms a bit. However, he was still standing and ready to continue fighting. Jaser grinned when seeing Natsu was still on his feet. He wanted all of this to be a challenge.

"My turn!" Natsu said as he ran forward with his arms lighting up on fire. "Fire Dragon: Wing Attack!"

He hit Jaser with the attack, and it burnt part of Jaser's shirt off while leaving marks behind on his torso. Jaser didn't hesitate to retaliate by punching Natsu right in the face. Natsu's head snapped to the side, and he chuckled as he looked back to Jaser while wiping the blood off of his lip.

"Now, I'm really getting excited." Natsu said.

He and Jaser went back to swapping attacks, and some of the people watching had to dodge a stray fire or sand attack from the two Dragon Slayers.

"Hey, be careful where you're aiming!" Macao said as he pat the fire out on his coat.

"Re-r-really!" Wakaba agreed as he coughed up some sand.

They went unheard by the two fighting Dragon Slayers who continued on fighting. Makarov just shook his head.

"Kids." He mumbled.

* * *

As the day was coming to an end, the girls arrived back to the guild to see that outside there were craters and scorch marks here and there.

"What the—?" Levy began.

"Natsu and Jaser." Rizzo said. "Looks like they finally got to have their fight."

Lucy sighed shaking her head along with Sanjū who wondered why everyone in her guild was so destructive. Rizzo just chuckled as all the girls walked into the guildhall to see that at least the inside was unscathed. Jaser and Natsu were sitting together at one of the tables with bandages on them.

"So who won?" Rizzo asked as she set down her bags.

"It was a tie." They said in unison.

Natsu seemed really annoyed with this, but Jaser just had a large grin on his face.

"Next time, I'll win." Natsu said resolutely.

Rizzo smiled at her fellow pinkette while ruffling his hair as she leaned against the back of the seat. Lucy and Erza smiled as well as Natsu continued pouting.

"Sure you will, pal." Happy, who was munching on fish, said.

"I'm sure Jaser will wipe the floor with you next time, fire muncher." Gray said as he walked up.

"What do you know?!" Natsu snapped. "You wanna go?!"

Gray just rolled his eyes at Natsu as he took Rizzo's hand as if it was second nature to him. Rizzo smiled while thinking about their date tomorrow. She still wants to know what he plans to do…but she supposes she can wait to find out.

* * *

Rizzo looked at herself in the mirror as she wondered if this new outfit was really okay for her date out with Gray. She had on a short dress with a black corset top with neon green ribbon tying it up in the back. The skirt of the dress was pink, and it stopped mid-thigh. On her feet were black boots that went up to her knees and had three inch heels On her hands were black fingerless gloves that went up past her elbows, and around her neck was a neon green choker.

"Whoa, you look great."

Rizzo went "eek!" before whirling around to see Gray sitting on the sill of her open bedroom window. She frowned wondering what he was doing in here.

"Gray, why the hell are you being like a creeper and spying on me at the window?!" Rizzo demanded.

"Hey, hey, calm down." He said holding up his hands in a defenseless manner. "I thought the girls would be waiting downstairs to ambush when I came to get you, so I decided to take a different route."

He shrugged his shoulders casually as Rizzo sighed. She understood now why he came this way…but some warning would have been nice. Rizzo shook her head then looked at Gray to see he was fully clothed.

"I'm impressed, Frosty." Rizzo said. "You managed to get here without "misplacing" any of your clothes."

Gray snorted rolling his eyes though he did thank her for the "compliment" if it could even be called that. Rizzo walked over to him to grab his hands.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going now?" Rizzo asked.

She looked at Gray with hopeful eyes as she lightly tugged on their intertwined hands.

"Nope." Gray said grinning.

Rizzo whined with her lips forming into a pout, which had Gray grinning even more. He then boldly placed a kiss on her pouty lips. His action brought a small blush to Rizzo's cheeks, but she did kiss him back in return. Gray gently took his hands away from her to wrap his arms around her slender waist to pull her closer. They pulled back a moment later.

"We better get going." Gray said.

"Good idea." Rizzo said chuckling.

Gray easily jumped from the window slide down the small makeshift ice slide to make it to the ground below before he looked up at Rizzo. She climbed out of her window then slid down as well into Gray's awaiting arms. They then walked away from Fairy Hills with their hands intertwined.

"When are you going to tell me where we're going?" Rizzo asked.

"When we get there." Gray replied. "Be patient."

"But I'm horrible at being patient!" Rizzo whined.

* * *

"An ice cream parlor?" Rizzo asked blinking.

After she and Gray reached down, he had lend them to the local ice cream parlor, which was actually owned by a retired mage and his family. Apparently, the ice cream was the best in Fiore due to the age using his magic and making the ice cream from scratch. The place was called Frozen Treats, and it sold more than just ice cream. Frozen yogurt was also very popular here.

"I know how much you like sweets." Gray said grinning. "And I seem to remember a certain pinkette who used to come here a lot when we were younger with a certain idiot, a talented young ice mage, and two felines then order a Rock n' Pop Swirl Sherbet with extra magic pop candy."

Rizzo let the insult towards Natsu slide as she smiled. They used to come here all the time when they were kids. Actually almost all the younger generation of Fairy Tail used to come here a lot…Rizzo guesses that when they all got older and started taking on more jobs that they forgot about this place.

"It has been a while since I've been here." She said.

Gray's grin widened when Rizzo seemed to be happy with where he decided to take their date.

"Let's go!" She then said while tugging him along.

Gray chuckled at how childlike she was acting as she pulled him through the doors that led inside. When they stepped inside, the place was as busy as they remember.

"Well, if it isn't Gray Fullbuster and Rizzo Sweeney back in my shop."

The two mages looked towards the counter to see a middle aged man standing there. He pale lavender hair with silver streaks running through it and kind brown eyes. He grinned in a friendly manner towards the two young mages.

"Hey, old man." Gray said as he waved. "Business is still good I see."

The man, whose name is Wayne Faulkner, chuckled nodding his head as Gray and Rizzo walked up to the counter.

"Now what can I get the two of you?" Wayne asked. "And where's the rest of your usual group? Meeting you here later?"

"No, it's just us today, Wayne-san." Rizzo said as she smiled.

"Oh?" Wayne asked with a quirked brow.

He then happened to notice the two of them holding hands, which brought a small to his face.

"Ah, I see." He said chuckling. "On a date, huh? It's about time you got around to asking this girl out, kid."

Gray blushed when Wayne said that, which had Rizzo snorting behind her hand to poorly hide her amusement.

"Yeah, yeah." Gray said. "I've been hearing that a lot lately."

Most of the guys at the guild had said similar things to him the moment they found out that him and Rizzo were now dating. Makarov even mentioned wedding bells and giving him more grandchildren. Then Macao and Wakaba made it worse by adding that soon Gray and Rizzo would be raising the next generation of the guild. Those old timers were just lucky Gray didn't freeze their asses.

"So, let me guess, one Rock n' Pop Swirl Sherbet and one Vanilla ice cream." Wayne said.

"Yep." Rizzo said nodding. "You know us so well."

Wayne chuckled once more then told them to take a seat, and their orders would be brought to them soon. Gray and Rizzo went over to one of the last remaining tables that was right beside the large window in the front of the parlor. Gray pulled out Rizzo's chair for her, so she could sit before sitting down across from her.

"You it's a bit weird not being with the others." Rizzo said. "Not in a bad way…just different."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Gray said.

"But I like spending time with you alone too." Rizzo said smiling.

Gray felt his cheeks warm just a bit as he held Rizzo's hand on top of the table.

"Then we should do this more often." Gray suggested. "Go out just the two of us."

"I'd like that." Rizzo said nodding.

Soon their orders were brought to them, and they thanked their waiter who happened to be one of Wayne's sons. Gray payed upfront for the deserts before he and Rizzo tucked into their treats while making conversation between bites. Gray looked up from his ice cream to say something to Rizzo but paused when he saw a bit of sherbet on the corner of her lips. He thought about telling her, but an idea came to mind, which brought a grin to his face. He leaned over the table, which had Rizzo looking up at him.

"Gray, what—?"

She stopped mid question when she felt Gray's lips on the corner of her own. Her eyes widened when she felt his tongue for a small moment against her lips. He was leaning away before her mind fully processed what happened. When it caught up, she felt her cheeks grown warm. Gray smirked seeming satisfied when he saw the blush on her cheeks.

"You had a bit of sherbet on your lips." He said simply.

"Couldn't you have just told me?" She asked as she glared at him.

Her glare wasn't that scary considering the fact that she was blushing and pouting as well.

"I could have." Gray said. "But if I had, I would have passed up on a chance to make you blush. And you're cute when you blush."

Rizzo's blush got a bit darker when he said that, which had him feeling a bit smugger. She mentally swore that she would get him back. He might have one this round, but he has no idea what is to come. Gray just continued grinning while already knowing that inside that pretty head of hers that she's planning "revenge" for later. He chuckled while quite sure he'd enjoy this little game. He took another bite of ice cream while quiet happy with how things turned out. He'd definitely have to take her on more dates in the future.


	36. Beauty Contest Turns Into a Battle

Rizzo let out a yawn as she sat at her desk where sheet music was laying out in front of her. The song she was working on was coming along well, but there was still bits and pieces that needed refining. And she better work on it quick since the Harvest Festival is just around the corner. As Rizzo set down her pen, she turned her head towards her window to see that the sun was set over the trees in the distance. She hadn't went to sleep last night…and she didn't even realize that the day had gotten away from her. Was she that caught up in her work?

"Looks like I pulled another all-nighter…and then another whole day without even a nap afterwards." She said sighing. "I can't keep going like this."

She pinched the bridge of her nose a she turned back to the work she had left. The music wasn't complete. Or rather it wasn't to her liking, so she kept nick picking it. However, she couldn't continue doing that. She needed to finish it because she didn't have that much time left. She let out another sigh with her eyes turning to look at the flyer that was also on her desk. She also needed to find out what she wanted to do for the Miss Fairy Tail Contest. Why did she always leave things to last minute?

She shook her head as she stood up from her desk while deciding that she had done enough for now. She'll get a few hours of sleep then complete everything when she wakes up in the morning. She also needs to speak with Craylee later. He had gotten her measurements earlier in the week, and he had told her the other day that her outfit was complete. Rizzo was about to just fall face first onto her bed when her bedroom window was slammed open.

"RIZZ!"

Rizzo turned around seeing that Natsu and Happy were paying one of their usually unannounced entries.

"Natsu…Happy." Rizzo murmured.

Natsu blinked seeing that his friend was barely standing on her feet at the moment.

"Whoa, Rizz, pull another all-nighter?" Natsu asked. "Did you even sleep today?"

"Maybe." Rizzo said then fell back on her butt onto her bed.

Natsu chuckled seeing that she had pulled another all-nighter. He knows Rizzo only does this when either doing some extra special training, or working on a new piece of music. Natsu shook his head guessing he now knew why Rizzo never came to the guildhall today. Rizzo just curled up on her bed looking as if she'd just sleep in what she had on and without getting under the covers. Natsu grinned in amusement while guessing he'd have to tuck her in.

"Man, she did it again?"

Natsu frowned as he turned his head to see that Gray had followed him and Happy here. He knew the ice mage had been worried about their pink-haired friend today too. However, he didn't have to tag along.

"Too…many…boys in my room." Rizzo murmured sleepily.

"We'll leave once you're ready for bed." Gray said. "Okay, Natsu, you and Happy can leave. I'll get Rizzo ready for bed."

"Yeah, right!" Natsu said. "No way am I leaving you here alone with her. You'll probably try to take advantage of her in her sleep."

"What'd you say to me?!" Gray demanded.

He and Natsu butt heads while starting one of their usual arguments. Happy shook his head as their yelling brought Sanjū into the room.

"What is all this noise?" Sanjū asked.

When she saw Natsu and Gray fighting she got her answer. She frowned wondering why they were even here in the first place. She then saw Rizzo curled up on her bed practically passed out.

"This girl…always pushing herself too much." Sanjū complained but there was a fond smile on her face.

She cleared her throat a second later before clapping her paws loudly together, which got the boys attention.

"Natsu, Happy, go home…or to Lucy's apartment…or wherever it is you go when leaving the guild." Sanjū said. "I'll put Rizzo to bed properly."

"But what about him?!" Natsu asked pointing towards Gray.

"Gray will be leaving as well." Sanjū said. "There's no question about that. Now you all better quiet down before Erza comes in here to see what all the noise is about."

Natsu and Gray froze with fear seeping into them at the thought of Erza coming in here to see them. She was very strict about the dorm rules. If she saw them, she'd hurt them without question. Happy wasn't all too worried about it since he was allowed here.

"Okay." Natsu said while frowning. "We'll go."

"I'm sure Rizzo will hang out with the two of you tomorrow." Sanjū said as she saw them to the window to show them out in a polite manner. "She said something about wanting to do some training to strengthen her body, so she mentioned sparing without aid of magic and weightlifting and such. I'm sure she'd like to do that with you."

Natsu's face lit up since he'd like doing that. It's been a long time since him, Rizzo, Happy, and Sanjū have done anything together without anyone else.

"We'll meet you both bright and early!" Natsu said grinning.

"Aye!" Happy added.

Sanjū blinked…she never said that she would be going along with them. The two disappeared out the window a moment later as Gray rolled his eyes. What an idiot.

"Now, Gray, you can say your goodnights to her, but then you must be gone too." Sanjū said firmly to Gray. "Be gone by the time I return with her pajamas."

"Okay, okay." Gray said while chuckling.

Sanjū nodded her head then went into Rizzo's large closet to look for a clean pair of pajamas. Gray went over to Rizzo's bed where said pinkette was already sleeping soundly. He carefully sat down on her bed before leaning in to kiss her temple.

"Night, Rizzo." He said. "Try to get some sleep. You need it."

Rizzo murmured in her sleep, which brought a grin to his face. He then left just as Sanjū was coming out of the closet with Rizzo's favorite pajamas in hand. Sanjū looked at her friend while sighing.

"Now comes the hard part." She said with her ears drooping. "I bet everyone else from the guild is getting settled in for the night like I should be."

The pink-furred cat happened to be wrong because in a town not far from Magnolia four certain members of Fairy Tail…were taking care of… _business_.

* * *

In the town of Shirotsume, three figures approached a large, dark building in a cemetery that belonged to the dark guild Ghoul Spirit. When they made it to the door someone tried to stop them, but a fourth figure suddenly appeared fro the shadows to knock the man back. The man went flying into the door, which smashed open. The other members of the guild hurried to their feet as the four figures stepped into the light. These figures were revealed to be the members of the Thunder Legion. The Soul Master Bickslow. The Dark Script Mage Freed Justine. The self-proclaimed Fairy Queen Evergreen. Then finally there was the S-class beauty Amarante Yoru.

"You laughed at us, didn't you?" Freed asked. "Big mistake."

"If you're looking for a fight, you've got one!" One man shouted.

They started charging towards the Thunder Legion with their weapons and magic.

"To think that a pack of rats would have the audacity to mock members of a proper guild." Evergreen said. "What is the world coming to?"

She lowered her glasses to look directly at a few men, and they instantly turned to stone.

"What happened?"

"They turned to stone."

The men growled in anger before they continued their assault on the Thunder Legion. Amarante just held out her hand with a katana appearing in her hand. Darkness whirled around her before she sliced the air in front of her several times.

"Shadow's Dance." She said as she was sheathing her blade.

The moment the blade clicked back into the sheath, black shadows sliced up about a dozen men. Bickslow then attacked with his dolls as Amarante had her blade disappear from her hand.

"I think that's enough, Bickslow." Freed said.

The grin dropped off of Bickslow's face as he turned to face the green-haired man.

"What?" He asked. "You mean we're done already?"

"Let's not waste our time with these weaklings." Freed said. "I don't see why they bothered to even form a guild."

"But we can't leave just yet." Bickslow said. "My little babies are looking to have more fun."

His dolls echoed his words as usual as they floated around their master who was grinning.

"Be patient." Freed said. "I assure you they'll see plenty of action soon enough."

"So we're going through with Laxus's plan?" Evergreen asked. "I suppose it's about time."

"You better not be jerking my chain because me and my babies have been waiting for this." Bickslow said as he let his tongue stick out.

Amarante just remained silent as she frowned. She wasn't sure about any of this. However….if it's what Laxus wants, she will do it.

"If we're going then let's go." Amarante said as she turned around.

"Okay, okay." Bickslow said then held out his hand towards her. "But come here first. We don't want you getting lost on the way back like you did on the way here."

"He's right." Evergreen said. "You need to hold one of our hands."

"They're both right." Freed said nodding.

He and Evergreen held out their hands towards Amarante as well while being completely serious.

"My sense of direction isn't that bad!~" Amarante whined as she blushed in embarrassment.

* * *

A few days later, Rizzo let out a small yawn as she walked down the street with Gray and Lucy with Natsu and Happy walking in front of them. Today Rizzo wore a neon green corset top that stopped above her belly button. She then had on pink leather pants on that hugged lowly on her hips. Her boots were black as usual, and went up to her knees. On her arms were black lace gloves, which went up past her elbows, and if someone looked close enough to the pattern of the gloves they'd see the Fairy Tail guild mark stitched into the detail. Around her neck was a black choker, and around her waist was a black belt with a white skull buckle.

"You should really cover your mouth when yawning."

Rizzo blinked looking to see Craylee, who was carrying many bags, and Juvia, who was following him around, stopping in front of her and the others. Rizzo just stuck her tongue out at her brother, which had him looking at her unimpressed.

"What's with all the bags, man?" Gray asked.

"Oh, these are the finished costumes for everyone for the parade." Craylee said.

"Whoa, you really finished all those costumes?" Lucy asked with wide eyes.

"Of course." Craylee said. "A professional such as myself always finishes the work given to him."

Lucy sweat-dropped while not surprise. She really shouldn't have asked. Juvia swooned as she gazed at Craylee.

"Craylee-sama is so amazing." Juvia said as she hugged his arm.

Rizzo chuckled as Craylee frowned not seeming to know how to handle Juvia's affection. It amused her since Craylee was rarely fazed by anything. Yet Juvia was making him uncomfortable since he didn't know what to do when it came to the bluenette, which Rizzo thought was cute.

"Food." Natsu mumbled from in front of them.

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

"Must eat everything in sight." Natsu continued to mumble.

"Show time!" Happy added. "Yeah!

Rizzo sighed feeling worried about her fellow pinkette. It seemed as if he still wasn't back to 100%. Not that she's surprised.

"Natsu, still hasn't recovered, huh?" Lucy asked.

"He does seem rather ill doesn't he?" Juvia asked.

"Hopefully he'll be better in a few days." Rizzo said.

"Serves him right for doing something moronic like eating Ethernano." Craylee said.

He then winced when Rizzo pinched his arm harshly. He frowned down at her as she stuck her tongue up at him. Why was he stuck with a bratty sister again? And why did he care about said bratty sister? He sighed knowing exactly why.

"He'll be fine once he eats some food." Gray said shrugging.

"You haven't changed a bit, Gray."

Rizzo blinked immediately recognizing that voice. She turned around with the others to see Warren standing there.

"Warren!" She cheered throwing her arms up into the air.

She latched onto the man in her typical "welcome home" hug, which had Lucy and Juvia laughing in amusement.

"Hey, Rizzo, good to see you too." Warren said.

Rizzo pulled back with her smile still bright on her face as Gray smiled at Warren as well.

"It's been a while, Warren." Gray pointed out.

"Didn't think I'd make it back in time for the festival, but here I am." Warren admitted.

Craylee frowned guessing this meant he'd have to make a last minute costume. Shouldn't be too much of a challenge for someone with skills such as him.

"This guy takes on so many jobs we hardly ever see him." Gray said. "I mean, he even takes on more jobs than Rizzo used to tackle."

Rizzo shrugged her shoulders because it was true. Usually she and Warren were the ones who kept the busiest in the guild by taking on several jobs. However, Rizzo made it back to Fairy Tail faster and more often that Warren because she'd complete her jobs as quickly as possible.

"Hello, Juvia is a new recruit." Juvia said as she stepped up. "My name is Juvia. And this is Craylee-sama!"

She gestured to Craylee as if he was some kind of grand being, which had him sighing.

"Pleasure to meet you." Craylee said. "I too recently joined the guild with my three older brothers, and Rizzo happens to be our little sister. My name is Craylee Satterfield."

"Oh, so you're the ones I've been hearing about." Warren said.

"Meet Warren Rocko." Gray said. "He's a master of telepathy magic."

Juvia and Warren exchanged polite pleasantries as Craylee, who balanced all his bags in one hand, and Warren shook hands.

"This festival is quite a sight." Juvia said as she looked around.

"No kidding, what a crowd." Lucy said.

"It is a pretty big deal." Warren said. "People come from all around to see the Fantasia Parade."

"And this year it's going to be twice as better as the last." Rizzo said grinning. "That's a guarantee."

Gray and Warren smiled while nodding their heads. Gray then took Rizzo's hand while happy to see how excited she was.

"I can't wait to see it myself." Lucy said.

"Lucy, I already told you that you're going to be in the parade, remember?" Rizzo asked.

She then frowned as she felt as if she had forgotten something. It has something to do with the festival…which is today…what was it?

"Wasn't there something else I was supposed to be in?" Lucy murmured then gasped. "I forgot all the Miss Fairy Tail Contest. My rent money!"

She took off running as Rizzo chuckled almost sheepishly as she scratched the back of her head. Now she remembers what she forgot.

"A contest?" Juvia asked. "Juvia refuses to be outdone by that bimbo!"

Craylee and Gray leaned away from the water woman when seeing the dark aura rolling off her.

"I suppose this means you will be joining in as well." Craylee said.

"I will be too." Rizzo confessed. "I promised Levy I'd do it this year with the rest of the girls from Fairy Hills. I guess I kind of forgot. Oops. Besides, if Erza is competing then I'll have to beat her for sure!"

Gray and Warren chuckled while not all that surprised that Rizzo would say something like that.

* * *

Gray sat beside Natsu at one of the tables at the guild as it came time for the Miss Fairy Tail Contest.

"The long wait is finally over, ladies and gentlemen!" Max, who was hosting the event, said into his mic. "Welcome to the one and only Miss Fairy Tail Contest! Where your favorite fairies fight in a battle of beauty. I'm Max Alors, sand mage extraordinaire. And I'll be your host for this exciting event!"

The crowd, which consisted mostly of men, gave loud cheers and whistles due to their excitement.

"I expected to see Elfman here." Gray said as he looked at Natsu. "But why you?"

"Because he's a man!" Elfman declared.

Gray sweat-dropped shaking his head as Natsu just continued to munch pitifully on some bread.

"Now let's meet entry number 1!" Max said. "The exotic beauty who will drink you under the table any day of the week! Cana Alberona!"

Cana stepped onto the stage in her usual wear before striking a pose. Jaser clapped for his friend as she grinned out at the crowd.

"Now bust out some magic, and show us your stuff!" Max said while nearly bent completely backwards.

"That looks painful." Sven commented as he blinked.

Breccan chuckled as he pat the blonde mage on top his head, which had the latter smiling. Cana pulled out a deck of cards to hold up in front of her face. The cards started spinning all around her, which made it nearly impossible for her to be seen.

"She's center deck spinning!" Max commentated. _"_ What could she be doing behind all those cards?"

When the cards disappeared, Cana was left standing there in a very revealing bikini, which had the men going wild.

"She changed into a swimsuit!" Max said.

Cana smirked in Jaser's direction thinking he'd be going crazy over seeing her rocking body too, but when she looked at him...he was just clapping politely while smiling. Gees, didn't this guy know when a girl was trying to catch his attention? And why didn't he even react to seeing her in so little clothing?

"Onto entry number 2." Max continued once Cana left the stage. "She may be new to the guild, but her magic is S-class! A radiant beauty in rain or shine! Juvia Lockser!"

Craylee, who had been adding finishing touches on a costume, looked up curiously as Juvia came onto the stage. She really did join in on the contest, huh? Juvia smiled as she placed her hands over her chest before spreading her arms open wide to let her body flow like water. Once the water cleared, Juvia was standing there in her own bikini.

"And the lady is all ready for a lovely day at the beach!" Max joked.

"Look at me, Craylee-sama!" Juvia said. "Do you like what you see?"

She looked out towards Craylee in the crowd, and was nearly crushed in despair when she saw he had returned to sewing. She walked off the stage pouting. Though if she had stayed and looked closer, she would have noticed the tiniest of redness on the seamster's cheeks as he focused a little _too_ intently on his task.

"Next up is entry number 3!" Max said as he kept things moving along. "Fairy Tail's famous centerfold! Her beauty has stolen the hearts of men and women all over the land! Mirajane!"

Mirajane walked out onto the stage with a large smile on her face as the men went wild in the crowds.

"Now show us your stuff!" Max said.

"My specialty is transformation magic, so I'll show you a new side of me." Mirajane said.

Gray tiled his head wondering what she had planned. He then looked on in surprise with everyone when she transformed her head to look like…

"This is my Happy face!" She said with her head now looking like it belonged to Happy.

All her fans looked heartbroken by what she decided to do, or look rather disturbed. Breccan was one of the few laughing in amusement as he continued to smoke on his umpteenth cigarette of the day.

"And this is my Gajeel face!" She said with it transforming to Gajeel's face next.

Gajeel spit out his drink in shock as Happy held his tummy while laughing hysterically.

"Well, I'm glad at least someone's enjoying this." Gray said as he grinned in amusement.

"She's man?!" Elfman shouted in surprise.

Gray just snorted shaking his head as Happy continued to laugh even after Mirajane left the stage.

"Entry number 4 is the Fairy Queen herself who needs no introduction." Max began as a certain redhead hurried in a flashy manner to center stage. "Erza Scarlett!"

Gray clapped for his teammate as some men started hooting and hollering excitedly.

"Let me show you a reequip you don't see everyday." Erza said.

She let out an explosion of power, and when it cleared Erza stood there in a stunning gothic-lotia costume, which had almost all the guys blushing and seeing hearts.

"Cheap shot, Erza!" Gray heard Rizzo shout from backstage. "You know those pervert judges won't be able to resist!"

Natsu and he both grinned in amusement at her outburst as Happy laughed behind his paw. Erza just continued grinning as she walked off the stage with confidence in every step.

"And here is entry number 5!" Max said as he gestured to Levy who came onto the stage. "Petite and cute—This fairy is cute as she is charming. Let's hear it for Levy McGarden!"

Jet and Droy cheered loudly for their teammate above everyone else as they stood as close to the stage as possible.

"Let me show you my solid script!" Levy.

Words started appearing around her in different shapes and forms, and Sven clapped thinking it was all very pretty. Besides, he's biased towards anyone who uses script magic anyway. Levy left the stage with Bisca, who was already dressed in a bikini, walking out next. Alzach blushed at the sight of her.

"Here we have entry number 6!" Max said. "The sniper with her sights on your heart. The one and only Bisca Mulan!"

Bisca brought out four coins told hold between her fingers before she tossed them up into the air. She quickly reequipped to get her magic sniper rifle, which she was quick to aim.

"The Gunner." She said before taking her shot.

She hit all four coins directly in the middle before they started falling down towards her.

"Yeehaw!" She cheered as snatched the coins out of the air.

She held them up in between her fingers to show everyone what she had one, and many men cheered.

"That's hot!" Alzach said as his blush darkened.

As Bisca was leaving the stage, Gray wondered when Rizzo's turn would be coming up. It had to be soon since they were running out of girls to compete.

"And now put your hands together for entry number 7!" Max rolled right along. "She's a rebel without a cause. A musical genius, and the rock star of our guild! Rizzo Sweeney!"

Gray cheered and let out a whistle as Rizzo came out on stage with her guitar already in hand. Many others cheered for the pinkette as she waved out to them.

"You ready to rock, Magnolia?!" She asked.

Cheers were the replies she was given, which was all the answer she needed. She started playing an upbeat song on her guitar with magic shooting out around her. Everyone gasped in awe as images of Rizzo appeared around the guild. Each image wore something different like one wore a bikini while the other a cute dress and such. Each one blew kisses at the crowd, which had some men fainting. Gray frowned at those guys as Rizzo chuckled in amusement at all their reactions.

"So, how do we look?" Each image asked in unison as they struck a pose.

Behind stage, Lucy was gawking while wondering how in the world she was going to compete with that. Strutting around in one cute outfit would be enough, but Rizzo gave the judges several cute Rizzos in cute outfits to look at.

"Bye, bye, rent money." Lucy cried as Rizzo finished.

Gray and many others clapped for Rizzo as she left the stage with a big smile on her face.

"Let's move onto entry number 8!" Max continued. "Fairy Tail's rising star! She shines as brightly as the spirits that guide her way! Lucy He—!"

"STOP!" Lucy interrupted. "Please, don't say my last name out loud!"

Many blinked in confusion wondering why Lucy had stopped Max from giving out her full name. Gray blinked not understanding either. Almost everyone here already knew Lucy was a Heartfilia. Everyone in the guild at least. Lucy just waved with a grin on her face as Max shrugged. He then struck a pose as he pointed at her.

"Now show us what you got!" Max said.

"Me and my celestial spirits are going to do a cheer for you." Lucy said as she brought out some pompoms.

People cheered as Lucy said that, which gave her a bit more confidence to pull this off.

"Entries number 9 and 10." Someone cut in.

Gray frowned while pretty sure he recognized the voice who just called out from the stage.

"Hold on!" Lucy said while striking poses. "I haven't even started to do my cheer yet!"

"I am the very definition of fairy." Evergreen said as she stepped out onto the stage.

Lucy turned around frowning while sure she's never seen this woman around the guild before. Lucy's eyes then widened when she saw Amarante standing beside the woman. Lucy blinked with a worried expression on her face when she saw the guilt and sadness clouding Amarante's eyes. Lucy only met her once, but the look on the older woman's face seemed very uncharacteristic for her. Breccan stiffened as he got a good look at Amarante's face. He knew she was around when Laxus and he had met, but he hadn't bothered to look her way. Now that he has…he can't believe that it's _her_.

"Not to mention my lovely friend here is the very definition of beauty." Evergreen continued. "We are the only women here who embodied everything here that men desire. However, my friend wants nothing to do with the title of Miss Fairy Tail. Therefore the winner is…me the lovely Evergreen."

She struck a pose as Amarante continued to remain uncharacteristically silent before letting out a sigh.

"Evergreen, let's just end this contest now." Amarante said.

"Yes, it is time this idiotic contest comes to an end." Evergreen agreed.

Lucy screamed in shock because she was not expecting this to happen at all. She really wanted to win this prize money.

"Whoa, they're back?" Gray asked in surprise.

"That must mean that Laxus must be here too." Elfman said.

Gray frowned wondering where the lightening mage was. One would think he'd return to the guild once returning to town.

"Can't you go and mess up a different contest?!" Lucy demanded. "Give me a break here! I really need this prize money."

"Sorry about this, Lucy." Amarante said sounding sincere.

Lucy stepped back in surprise since Amarante sounded as if she was apologizing for more than just barging in when she was about to perform.

"Hmph, I'm not." Evergreen said snootily.

"What was that?!" Lucy demanded while back to feeling annoyed.

"Lucy, don't look Evergreen in the eye!" Gray called out.

Lucy blinked in confusion as she wondered why Gray would say something like that.

"I'm sorry." Evergreen said sounding sarcastic. "What was your name again?"

She raised her glasses with her eyes glowing gold. Lucy stiffened in surprise when she felt magic rush over her. She was then turned to stone in front of everyone. Amarante frowned as she looked away from Lucy's stone figure.

"This is bad." Max said. "Everyone get out of here now!"

The civilians, who had come to watch the contest, were quick with flee from the guildhall as soon as those words left Max's mouth. Gray glared as he stepped up towards the stage with Elfman and Happy.

"What do you think you're doing, Evergreen, Amarante?" Makarov asked. "You'll ruin the festival for everyone."

Evergreen just chuckled before she looked down at Makarov in a condescending manner.

"On the contrary, I think things are just getting interesting." Evergreen said.

The curtains rose behind her and Amarante to reveal all the contestants were stone statues just like Lucy. Gray's glare hardened when he saw Rizzo was a statue as well with a look of surprise frozen on her face.

"No, Mira!" Elfman exclaimed.

"Oh no, she got Rizzo and Erza too." Happy said.

"…Rizzo…" Gray muttered.

He could feel his blood boiling in anger as he continued to look at what Evergreen had done. Breccan and Sven were pretty angry as well as Craylee was highly annoyed. Couldn't he finish his work in peace? Jaser was uncharacteristically silent and straight-faced as he looked thoughtfully towards the stage as he wondered why Evergreen was doing this.

"Don't be a fool!" Makarov said. "Return them to normal this instant."

Lightning collected in the air above the stage before it struck down, which left a blinding light. When it cleared, Laxus was now standing where the lightning had struck.

"Well, looks like your fans decided to go home." Laxus said. "Pity since the party is about to start."

"I should have known." Makarov said.

Gray then stiffened when seeing that the rest of the Thunder Legion had arrived to the scene.

"Freed? Bickslow too?" Gray asked.

"The Thunder Legion." Macao said.

"What the heck are you guys trying to pull?" Wakaba demanded.

Laxus just continued to grin as he looked down at all his guildmates from the stage.

"Come on, let's have some fun!" Laxus urged.

"I've had about enough of your nonsense." Makarov said. "Turn them back or else!"

He gestured to all the petrified girls, but Laxus just chuckled at his grandfather's demand.

"You better play nice if you want these ladies to join in the parade." Laxus warned.

Lightning collected above Lucy, which had everyone stiffening in shock. He really wouldn't, would he?

"No, stop!" Makarov shouted.

The lightning struck an inch away from Lucy's stone body, and the boys growled while inching towards the stage. However, they didn't attack. Laxus moved over towards Lucy to put his arm around her shoulders.

"In other words, I'm taking all of them hostage." Laxus said. "Break the rules, and I'll shatter these chicks one-by-one. Or I could just smash them all right now."

"I am not amused, Laxus." Makarov warned his grandson. "Stop fooling around!"

"I'm serious, old man." Laxus said.

Freed jumped down onto the stage to stand beside Evergreen who was still looking rather smug.

"I have always wondered who is the strongest in the guild." Freed said. "Now it's time to find out."

Bickslow jumped down next to land beside the petrified Lucy with his dolls floating around him.

"Yeah, let's have some fun." He said as he grinned broadly.

Amarante said nothing as she looked down at the ground. She frowned as her hands clenched into fists at her side. She didn't like any of this. But…she couldn't disobey Laxus. Not after everything he's done for her.

"There's only one rule." Laxus said. "Whosever is left standing in the end is the winner. It's a Fairy Tail Battle Royal!"

Natsu, who was feeling better with a full stomach, slammed his fire covered fist on the table as Jaser grinned while crossing his arms over his chest.

"Nice and simple." Natsu said. "That's just how I like it. I'm fired up now."

"Glad you can see it my way." Laxus said. "If nothing else, you've got the right attitude."

"Natsu," Makarov began sternly.

"Come on, Master." Jaser cut in. "This is the festival, right? I say we have some fun."

His brothers sighed wishing he'd take this more seriously. Their little sister is a stone statue right now after all.

"Someone else who seems to have the right attitude." Laxus said. "And it's one of the newbies too."

Jaser ignored the newbie jab as he cracked his knuckles while ready to have a good brawl.

"Yeah, let's party!" Natsu agreed.

He and Jaser stepped into the middle of the rows of tables with large grins on their faces.

"Have you forgotten how badly you got beaten the last time you went at it, Natsu?" Warren asked.

"And, Jaser, if you can only manage to tie with Natsu in battle, how do you expect to beat someone who's wiped the floor with him?" Max added.

"I was just a kid back then." Natsu retorted.

"What do you mean that was last year?!" Warren demanded.

"That fight was like forever ago, so of course I've gotten stronger since then." Jaser replied to Max's question with a grin.

"It was barely even a week ago!" Max shouted.

Warren and Max went unheard as Natsu and Jaser advanced towards the stage looking ready to go.

"Now let's go!" They said in unison.

They jumped towards Laxus to get this Battle of Fairy Tail started before they died of boredom.

"On the other hand, those attitudes of yours are going to get you both into a world hurt." Laxus said. "Why don't you both sit back down?!"

Jaser and Natsu were struck by lightning a second later, which sent them to the floor twitching. Happy and Sanjū landed beside the two wounded Dragon Slayers as everyone else in the guild sighed.

"Fools." Sanjū muttered as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Poor Natsu…he was just starting to feel better too." Happy commented.

Sanjū just shook her head as Jaser and Natsu continued to twitch on the ground in pain.

"Naturally, if you want me to turn the girls back to normal, you're going to have to defeat us first." Evergreen said.

"But those odds aren't bad." Bickslow said. "There's like five of us and a hundred of your guys. Hahaha!"

"Lots of you! Lots of you!" His dolls echoed.

Breccan narrowed his eyes as he looked over the Thunder Legion. His eyes lingered on Amarante the longest. She looked as if she didn't want to do this…so why? As Evergreen started speaking, his turned his attention onto her and off Amarante.

"You have three hours, and not a second more." Evergreen said. "After that, these pretty statues of yours will be reduced to dust.

"All of Magnolia will serve as the battlefield." Laxus continued. "The fight will begin if and when you find us."

Sven frowned as he cupped his chin thoughtfully, so this was just all a game. A game with rules. He grinned. It sounded like child's play to him, which won't be a bother at all. He is a child after all.

"Laxus, how dare you!" Makarov growled then started transforming. "I won't stand for this!"

"Now, now, simmer down, old man!" Laxus said then let out a bright light to blind everyone. "It's a festival, right? It'll be fun! Let the Battle of Fairy Tail begin!"

The light vanished, and when it did, the Thunder Legion was no longer on the stage. Makarov shrunk back to his normal size while glaring forward.

"They're gone." Gray said.

"So it's high stakes hide-and-go seek, huh?" Macao asked.

"Let's go!" Elfman sounded. "We've got to man up and save our girls!"

Almost every single one of the guild members ran out of the guild in a rush with only a few remaining back. Gray looked towards Rizzo with his hands clenching into fists. Laxus was going to pay for this. He shook his head before running out of the guild. He was about to continue right out the gates, but he heard a loud bonking noise behind him. He turned his head see Makarov seemed…stuck?

"What's wrong?" Gray asked.

"An invisible wall." Makarov replied.

"Don't be silly, Gramps!" Gray said. "There's nothing here!"

He tried to pull Makarov along, but he was meeting resistance as if there really was an invisible wall.

"He can't go."

Gray and Makarov blinked before looking towards Sven as the small blonde stood inside the guild.

"Huh?" Gray asked as he dropped Makarov.

The Guild Master made and "oaf!" sound before sitting up and dusting off his clothes.

"What do you mean, my boy?" Makarov asked.

"The rules say you can't go." Sven said as he pointed up.

Gray and Makarov looked up to see that some runes were in the air above their heads.

"Must be one of Freed's enchantments." Makarov said.

"So, it's the green-haired one who made all these rules." Sven said then looked towards Gray. "What you're looking at now is a type of script magic. Basically, a barrier has been put around this place using ancient runes, which is apparently preventing certain people from leaving because of the rules made from the runes."

Gray frowned because that was a little confusing to him, and yet Sven seemed to understand perfectly.

"In other words, whoever is caught inside is bound by its rules." Makarov translated. "The only way to escape is to follow them."

"Or find a way to break them or rewrite them." Sven said. "And that would take someone who understands the basics of script magic and much more."

"Could you do something?" Gray asked.

"Yes, but it will take time." Sven said. "It'd go faster if Levy was here to help. Until I find a way to break it, people over eighty and stone statues won't be leaving."

Gray was getting more and more annoyed by Laxus's game. He was going to end this if he had to stop the Thunder Legion and Laxus himself.

"Looks like we're going to have to go into this fight without you, Gramps." Gray said. "Sven, try to get him out as soon as possible."

"You bet ya!" Sven said saluting. "Good luck out there, Gray-san!"

"I won't show mercy even if he is your grandson." Gray said.

He then ran off to join the others as Sven ran off to try and find books that might help him find out how to break the enchantment. As he went to do that, Breccan and Craylee went over to the door.

"I guess we better get started too." Craylee said.

"Yeah," Breccan said as he nodded. "Be careful out there, Craylee."

Craylee nodded before he ran out to go see if he could find one of the Thunder Legion or even Laxus.

"Breccan, you are the only S-class mage we have left to fight." Makarov said. "Please, find Laxus as soon as you can and end this."

"Yes, sir." Breccan said. "I'll try my best."

He left as well as Makarov sighed. This was all starting to get worse and worse as things went. He really hoped his children would be okay. He then happened to notice a certain someone trying to hide behind a pillar.

"I see you." Makarov said. "What's wrong, Reedus?"

Reedus stiffened in surprise at being caught before he came out from behind the pillar.

"Well, I'm afraid Laxus is going to hurt me." Reedus admitted.

"It's alright." Makarov said. "Why don't you visit Porlyusica in the east forest? She might have a potion for petrification."

"Oui." Reedus said as he nodded.

He was eager to do as he was told since he wanted to be of some kind of use for his friends. Suddenly, Natsu and Jaser sat up shouting in unison, which had their feline friends jumping in surprise.

"You're both awake!" Happy said happily.

"Wait, where's Laxus?!" Natsu demanded.

"Where'd everyone go?!" Jaser asked.

Natsu wanted to know too. Did they all hurry into the battle without them?! What jerks!

"Natsu, Jaser." Makarov said.

Jaser and Natsu hurried over to Makarov with Happy and Sanjū flying closely behind them.

"Gramps, do you know where everyone went?" Natsu asked.

"Now, listen up, the festival on the way." Makarov said. "Laxus is hiding somewhere in Magnolia. Help Breccan find him and beat him!"

"Alright!" Jaser said. "Let's go, Natsu!"

They started running towards the door while ready to get into the fighting. They'd win this battle for sure.

"Yeah!" Natsu shouted. "Just you wait, Lax—"

He was cut off when he and Jaser slammed into the same invisible wall that Makarov had. Makarov, Reedus, Happy, and Sanjū gasped in shock at what happened.

"What the heck is going on?!" Jaser demanded as he punched the barrier. "I want out! Come on! I wanna fight!"

"Me too!" Natsu growled.

They kept pushing on the barrier as Happy and Sanjū flew around and around the Dragon Slayers while passing the barrier without a problem.

"Why can't you two get out?" Makarov asked. "You're obviously not statues. Don't tell me you both are over eighty."

"I don't think so." Natsu replied.

"I'm nineteen for sure." Jaser said.

He celebrated his birthday not long before the trouble with Devil's Lament happened. So he was pretty sure he hasn't turned eighty since then. More runes then appeared above their heads as Happy and Sanju landed on their respective Dragon Slayers' shoulders.

"Battle of Fairy Tail status report." Makarov said. "What? It says Jet vs. Droy vs. Alzach. Is this some kind of joke?"

"It probably has something to do with the enchantments." Sven said.

The three mages and two cats turned towards Sven, who had a book in hand and his glasses on his nose, as he stood next to them.

"This is all supposed to be a battle until the last man is standing." Sven said. "However, our guildmates only wish to save the petrified girls by beating the Thunder Legion and Laxus, which means it'd never get to the point of one man left standing. I'm sure Laxus thought of this, and had Freed write enchantments around town that would make it near impossible for the others to avoid battling each other."

Makarov frowned while quite certain that Sven's theory was correct. He knew his grandson would do such a thing, and he knew writing enchantments that pitted his children together would be the only way to make them fight each other and not just the Thunder Legion and Laxus.

"And it looks as if the fight is already over." Sven said as he adjusted his glasses.

Everyone looked up at the runes to see they had changed to reveal a winner of the first battle.

"The winner is Alzach." Makarov read. "Jet and Droy…K.O-ed."

"What?" Natsu asked in shock.

"This isn't just some game anyone." Sven said as he turned around. "This needs to end as soon as possible, which is why I'm going to work as hard as I can to find a way to break the enchantments."

He went to do just that as Jaser growled while hitting the wall again. Natsu growled as well as his magic built up.

"Stop this stupid game right now, Laxus!" Natsu roared.


	37. Rizzo's Back in the Game!

Jaser glared at the runes as more and more appeared in front of them. All those guys out there fighting, and he couldn't be a part of it!

"Looks, like a few more battles are over with." Sven commented from where he sat on the floor by the door.

He had books out around him as he was trying to learn how to crack Freed's enchantment. He was making steady progress, but he wasn't a runes specialist. Not to mention that Freed had really wrote up some pretty impressive and complicated enchantments. Sven didn't want to admit it, but…this guy was good.

"Max vs. Warren: the winner is Warren." Happy read off. "Vijeeter vs. Nab: the winner is Nab. Laki defeats four others. Macao vs. Wakaba: battle in-progress."

"I wonder why Craylee and Breccan haven't shown up on the board yet." Sanjū said. "I'm surprised they haven't fought at least one person."

"They're most likely putting their efforts into finding the Thunder Legion and Laxus." Sven said. "Probably avoiding everyone else as well, so not to get caught up in Freed's enchantments."

Jaser just crossed his arms over his chest. He knew it was only a matter of time before Breccan and Craylee came across some kind of opponent. When that happened, he was sure they'd win whoever it was they came across.

"Hey, wait, there's Craylee's name." Natsu said as he pointed. "Craylee vs. five others."

Not long after it said that, Craylee was quickly declared the winner, which had Jaser pouting. Looks like Craylee was getting into the action now. He wanted to be a part of it, dammit! Natsu was feeling the same way as him. They just wanted to beat up their guildmates. Was that too much to ask?

"Well, that didn't take long." Happy said.

"Craylee isn't one to waste time." Sanjū said while sighing. "He acts as if he's nothing like his siblings, but he's quick to cause pain to others just as much as them if the people happen to get in his way."

He probably didn't even use his magic if they were small fry. It probably only took a few swift kicks to the heads to knock out his opponents.

"Foolish children!" Makarov growled. "What do they think they're doing?!"

"They really don't have any choice but to fight." Happy pointed out. "Those enchantments are hidden all over town. So they're impossible to avoid. It's just like Laxus said. This is the Battle of Fairy Tail."

Natsu and Jaser growled as they stepped up towards the invisible wall that kept them stuck here. It was really starting to piss them off.

"But why?" Natsu asked. "It doesn't make sense!"

"Why does it have to be this way?!" Jaser demanded.

The two Dragon Slayers shook in what Makarov and Happy thought was anger towards Laxus and his horrible scheme, which had them looking at the two sympathetically.

"Natsu…Jaser." Happy said.

Sanjū and Sven exchanged a look knowing what was about to happen in like two seconds.

"We wanna fight too!" The two Dragon Slayers said in unison as they threw themselves against the wall.

"IS THAT ALL?!" Happy and Makarov demanded.

Sanjū just sighed shaking her head while not at all surprised considering how much the two love to fight. Sven chuckled in amusement while not taking his eyes off what he's working on.

"You suck!" Natsu snapped. "Go away, invisible wall!"

"Yeah, get out of the way!" Jaser demanded as he punched the wall.

He was then slapped upside the head by Makarov, which had him whining more out of complaint than pain. Natsu was next to get a hit over the head, but since he was so used to them, he barely blinked.

"Why do you two want to fight your friends?!" Makarov demanded.

"Cause it's a tournament to see who's the strongest!" Natsu said.

"And we can't be left out of a tournament like this!" Jaser added.

Natsu nodded vigorously in agreement as he and Jaser stood side-by-side. Sven chuckled at how similar the two were behaving. No wonder why they got along so well.

"This is not a tournament!" Makarov said. "It's nothing but a trap. Laxus is playing you like a bunch of pawns."

Makarov turned to look back at the stage where the eight petrified girls remained.

"If we can't beat the Thunder Legion in time, the girls are going to be smashed to pieces." Makarov said. "I know everyone is trying to keep that from happening, but they're going about it in the wrong way. If we keep fighting amongst ourselves, the girls are as good as finished. We can't let Laxus win."

Jaser looked over to where Rizzo was frozen as a statue. He was a bit worried. However, he didn't think Laxus and the Thunder Legion would really hurt their guildmates.

"Come on, Gramps, you don't serious think he'd hurt them, do you?" Natsu asked. "I know he can be a real pain sometimes, but he's still one of us! This is obviously a bluff!"

"You think so?" Makarov asked.

Instead of answering, Natsu went back to the wall to push against it with red runes appearing like the last few times to prevent him from leaving.

"There's a fighting festival out there!" Natsu said. "Why do I have to be stuck in this dump?!"

"I don't know, but it's totally unfair!" Jaser complained as he punched the wall. "How can it really be a fighting festival when the Dragon Slayers are caged up?! Why must we be stuck here?!"

Sanjū shook her head at Jaser wishing he would calm down. She was pretty sure he'd live without joining in on this idiotic festival that had guildmates pitted against each other.

"Beats me." Happy said as he flew in and out of the door a few times. "I can go through just fine."

"Does this mean we're over eighty and no one ever told us?!" Natsu asked as he pulled at his hair. "Cause I'd know if I was a stone statue, right?!"

Jaser was pretty sure he wasn't eighty or over. He'd know something like that, right? He frowned while starting to doubt if he would. If his memories of Rajasthan were so warped…what else was he wrong about?

"Here I thought we knew each other, Natsu." Happy tutted.

The runes then updated, which had the group looking up to see what was happening now.

"Time remaining: 2 hours and 15 minutes." Happy read off. "Participants remaining: 46."

"That's a bit unsettling." Sven said. "That means over half the guild has wiped itself out."

Makarov stood there in shock while wondering how all of this could be happening to his children.

* * *

Gray frowned as he ran through the town. He was really starting to get pissed off the longer he couldn't find Laxus or his goons. He had to find them, so he could kick their asses. He'd prefer to find Evergreen since if she was taken out that meant the girls could be free from her petrification spell.

"This sucks!" He growled. "Where's the Thunder Legion hiding?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, familiar little dolls appeared beside him as they floated through the air.

"It's Gray!" One said.

"What's up, Gray?" Another one asked.

They then went to fire at him, so he quickly ducked into one of the clothing stores on the street.

"Those are Bickslow's sidekicks." Gray said.

Looks like he got what he wanted. He might not have been confronted by Evergreen, but taking his anger out on Bickslow was a good start. Now were was that guy?

"Yo."

Gray whirled around seeing the very man himself standing there with more of his dolls floating around him.

"What do you say we have some fun, huh?" He asked.

Gray narrowed his eyes while ready to take on Bickslow. He had to beat this guy then find Freed, Evergreen, or Amarante to take them down. He was sure the latter would be a lot tougher to beat…in fact, Amarante was pretty scary while in a battle. Like scarier than Erza scary. The woman loses her ditzy and cheery disposition to turn into something much more frightening. Gray shook his head knowing he couldn't be thinking about that now. He just had to keep focused on winning because he couldn't let Rizzo or the other girls be turned to dust.

"Let's get this show on the road, babies!" Bickslow ordered.

They immediately started firing at Gray, which had the ice mage dodging to avoid being hit. The second he dodged one attack, he had to dodge another, and then another. He frowned because he couldn't keep playing defense like this.

"Line Formation, babies!" Bickslow called out.

The dolls immediately stacked into a vertical line before firing a green beam towards Gray. He managed to dodge again, which was good considering the attack was strong enough to slice the floor open. The attack also created smoke, and Gray knew he had to take the chance to do something now while he had the cover. Using his ice magic, he froze Bickslow's dolls without Bickslow even knowing.

"Alright, you're not too shabby." Bickslow said. "Now, give me a Victory Formation, babies!"

When his dolls didn't immediately do as he asked, Bickslow frowned in confusion.

"Hey, what's the matter?" He asked.

He got his answer when the smoke cleared to reveal what Gray had done mere seconds ago to his dolls.

"Crap, they're frozen solid!" Bickslow cursed.

Gray came flying through the smoke behind Bickslow, and by the time the older mage turned around, he got Gray's knee in his face. Bickslow went flying backwards due to the force of the hit. Gray was quick to put his hands together to continue attacking while he had the upper hand.

"Ice-Make: Hammer!" Gray shouted.

The hammer appeared above Bickslow who was still sailing backwards. The older mage just grinned as he crossed his arms in front of him like an "x".

"X Formation, babies!" He ordered.

Gray was shocked when four mannequins from the store came to Bickslow's rescue by blocking the hammer with an x formation.

"What the—?" Gray asked.

"I guess you never heard of my seith magic, huh?" Bickslow asked. "I control my babies' souls. Freeze them, and I'll just move their souls to another doll. I've got an immortal army on my side!"

"On his side! On his side!" The mannequins echoed.

"Man, this is going to be a real pain, isn't it?" Gray muttered.

Freezing those mannequins would obviously be as pointless as freezing those dolls from earlier, so Gray was going to have to try to take Bickslow out while avoiding those things.

"Do you get it now?" Bickslow asked. "You could attack my babies all day, and it won't do a lick of good."

"Since it won't work on them, I'll just freeze you instead!" Gray said as he lifted his arms.

He fired an ice stream towards Bickslow, but the mannequins saved Bickslow again while giving him time to start running off.

"Go ahead and try if you can catch me!" He said.

"Don't run away!" Gray snapped as he quickly pursued Bickslow. "Get back here!"

Bickslow just continued running right out the door into the street while laughing manically all the way. He was really starting to get on Gray's nerves.

"Fight me like a man!" Gray demanded.

Bickslow didn't listen as he ran quite comically down the street with his manic laughter filling the air. He suddenly ducked into an alleyway, which had Gray following. However, Gray slowed down when he turned to the corner to see Bickslow had seemingly vanished.

"Crazy freak." Gray said. "Where'd he run off to now?"

He didn't have time to be chasing a maniac. Time was ticking, and he had a feeling that all members of the Thunder Legion were still standing.

"Getting warmer."

Gray tilted his head back to see Bickslow up above as he used his long legs to wedge himself between the two buildings.

"Peekaboo!" He said.

"Real funny." Gray said sarcastically. "What are you trying to pull here anyway?"

"I just want to fight someone on my level." Bickslow said. "A shame you don't make the cut. My babies are getting bored. It's time to spice things up a bit!"

Suddenly an enchantment appeared behind Gray and in front of him, which has his eyes widening.

"Another enchantment." Gray said.

"Guess you're out of luck." Bickslow said. "You're not allowed to use magic as long as you're inside that barrier."

"One of Freed's traps, huh?" Gray questioned.

This just made his job a lot harder, but it wasn't like he was about to throw in the towel just yet.

"Sucks to be you." Bickslow said. "You're stuck in there all by yourself. But it's a party out here. Babies!"

Gray stiffened as those mannequins from the store appeared behind him. They fired immediately at Gray who had to act quickly. Bickslow laughed as dust was kicked up to form a large cloud of it due to the explosion.

"I don't think I'd bother getting up again if I were you!" Bickslow said. "You can't win without your magic!"

"Oh, you think so?!" Gray demanded as he appeared out of the dust.

He jumped up using the sides of the buildings to get him up high above Bickslow. He raised his fist ready to punch Bickslow in the face, but those mannequins appeared.

"You want some?!" Gray asked grinning.

His eyes then widened when he caught sight of the little girl in one of the windows. As the dolls were firing, he immediately moved to take the hit, so the attack wouldn't get to the little girl.

"Hahaha! Don't tell me that's all you got!" Bickslow said as he laughed.

Gray came out of the smoke caused by the attack to hit Bickslow right in the face. The seith mage hit the ground harshly with Gray falling soon after.

"…Rizzo..." He murmured before hitting the ground as he fell unconscious.

* * *

-INSIDE OF RIZZO'S MIND-

 _"Do you think you can really get me out of this?" Rizzo asked._

 _Even though she was turned to stone she knew very well what was going on now. She heard everything as bizarre as that sounds._

 _"I believe so." Raoul said. "Technically the woman didn't turn me to stone, so if I take over your body for even a split second, it should revert you back to normal."_

 _Rizzo frowned because she promised Gray she wouldn't merge with Raoul anymore. Though technically she swore not to use his power anymore. Besides, this is an emergency, and she had a very bad feeling at the moment. She needed to be reverted back to normal as soon as possible, so to help her friends._

 _"Please try, Master Raoul." Rizzo said._

 _"Huh?" Raoul asked. "What was that? Was someone calling to me?"_

 _Rizzo sighed knowing he was trying really hard to get her to stop calling him by master._

 _"Great-Great Granddaddy, please try to get me back to normal." She said._

 _"I'll try my best!" Raoul said. "Anything for my darling little great-great granddaughter!"_

 _Rizzo shook her head then reached her hand out towards Raoul. He reached out as well to take her hand. Their magic swirled around them before finally meeting in the middle._

 _"Everyone…I'm coming." Rizzo said as she closed her eyes._

-OUTSIDE OF RIZZO'S MIND-

CRACK!

The group in the guildhall, which now consisted of Erza, who was reverted to normal, froze when hearing that cracking noise in the hall. They all turned around seeing a large crack going down Rizzo's face.

"No, Rizzo!" Natsu cried.

He jumped up onto the stage as everyone else watched in horror. More cracks appeared on Rizzo's body as Natsu carefully grabbed her.

"No, what is this happening?!" Happy asked. "There's still time left!"

Sven and Jaser watched with wide eyes as the stone shattered completely in front of all of them.

"RIZZO!" Everyone shouted.

They were then shocked when seeing that Rizzo was standing there in Natsu's arms looking unharmed.

"Oh, thank goodness." Makarov said as he placed his hand over heart.

"Rizzo, you're okay." Natsu said smiling.

However, his eyes widened when seeing two turquoise orbs looking back at him.

 **"Sorry, not Rizzo."** Rizzo said smiling. **"It's me! Raoul!"**

Mouths dropped open in shock as Rizzo jumped down from the stage to stand in front of Makarov.

"First Treble Chambers Master...Raoul." Makarov said.

Rizzo smiled before she glowed for a moment. Suddenly Raoul was standing beside his descendant as Rizzo's eyes reverted back to green.

"Makarov." Raoul greeted. "Sorry, I butted in. I had to momentarily take over Rizzo's body to break the petrification spell. Now you have someone else to add to your ranks."

"Thank-you." Makarov said. "We're sorely in end of help. Only three Dragon Slayers, Breccan, Sven, and Craylee had been remaining. Now our numbers are up to eight."

"Plenty of people to take care of the Thunder Legion and Laxus." Rizzo said.

She gave a whistle with her guitar case whizzing towards her from where she had placed it backstage. It opened up while allowing her to place her guitar inside of it. It snapped shut then placed itself on her back where it belonged.

"Yeah, but Salamander, White Sand, and I can't go anywhere." Gajeel said looking annoyed. "And we need the midget to try and break the enchantment."

Sven pouted at being called a midget since he wasn't one. He was of normal height for someone his age…or rather his body's age.

"Which means it's really just you two, Breccan, and Craylee." Jaser added.

"If Sven would hurry up with the enchantment we'd be out of here faster!" Natsu complained.

"Well, I'm sorry!" Sven said. "I've never studied runes like this before! I'm trying!"

Sven started crying that Natsu was mean, and Jaser pat him on top the head to console him. Natsu started trying to apologize, but Sven just cried louder.

"Way to go, Salamander." Gajeel said. "You made the midget cry."

"I'm not a midget!" Sven wailed.

Gajeel jumped in shock as more tears shot out of Sven's likes like waterfalls. This had him and Natsu trying to apologize as their friends sweat-dropped at the sight.

"Everyone!"

The group paused in what they were doing then turned seeing that Sanjū, who was by the door, was pointing up at some runes.

"It looks as if Breccan is finally getting into the fight." She said. "He's run into…Amarante."

* * *

Breccan ran through Magnolia while ignoring the fact that the sounds of fighting had basically stopped. He knew if he went to investigate, it wouldn't help matters. His best bet was to find Laxus. He'd beat them, and once the leader was taken out, the Thunder Legion would be easier to take care of in the end. Breccan was casting out his senses to sense for certain vibrations that might lead him to Laxus.

This spider's web of vibrations worked better without so many people around, but Breccan could still pick through all the vibrations as long as he concentrated hard enough. He paused in running when he felt a vibration that seemed to fit Laxus. Breccan had memorized the vibrations Laxus sent off when he walks when they had first met. They were strong and steady vibrations that went along with Laxus's confident personality. The vibrations caused by such steps felt as if they were close. Breccan continued looking around as he tried to pinpoint the vibrations. His eyes landed on the large cathedral that was in sights.

"So that's where he is." Breccan said. "Found him not as soon as I thought I would."

Breccan started running towards the cathedral, but he sensed something coming his way and fast. He jumped up high into the air to land on the roof of the building behind him as a few kunai landed where he had been standing. He looked across the street to the building opposite of him to see Amarante standing there. He narrowed his eyes at her while not too surprised to see her. She was most likely Laxus's most trusted guard since she was obviously stronger than the rest of the Thunder Legion. Laxus would obviously want to keep her close.

Amarante frowned as she looked at Breccan. There was something familiar about him. An image of a young boy, who couldn't be any older than seven, with violet hair and silver eyes entered her mind. Her eyes widened when she realized why Breccan seemed familiar to her. What was he doing here? She thought he was dead.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who remembers, Amarante." Breccan said. "Who knew that after thirteen years that we'd meet again. To think you had only been a few feet away from me when you made your first appearance at the guild since I've joined, and I had no idea that it was _you_."

"Yes, I remember you." Amarante said. "It looks as if you didn't die seven years ago. You managed to pull off your escape plan. Impressive since no one had ever escaped from Shadow Undertaker until you."

Breccan nodded his head as he stuffed his hands into his pants pockets. He had managed to escape that damned dark guild when he was a child. He used the skills his own father showed him to get out, which was funny since his father taught him those skills to use to kill for the guild. Shadow Undertaker is a dark guild…a dark guild that specializes in magic perfect for assassination. Now there were guilds who used their magic for killing like Eisenwald had been and then there was the Death Head's Order. However, Shadow Undertaker only practiced magic perfect for killing.

Vibration Magic doesn't seem as if it'd be good for assassination jobs, but Breccan's father had showed how vibration magic could be used for more than creating loud and destructive catastrophes like earthquakes. He showed that with a single thought he could cause strong enough yet controlled vibrations that could make someone's heart go splat while inside their chests. Or break every bone in someone's body without having to get too close, which meant not leaving a trace. He even once caused a small vibration that tripped a man off balance to send him tumbling over a railing to his death below. These skills are what he passed onto Breccan.

"I know exactly who you are Breccan Ableben… son of Aeron and Thana." Amarante said.

"I don't use that surname any longer." Breccan said. "I got rid of it the moment I ran away. I'm surprised you haven't gotten rid of yours. Amarante Yoru the daughter of Shadow Undertaker's Guild Master Sesshōmoto Yoru and his wife Izanami Yoru."

Amarante frowned at the mention of her parents since she hasn't thought of them ever since…Laxus took her away from Shadow Undertaker.

"Funny how we both ended up in the same guild after all these years." Breccan continued.

"I couldn't agree more." Amarante said.

Before Breccan had ran away, he and Amarante spent many hours training together. All the next generation assassins where trained as units, and Amarante, who was the unit leader, and Breccan had been part of the same unit along with two others. The training always started when the kids were young, so to raise them into the life of assassination. It was a sociological technique that made the child think it was alright to live such a life since they were raised into it.

"I don't want to fight you, Amarante." Breccan said. "And I can tell you don't want to do this either. It was written all over your face when you stood on the stage in the guildhall with the rest of the Thunder Legion and Laxus."

Amarante narrowed her eyes at Breccan while not surprised that he had picked up on her conflicted feelings in the guildhall.

"It doesn't matter if I wish for this or not." Amarante said. "I'm doing this all for Laxus. You had the luck of getting yourself free of Shadow Undertaker. I did not. I spent nearly eight more years in that hell…Laxus…Laxus saved me from there, which is why I will do anything he asks of me."

"Even if it means hurting your comrades?" Breccan asked. "Sounds like something that Master Sesshōmoto would have you do."

Amarante glared lividly at Breccan before a blade appeared in her hand. Breccan got into a fighting position while knowing he'd have to be careful. Amarante used a style of reequip magic called the Assassin. It allowed her to bring forth assassin styled weapons and clothing that would aid her in killing. The sword she brought out now was named Kenkage of the Shadow Sword. It could cut through shadow or use shadow to do the cutting for it. It could bend shadows to its will, and it was one of the more powerful swords in her collection from what he remembers.

"Shut-up!" Amarante said as she jumped towards him. "You don't know what you're talking about!"

She took a slice at Breccan as she was right on top of him, but he raised his hand to strengthen the vibrations in the air to form a barrier of sorts. Amarante's blade hit it while partially cutting through the vibrations. Breccan flicked his other hand towards her, and she had to dodge out of the way of the vibrations sent at her. She landed nimbly on her toes on another rooftop.

"Looks like there won't be any talking you out of this." Breccan said as his magic picked up. "If I have to defeat you to get to Laxus, so be it."

He and Amarante jumped towards each other while clashing in the middle to really start off their fight with an explosion.

* * *

"His fight is in progress, huh?" Erza muttered as she looked up at the board. "And it looks as if Rizzo and I have been added to the ranks."

Rizzo nodded in agreement as she and the others stood up by the door while looking at what the runes were saying.

"If he's fighting her, that must mean he got too close to Laxus for comfort." Rizzo said. "Laxus always keeps Amarante close, which means if we find out where they're fighting exactly—"

"We can find Laxus." Erza finished.

Which is what they really needed to do at the moment. Their numbers were dwindling, and time was running out.

"Hey, guys, look!" Happy said pointing. "Craylee's back on the board! Looks like he ran into Bickslow."

Jaser and Sven lightly frowned because they'd rather be out there with their brothers fighting not in here. Sven sighed guessing he better get cracking on those runes. He needed to get Natsu, Jaser, and Gajeel out there fighting as soon as possible.

"Well, I guess this means it's the end for Bickslow." Jaser said. "No way will Craylee lose to him."

* * *

Craylee came to a skidding halt when an explosion of power happened from behind. He turned seeing a large cloud of smoke above some buildings about two hundred yards away. He also felt Breccan's magic power growing, which meant he must have run into one of the Thunder Legion.

"Hmph, he's having better luck than I am." Craylee said. "I can't find any of those moronic Thunder Legion oddballs."

"That's a bit mean, ya know."

Craylee whirled around seeing Bickslow standing easily on one of the ropes strung out between the buildings that were holding banners. Craylee didn't reply as he looked up at Bickslow. He moved the needle around between his lips as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"You're…Bickslow, right?" Craylee asked.

"That's right!" Bickslow said. "And these are my babies!"

His little dolls flew around him as he let out a manic laugh with his tongue sticking out. Craylee let out a sigh. Looks like he's stuck with another weirdo. He has some seriously rotten luck.

"And you're one of the new guys!" Bickslow said as he pointed down at Craylee. "Cray or something."

"Craylee." He corrected. "Gees, I remembered your name. You could have the courtesy to remember mine in return."

"I don't see the point since you're obviously not on my level." Bickslow said. "And once I beat you, you won't matter anyway."

Craylee frowned because he seriously hated it when people underestimated him. It pissed him off to no end.

"I may not look like much, but it's in your best interest not to underestimate your opponent." Craylee said. "That should be the first thing all fighters should learn."

Bickslow just laughed obviously not worried about Craylee as if he was not some kind of threat. Craylee sighed supposing he'd have to show this guy just how strong he is. Craylee ran towards the front side of the building towards the right, and Bickslow watched him curiously. Craylee jumped up before running up the side of the building. When gravity started to try to pull him down, he flipped backwards in the air, and landed on the rope across from the one Bickslow was standing on. He landed with the rope bobbing a bit, but Craylee kept his balance with ease.

"Well, I'll admit that was a neat trick." Bickslow said. "However, being nimble and light on your feet won't get you a win."

Craylee said nothing as he got ready for Bickslow to make the first move of this battle.

"Now, Line Formation, babies!" Bickslow ordered.

His dolls stacked up to form a line before firing a green crescent beam at Craylee. Craylee blinked towards with while not seeming worried. Then at the very last minute he vanished just as the attack sliced through the rope he had been standing on. Bickslow blinked in confusion while wondering where Craylee had gone.

"Pattern Thread: Hermes's Wings." He heard from up above.

He turned his head up seeing that Craylee was up in the air with small wings on his shoes that flapped to keep him up in the air.

"When did you have time to do that?" Bickslow asked. "You never took your needle from your mouth."

"Oh, so you know about my magic?" Craylee asked. "At least that's something. And to answer your question, I had sewn the pattern into the soles of my shoes years ago. I have plenty of clothes that have special thread sewn into them. Just waiting to sew patterns and special thread into my clothes takes time, and while I'm speedy with a needle, I would rather have some advantages already at the ready for battling purposes. I never know when I might run into an opponent faster than me, understand?"

He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly as the wings continued to flap to keep him up in the air.

"You might be a more interesting fight than I thought." Bickslow said smiling. "More interesting than Gray at least."

Craylee frowned wondering how in the world Gray lost to this guy. Bickslow wasn't a pushover for sure, but Gray would have least caused some kind of damage. However, Bickslow didn't seem to even have a scratch on him. Craylee might have to tread carefully around this guy.

"I guess we'll see." Craylee said.

* * *

"We don't have time to stand here waiting to see how their fights will end." Erza said.

Rizzo had to agree with her there. Rizzo sighed knowing what had to be done even if she didn't like it.

"Erza, I'm going to leave Laxus to you." Rizzo said. "I'm going to find Evergreen. I'll kick her ass then have her revert the others back to normal. Once they don't have hostages, this battle is as good as over."

Normally, Rizzo would love to fight in a tournament to figure out who the strongest is. However, she knew that now wasn't the time to be carefree. She had a feeling that Laxus was being very serious about all of this. This wasn't a simple battle tournament to that blonde oaf.

"Hey, wait, there's another person added to the count." Happy said.

"He's right." Sanjū added.

The mages looked confused for a moment as they wondered who this extra person was.

"It went up." Gajeel commented.

"Who could it be?" Natsu asked.

The group looked back towards the girls still stone on the stage to see none of their conditions had changed.

"It's none of the girls since they're still stone." Rizzo said. "And it can't be Master Raoul since he isn't a member."

Sanjū and Happy frowned a bit because they still didn't see why they weren't added. They're members too, aren't they?

"Aren't you guys forgetting about someone?" Erza asked as she chuckled. "A member who's frequently out of town."

Everyone, but Gajeel, Sven, and Jaser, blinked in realization when they picked up what Erza was saying. Rizzo chuckled with a grin on her face as well. Talk about perfect timing. That guy might not stick around along, but he always seems to know when to come home.

"Hold on…you don't mean him?" Natsu asked.

"It can only be him." Rizzo said.

Sanjū and Happy nodded in agreement while starting to feel as if the tides had changed in their favor.

"And he's back just when we need him the most." Makarov said.

"He's always been one to make a grand entrance." Erza said. "It looks like the real battle is about to begin."

Sven and Jaser exchanged a glance while really wishing that someone would tell them who in the world they were talking about.

"Would someone like to fill me in over here?" Gajeel asked.

"Us too!" Sven said as he raised his hand.

"We're talking about a man who might be the strongest mage in Fairy Tail." Erza explained. "Msytogan."

Jaser blinked wondering what this Msytogan guy was like, and he wondered why he's never heard of the guy until now. Was he really out of town that much?

"And now that he's here I have a feeling we might just win this fight." Rizzo said smiling. "Let's go, Erza. We can't let him have all the fun."

"Right." Erza said.

"We're counting on you girls." Makarov said. "Good luck."

The two nodded with grins on their faces before they rushed out of the guildhall. Rizzo wouldn't let anything happen to the girls, and she most definitely wouldn't let Laxus and the Thunder Legion win. No way. Rizzo split off from Erza the moment they stepped outside the gate since they didn't want to get caught up in one of Freed's enchantments. As Rizzo was running down the street, she could hear distant fighting, and she was sure that was her brothers taking care of their own opponents.

"Hey, Rizzo!"

Rizzo came to a stop when some townspeople called out to her from where they stood by one of the stores.

"We saw a bunch of guys from your guild fighting earlier." One of the men asked. "Think you could ask them to stop wrecking the town?"

Rizzo chuckled while seeing that all this battling has even gotten on the townspeople's nerves, and usually they just ignore Fairy Tail's antics.

"Uh, sorry about that." Rizzo said as she grinned a bit sheepishly. "They're just preparing for the parade, ya know?"

"I don't see what that has to do with fighting." The older man said.

"Don't worry." Rizzo said. "I promise it'll be a good show, kay?"

She gave a charming smile while hoping they took her lie without too much of a fuss.

"I'll take your word for it then." The older man said as he smiled.

"Try to clean up after yourselves okay?" The other guy asked.

Rizzo nodded before she started hurrying down the street once more since she didn't really have the time to stand around and chat. She needed to find Evergreen. Suddenly golden magic was blasted her way, which meant she quickly had to dodge out of the way. She landed in a crouch on the ground before looking up to see the very woman she was looking for. It appeared that luck was on her side.

"My, my, that's odd." Evergreen said. "I seem to remember turning you into a statue."

Rizzo didn't reply as she stood up straight while looking up at Evergreen. She would defeat this woman to save her friends. After that…she was going after Laxus.


	38. Plucking the Wings Off of a Fairy

Coco: So, Derples was the 100 reviewer! So...CONGRATULATIONS! :D Anyway, let's get started with the chapter, yeah?

* * *

Rizzo, who had her violin out at the ready, and Evergreen remained quiet and still as they stared each other down for a moment. Rizzo had to make this quick. The other girls were still stone, so they needed Evergreen taken out to be saved.

"Care to explain why you're not stone?" Evergreen asked.

"Not really." Rizzo replied. "It's a long story that I don't feel like sharing. All I'm interested in is kicking your ass, so I can move onto someone more my level."

Evergreen glared at Rizzo as she stood their confidently with not an ounce of worry in expression.

"Hmph, you really think you can beat me?" Evergreen asked hotly. "Don't make me laugh! I'm a member of the Thunder Legion. Not to mention the true Queen of the Fairies!"

Rizzo frowned when Evergreen declared that. She thought she could just declare herself Queen of the Fairies? That title was something earned by the strongest female in the guild. Rizzo might not have forgiven Erza yet for her words six years ago…but she couldn't let Evergreen use the name that Erza, who wasn't even looking for the title, earned for her strength because someday Rizzo would be strong enough to beat Erza. It took hard work to earn the title Queen of the Fairies, and it took even more work to beat someone who held such a title within the guild.

"Don't be stupid." Rizzo said as she glared up at Evergreen. "You are no queen. If someone with my strength can defeat you, you don't deserve to be taking the title of someone stronger than me!"

Rizzo jumped up into the air while already playing a melody on her violin. Evergreen's eyes widened a moment when seeing that look in Rizzo's eyes that showed how serious she was about this fight.

"Song of the Dancing Wind!" Rizzo cast her music spell.

Evergreen had to quickly use her wings to fly up and out of the way of the wind attack. She flew up high into the air as Rizzo landed on the roof. Rizzo turned while switching out instruments in a flash. The violin entered the guitar case just as a saxophone reached Rizzo's grasp.

"Song of the Jazz Swinging Stars!" Rizzo called out.

She then took a deep breath before playing a jazzy tune with her saxophone. Bright lights shined up above Evergreen, and she turned her head to see what looked like a night sky appearing in the middle of the day.

"What is this?" She asked in shock.

Stars came shooting down from the sphere of night sky, and she gasped as they circled here while appearing to be dancing before they hit in her back. She fell down to the same roof that Rizzo was standing on top of at the moment. Rizzo finished the song while pulling the saxophone away from her mouth.

"Is that all?" Rizzo asked. "I wanted to win this quick to help the girls, but you didn't even make it challenging for me."

"I'm not done." Evergreen said as she sat up. "Not by a long shot!"

Evergreen lifted her glasses up from her eyes with them starting to glow golden.

"Master Raoul, I need to borrow your eyes for a moment." Rizzo said as she closed her eyes.

Evergreen paused in her attack seeming confused by what Rizzo said. When Rizzo opened her eyes again they weren't the vivid green that they usually where. No, they were turquoise.

"So what if you changed eye-color?" Evergreen asked. "Green or turquoise—it doesn't matter. I'll still turn you to stone."

Rizzo didn't seem worried in the slightest as she stood there as if ready for anything that might come her way.

-FLASHBACK-

 _"You think I can use your eyes?" Rizzo asked as she continued to stand with Raoul in her own mind as he was trying to think of a way to break the spell on her._

 _"Yes." Raoul said. "If you can use my magic when we connect then you should be able to use my vision as well. Now, my eyesight isn't anything special. But this girl's magic only works on the living, right?"_

 _Rizzo nodded her head because that was true. All the members of the Thunder Legion, who weren't S-class like Amarante, had special eye magic that only affected the living. Freed had his_ _Dark Écriture that ties in with his script magic. Bickslow had his Figure Eyes, which basically gave him the control of the soul in a living body to use as he uses his dolls with his seith magic. Then Evergreen had her stone eyes, which was pretty self-explanatory. Rizzo was sure that only Evergreen and Bickslow were the only two who had to worry about their eyes being used on living things._

 _"Well, I'm technically dead." Raoul said. "This form I have is incorporeal. That means if you utilize my eyes—"_

 _"I'll be seeing with eyes from a dead man." Rizzo finished._

 _"Exactly, which means you won't have to worry about those eyes of hers!" Raoul said grinning. "Isn't your great-great granddaddy amazing?"_

 _Rizzo chuckled while not denying how amazing Raoul is. He was a genius after all even if he was mostly known for his musical genius instead of his overall genius._

-END OF FLASHBACK-

Evergreen activated her power again while sure that Rizzo would be stone in two seconds flat. However, she was shocked when nothing happened to Rizzo.

"What is the meaning of this?" Evergreen asked.

"Like I said before it's a long story that I don't feel like telling." Rizzo said. "Just prepare to be beaten, Evergreen. I won't hold back just because you're my guildmate. It's not my style. Now, let's keep going."

Rizzo tossed her saxophone towards her guitar case, which pulled in the instrument. A drum set popped out next, and Rizzo grinned as she sat down while twirling the sticks around in her hand.

"Get ready, Evergreen." Rizzo said. "You're in the direct line of fire. Beat of Destruction!"

Rizzo started playing fast pace and heavy on the drum set that had a large light of power gathering around the front of the bass drum.

"Uh oh." Evergreen said.

Rizzo's grin widened as the beam shot out towards Evergreen who tried to dodge. While the beam didn't hit her directly, it nicked her to send her rolling across the roof. Rizzo soon had the drum set vanishing back into the guitar case. Before Rizzo could call out another instrument, Evergreen decided to get a attack in.

"I won't let you continue hitting me!" Evergreen said. "Now, have a taste of my Fairy Machinegun: Leprechaun!"

The golden bullets rained down towards Rizzo, and she had to summersault backwards to avoid them. She managed to get to her guitar case, which she used as a shield against the barrage of attacks.

"Hmm, that chase is stronger than it looks." Evergreen said. "Let's see if it can take on twice as many!"

Evergreen sent another barrage if attacks towards Rizzo, and this time there was many more. Rizzo frowned as she dug her feet into the ground to avoid being pushed back. She wouldn't lose to Evergreen. Not now…not ever! Rizzo started running forward while using her guitar case to block all the attacks. Evergreen gasped in shock as Rizzo jumped towards her after tossing the guitar case up into the air.

"Looks like your fairy sparkles failed you, Evergreen." Rizzo said as she drew her fist back.

Rizzo punched Evergreen in the face, which sent Evergreen sailing down to the roof below. She hit the wall chimney behind her as Rizzo had her clarinet fly out towards her, which she caught.

"Song of the Cascading Notes!" Rizzo said.

She took in a breath before playing a tune that had literal notes flying out the bottom of the clarinet. The notes flew towards Evergreen who screamed thinking they were going to hit her hard. However, the notes simply pinned Evergreen to the chimney to keep her in place. Rizzo landed down on the roof while keeping the clarinet in hand.

"Even if you're annoying as hell, you're still a member of Fairy Tail." Rizzo said. "Which is why I'm not going to continue this beating…as long as you turn the girls back to normal. If not, well…you don't want to find out what I'll do next."

Rizzo grinned with a look in her eyes that showed she would continue this fight. Even though Evergreen felt nervous on the inside, she kept her emotions off her face. She chuckled while smirking at Rizzo.

"You're being a bit naïve, aren't you?" Evergreen asked. "I'll have you know my stone eyes grant me another ability."

Rizzo, who started walking forward, just sighed while having enough of listening to Evergreen talk. If she wouldn't comply, Rizzo would just pound her face in until she agreed.

"Remote control." Evergreen said.

Rizzo paused looking at Evergreen with a quirked brow. Was she being serious?

"Drop to your knees, and bow before me!" Evergreen said. "If you refuse, I'll use my powers topple your precious little statues and shatter them!"

Rizzo blinked for a moment then gave a small sigh. Evergreen blinked in confusion as Rizzo put away her clarinet to bring out her guitar.

"I can see that you're ready to die for these ideals of yours, which surprises me since you don't seem the type." Rizzo said. "However, if you must shatter the other girls, I'll avenge them by putting you six feet under, Evergreen."

Evergreen's eyes widened as very large amplifiers appeared behind Rizzo. The pinkette looked darkly at Evergreen as her magic started to build up.

"Goodbye, Evergreen." Rizzo said as she placed her fingers on the strings of her guitar. "I'm sure the Song of the Reaper's Soul Collection should work just fine. Once your soul is collected, I'll be sure to dispose of your body properly."

A dark magical energy whirled around Rizzo with what looked like a large white skull appearing behind her while opening it's mouth to give a scream that sent sharp shudders down Evergreen's spine.

"What?! No!" Evergreen said. "N—!"

She didn't get to finish her plea because Rizzo hit her hard over the head with her guitar. Evergreen cried out in pain as Rizzo gave her a deadpanned look.

"If you're going to bluff, do better at it." Rizzo said.

"Alright…you win." Evergreen said.

Rizzo wasn't all that surprised that Evergreen gave up finally. Her guitar went back to the guitar case as Rizzo crossed her arms over her chest. Evergreen's eyes glowed momentarily before stopping.

"Okay, the girls are back to normal." Evergreen said. "Now are you going to let me go?"

"Not yet." Rizzo said. "You are going to tell me how to find Laxus… _now_ , or I'll bring back out my guitar. And I won't be bluffing anymore."

Evergreen gulped getting the feeling that Rizzo was being very serious when she said that.

* * *

Jaser stiffened in surprise when suddenly the stone started shattering off the girls. He grinned when seeing all the girls were okay.

"Oh my." Juvia said. "What happened to us?"

"I can't remember." Levy said.

The boys all ran up to the stage, and Jaser even jumped on top of it to check on Cana. He had a big grin on his face when seeing that she was alright. He hugged her, which had her blinking in confusion though she didn't push him away. Makarov gave a laugh of happiness when seeing that now some of his children were out of the clear.

"They're all back to normal!" Natsu said happily.

Sven looked up from his books with a smile on his face. It looked like Rizzo took care of business.

"Lucy!" Happy cried as he grabbed onto the blonde.

She blinked at him in confusion while not exactly sure what was going on. Everyone then checked the runes to see that they updated.

"Rizzo vs. Evergreen: the winner is Rizzo." Makarov read off. "Well, Laxus, you're all out of hostages, boy. Can't continue with your game now, can you?"

Natsu grinned while not at all surprised that Rizzo had won against Evergreen. The latter was strong, but Rizzo was one of the top females of Fairy Tail. The only girls who can beat her are Erza and Amarante. Mirajane too if the white-haired woman ever started using her powers again.

"Would someone care to explain what we've missed?" Mirajane asked.

Makarov quickly explained what was going on along with the hell of the boys and Sanjū. As they were explaining, some of the girls went backstage to change their clothes. Once Makarov was done explaining, all the girls were gathered around with the others.

"He called it the Battle of Fairy Tail?" Lucy asked.

"Laxus has really outdone himself this time." Cana complained.

He was always difficult. Especially after his father's exile. He did a lot to spite Makarov, and he distanced himself from most of the guild except his Thunder Legion.

"At any rate, it's over now." Makarov said. "I played along with his foolish game because all your lives were in danger, but I won't indulge him anymore."

"Master, we can't let him get away with hurting our friends." Mirajane said.

"Yeah, she's right!" Bisca agreed. "If we don't teach Laxus a lesson, he won't ever learn."

Most of the members of Fairy Tail, who have known Laxus for years, agreed with both Mirajane and Bisca. They all have put up with a lot from Laxus. Enough was enough in their eyes.

"Oh, don't worry." Makarov said. "I'm going to give that boy a punishment he'll never forget. He should know better. You can mess with me, but you can't mess with my guild."

"Hey now, hold on a sec." Natsu said.

Everyone turned towards Natsu curiously as he stood there with serious expression on his face.

"I don't know about taking hostages, but I don't see any harm in finding out who's the strongest." Natsu said then crossed his arms over his chest. "I think we should keep the battle going."

"Me too!" Jaser said as he fist pumped. "I'm ready to battle it out!"

All the girls looked at the two Dragon Slayers in surprise as Sven chuckled in amusement. He should have known the two of them weren't ready to end this battle, which meant he needed to finish trying to rewrite these enchantments. He was almost halfway done, but one word was throwing him off, which made it hard for him to finish the rest.

"In the end, I bet he was just trying to have a little fun for the festival." Natsu continued. "Give him a break."

Makarov looked at Natsu wondering if the pinkette really thought this was just innocent fun. And wondered if Natsu really thought that Laxus was still an ally.

"So in other words, what are we waiting for?!" Natsu asked. "We've got enough people here! Let's start brawling! Come on! Round two, right now!"

"Yeah, let's brawl!" Jaser said as he jumped down from the stage. "I'll take you all on!"

"WHAT?!" Lucy, Levy, and Bisca shouted in surprise.

They all then leaned away from the Dragon Slayers when Jaser and Natsu grinned at them with clear excitement in their eyes. The girls could tell that the two were really, really itching for a good brawl.

"Don't even think about it, you nincompoops!" Makarov ordered.

The two Dragon Slayers just laughed while not listening to Makarov, or they were just so caught up into it all that they didn't hear him.

"Ah, come on! I've got to do something with all this pent-up energy I've got!" Natsu said.

"Who wants to take me on first?!" Jaser asked. "Sven, you want to join us?!"

"Can't. I'm busy, remember?" Sven asked.

When he said that, Levy went over to see what he was working on. Lucy shook her head as she had the deal with Natsu.

"Give it a rest." Lucy said sighing. "You're always looking for an excuse to pick a fight."

"If you really need to blow off steam that bad, I'm always ready to rumble." Cana said.

"Don't encourage them, girl." Bisca said.

Mirajane just giggled behind her hand because it was amusing to watch Jaser and Natsu get so excited.

"You know, I don't think it's nice to beat up on girls." Happy said. "Especially, if they're your friends."

"A girl, a guy, friend, enemy—who cares?" Natsu asked.

"I don't discriminate!" Jaser added with a laugh. "I'll take on them all!"

"Hey, keep this up, and I'm going to fight ya!" Happy said.

Jaser and Natsu just laughed while not all feeling threatened by Happy. Sanjū just shook her head as she wished they'd calm down. However, she knew that wouldn't be happening. Natsu then started chasing Lucy around.

"Come on, Lucy, let's see what you're made of." Natsu said.

"No, no way!" She whined.

The girls laughed in amusement. It got even funnier when Jaser jumped Natsu. They both started rolling across the ground while throwing punches.

"Idiots." Sanjū said while sighing.

"They might be, but they're our idiots." Sven said as he pet her on top the head.

He then looked forward wondering how Breccan and Craylee were doing in their fights. He also wondered if Rizzo was going after Laxus now that Evergreen was out of the picture.

* * *

Rizzo ran along the street while heading towards the place that Evergreen said Laxus would be. On her way, she spotted Erza up ahead of her.

"Erza!" Rizzo called.

The redhead came to a skidding halt before turning her head to see Rizzo heading her way.

"Rizzo, have you taken care of Evergreen?" Erza asked.

Rizzo frowned at Erza while wondering if the redhead really thought so little of her. Did Erza really think Evergreen would be a match for her?

"Tch, of course I have." Rizzo said as she frowned. "Why haven't you found Breccan or even Laxus yet? Have you been slacking?"

"I tried looking for Breccan since you said he most likely discovered Laxus's hiding place, which is why he's engaging Amarante who would most likely be close to Laxus to protect him." Erza said. "However, whenever I think I'm close they change locations. And they move so swiftly and quietly I don't know they're gone until it's too late."

Rizzo sighed though not all that surprised. Amarante was known as the Assassin Fairy and Breccan was raised within a dark guild of mages who excelled in assassination. They both knew how to move within the shadows and cover a lot of ground without being noticed.

"Well, Evergreen told me where to find Laxus after I beat her." Rizzo said. "Let's go there and kick his ass!"

"Right." Erza said nodding.

Rizzo started running in the direction she had been going with Erza following along with her. When they reached the building Evergreen told Rizzo about, the pinkette moved in quickly.

"This must be the place." Rizzo said as she reached a door. "Time to get your ass kicked, Laxus!"

She opened the door to step in with Erza right behind her. They both froze with their eyes widening when they saw all the naked men in...this bathhouse. Many gasped and others protested to their sudden intrusion, but Rizzo didn't hear them. Her right eye twitched as she realized something horrifying. She dropped down to her knees while hanging her head.

"I…I let her play me like a fool." She said in realization then she growled. "Evergreen, when I get my hands on you, you're so dead!"

* * *

Craylee had to dodge another attack when Bickslow's doll fired on him. He flipped backwards in the air with his winged shoes keeping him airborne. He frowned lightly while getting really annoyed that he hasn't beaten this wacko yet. Bickslow just gave a loud laugh as his tongue hung out.

"This is great!" Bickslow said. "You're much more challenging than Gray!"

"I'm sure you used some kind of trick to win you're right against him." Craylee said. "Like one of those enchantments like the one you tied to trick me into stumbling into a little ways back."

Craylee had took notice of the magic energy near any alleyway that Bickslow had tried to lead him towards, and he knew it had to be one of Freed's enchantments, which is why Craylee has kept his distance as much as possible as he was chasing the man. However, he replied mostly relied on getting close to his opponent. If he could just get a few explosion threads on Bickslow, this fight would be over with.

"Ya know, for someone with only one functioning eye, you sure do see a lot." Bickslow commented.

"Of course." Craylee said. "A seamster's eyes is his pride since it's the eyes that allow him to see the fine details in everything he sews. I might only have half the vision of others, but I have trained hard to ensure that I am not hindered by it."

And Rizzo pushing him to do so was what made all the difference in the end. Rizzo was someone important to him, which is why he was going to beat all of the Thunder Legion if he had to to get her and the other girls back to normal. With that in mind, he brought out new thread to quickly put in his needle. He didn't like using this thread since it took a lot of magic energy. However, it didn't look like had had much choice. He had to get Bickslow out of the way. Bickslow was shocked when Craylee seemed to sew through the very air in front of him. Craylee then ripped what he had sewn to make a large black spinning vortex that seemed to lead to stars on the other end.

"Space Thread: Wormhole." Craylee said.

Bickslow started feeling himself getting pulled towards the spinning vortex. He cursed knowing he had to act fast.

"Bryon Formation, babies!" He ordered.

His babies formed a pentagon like shape before firing a large green light towards Craylee. The wings on his shoes quickly moved him out of the way, and put him higher up in the air with the wormhole still working. He was sure victory was in his grasp now.

"Craylee!"

Craylee stiffened before whirling around to see Lucy, who had spotted him in the air, standing there with Happy, and the beam that Bickslow had fired was heading right towards them. Lucy and Happy finally noticed the beam, and they screamed while grabbing onto each other. Then in a blink of an eye, Craylee was in between them and the beam. He took the beam head on, which sent him crashing into the ground. Lucy gasped while quickly kneeling to check on Craylee as his wormhole vanished, which allowed Bickslow to get away from its pull.

"Craylee!" Lucy said. "Are you okay? Speak to me!"

"Craylee." Happy murmured looking worried.

Craylee coughed with his eyes opening to see Lucy and Happy looking down at him.

"Watch where you're going next time." He said.

The two sighed in relief when hearing his snarky tone since it meant he would be okay.

"Looks like I was saved by Blondie and the kittycat." Bickslow said.

Happy and Lucy looked up at the seith mage as he stood on top the toyshop. Lucy glared at him as she kept Craylee close to protect him in case Bickslow tried something. He was fighting this guy, huh?

"Lucy, if you're here…is Rizzo okay?" Craylee asked. "And…the other girls?"

Lucy smiled down at Craylee as he looked up at her with worry being seen on his face.

"Rizzo's more than fine. She took care of Evergreen after Master Raoul found a way to break the petrification spell on her." Lucy said. "And everyone is back to normal. Juvia's doing well too."

"I didn't ask about her." Craylee said as he averted his gaze. "I don't really care. My main concern is my sister."

Lucy chuckled knowing that Craylee did care about knowing how Juvia was doing even if he was saying he didn't.

"Hehe, you liiiiikkkeee, Juvia.~" Happy teased as he giggled behind his paw.

He then stiffened in fright when Craylee gave him a glare that would have Satan pissing his pants. He'd be sure to remember to never tease Craylee ever again. Craylee then sighed.

"I'm glad everyone is okay." Craylee said. "Lucy, I don't think I'll be getting up soon enough to continue fighting Bickslow. Can I count on you to finish what I started?"

"You bet!" Lucy said as she nodded. "Happy and I got this!"

"Aye!" Happy added.

Craylee gave a rare smile as he closed his eyes. He had a feeling that Lucy would be just fine. She's a lot stronger than most give her credit for.

"Then I know I don't have to worry." He said.

Lucy nodded before carefully moving Craylee out of the middle of the street, so he wouldn't be in any danger. Once she did that, she looked up at Bickslow who was obviously waiting on her.

"Let's go, Happy." Lucy said.

"Aye!" Happy said.

He picked her up before flying her up to the building across from the toyshop.

"Yo, you must be the new girl everyone's been talking about." Bickslow said.

Lucy frowned at his guy while ready to finish this fight for Craylee. If she hadn't distracted him earlier, he would have taken care of Bickslow for sure.

"Is that so?" Lucy asked. "Mind telling me what they've been saying? I've been dying to know."

"Just that you're into whips, playing dress up, and you like bossing people around." Bickslow said.

"Gees, they make me sound like some kind of pervert!" Lucy complained.

Bickslow just laughed while thinking this fight wouldn't be lasting long. However, this girl might prove to be some kind of entertainment.

"Ha, nice cheerleader costume by the way." He said.

"A cheerleader!" One doll said.

"Go team." Another mocked.

"Defense." A third commented.

Lucy put her arms around herself while starting to feel self-conscious. Did she look that ridiculous? She thought it was a good choice considering what she had been planning to do for the Miss Fairy Tail contest.

"Alright, Babies, time to tear it up!" Bickslow said.

His dolls swooped down towards Lucy and Happy while firing those green beams on them. Lucy and Happy ran to get away before they could get hit. They had to tuck in roll at the end, or they would have been done for.

"Too bad." Bickslow said. "Normally, I'd go easy on you since you're still just a newbie, but this here is a war. And losing is simply not an option for us. If you hadn't distracted Craylee, this wouldn't be happening to you now."

Lucy, who was crouched on the ground, grit her teeth knowing that was true. However, she wasn't going to give up. Not now. As the dust cleared, she looked up at Bickslow.

"If you think the Master's going to let you get away with this, you've got another thing coming, Pal!" Lucy said.

"The _Master_ can go suck it for all I care." Bickslow said. "By the time this is all over, Laxus will be the new master of Fairy Tail."

Those dolls fired on Lucy again, so she had to back up again to avoid being hit.

"These flying things are really annoying." Lucy said then grinned. "Good thing I have _two_ archers."

Lucy brought out Sagittarius and Laelaps's keys while glad she had made a contact with the dog spirit earlier in the week. Now was the perfect time to put her into action.

"Open: Gate of the Archer, Sagittarius!" Lucy said. "And, open: Gate of the Great Dog, Laelaps!"

Two lights appeared in front of Lucy as she called forth two of her spirits. As the light disappeared Sagittarius and Laelaps were standing there. It was a bit hard summoning the two of them at once, but Lucy grinned since she accomplished it.

"Horse power!" Sagittarius exclaimed. "Howdy doodie, my lady, you called?"

"Good to see you, Alpha." Laelaps said as she grinned. "Want me to hunt someone down for you?"

Lucy grinned while sure that she'd be fine with two of her spirits at her side. Especially since one is a zodiac key and the other was the leader of the silver keys.

"Oh, a celestial mage." Bickslow said. "So your spirits like to wear costumes too?"

"Costume?" Laelaps asked. "My ears and tail are real."

She pouted because she felt insulted that someone could mistake her doglike appendages for a simple costume prop. Her ears even drooped a bit.

"Don't listen to him, Laelaps!" Lucy said. "You have great ears and a great tail, so don't let him get you down!"

Laelaps perked up when Lucy said that, and her tail even wagged a bit in happiness. She then shook herself knowing she had to pay attention to the battle at hand.

"Aim for those stupid flying things, got it?" Lucy asked her spirits.

Laelaps and Sagittarius both notched an arrow each in their bows before they aimed upwards at the dolls.

"Righto, my lady!" Sagittarius said as he drew back an arrow. "As you wish."

"You got it, Alpha." Laelaps said.

The two immediately started shooting those dolls down with well-practiced ease.

"Oh, my poor babies!" Bickslow cried as the dolls were shot into dust. "First you were frozen, and now you've been blown to pieces!"

Soon all the dolls were shot down from the air, and Lucy grinned in accomplishment.

"Alright!" Lucy and Happy cheered.

"And to you flying fiends, I say cheerio!" Sagittarius said saluting.

"Too easy." Laelaps said frowning.

Those dolls were too pathetic. Laelaps looked up at the one controlling them while wondering if he'd even be a challenge. He was currently crouched down while crying over his dolls. There had to be more to him, right?

"You want to surrender? Now's your chance." Lucy said.

"Take it or leave it!" Happy added.

"The choice is yours!" Sagittarius said.

Laelaps frowned while keeping her eyes on Bickslow who was continuing his "crying" act. He suddenly lifted his head not seeming worried at all as he grinned and stuck out his tongue.

"Psych!" He said.

Suddenly a blinding green beam of light hit Sagittarius head on, and as Lucy cried out his name, Laelaps moved in front of her to protect her.

"Well, that's it." Sagittarius said. "I'm afraid I'll have to hightail it back to the spirit world. Totolos!"

He disappeared back into the spirit world as Laelaps glared up at Bickslow who was now standing on the pole again. She had known he couldn't be down for the count just yet.

"What the heck?" Lucy asked.

"For me this is more than just a toyshop." Bickslow said. "It's an army!"

More dolls lifted into the air while laughing disturbingly as Laelaps notched another arrow. She was ready to take them all down if she had to. No way was she being beaten by things she'd use as chew toys during her down time.

"You're controlling the toys?" Lucy asked.

"No, they're just tools!" Bickslow declared. "You can break as many of them as you want. What I really control are souls."

So he uses a form of dark magic. Laelaps narrowed her eyes knowing this fight just might be interesting yet, which had her grinning. She always did enjoy a challenge.

"Are you kidding me?" Lucy asked.

"Bickslow's seith magic allows him to move souls between objects, and then use them to fight for him." Happy explained.

"Only one thing to do." Lucy said.

She grabbed her key holder while thinking about who would be the perfect spirit to back up Laelaps. Lucy knew her magic took a hit after summoning a zodiac key and the strongest silver key…but she had to try. However, before she could the keys were snatched away from her by one of Bickslow's dolls.

"My keys!" Lucy cried.

Happy went to go get them, but he was knocked down by another doll. Some of the dolls went after Lucy, but Laelaps shot them all down.

"You're a tough spirit, aren't ya?" Bickslow commented. "Try this on for size."

He tried to hit Laelaps with the same beam of light as he did to Sagittarius, but Laelaps dodged while picking up Lucy to take the blonde with her. Lucy, who was being held bridal style by her spirit, gasped when they were suddenly airborne when Laelaps jumped into the air. Once they landed, Laelaps carefully set down her master.

"Sorry, but you're not fast enough." Laelaps said as she stood straight. "I will not allow you to hurt my master."

"Oh, really?" Bickslow said. "How are you to protect her and defeat me?!"

He sent another beam at them, and Lucy gasped since this was coming much faster. Laelaps shoved Lucy out of harm's way, which had Lucy gasping in surprise.

"No, Laelaps!" Lucy cried.

Laelaps notched an arrow thinking a shot from Sirius's power might work. However, before she could test that theory she was literally swept off of her feet to be carried out of the way of the beam.

"Eh?" Laelaps muttered in confusion.

"Once again, you put yourself into danger." A familiar voice said.

Laelaps blinked as she and Lucy looked to see who her savior was even if she didn't need saving.

"Loke/Leo!" Lucy and Laelaps exclaimed in unison.

Loke smirked as he continued to hold Laelaps in his arms. Lucy smiled in relief when seeing one of her spirits weren't hurt again.

"Once again I manage to pass through the gate against our master's wishes." Loke said as he grinned at Laelaps. "Is it perhaps our love is so strong it can pass through any barriers?"

Laelaps's blushed at his words as Lucy sweat-dropped from where she was sitting on the roof. The great dog spirit then shoved Loke away to stand on her own two feet.

"I didn't need the help." She said while still blushing. "And what do you mean by "our love"?"

Lucy looked between Loke and Laelaps as the prior grinned down at the latter in amusement. Lucy could also see an almost fond look in Loke's eyes.

"Uh, is there something going on between you to?" Lucy asked.

Loke didn't answer as he adjusted the sleeves of his suit. Laelaps stayed at his side with her arms crossed over her chest.

"I know you! You're Loke!" Bickslow exclaimed.

The two spirits ignored the soul manipulator as they partially faced each other while carrying on a conversation.

"So the time has come to fulfill my promise, huh?" Loke asked then looked at Laelaps. "You can step down, Laelaps."

Laelaps frowned at Loke while not appreciating his bossy tone. He wasn't in charge of her. He wasn't her alpha. He might be the leader of the zodiac, but that didn't make him her leader, which is why she's staying put.

"Not happening." Laelaps said. "Alpha summoned me here, not you, Pussycat. I can handle it."

"Oh, really?" Loke asked with a teasing grin on his face. "Who was about to get blown away like Sagittarius, Poochie?"

"EH?! Sagittarius wasn't prepared for the attack like I was, and I was going to counteract with Sirius!" Laelaps retorted.

Lucy sweat-dropped wondering if these two would always argue if called out at the same time. Of course, Loke was more teasing than arguing. He seemed to enjoy pushing Laelaps's buttons.

"Well, what do you know? So you were a celestial spirit." Bickslow said breaking their conversation. "I've kept your secret all this time. And this is the thanks I get?"

Laelaps just rolled her eyes while really just wanting to get this fight going. After she won, maybe Lucy would give her a treat! Maybe a belly rub. Laelaps really loves belly rubs.

"But how did he know?" Lucy asked.

"Since he has the power to control souls that means he can see them too." Happy explained.

Well, that all made sense to Lucy, but she wondered why Bickslow never said anything to the others about Loke.

"So, now the spirit wants to join the Battle of Fairy Tail too, huh?" Bickslow asked.

Loke frowned up at the man then glanced at Laelaps seeing that she wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon. He glanced back at Lucy seeing that she seemed fine on her own two feet. Hmm, well, she's holding steady despite how much magic she's been using.

"No, I don't care about your battle, Laxus, or any of that nonsense." Loke said as he adjusted his suit. "Listen up, the only reason I'm here is to protect Lucy! Laelaps and I are not going to let you hurt her, understand?"

He and Laelaps glared up at Bickslow while ready to protect Lucy to the very end.

"Hahaha, is that so?" Bickslow asked. "That's rich. You've never beaten me before, ya know? And for the record, I was going easy on you, little lion cub. Let's give him one last beating for old time sake, Babies!"

They came flying towards the group, and before Loke had to do anything, the dolls were shot down in rapid succession. Everyone turned towards Laelaps.

"You forgot that Leo isn't fighting alone." Laelaps said. "Our master and myself are here to fight alongside him."

"That's right!" Lucy said. "I fight with my friends."

She stepped up with her whip at the ready, and Loke blinked a few times before grinning. That's right…Lucy wasn't like Karen. Lucy fought alongside her spirits because she thought of them as friends, not tools.

"Let's fight together, Loke." Lucy said grinning.

Loke's grin grew in return as Happy looked between the celestial mage and the leader of the zodiac.

"Lucy looooves him." Happy said while rolling his tongue.

"I do not!" Lucy snapped.

The dolls then started firing at the group, which had Lucy and Happy dancing around to dodge them.

"Laelaps and I will do something about the dolls!" Loke said. "When there's an opening, Lucy attack Bickslow with your whip."

"Okay!" Lucy agreed. "Let's do this!"

"Aye!" He agreed.

The two spirits stood side by side as they took two different stances. Both were soon covered in light as they gathered their power. However, Loke's light was a brilliant gold while Laelaps's light was a striking silvery-blue.

"O Regulus, grant me strength." Loke said.

"Sirius, please, battle alongside me." Laelaps said while grinning.


	39. Darkness and Light Working Together

Sven gave a sigh as he watched Levy look through the work he had already finished. Maybe she would find out where he went wrong. He pinched the bridge of his nose feeling tired mentally.

"Sven, don't look so beaten up." Levy said as she looked up. "You did really well. Thanks to you the work I have to do is less than half."

Sven nodded his head then looked over towards the three Dragon Slayers as they were discussing something about the Tortoise and the Hare story, which confused Sven. Weren't they discussing Lucy's victory over Bickslow just moments ago? Sanjū was standing beside Sven as she was wondering how the conversation switched to a children's tale as well. Levy kept mumbling to herself while trying to block out the boys' blabbering. However, she was then hit with an idea.

"That's it!" She exclaimed, which had the boys jumping.

Sven turned towards her while really hoping she had finally figured out how to put down the new runes.

"What's what?!" Gajeel and Natsu asked in shock.

Levy just quickly went back to writing down on the notes that Sven already made as her friends watched her.

"I need to look at these two grammar styles like the Tortoise and the Hare, and translate them at two different rates!" She explained. "If I take the integral number of synchronized in a single pass, and transform them into guild grammar. And then translate into log—"

"You'll be able to rewrite the enchantment." Sven, who was the only one to understand, said. "And where I messed up was trying to keep the two grammar styles at the same rate."

"Exactly!" Levy said. "I'm still very impressed you got as far as you had without changing the rates. I wouldn't have. It's amazing!"

"Teehee, thank-you, Levy-san." Sven said with a sweet boyish smile.

The Dragon Slayers all just blinked since they didn't understand pretty much anything of what was just said. Levy then finished what she was writing, so to jump up onto her feet victoriously.

"It worked!" She said.

That was something Natsu, Jaser, and Gajeel understood just fine. They gave a cheer as Levy got up to go over to the runes.

"Just give me a second to rewrite the runes." Levy said.

"You bet!" Gajeel and Natsu said in unison.

Jaser ruffled Sven's hair when the blonde had stopped to stand beside him. Jaser smiled down at his older brother as Sven was just glad he was done trying to figure out how to rewrite Freed's enchantments.

"This is it, guys." Levy said. "When I'm through here, you three will join the Battle of Fairy Tail. I hope you're ready."

Natsu held up a flame covered fist as Jaser cracked his knuckles with excitement shining in his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm all fired up!" Natsu declared.

"I've been waiting for this." Jaser said.

"Time to take out the trash." Gajeel stated.

As Levy finished rewriting the enchantment, which took a few minutes, another update appeared on the runes.

"Juvia vs. Cana." Sven said.

He frowned while tired of Freed and his enchantments that made friends fight against each other.

"Jaser, Natsu, Gajeel, you three need to solely focus on Laxus once you leave." Sven said as he headed towards the door. "I'll take down Freed. I'm tired of his enchantments. I'm going to show him what a real script mage is capable of."

Gajeel, Natsu, Levy, and even Sanjū seemed surprised by Sven's cold tone. However, Jaser just looked down at his older brother.

"Sven, are you going to use _that_ form in the battle?" Jaser asked.

The others, but Sanjū this time, looked at the Sand Dragon in confusion since they had no idea what he was talking about.

"Most likely." Sven said. "If I have to use it to beat Freed, I'll do it without hesitation. I know how what state in leaves my body in, but I can't go in at half power and expect to win."

He held up his hand while looking down at the hand that belonged to a boy not the man he was before clenching it into a fist.

"The Children's Storybook forced this form on you because it's part of the limitations it sets on you." Jaser said. "Trying to use your true form will double your powers. However,if you can't control your powers, people around you might get hurt."

"True form?" Natsu asked.

"I'm aware of that." Sven said as if Natsu didn't speak. "I spent six years training…pushing myself to maintain my true form for as long as possible, and to control the extra power boost that comes along with it. I promise to be careful."

Jaser nodded his head then watched as Sven pulled out his Children's Storybook along with the quill that went with it.

"Before I go, Jaser, Natsu, Gajeel, you three will need to separate before heading out." Sven said. "I might not beat Freed in time to end his enchantments, so we can't take the chance of you getting caught in one."

"Right." Jaser said.

"Wait, Sven, what do you plan to do?" Natsu asked. "What's all this true form thing about?"

Sven sighed before looking back at Natsu as the pinkette was looking at him curiously.

"This form now is the children's form that is forced upon the user of the Children's Storybook." Sven said. "My true form is the form of the body of my adult self."

Natsu's mouth dropped in shock since he had no idea that Sven could change form. Sven then started scribbling away in the Children's Storybook.

"And what came forth was a grand winged creature that could ride the winds with the speed of a falling star." Sven said. "It came forth to aid the young hero as he readied for a battle against the fiend of scripture."

In front of Sven, a large gallant looking bird appeared. As Natsu and Gajeel gapped in shock, Sven climbed onto the bird's back.

"Let's go, Njord (Norse god of wind)." Sven said.

Njord beat his wings a few times before soaring up into the sky. As Njord flew, Sven kept his eyes peeled for Freed. He frowned knowing that actually looking for the guy might take a while, which meant he had to try something else. Sven pulled out his book again along with his quill. As he was writing, he narrated the story.

"The young hero searched for the script mage diligently, but could not seem to catch sight of him." Sven said. "To help him in his quest, a compass that sought out its owner's foes appeared in his palm."

Sven held out his hand with a compass appearing within it. He looked at the compass to see the arrow was pointing northwest to where he was. Sven looked seeing a cropping of rocks was in that direction.

"Njord, take me there, please." Sven ordered as he pointed.

"Kaw-caw!" Njord replied.

He swiftly adjusted his course with Sven's hair whipping around his face due to force of the wind created by Njord's speed. Njord flew swiftly as Sven held out his hand in front of him. He had make a copy so to speak of the enchantment Freed placed on the door that would allow Sven to check on things if the runes changed. The runes appeared in front of him yet in a smaller version, and Sven saw that there was indeed an update.

"Juvia forfeits." Sven read. "Cana vs. Freed: battle in-progress."

Sven frowned knowing he needed to hurry. Cana might get caught in another of Freed's enchantments. Njord closed in on the location the compass pointed to be Freed's, which meant Sven needed to prepare for battle. He flipped pages to get towards the back were certain spells or objects were stored away for further use if the castor wished to keep them. Just when Freed and Cana came into sights, Sven found the spell he was looking for.

"The young hero knew his young, frail body would not be enough for this battle." Sven read as he stood upon Njord's back. "Therefore, he unlocked the power within to take on his true form, so that he could battle his opponent on equal grounds."

Sven's body glowed for a moment, and when the glowing stopped, his form had changed. Standing there now was a young man who appeared to be in his early twenties. He had the same pale blonde hair and lavender eyes, but he stood much taller with a muscular build. Sven looked down at his hand for a moment as he relished in the feeling of being in his true body once more. He also took a moment to adjust to the extra surge of magic energy he felt.

"Alright." He said with his voice a bit deeper. "Time to get to work."

He looked down below seeing that even Elfman and Mirajane had arrived and just in time to see Cana being hurt by Freed's offensive script magic. Sven narrowed his eyes then jumped from Njord's back.

"Hey, Freed!" Sven shouted.

Everyone gasped looking up just in enough time for Freed to get a boot clad foot in the face. Freed went tumbling backwards as Sven landed beside the fallen Cana. He crouched down to look her over, and he was relieved to see she would be okay in the end. He then picked her up as Freed, who had regained his posture, peered down at him over the edge of the broken bridge.

"And who are you?" Freed asked. "I don't remember seeing you around the guildhall."

"Oh, I grow a few inches and suddenly makes me become unrecognizable, huh?" Sven asked with smirk. "The name is Sven Toblerone."

Freed stiffened with Sven's younger form flashing in his mind. This man here…was that boy?! Mirajane and Elfman were a bit surprised as well as they looked at Sven's new form. He then moved to the bank side to set Cana down on the ground in front of the Strauss siblings.

"Impossible." Freed said.

Sven chuckled as he turned to look at Freed who still couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Actually, this is my true self." Sven said. "I'm actually a twenty-year-old man. The boy form is forced upon me by the Children's Storybook. It's so I have another limitation forced on me. A child's body can only hold half the magic theoretically capable of what an adult body can hold, which means I can only use half my true power while trapped in the form of a child. When I cast the spell to momentarily return to this body, I get a mega boost of magic power. You understand what I'm saying?"

Freed narrowed his eyes at Sven while starting to understand what Sven was saying.

"So you have come to fight me?" Freed asked. "Why now? You haven't been fighting until now."

"That's because I was working on those enchantments of yours back at the guild." Sven said. "For some reason, they kept our Dragon Slayers from leaving as well, so I worked hard on breaking them. I was only able to work through a little over half of your handy work. Levy had to finish the rest because I made the small mistake of not changing the rates of the two different grammar styles."

Freed was shocked to heart that his enchantments had been broken down and rewritten. And Sven managed to get through over half of it while missing a small yet key component. This man…he had to be a grammatical genius.

"You might be a jerk who makes his friends fight each other but, but I must admit you runes are quiet impressive." Sven continued. "You use a complicity and grammar structure that isn't seen much anymore. It's beautiful and poetic in a way. If things were different, I would love to study your script magic longer even though it did give me a major headache, which doesn't happen often, which you could take as a compliment."

Freed felt his heart thump funnily in his chest as he felt his cheeks warm. No one…has ever complimented his magic like Sven has now. And he spoke of it in ways that Freed liked to believe how it was. He loved his magic because of how complicated and structured it was, and someone was impressed by it. Freed frowned though since now wasn't the time to be distracted by flattery. Sven then managed to jump up onto the bridge, so to face Freed.

"However, now isn't the time to be discussing runes." Sven said as he brought out his book which started flipping pages. "Page 1,254, as the hero prepared to fight his foe, he was covered in golden armor that would protect him from the darkness of his foe's power, and in his hand appeared a sword of justice that would pass judgement in a single swing."

Sven started glowing once more with golden, knightly armor appearing over his body along with a long flowing red cape. Then in his right hand a gallant blade appeared with its hilt shining like golden sunlight.

"Whoa." Elfman said. "That's super manly."

Sven's book closed before sinking into the chest plate of Sven's armor where it'd be safe, and because his messenger bag was covered by the armor, which mean the book couldn't return to it. Sven slashed the blade in front of him in a practice swing.

"I won't lie." Sven said. "I don't have much time in this form. The longer I'm in it, the more the Children's Storybook pulls on my body to revert it back to the child form. If I try to fight against it for too long it tears up my body on the inside, so let's make this fight quick, Freed."

Freed held out his sword in front of him while ready to fight Sven if he must. He would strike him down along with the rest of his guildmates…no former guildmates for Laxus. It was still for a moment before Sven and Freed jumped towards each other. They clashed blades with sparks flying from the blades. They continued using their swordsmanship against each other as Mirajane and Elfman watched from a distance.

"This is amazing." Elfman said. "I had no idea the little guy could do something like this."

Mirajane remained silent as she watched Freed use his Dark Écriture to send an offense attack at Sven. However, the blonde literally sliced right through the attack with his blade. Freed was surprised that his runes could be sliced through like that.

"Are you running out of power from battling all day, or is this all you've got?" Sven asked.

Freed narrowed his eyes as he rapidly sent the rune for pain at Sven. The blonde cut through most of them, but one managed to get through. He cursed as the rune sunk into his armor. Sven then cried out as pain ripped through his entire being.

"Sven!" Elfman and Mirajane cried out.

Sven quickly had his armor crack to shatter off of him, which rid him off the pain, and his Storybook clattered to the ground in front of him.

"Hmm, quick thinking." Freed praised. "The Dark Écriture I placed on you didn't sink in far enough to your skin due to your armor, so you shattered away your armor to stop the pain. However, now you no longer have your armor to protect you from my attacks. Dark Écriture: Terror!"

He sliced at the air to send the rune towards Sven, but the blonde managed to dodge the attack. He then struck forward with his blade coming down towards Freed's head. Freed quickly blocked the attack with his own sword. Sven pressed down hard on Freed's sword, and the green-haired man was shocked by the strength the blonde possessed as his sword was forced down. Soon Sven's blade was at Freed's neck as he moved one hand to grip Freed's wrist to push down his hand that held his sword. Sven leaned in with his forehead brushing against Freed's. The green-haired man felt his heart thump oddly again as Sven's eyes bore into his own.

"You'll have to try harder than that if you want to win, pretty boy." Sven said.

Freed grunted in pain as Sven head-butted him rather hard, which sent him stumbling backwards once Sven released his wrist. Sven then whirled around to deliver a kick to Freed's jaw that sent him falling to the ground.

"Ya know, Sven isn't acting like himself." Elfman said.

"It must be because he's in his older form." Mirajane said. "I'm sure having childlike tendencies is the Children's Storybook's doing, but it only affects Sven while he's in that younger form. Now, he's a twenty-year-old man that has nothing influence his personality. Or perhaps Sven only puts on the persona of a child when in his younger form. Perhaps the Sven we know is just a cover since the Storybook prevents him from being his true self."

Elfman blinked wondering what Mirajane meant by that. Was she saying that Sven has been acting all this time? They were brought back to the fight as Sven had to dodge another attack by Freed. The blonde frowned knowing he didn't have much more time left in this form. His body should start feeling the effects soon enough.

"Dark Écriture: Pain!" Freed said as he sent another rune at Sven.

This one hit its mark, and moments later Sven cried out in pain. And this time there was no armor to weaken the effects of the rune. The pain was nearly crippling, and as he was trying to push past it, Freed quickly acted.

"Dark Écriture: Suffering!" Freed cast.

When the attack hit Sven, he fell to his eyes with tears running down his cheeks as pain and suffering ripped through his body. Sven then felt his body pulse, which had his eyes widening his magic was wearing off his body. The Children's Storybook was trying to lock him back in the twelve-year-old body, so to limit his power. He grit his teeth since this wasn't a good time. He fought against the pull of the Children's Storybook as Freed placed another Dark Écriture on him that doubled the pain he was already feeling. Sven coughed with blood falling onto the ground in front of him due to his body being torn, which was caused by him fighting the pull of the Storybook.

"Stop it, Freed!" Mirajane begged. "You're killing him!"

"Sven, don't worry!" Elfman shouted as he hurried forward. "I'm coming, little buddy!"

If Sven wasn't in so much pain right now, he'd laugh since he wasn't little at the moment, and he was in fact older than Elfman. Freed frowned as he turned his eyes on the white-haired man who made it up the bridge.

"The rules forbid you to rejoin the battle after being defeated." Freed said as he paused in his attack on Sven.

The blonde let out a breath while glad that he could now focus on keeping his true form longer without having to work through the pain that Freed had been causing him. Sven looked over at the fallen Children's Storybook before crawling over to it to open it. He was about to start looking for another spell from within in the pages, but he was soon distracted by Elfman's cries of pain. Sven looked up seeing that Freed was using the same magic on Elfman as he had on him.

"Shit, Elfman!" Sven cursed.

Sven quickly started looking for that page again as Mirajane watched on in horror.

"You have to stop this!" Mirajane begged. "He isn't as strong as he used to be, Freed!"

Freed didn't listen to Mirajane's plea as he added more runes onto Elfman to keep the torture going. Sven continued to search for this spell as his body flickered between the form he was in now to the form of his child self. Mirajane started sobbing as she covered her face with her hands.

"I'm begging you!" Mirajane pleaded. "I'll do anything you want. Please, just spare him!"

Once again her words went unheard as Freed added more pain to what Elfman was already feeling. Elfman cried out in excruciating pain, and Sven finally found that spell.

"NOOOO!" Mirajane cried.

Freed paused in delivering pain to Elfman as he held out his sword to his side.

"And the final Dark Écriture: Death." Freed said.

However, before Freed could give the final blow, he was knocked off his feet. He looked up to see Sven was back on his own two feet with a bit of blood running down his chin.

"And the hero, locked himself in his strongest form." Sven, whose shirt was ripped open to partially reveal his chest, said. "Unwilling to give up while in the midst of battle. He swore he would remain fighting until either his opponent is defeated, or his body gives out."

Freed looked on in shock as a golden lock appeared on Sven's chest, and Freed watched as it locked up before dissolving into his skin.

"What have you done?" Freed asked.

"I made it where the Children's Storybook can't transform me back into the younger body." Sven said. "If I let it do that, my magic is cut in half. If my magic is cut in half, it'll make it just that harder to beat you!"

Sven went to attack Freed again, but both men paused when an explosion of power came from Mirajane. Sven blinked with his eyes widening when seeing all the magical energy coming from the woman as she cried.

"Do you know what's going on?" Sven asked.

"She…she's taking on _that_ form again." Freed said. "Her she-devil form, Satan Soul."

Well, that didn't sound good at all in Sven's book. In fact, he the sound of it all scared him a bit. The very ground underneath Mirajane shook and cracked as a large, dark magic circle appeared above her. Sven's eyes widened even more as Mirajane took on a devilish form in front of his very eyes. He had no idea she had so much power. Once the transformation was complete, Mirajane shot forward to attack Freed. He barely managed to escape by using his Dark Écriture to give him wings of darkness. He took off up into the air, which had Sven frowning.

"Don't think you can get away." Sven said as he held out his hand with his book and quill flying towards him, so he could write down something really quick. "As the hero gazed after his foe, wings of light sprouted from his back, so he could give chase. And the power of light filled his body, so that he may cleanse his foe of darkness."

As he finished saying that, two golden lighted wings sprouted from his back, and after he put the book away into his bag, he was able to take off into the air after Freed. He wasn't the only one to go after the script mage. Mirajane sprouted wings as well, so she could give chase. Freed gasped looking back as Mirajane and Sven started closing in on him. Mirajane got to him first, and while Freed dodged her first few swings, he couldn't dodge the beam of light that Sven shot towards him. It knocked him off balance, which gave Mirajane enough time to kick him down onto the bridge, which cracked due to the force.

"Hmm, looks like we make a great team." Sven said.

Mirajane just growled, which had Sven leaning away from her. She was more than just a little intimidating while she was like this. He knew it had to be some kind of taker over magic. The question was, is Mirajane in control, or was her devilish counterpart clouding her mind? Sven then watched as Freed got up, and quickly flew off towards the other bridge to get away.

"Are you going to follow—?" Sven stopped mid question when he saw Mirajane was already over there. "Okie dokie then."

She used some kind of dark spell on him, but he managed to dodge. He tried to use his sword to write a rune next. However, her magic knocked his blade right out of his hand. He started flying backwards the way he came, so Sven decided to intervene. He used his wings to swiftly get him in front of Freed who gasped in surprise. Sven kicked him right in the face, which sent him falling down towards the ground below. He managed to catch himself before he could fully fall just as Mirajane caught up.

"I know a few forbidden spells of my own." Freed said as he raised his hand. "Evil battles evil, Dark Écriture: Darkness!"

Freed's body was covered in dark energy as he turned his body into what looked like a dark winged creature. He met Mirajane's punch with his own once he was done transforming, and the blow had the ground cracking. He and Mirajane started matching blows, but Sven cut into the fight with a beam of light that burnt Freed's body as if the light was trying to cleanse away the darkness on him. He then received a punch of light to the face that sent him spiraling off to the side. Before he could regain his composer, Mirajane came in to attack that was like an explosion of darkness.

Mirajane and Sven continued to send blasts of light and dark at him, which made it impossible for him to even think of a counterattack. Mirajane hit him with another one of her evil attacks, which sent Freed up into the air. Sven appeared above Freed to hit him square in the chest with a light attack. Freed felt the darkness clear out of him to be replaced with a light, warm feeling before it was replaced with pain as he was being sent crashing towards the ground. As he hit the ground his body returned to his natural form. He coughed as he managed to get to his knees. As he was trying to get the blurriness out of his vision, Sven and Mirajane landed on their feet a few feet away.

"Freed, die!" Mirajane roared.

She launched herself at him while ready to end him. Freed jerked back in fear knowing he wouldn't be able to stop her. However, before Mirajane could reach him, Sven appeared between the two of them.

"What are you doing?!" Freed demanded. "Get out of the way, or she'll kill you too!"

Sven just grinned, which had Freed sitting there in shock at the unworried expression on the blonde's face.

"And the hero touched the tainted soul to banish the darkness from the kind woman's heart before she could perform a deed she would surely regret." He murmured as he held his hand out.

Just has Mirajane's forehead touched his hand, a golden light enveloped her. When it disappeared, Mirajane was back to her human form. She fell to her knees in shock as she looked up at Sven with wide eyes.

"It's over now." Sven said then he glanced back at Freed. "You can't go on any longer."

Freed just felt himself crumple backwards onto his back knowing that Sven was right. His body couldn't continue the fight even if he didn't wish to let down Laxus. Sven let out a sigh as he stumbled to the ground to take a seat in a very ungracious manner. He huffed as Mirajane looked down at her lap.

"Why did you stop her?" Freed asked. "Why aren't you finishing me off? Is it out of pity? Well, I don't need your pity. Just finish me off."

Sven just gave Freed a look that showed how tired he was both physically and emotionally. This fight had taken a lot out of him.

"We're not going to do that." Mirajane said. "We're all members of Fairy Tail. That means we work together, we celebrate together, and we grow together."

"No, you're wrong!" Freed argued. "Laxus is my only true ally!"

A soft chuckle from Sven had Freed turning his gaze onto the blonde haired man.

"You're a lot like me, aren't you?" Sven asked.

Freed's expression clouded in confusion as Sven turned his lavender eyes on Freed. A soft grin was on his face as he gazed down at the defeated man.

"You and the Thunder Legion are much like my brothers and I." Sven continued. "You work together and trust each other, and you try your hardest to look out for Laxus and to make him happy. My brothers and I do the same for Rizzo. We'd do anything for her. We spent six years of our lives training until the day we could protect her and be with her again, and in those six years we came to only rely on each other."

Mirajane kept silent as she gazed softly at Sven as Freed look at him with wide eyes.

"And even after joining Fairy Tail, I find myself still distanced from those around me." Sven continued. "I haven't trusted the guild really with anything personal. And I still see Rizzo as my main priority. And there's nothing wrong with that, but it doesn't only have to be that way. It's fine to have those group of people you trust and care above all else. However, you don't have to shut out the rest of us in Fairy Tail. What I've learned since I've been here is that Fairy Tail isn't just a guild, it's a family."

Freed gasped as Sven reached out to grasp one of his hands. Freed felt his cheeks warm while wondering why his reacted this way.

"If you'd take the chance to reach out, you'd find there's always someone there for you." Sven said. "I'm working on learning this myself. I need to learn to make strong bonds with everyone else in the guild because they are there for me just as much as my brothers and Rizzo. And you'll find that they're all there for you as well."

Freed started feeling tears enter his eyes, and Sven's smile softened to something even more gentle.

"Freed, let's learn how to make these bonds together." Sven said. "We'll help each other bit by bit, and we'll stay next to each other every step of the way, I promise."

The tears started flowing from Freed's eyes as his hand grasped Sven's hand tightly. His other hand came up to try and hide his crying face as his body shook.

"I never wanted it…to come to this." Freed confessed.

"Yeah, we know." Mirajane said. "Hey, how about next year we all enjoy the harvest festival together?"

"Sounds like a plan." Sven said as he laughed.

However, he then stiffened as pain shot through his body. He clutched his chest as he had to pull his hand away from Freed to place it over his mouth as he was coughing up blood. Freed and Mirajane's eyes widened in horror when seeing the blood.

"Sven!" Mirajane cried out.

Sven just coughed up more blood as Cana, who arrived with Elfman and Juvia, who was unconscious still, ran over to check on him.

"Sven what's wrong?" Cana asked.

"My body…it can't handle being in this form any longer." Sven said. "The Children's Storybook is demanding I return to that pathetic twelve-year-old body. Once again locking me away in a form that can never have a life outside of childhood."

Sven coughed up more blood as Freed watched on with wide eyes as Sven gave a dark smile with hate burning in his eyes. Did he not…love his magic?

"It was nice while it lasted." Sven said as he looked down at his hand. "But I have to say goodbye to this form for who knows how long."

He reached up running his finger across his chest. The golden lock from before appeared, and it made a clicking noise as it unlocked. Once unlocked, Sven's body glowed brightly. As the light went away, he was back to how he usually looked.

"Looks like I won't be playing in this game anymore." Sven said chuckle. "And I was having so much fun. Games like this are meant for children, ya know?"

He then fell forward feeling darkness creeping in since he could no longer remain awake. He really hoped that his siblings would be alright without him.

"SVEN!" Was the last thing he heard before falling completely unconscious.


	40. Past Feelings, Present Heartache

As another explosion happened in the city, Breccan came summersaulting out of the smoke cloud caused by the explosion. He landed on the roof below while panting. He had a few small cuts and deep gashes on his body, which wasn't surprising considering who he was fighting against. Honestly, he's surprised she hasn't taken off his head yet. Speaking of said woman, Amarante came out of the smoke cloud after him while wearing her shadow clothe, which was sewn with the silk from the shadow silk worms found in the darkest of caves on mountain sides. It gave her the power to slink into the shadows, which proved problematic for him.

She wielded her naginata that was also known as the celestial spear, which was known for being able to cut through the heavens themselves. So imagine what it could do to him if she made direct contact. The gashes on him now were just made by the force given off by the slice of the blade in the air. Amarante took another slash at his head, which had him dodging to the side. He landed in a crouch then held up his hand with his palm up. He put his thumb against middle finger, and with a single flicking motion a hard concentration of vibrations were sent at Amarante.

She used her naginata to redirect the attack by swiping at the air in front of her to set the attack off course. Breccan frowned knowing if he could just land a direct hit on her that he could shatter enough bones to put her out of commission for the rest of this battle. When he saw she was moving in for a lethal blow, he sent a wave of vibrations at her to make her back up. She jumped back while flipping in the air before landing on top of a chimney on the building across from him.

"I still don't fully understand why you're following Laxus so blindly." Breccan said. "Sure, he pulled you away from Shadow Undertaker, but that doesn't mean you have let him treat you like a pawn! And I know you know that's just how Master Sesshōmoto treated us. Laxus might not be a ruthless killer, but he's not a good man either if he could hurt his family like he is now!"

Amarante's teeth grit together harshly as she glared down Breccan with her eyes cold and sharp as ice.

"Laxus isn't Master Sesshōmoto!" Amarante shouted. "They're nothing alike!"

"Laxus might not have been like him, but using tactics to pit friend against friend is something Master Sesshōmoto would do!" Breccan said. "And the loser would always be thrown from the guild like trash! Isn't that what Laxus is doing?"

"My father killed those who lost the matches, and you know that!" Amarante argued. "Laxus is doing no such thing!"

"Oh, so that's supposed to make him so much better?" Breccan challenged. "He might not be killing the losers, but he's casting them away. He's forcing them to leave their home! Their family!"

Amarante growled having enough of listening to Breccan mad mouth Laxus. Laxus was not her father. He wasn't cold or ruthless like Sesshōmoto. Laxus was kind deep down. People just couldn't see it. He's just strayed a bit from the right path.

"You shouldn't space out during a battle." Breccan said from suddenly behind Amarante.

She gasped not even having time to whirl around because it was too late. Breccan placed his hand simply on her shoulder, and with sharp, precise vibrations he nearly turned the bones from her shoulder to the tips of her fingers to gravel. Amarante grit her teeth to keep herself from crying out before she whirled around to kick Breccan in the gut. He went sailing backwards, but managed to land on his feet without a problem.

"That's one of your limbs turned useless." Breccan said. "I know with your skill that it doesn't hinder you too much, but if I take out your other arm and one of your legs, victory in this battle is as good as mine."

Amarante frowned while mentally berating herself for getting so lost in her thoughts. She knew better than that. She just let her anger cloud her better judgement, which she also knew not to do. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves as she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, there was no anger clouding her vision. She brought her naginata out in front of her.

"Luna Cycle: Full Moon." She said as she twirled the naginata out in front of her to make a circle.

A bright beam of light shot towards Breccan who felt the vibrations in the attack. He found the weak point then put his hands together with vibrations of his own collecting on his hands.

"Vibration Slicer!" He said just as the attack reached him.

He sliced his hands down going to the right of his body, and the beam of light was sliced in half. The two separate beams hit two buildings behind him, and did a lot of damage to both. Breccan sent out another vibrating wave, but Amarante sunk down into the shadows to avoid it. Breccan frowned really wanting to end this fight already. He didn't have time for all this, and he really didn't want to be fighting Amarante in the first place. He suddenly felt a burning pain in his back that made him hiss in pain.

He flipped out of the way before turning to see that Amarante had managed to get behind him. That's what he gets for being careless. He should have been more focused on trying to pinpoint her location. Not thinking of other things. Amarante then sunk down into the shadows again. Breccan took a deep breath to calm himself as he closed his eyes. He just needed to concentrate on the thumping of her heart. Even in the shadows, she couldn't hide that from him. Not when he could sense each thump it gave. His father taught him how to sense the smallest of vibrations as a child. It was the first thing Breccan ever learned. He remembers those lessons well.

-FLASHBACK-

 _A young Breccan sat in the middle of a meadow with a forest circling the grassy meadow. There was even a little babbling brook near as well because Breccan could hear it. He was sitting Indian style on the lush grass within the meadow, and his father Aeron Ableben. Breccan got most of his appearance from his father. Aeron had the same shade of violet hair, but his was cut extremely short and spiked up. Aeron also had silver eyes and pale skin, which all Breccan inherited._

 _"Do you feel that, Breccan?" Aeron asked as he crouched down in front of his son. "All the movement around you?"_

 _"…A little." Breccan replied. "There's just so much it's hard to tell."_

 _Aeron nodded his head in understanding as Breccan's eyebrows scrunched up._

 _"Try closing your eyes to clear your sight of what's around you." Aeron said. "Block out the noise of everything. Only focus on the vibrations caused by everything around. Focus solely on these vibrations like a spider concentrates on its own web while waiting for the telltale sign of prey landing on the sticky strands of the web."_

 _Breccan slowly nodded his head before he closed his eyes. He took a deep breath before trying to ignore all the noise. Focus only on the vibrations. He sat there for a moment with all sound slowly melting away. For a moment it was like he was suspended in nothingness, but he suddenly felt, not heard, a strong, steady continuous thumping. He knew it must be his own heart. Soon he felt the presence of another thumping heart. Was it his father's heart? Yes, it must be._

 _Breccan tried to cast out his magic like feelers on an insect to see if he could feel anything else. Soon it was like his world was completely opened up to him, and he felt many more vibrations around. He frowned trying to pick through them, but they were starting to blur together._

 _"Concentrate." He heard his father's voice break through. "Each vibration has its own set pattern. If you discover the pattern, you'll be able to tell the differences of each vibration and what's causing it."_

 _Breccan let out a big breath as he tried to do as his father instructed him to do. He tried to pick up the patterns Aeron mentioned. As he focused harder, he started sensing the multiple vibrations again. He pushed past the blurriness of it all, and he soon could feel the patterns. It was like he was seeing in a whole different way without even having to open his eyes. He could tell the different between the animals causing movement and the plants. The wind and everything else._

 _"Very good, Breccan." He heard Aeron say with pride in his voice. "I knew you could do it."_

-END OF FLASHBACK-

Breccan just had to remember to do the exact same here. He had to just focus on the movement like a spider on its web. He started feeling the beating of a heart that wasn't his own. It was slow and steady, which didn't surprise him. Amarante was given training like him, and keeping your heartrate calm and collected was part of the training believe it or not. An erratic heart was the sign of a troubled person, and being troubled was not good for the work they were being raised into at the time.

As the thumping heart was getting closer, Breccan knew that he had to make complete contact with this attack. He was running out of magic energy, so he had to end this. He felt Amarante's thumping heart behind him, but he remained perfectly still. She was still within the shadows, and if he acted too soon then he would lose his chance. He knew she came out of the shadows when she took a small step onto the roof, and even if it caused very little vibration, he still felt it. He whirled around to catch her wrist before she could strike him with her naginata. Her eyes widened as he placed his finger in the center of her chest.

"Vibration Cycle: 5." Breccan said. "Target: Joints."

A series of precise vibrations shot through Amarante's body, which dislocated some of her joints. Her body crumbled to the ground, and she was unable to move. With her joints dislocated it was nearly impossible to get her limbs to work as she wanted. She cursed knowing she was defeated. Breccan crouched down beside her to look down at her face.

"You don't have to follow blindly." He said. "Laxus did save you. That gave you the freedom to make your own choices not choose someone else to be your master."

Tears entered Amarante's eyes with them quickly running down her cheeks. She knew Breccan was right in a way, but she still didn't want to let Laxus down. He meant everything to her. She remembers every moment with him. All those moments were precious to her. She…she…loved Laxus, and she'd do anything to make him see that by doing whatever he wanted. However, it seemed that no matter what she did, he never saw. Or maybe he did, and he knew how to use that to his advantage. Amarante didn't want to think it was the latter. Either way there was no way he could love a failure like her. Breccan looked at her softly as she cried. He sighed placing his hand in front of her face.

"How about you get some sleep?" He asked.

He used a simple sleeping spell on her that immediately sent her into a deep sleep. Breccan, who stood up onto his feet, sighed once more with the aches and pains starting to really hit him as the adrenaline was wearing off. However, he still needed to deal with Laxus since he didn't know if there was anyone else that could.

"Breccan!"

Breccan turned his head seeing Erza and Rizzo down below. He raised his hand in a wave before he crouched down pick up Amarante. He then jumped down to the street below.

"You defeated her." Erza said seeming surprised.

"Just barely." Breccan said. "It came down to one last move, and whoever was quicker would be the winner. I happened to be the faster this time."

Rizzo looked at her brother worriedly when seeing all the blood staining his clothes.

"Breccan, did you learn where to find Laxus?" Erza asked.

"He's at Kardia Cathedral." Breccan replied. "You'll find him there."

"Right." Erza said nodding. "Let's go, Rizzo."

Rizzo frowned at being ordered by Erza of all people though she did nod her head. She gave Breccan one last worried look, however, as she hesitated.

"I'll be fine." He said reassuringly. "You and Erza just be careful against Laxus. I'd help, but with how much magic energy I've used…"

He trailed off with a bothered expression on his face. Erza reached out to place her hand on his shoulder.

"You've done more than enough." Erza said. "Thank-you."

He nodded his head then watched as Erza and Rizzo started running off towards the cathedral.

"Good luck." He said.

* * *

Jaser paused in his search for Laxus as he perched on top the edge of a building. He sniffed the air while trying to pick up on either Breccan's scent or Laxus's scent. Jaser knew his brother must have gotten close to Laxus earlier, or else Amarante wouldn't have engaged him as Rizzo had pointed out earlier. If he found either of their scents, it would lead him to Laxus sooner or later.

"Do you smell anything, Jaser?" Sanjū, who was floating beside him, asked.

"No." Jaser said. "There's so many people around that it's hard to pick anything up, and people have been running about. It mixes the scents even more."

Sanjū nodded in understanding as Jaser stood up on the edge of the building.

"We should keep moving." Jaser said. "The Thunder Legion is all taken care of, but if Laxus isn't defeated, the Thunder Palace will be activated. And all these people will be hurt, if it's not stopped."

"Right." Sanjū said nodding.

Jaser jumped down from the building with Sanjū following after him. Jaser ran down the street knowing he needed to find Laxus as fast as possible.

* * *

Rizzo ran alongside Erza towards the cathedral while knowing she'd have to pull out everything she had the second they engaged Laxus in battle. She wasn't stupid. She knows how much stronger he was than her. He could fry her with a snap of his fingers. As the cathedral was coming into sight, Rizzo mentally prepared herself. She didn't want to fight Laxus.

She once looked up to him. He had been someone she thought of as amazing. When he used to show her his magic, she thought the dancing yellow lightening streaks were beautiful. He also used to encourage her to get better. They had been close because the two of them understood what it was like to be in the shadow of their famous grandfathers who both happened to be Guild Masters.

When Rizzo was eight, Laxus and she made a promise…that no matter what they would see each other as Rizzo and Laxus not Roscoe's granddaughter and Makarov's grandson. They would see each for who they are not who their grandfathers were. It was a promise that was to show how close they were. And what's humorlessly funny is that they started growing distant a little after Rizzo joined Fairy Tail.

"Rizzo."

Rizzo blinked before looking at Erza, who had come to a stop, which had Rizzo stopping as well. Erza looked at Rizzo steadily as the younger mage wondered what Erza wanted.

"You know what we will have to do once we face Laxus." Erza said. "We have to hit him with everything we've got."

"I know that." Rizzo asked looking irritated. "Why are we wasting time discussing the obvious?"

Erza sighed then reached out to place her hand on the pinkette's shoulder, which had Rizzo frowning. Seriously, what was going on in Erza's head?

"Rizzo, I know you look up to Laxus." Erza said. "It's been obvious since the first day I met you. You used to be stuck to Laxus like glue when you weren't with Natsu."

Rizzo's frown deepened knowing what Erza was talking about. When Rizzo first joined the guild most of her time was either spent with her Natsu and Happy or with Laxus who used to make sure she remembered to eat at lunch instead of play through it. Or he'd make sure she paced herself and not go after jobs that were too much for her back then. That changed once his father had been kicked out, which wasn't long after she joined. She misses those days where Laxus and she would hang out.

-FLASHBACK-

" _Laxus, Laxus, look! I managed to do it!" Rizzo said as she ran up to the older mage._

 _Laxus looked down at the pinkette as she held up her new violin and bow in her hands. He sat down at one of the tables to get closer to her level._

" _Okay, let's see it." He said._

 _She smiled before she put the violin in place. She put the bow on the strings then started playing. It was a pretty tune that someone could twirl and dance to. As she played, everyone else started looking towards her. Rizzo took in a deep breath before letting her magic flow into the violin. Soon little flickering fairies started to appear. Some gasped in surprise as others silently stared in awe as the fairies danced around before using nature magic. Some made little whirlwinds of nature while others continued to dance around and giggle, which sounded like bells chiming._

 _Laxus watched the fairies, and some even danced around him before flying off to dance around more members of the guild. Natsu and Lisanna laughed as a few fairies displayed their nature magic for them. Even Erza and Mirajane couldn't hold back smiles as some fairies grew flowers for them. Makarov watched all this from the bar with a peaceful look on his face as Rizzo played. When Rizzo finished the song, all the fairies laughed while gathering in the middle of the guildhall to disappear in sparkling light._

" _See?" Rizzo asked smiling once she put down her violin. "It's my song of the fairies!"_

 _Laxus chuckled as he reached out to ruffle Rizzo's hair, which had smiling more._

" _Good job, Rizz." Laxus said. "I knew you could do it."_

 _Rizzo blushed at the praise as Laxus continued to pat her on top her head, which made her happy._

-END OF FLASHBACK-

Laxus hasn't called her "Rizz" in years. Well, he calls her that when he's being mocking, but she doesn't count those times. Natsu and Happy actually picked up that nickname from Laxus. Laxus used to tell them to find their own nickname for her, but when she and he started growing apart, he didn't bother to correct Natsu when he called her "Rizz". Rizzo then sighed as she shook her head.

"I used to look up to him." Rizzo said. "This guy isn't the Laxus I used to idolize. Besides, I know that holding back isn't an option. Even if I try my hardest it'd be near impossible for me to beat him alone, so I know I have to hit him with everything I've got. I'm not going to hesitate if that's what you're worried about."

Erza stared at Rizzo silently for a moment as if looking for something. However, before she could find it or even speak, an explosion from the cathedral caught their attention.

"It came from the cathedral!" Erza exclaimed.

"No shit, Sherlock." Rizzo said sarcastically. "Laxus must have been engaged by someone."

Erza nodded in agreement before she and Rizzo started hurrying towards the cathedral once more. Rizzo looked down at the ground really hoping that what she told Erza was true. Would she hesitate? Would she be able to really fight Laxus with everything she had?

* * *

Jaser whirled around to face the cathedral when an explosion came from it, which sent dust and debris in the air.

"So that's where you are, huh, Laxus?" Jaser murmured.

Jaser then heard footsteps, so he turned his head to see Breccan as he was carrying Amarante who was still unconscious.

"You look awful." Jaser said as he blinked.

Sanjū sighed at how tactless Jaser was as Breccan chuckled since he was used to Jaser's blunt statements.

"And you look as if you haven't even fought one person." Breccan said.

"I haven't." Jaser said while pouting. "But I'm about to go fight Laxus now~! He's just over there!"

Jaser pointed excitedly over at the cathedral where he knew the fighting was happening. Breccan nodded then winced as a wave of dizziness hit him. Jaser looked at his older brother in concern, and when he saw the look, Breccan chuckled.

"Don't worry." Breccan said. "I'm fine. I'm just going to return the guildhall for now. I don't have the magic energy to fight Laxus, so you go kick his ass for me, alright?"

"Right." Jaser said while nodding then looked at Sanjū. "Sanjū, make sure they reach the guildhall. I'll continue on to the cathedral. It might be too dangerous for you anyway."

Sanjū frowned since she wanted to be at Jaser's side, but she nodded her head in understanding. Breccan was the priority since he's hurt.

"I'll make sure they're taken care of." Sanjū said. "You be careful, okay?"

Jaser grinned reassuringly at his feline friend as he reached out to pat Sanjū on top her head.

"I'll be fine!" He said. "I promise!"

He then ran off towards the cathedral while ready to take a shot at Laxus, so to end all this.

* * *

Rizzo and Erza arrived at the cathedral where Laxus was hiding. Rizzo saw that the person who engaged Laxus was Msytogan. Or it had to be him anyway. It wasn't like Rizzo has ever laid eyes on the guy.

"So here you are." Rizzo and Erza said along with a third voice.

Rizzo blinked then turned her head seeing Natsu standing next to her. Looks like she and Natsu had the chance to team up for the first time in forever. She grinned because she and Natsu together could cause a lot of damage.

"Erza! Rizz!" Natsu said.

Rizzo reached out to give Natsu a high-five while holding onto his hand. He grinned at her while glad to see her and Erza.

"Hey," Erza said to Natsu. "You made it out of there."

"Wait, who the hell is that?" Natsu asked pointing.

"It's Msytogan." Erza said.

Looks like Rizzo's assumption was right. Well, she was happy to see him. This meant there was no way Laxus was going to win. If the four of them all teamed up, they'd surely beat Laxus. Rizzo was then confused when Msytogan tried to hide his face more than it already was. Was he shy?

"You're wide open!" Laxus warned.

He then used a lightning attack that Rizzo knew wasn't too damaging to blast the covering from Msytogan's face. What was the point in that? As the smoke cleared, Rizzo stiffened with her eyes widening. The man, who turned around to show his face, was…Jellal?! Rizzo didn't see his face during the Tower of Heaven incident, but Erza had told the group that Jellal had been posing as Siegrain from the Magic Council, and Rizzo had met him before. It had been when Makarov was making her give a personal apology to the council for destroying something important. She had seen him there, so she knew his face. But didn't Erza and Natsu say he had died or something?

"Ah, Jellal!" Erza gasped.

"What the—?" Natsu murmured.

Rizzo frowned not understanding any of this. However, she felt a sense of camaraderie towards this guy like she did with everyone in Fairy Tail. Like she felt a bond even if small with anyone who bore the Fairy Tail emblem.

"But how?" Erza, who was tearing up, asked. "Y-y-you're still alive?"

"Oooh?" Laxus hummed. "So you know this guy."

Well, Rizzo didn't know him personally. She hadn't said any words to him directly when she arrived with Makarov to apologize to the council for destroying something at the capital. She gave a piss poor apology that pissed a lot of them off. He and his partner in crime only stuck out to her because they seemed amused unlike the others. Then afterwards he had spoken to Makarov about how amusing the Fairy Tail mages were, and he had bid them both farewell. She said nothing to him the entire time, so she doesn't really "know" him.

"Wait, I don't get it." Natsu said. "So Msytogan...is really Jellal?"

A part of Rizzo didn't think so since she highly doubted she'd feel a sense of camaraderie with this guy if he was Jellal. Jellal was an ass who hurt Erza—a member of her family—, which meant Rizzo would feel only hate towards the guy. She doesn't feel like that towards this guy who goes by Msytogan.

"Jellal, I—" Erza stopped speaking since she really didn't know what to say.

"Erza, please forgive me." He said. "I never wanted you to see this. I'm not your friend Jellal. I do know of him, but I'm not him."

Erza just shook as she continued to stare at Msytogan who looked so much like Jellal.

"I'm sorry." Msytogan said. "I must be going."

He then vanished while ignoring Natsu and Rizzo when they called after him. Rizzo frowned. Did he really just leave them? They needed him to help deal with Laxus. Rizzo sighed guessing they'd be fine with just the three of them.

"That made my brain hurt." Natsu said. "Well, I can't think of that now. Alright, man! It's you against me and Rizzo!"

Rizzo nodded her head as she crossed her arms over her chest. She and Natsu together could do anything.

"That cool with you?" Natsu asked Erza.

When the redhead didn't answer, the two pinkettes looked at her wondering what was up. Rizzo frowned when seeing that Erza was shaking.

"Wake up!" Natsu ordered.

Suddenly, Erza was struck by Laxus's lightning, which had Natsu and Rizzo gasping in surprise. Erza cried out as she was being shocked.

"That's quite a face you're making there, girlie." Laxus mocked as he continued to shock her. "Ugly."

He went to give her another shocking blow, but Jaser, who suddenly appeared, jumped in front of Erza to put up a sand wall. The lightning hit it with smoke shooting out due to the attack. As it cleared, an odd ashy colored wall that had even odder groves that looked like tree roots covering it. Erza, who had fallen backwards, looked at Jaser in surprise as Natsu looked at the wall in confusion.

"What is that?" He asked.

"That's what happens lightning with a certain heat density strikes sand." Rizzo said. "The scientific term for that ashy like wall is fulgurites. In more simple terms, it's known as petrified lightning. If Laxus sends any hotter lightning, his and Jaser's attacks clashing could even make glass."

Natsu blinked slightly understanding what Rizzo was explaining. The wall of fulgurites crumbled when Jaser hit it with his fist. Rizzo saw that what Laxus had done had pissed him off because _that_ look was in his eyes. The same look in his eyes that he had when he fought against Gajeel during the Phantom Lord incident. Laxus so brutally attacking Erza must have made the "inner dragon" within Jaser wake.

"Oh, it's one of the newbies." Laxus said. "You come for a fight?"

"I've come to win the fight." Jaser replied. "I'm taking you down, Laxus."

Laxus chuckled not seeming scared at all, but he should be at least a little worried. When Jaser was like this, he was like a beast who crushed whatever got in his way.

"Hey!" Natsu cut in. "I'm the one who said Rizzo and I'd be your opponents! Let's go!"

"Oh, I didn't even notice the two of you." Laxus said.

Natsu stared at Laxus with wide eyes as Rizzo narrowed her eyes at him. He didn't notice them, huh?

"You're about to notice us, pal." Natsu said as his hand caught on fire.

Rizzo's case flipped off her back at the snap of her fingers, and her strongest instrument, which was her violin, fell out into her hands. Laxus let his coat fall from his shoulders before pulling off his headphones. At least this meant he'd give them his full attention. Natsu attacked first while jumping up into the air above Laxus.

"I'm going to burn you to a crisp!" Natsu said as he threw a punch.

Laxus dodged out of the way at last second, which had Natsu sailing past him.

"Song of the Dancing Wind!"

Laxus looked forward seeing a gust of wind coming his way as Rizzo played on her violin. Laxus turned into lightning to dodge the attack, which had Rizzo cursing. Erza looked at the two of them in worry while trying to get up.

"Natsu, Rizzo." She said.

"Stay down." Jaser said as he cracked his knuckles. "The three of us can handle it."

He then rushed forward with sand collecting around him as Natsu ran alongside him.

"Didn't anybody ever tell ya to think before you act, kids?" Laxus asked with lightning crackling in his hand. "Now get lost, runts!"

He tried to strike them both at once, but Jaser blocked with his sand again, which made more fulgurites. Natsu jumped up above it while dodging another attack from Laxus.

"Fire Dragon: Talon!" He shouted as he spun his fire covered foot wards Laxus.

Laxus blocked the attack then sent Natsu flying backwards. Rizzo then sent a wave of fire at Laxus as she switched songs on the fly with her violin. Laxus dodged again then had to block Jaser as the younger man tried to punch him in the face with sand.

"Be careful, you three!" Erza called out.

"We're okay." Natsu said grinning. "You don't have to worry about us."

Laxus then suddenly appeared in front of Natsu to kick him right in the face. Before Natsu could fall backwards, Laxus grabbed his wrist.

"Where do you think you're going, ya little punk?" Laxus asked.

He punched him a few times, but he was forced to dodge when Jaser ran forward to throw a kick his way. Jaser managed to connect his foot to Laxus's side, and as he was sent up in the air, Rizzo played another wind tune again to hit Laxus in the back, which sent him hitting one of the pillars. He fell towards the floor while managing to catch himself. He frowned while glaring at Rizzo, Jaser, and Natsu as they stood beside each other.

"We're staying right here, Laxus." Rizzo said.

"Yeah, this fight is just perfect for us." Natsu added grinning.

"Did you think we were going to run or something?" Jaser asked. "Sorry, no dice, pal."

Laxus snorted at all of them then suddenly appeared in front of all of them. He sent a flurry attacks at all of them. Rizzo grunted in pain as she hit the wall. Laxus hit her with another attack, which sent her up in the air, which left her open to get hit again. She hit the ground along with Natsu and Jaser who had also gotten punched around. Laxus laughed at all of them as they laid on the ground.

"How pathetic." Rizzo growled while feeling ashamed of herself. "I'm not this weak. I didn't spend all these years training to catch up Erza…to Laxus to be taken down by a few punches."

Erza and the boys looked at Rizzo as she forced herself to her feet with a determined look in her eyes. Her magic energy started to build with a green glow forming on her body.

"Oh, little Rizz, is going to fight me on her own?" Laxus asked. "Okay, I'm interested to see what you can do."

Rizzo whipped her hand out to the side with a conductor's wand appearing beside it. She grasped it firmly as her magic energy exploded. Her clothes glowed before changing much like how Erza's outfits change when she reequips. Rizzo now once again wore the white dress shirt under a gray vest and a black tailcoat that fit her tightly. Then the neon steam punk styled cravat. She had on a black mini skirt that ruffled at the end, and then black fishnet tights and combat boots. Her gloves had the fingers out of them, and they were pink to match her hair.

"The Conductor." She said then swept her conductor baton in front of her. "Now come forth, my instruments."

The guitar case landed behind her to grow ten times bigger. The instruments started flying out to circle Laxus as they multiplied in number. Everyone stared in awe because none of them have seen Rizzo use this before. Only Gray had witnessed the power of the Conductor as Rizzo took down Caspian.

"Well, well, looks like you've learned some new tricks." Laxus said grinning. "This might just be exciting."

Rizzo just narrowed her eyes as her scorebook and podium appeared from the case. Rizzo stepped up onto the podium with the scorebook opening.

"Song of Iron's Fortitude." Rizzo said as she started conducting.

The strings came in playing swiftly and the tune they were playing set a creepy atmosphere. After that the brass and percussion worked on adding a foreboding tension in the air. The ground started shaking with giant iron rods coming from the ground. Laxus "tch-ed" knowing Rizzo choose this song, so that if he fired lightning at her that it'd be redirected at the iron around him like lightning striking a lightning rod.

"Whoa." Natsu said.

"You're smart to use iron." Laxus said. "But even iron will crack under the power of lightning in struck enough times."

Rizzo frowned knowing that was true, but she couldn't let Laxus's words get to her. If she went in with weak resolve, her magic wouldn't hold. Laxus chuckled knowing he shook her even if just momentarily.

"Let's see how long you'll hold up." Laxus said.

He let out a big burst of multiple of lightning strikes. The rods took the hit, and Rizzo winced as her magic shook due to the force of Laxus's attack. She wasn't completely protected outside her instruments. If the instruments or the magic being used during the song take a big hit, it's a hard blow to her magic energy, which harms her. Rizzo kept conducting with the music speeding up a bit with iron spikes starting to shoot out of magic circles forming in front of the string section. Laxus frowned in annoyance then blasted the iron out of the air.

"You're going to have to do better than that, Rizzo." Laxus said. "Don't tell me you're _this_ disappointing of a challenge. I thought music magic was better than this."

Rizzo's eyes narrowed as her body shook in anger. She couldn't stand it when someone mocked music magic. She took a deep breath knowing Laxus was just trying to mess with her. She mentally shook herself to clear her mind.

"Hey, Laxus." She said while still conducting. "What are those things floating up in the sky?"

"You haven't heard?" Laxus asked. "That'd be my Thunder Palace."

He then shot down before iron spikes before delivering another blow to the iron rods in the ground. The blow had them cracking, and Rizzo winced again while feeling her magic getting drained exponentially. The Conductor mode already took a lot of magic, and every time Laxus hit it with his magic it drained even more.

"You'd really use such magic on the town?" Rizzo demanded. "Your own hometown?"

"Honestly, it breaks my heart, but that's the way the game is played, Doll face." Laxus said.

Rizzo frowned at Laxus. Did he…seriously just call her doll face of all things? It sounded weird. She mentally shook herself to get herself back on track.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Rizzo demanded as she swished her baton to the side to switch movements.

More iron spikes started falling, but they were much larger than the small ones from earlier. However, Laxus easily took them down as well. Laxus chuckled looking as if he was finding her attacks amusing.

"Natsu, Jaser, one of you need to go take those things down!" Rizzo called out.

"We can't, Rizz!" Natsu said.

"Yeah, if we do, they'll shock us." Jaser added frowning.

Rizzo cursed when she heard that then her eyes widened when Laxus's lightning suddenly managed to get through the instruments to strike her. She bit back a cry of pain as she was being shocked.

"Rizzo!" Jaser and Natsu shouted.

Rizzo grit her teeth as she forced herself to remain on her feet. She wouldn't fall here.

"Laxus, you bastard." Rizzo growled.

She then looked down knowing what needed to be done. She hated doing this, but she was wasting magic energy here. She needed to put what she had left to good use.

"Return to me, my instruments!" Rizzo called out as she cut off the composition.

All the instruments that weren't copies quickly broke away from the orchestra to return to Rizzo's case. The copies then shattered before the pieces they left behind completely disappeared.

"What's this? Giving up?" Laxus asked.

Rizzo didn't reply to him as she let her scorebook and podium return to her guitar case as well.

"Natsu, Jaser, I'm going to leave Laxus to you because I trust you defeat him." Rizzo said. "Erza, we have to take out those lacrima."

Laxus's eyes widened when he heard Rizzo's plan. Was she crazy? Didn't she hear what those things would do to her if she touched even one? Rizzo turned away from Laxus as her guitar returned to her back. She hurried to the doorway with Erza joining her, but Natsu called out to the both of them to get them to stop.

"You aren't being serious, are you?" Natsu asked.

Jaser was worried as well since he had watched what those lacrima can do if messed with.

"I'd like to see you and Erza try, Rizzo." Laxus said as he laughed. "Attacking even one of those lacrime can be deadly. And who knows how many of them are floating above town now. Besides, you're out of time."

"That's why the plan is to destroy them all at once, and mine and Erza's magic is perfect for taking down multiple targets at once." Rizzo said. "That's why I'm unhappily teaming up with Erza of all people."

"Is that so?" Laxus asked. "You must have a major death wish or something."

Rizzo and Erza exchanged a glance knowing the risks…however, neither one of them planned to die today.

"Neither of us want to die." Erza said. "But if it's that it takes."

"We'll do it." Rizzo said. "Jaser, Natsu, we're leaving him to you."

The two women started running away from the cathedral with the three men watching them go.

"Come back!" Laxus ordered. "You're breaking the rules, Rizzo! Erza!"

"Screw you and your damn rules!" Rizzo called over her shoulder.

Laxus growled in aggravation not believing that Rizzo and Erza were going to go through with this crazy plan.

"You two better be careful!" Jaser called after them. "We're putting our faith in you both!"

"Yeah!" Natsu added. "And whether you can destroy those things or not, you two better make it back alive!"

Rizzo chuckled while not needing Natsu to tell her that. She didn't plan on throwing her life away anytime soon. She and Erza continued running away from the cathedral while not looking back since she knew the boys would handle everything.

"Let's split up." Erza said. "You take one side of the town and I'll take the other, understand?"

"Hey, hey, this is my plan, so don't be telling me what to do, Erza." Rizzo said then sighed. "But, yeah, I understand."

Erza grinned in amusement at Rizzo's rebellious attitude before she and Rizzo came to a stop in one of the streets.

"Good luck." Rizzo said.

"You too." Erza added.

They exchanged a high five before they continued running on to get into position. Once Rizzo made it to the other side of town, she threw her case up into the air.

"Come forth, my instruments!" She called.

Her case opened up to allow the instruments to spread out. They spread open to stretch out across the sky instead of circling as they normally do. Rizzo had more instruments that weren't traditionally used in an orchestra to come out as well since she needed every instrument she had. She huffed starting to feel serious strain on her body.

"Come on." Rizzo said to herself. "I have to keep going to protect the town…to protect Fairy Tail…everyone, please, Erza and I…we need your help."


	41. A Bright, Brilliant Yet Deadly Ending?

As Rizzo continued to make more copies of her instruments to spread them out, she started feeling a serious drain on her magic energy. She felt exhausted like she could fall over at any second. However, she knew she couldn't give up. She had to help Erza save the town. She looked at all the instruments she had in the air while knowing they wouldn't even be enough to take out half lacrima. Just maybe about a hundred or so. Clearly not enough since there had to be like 400 of those things in the sky.

"I can't have much time left." Rizzo said. "Erza will surely be able to take down half of these things on her own…I need to do the same…Don't tell me I'm still this far behind her."

Rizzo then took a deep breath as she had her podium and scorebook that had an unfinished music score within it. However, it was complete enough for this. Besides, she couldn't manage to perform a full composition with the magic energy she had left. Rizzo hung her head really wishing she had her guildmates to back her up right now. She needed their support. She and Erza both needed the support of their guildmates more than ever now.

 _'Hey, Fairy Tailers, can you hear me?'_

Rizzo's eyes widened when a voice entered her mind. Warren? Did she really just hear Warren in her mind just now?

 _'Things aren't looking so well for us.'_ Warren continued. _'Look up at what's floating in the sky.'_

Rizzo smiled when realizing it really was Warren, and he was using his telepathy to connect with members of the guild. Maybe there was hope after all.

 _'We're going to have to pull together. So get off your butts and give us a hand.'_ Warren said.

Rizzo heard a few others voices as they wondered what was going on, which Rizzo saw as a good sign because it meant they were indeed hearing Warren.

 _'If any of you are still fighting, give it a rest for a second.'_ Warren said. _'Now listen carefully, those lacrime up there are part of a spell called the Thunder Palace. Laxus is using it to threaten the entire town. So we have to take it out before he sets it off. We don't have much time, so we have to work together.'_

Yes, Rizzo and Erza really needed the help. If they didn't get the help, everyone in town would be in danger.

 _'Wait a minute, how did you find out about the Thunder Palace, Warren?'_ Erza asked.

"I'd like to know as well." Rizzo added.

 _'I've never been happier to hear your voices.'_ Gray cut into the conversation. _'I was worried about the two of you.'_

Rizzo was happy to hear Gray's voice since that meant he was alright. She knew he had been defeated earlier. Now if only she knew how her brothers were. She only knew where Jaser was during all this chaos.

 _'Gray,'_ Erza said then chuckled. _'I see, so you're the one who told him.'_

 _'Yeah,'_ Gray replied. _'Would have happened sooner, but I had to track the guy down.'_

"I'm just glad you found him." Rizzo said. "Erza and I need help more than anything."

Rizzo hated admitting that aloud, but she wasn't about to let her pride get in the way.

 _'Is that Erza and Rizzo?'_ Droy asked.

 _'Are they not petrified anymore?'_ Jet added.

 _'Wait, if they're back to normal then…'_ Droy began.

He trailed off, but Rizzo knew he and Jet must be really worried about Levy and the other girls. But Levy the most.

 _'What about the other girls?'_ Jet finished Droy's question. _'How is Levy?'_

Cana soon assured all the boys that all the girls, who had been petrified, were alright. It was confirmed that Juvia and Bisca were on their feet as well, and Rizzo felt as reassured as everyone else to hear that. She knew she defeated Evergreen, but she had no idea what happened to the girls after they were returned to normal. It was nice to hear they were up and about.

 _'There's one problem.'_ Warren said as he took back over the conversation. _'My telepathy can't reach the guildhall from here. So we'll have to make do with the people who can hear me. If we work together, we can do this.'_

 _'Hold it right there, Warren.'_ Max cut in. _'Why should I do what you say after what you did to me?!'_

 _'Oh, uh, Max,'_ Warren stuttered. _'Hey, I'm sorry about that! I swear it wasn't anything personal. I was just really desperate to save the girls.'_

 _'I have a bone to pick with you, Alzach.'_ Droy said. _'You hear me?!'_

 _'Yeah, I hear you.'_ Alzach replied. _'I'm sorry about before.'_

 _'Sorry, ain't gonna cut it you, you little coward!'_ Droy retorted. _'You shot me when I wasn't looking!'_

Soon everyone in the guild was arguing, which had Rizzo standing there in disbelief. Were they really going to argue now of all times? Their guild was in danger…their town was in danger. Now wasn't the time to be arguing. Don't let everything they love be destroyed just because of some petty arguments. Rizzo couldn't bear the thought of all of Magnolia being destroyed along with the people she cares about due to disagreement amongst the guild. She also couldn't stand the thought of losing everyone with anger being the last thing they felt between each other.

"Everyone…please…stop." Rizzo begged softly as tears entered her eyes. "Don't fight, please."

She appeared to go unheard, however, as everyone continued arguing. However, she was heard by four certain guildmates. Her team.

—

Lucy and Happy exchanged a sad look when hearing the sadness coloring Rizzo's voice. They could practically feel her tears even from here as she weakly begged their guildmates to stop.

—

"Rizzo." Erza said softly.

Erza knew how much Rizzo loved this guild, which is why she understood the frustration and sadness Rizzo felt as she had to listen to her friends who she thought of family fight when their town was in danger.

—

Gray growled starting to get really pissed off by all the shouting. He was even angrier that Rizzo was crying, and he was stuck here feeling useless as everyone else was arguing.

"Would you idiots quit yelling at each other?!" He demanded.

 _'Practice what you preach, Gray!'_ They shouted back.

"We don't have time to be fooling around!" Gray yelled. "We gotta hurry and take out those lacrime!"

They all just started arguing again with Gray yelling as well, which just added to all the noise going on in everyone's heads.

—

Rizzo shook her head wanting everyone to stop arguing, but she barely had the strength to stand let alone shout at everyone to cut it out. Didn't they realize now wasn't the time for pointless arguing? This was the time they had to show why Fairy Tail was such a strong guild capable of anything. Their ability to pull together like a family in the time of crisis was supposed to be what made them the strongest guild in Fiore. The Master taught them that anything was possible as long as they had each other's back…as long as they acted like family nothing was impossible.

 _'Shut-up!'_

Rizzo's eyes snapped open in surprise when Lucy's voice pierced through all the others, which effectively shut everyone up.

 _'We shouldn't be wasting our time arguing.'_ Lucy said. _'The citizen of Magnolia are in danger, and we're the only ones who can help them. So we're going to have to work together. Look I know that things have been hard with all of us fighting against each other, but we can do anything if we pull together. That's what you guys have taught me. I know I'm still fairly new to Fairy Tail, but I promise you…I love being a part of this guild just as the much as the rest of you. I always dreamed of joining Fairy Tail someday. It's what I wanted more than anything in the world. Now that I've joined…'_

Lucy trailed off, and Rizzo looked down at the ground practically sensing the emotions bubbling up in Lucy from here.

 _'It…It means everything to me.'_ Lucy finally continued. _'If you feel the same way…let's work together as a guild and save our town!'_

Lucy's voice seemed to resonate through everyone's mind, and Rizzo smiled softly. Lucy…she hasn't been part of the guild long, but Rizzo could tell that Lucy fully embraced the true spirit of Fairy Tail.

 _'But if none of you are up to the challenge then I'll do this alone.'_ Lucy said. _'I'll destroy those things myself!'_

Rizzo chuckled while feeling grateful to Lucy for her words. The pinkette could feel everyone else's minds calming, and there was almost a harmony in all of them.

 _'What's it going to be, guys?'_ Cana asked. _'You heard the lady. You going to let a newbie show you up like that?'_

 _'She might not have been a member as long as some of us, but she's got more Fairy Tail pride than all of us put together.'_ Jet said.

 _'Right, we've got to save the town.'_ Alzach said. _'We can settle our differences later.'_

 _'Gees, now we have to agree to help, or we'll look back, huh?'_ Wakaba commented.

 _'Whether you agree to help or not, old man, doesn't matter.'_ Craylee cut into the conversation with jesting coloring his tone. _'If you can't handle it, we will.'_

Rizzo smiled so happy to hear that at least one of her brothers were okay. Now she knew that Jaser and Craylee were still up and moving.

 _'Hey now, boy.'_ Wakaba chided teasingly. _'I'm not that old. I can handle those lacrime just as well as you.'_

Some of the others laughed that their light-hearted bickering, which wiped away any tension that had been left.

 _'If the town needs our help, you better believe I'll be right there with the rest of you!'_ Sven chimed in.

Rizzo felt even more relief. Now if only she knew where Breccan was. She hoped he had made it to the guildhall with Amarante. But she unfortunately couldn't worry about him now since the destruction of the lacrime had to come first.

 _'You've done good, Lucy.'_ Macao said. ' _You got everyone to cool their jets. Alright, guys, are you ready to do this?!'_

 _'Thank-you.'_ Lucy said to everyone.

 _'Thank-you, Lucy.'_ Erza replied.

"Yeah, it's you who we should be thanking." Rizzo added. "Now, it's time to put an end to this. I think we've indulged this game long enough, don't you, everyone?"

Everyone gave loud shouts of agreement, which had Rizzo grinning. It was nice having everyone back on the same page….well, almost everyone. Rizzo frowned as she thought about Laxus. She shook her head knowing she'd have to deal with him later. This came first. Rizzo, who closed her eyes, took a calming breath as she stepped up to her podium.

"To save my town and my friends…I will play…the Song of Fairy Tail." Rizzo said as her eyes snapped open. "I'll be taking to the hundred to the south!"

She started conducting with the music starting softly with the magic of hers building up.

 _'And I shall take the two hundred to the north.'_ Erza added in. _'Everyone else take care of the ones on the east and west! We can do this!'_

 _'We can't afford to miss any of them.'_ Gray said.

Rizzo nodded her head then stated picking up the tempo with each instrument section playing different notes and melodies, but working harmoniously just like her guild. Rizzo smiled as various magical attacks that were mimics of her friends' magic shooting out from the sections. Rizzo didn't have everyone's magic copied. Not everyone was added to this score yet, but with the magic she had from her some of her guildmates, she would destroy the lacrime. The magic hit the lacrime just as everyone else destroyed the rest of them. They all exploded together, and Rizzo smiled as the sparkles left behind fell down around her.

Her clothes returned to the outfit she had on before all this craziness happened as her Conductor mode ended. The instruments all hurriedly returned to the guitar case, and just as the case snapped shut, static collected around Rizzo. She didn't even have time to curse before she was struck by lightning from those lacrime. She cried out as she fell to her knees. Once the lightning stopped hitting her, she fell over to lay on her side….that had hurt…a lot.

' _Is everyone okay?'_ Erza asked after a few moments of silence. _'I can't believe all of you. How could you do something so reckless?'_

Right then is when Rizzo would normally tell Erza to bite her, but Rizzo didn't really feel like it. She'll butt heads with the redhead later.

' _We should be asking you the same thing.'_ Gray replied.

' _Haha, we really do may a great guild, aren't we?'_ Erza said lightly laughing.

' _We'd be a lot better if Laxus out grew his rebellious stage.'_ Macao joked.

' _You could say that again.'_ Wakaba agreed.

Rizzo's expression fell as she thought about Laxus. Would he finally give up now that the Thunder Palace was taken care of?...No, Rizzo knew he wouldn't. He'd fight until the end because he's extremely stubborn. That's the thing that hasn't changed about him at all over the years.

' _Rizzo, you still with us?'_ Gray asked.

Even though his tone was light, Rizzo could hear the worry in his voice, so she supposed she needed to answer.

"I'm here." She replied. "And when I get my second wind…I'm going to kick Laxus's ass."

Everyone laughed albeit weakly at her statement as she continued to lay on the ground.

* * *

As the runes disappeared behind Laxus, Natsu and Jaser grinned knowing that was one crisis averted. Jaser knew now it was up to him and Natsu to take care of Laxus, so to bring all of this to an end.

"Ya see? Told you it wouldn't work." Natsu said referring to what he said to Laxus earlier.

Laxus glared at Natsu and Jaser as the latter cracked his neck. Jaser was ready to keep this fight going. If the others took care of their business, Jaser was going to make sure he and Natsu took care of this. Rizzo and Erza put their faith in them, so letting them down wasn't an option.

"Weren't you saying something about our guild needing to change?" Natsu asked. "That's funny. I don't see anything that needs changing. It looks like everyone's getting along just fine to me. How do you expect to become our master if you can't get along with the rest of us?"

"That's right, Laxus." Jaser said. "A guild only works when everyone comes to together to work in harmony. If someone like you became leader, there wouldn't be a Fairy Tail because no one would stay at your side due to how horribly you get along with others."

Laxus just let out a roar of anger as his magic exploded. As his lightning shot up to around him, Jaser had his sand move around him and Natsu just in case Laxus struck out his lightning.

"I'll take Fairy Tail by force if I have to!" Laxus roared. "Watch me! It's mine!"

"A guild isn't something you can own!" Jaser said. "A guild is a family! You don't own your family! That's not how it works, Laxus."

"He's right." Natsu agreed. "Now, I think it's about time you give up the fight! You're not taking over Fairy Tail cause we're never going to let that happen!"

"Oh yeah?" Laxus challenged. "You don't know who you're messing with. I'm a lot stronger than any of you can imagine. I can take over the guild anytime I want! And neither of you are strong enough to stop me! Your best bet is to just get out of my way!"

His magic seemed to grow even more, which had Jaser wondering where all this magic energy was coming to. Laxus couldn't be just a simple lightning mage, could he?

"Sounds like you're just begging for someone to knock you down a few notches." Natsu said as fire collected on his fist. "I can do that."

"And I'll help." Jaser added as his sand moved around him.

He and Natsu jumped towards Laxus together while ready to give it their all since they knew they had to if they wanted to beat Laxus. Natsu hit the blonde with his fist as Jaser sent a kick at Laxus's side. Both of their attacks were stopped without Laxus even having to move. Jaser's eyes widened a bit.

"That all you got?!" Laxus demanded.

Laxus sent the two of them flying when he struck them with lightning. Jaser softened the fall by using his sand as a cushion behind him. However, Natsu hit the ceiling at full force.

"You're gonna have to do a whole lot better than that!" Laxus mocked. "I've got more power than both of you put together in my little finger!"

Jaser narrowed his eyes while definitely not ready to call it quits. He wasn't going to stop this fight unless he defeated Laxus or until every bone in his body was broken. Natsu jumped towards Laxus first with the older mage meeting the Fire Dragon Slayer halfway. Natsu took in a few hits before falling to the ground hard. As Laxus was firing a bolt of lightning at Natsu, Jaser got in between them to put up a wall of sand. The moment the lightning hit more fulgurites was made.

"You okay, Natsu?" Jaser asked.

"For the most part." Natsu said as he forced himself to sit up. "I don't understand this. He's so strong."

Jaser didn't have any answers to explain Laxus's strength, so he just silently held out his hand to Natsu. Once the pinkette grabbed his hand, Jaser helped him off of the ground. Natsu had to lean against the Sand Dragon Slayer since he really couldn't feel his legs at the moment. He mentally cursed wondering why his body wasn't functioning right.

"Can you feel the electric energy of the lightning I've summoned forth?" Laxus, who was holding his hand up into the air to collect lightning, asked. "It will plummet from the heavens and turn you into ash! Not even your sand will protect you! Raging bolt!"

The attack started plummeting down, and Jaser knew he couldn't move fast enough out of the way while carrying Natsu due to his own injuries. So he threw the younger Dragon Slayer out of the path of the lightning, which shocked Natsu. The Fire Dragon Slayer looked on in horror as the ball of lightning was nearly on top of where Jaser was standing.

"Jaser!" Natsu shouted while trying to get his body to move, so to help his friend.

Jaser threw Natsu a grin before seemingly being swallowed up by the large ball of lightning that blinded Natsu once it struck the ground. When the light vanished only a large scorch mark remained from where Jaser had been. Natsu lay on the ground not believing his eyes as Laxus laughed.

"So who's the most powerful mage in our guild now?" Laxus asked. "Guess that sandman can't really answer that question since he was turned to dust!"

"Laxus!" Natsu growled. "You've gone way too far!"

Natsu couldn't believe Jaser was gone. He couldn't believe Laxus could do that to his own guildmate. Natsu then looked down at the ground wondering how he was going to tell Rizzo, Breccan, Craylee, and Sven wanted happened to their brother.

"That's no way to treat one of your comrades."

Natsu and Laxus stiffened in surprise at the new voice before turning their heads up to see Gajeel hanging from the railing above while holding Jaser with one hand by holding onto the scarf around his waist. Natsu and Laxus weren't the only ones shocked to see Gajeel. Jaser glanced up at the Iron Dragon Slayer in surprise as well.

"Only a nutjob like you would be so giddy about taking down one of his friends." Gajeel continued. "Thankfully, I got to him before you did. I want to be the one to take this guy and his little pink-haired friend out."

"Oh, Gajeel, thanks." Jaser said grinning.

Gajeel just rolled his eyes as he jumped down to the floor below as Natsu managed to get to his feet. He was so glad that Jaser was alright.

"I have another challenger?" Laxus asked.

Gajeel just silently tossed Jaser to the side, but the Sand Dragon Slayer managed to catch himself enough by landing on his feet in a crouch with his hands out in front of him to keep him from falling forward.

"You'll all end up dead soon anyway." Laxus said. "And anybody who dares to stand in my way will be eliminated."

Jaser frowned really wondering if Laxus didn't care about anyone in Fairy Tail. Jaser never had the chance of meeting Laxus who apparently used to visit Treble Chambers often. However, Jaser heard a lot of stories about the blonde from Rizzo within the year Jaser was with the family. She spoke about Laxus constantly, and how she wanted to be as strong as him someday. He was her idol, and Jaser was sure his little sister wouldn't look up to someone who was corrupted enough to hurt his own guildmates. So what changed the blonde so much that he was completely unrecognizable from the stories Rizzo used to tell of him?

"Let Jaser and I take care of Laxus, okay?" Natsu said to Gajeel as the pinkette joined him and Jaser in the middle of the cathedral. "You stay out of this."

Jaser just stood up silently while not sure telling Gajeel to stay out of the way was a good idea. He and Natsu obviously needed the help.

"No deal." Gajeel said. "I've got a score to settle with that punk. This guy's not messing around. He's a real monster. You can tell he's got Makarov's blood running through him. It sucks, but I think we're going to have to fight him as a team. You, the sandman, and me."

Jaser wasn't opposed at all to this idea. However, Natsu seemed thoroughly pissed off at the very idea of allying himself with Gajeel.

"Ain't no way!" Natsu said.

He went to continue ranting, but Jaser reached out to place his hand on Natsu's shoulder.

"Natsu, I like fighting my own battles as well." Jaser said. "But Laxus isn't messing around as Gajeel said, which means we need the help. Besides, if everyone else in the guild can pull together to destroy those lacrime, the three of us should be able to team up to beat Laxus. Because isn't that what mages of Fairy Tail do? They pull together because working as team is what makes us all strong."

Natsu growled in frustration while feeling torn. He knew Jaser was right, but he didn't want to work with Gajeel. The Iron Dragon Slayer just really pissed him off to no end.

"Listen to your pal." Gajeel said. "Besides, just look at that blonde punk. Is he the same guy you remember?"

Natsu frowned in confusion before looking over at Laxus as his lightning crackled around him.

"What's the matter?" Laxus taunted. "You scared? You should be."

He gave a dark chuckle as Natsu looked troubled by the Laxus in front of him. Laxus really wasn't like how Natsu remembers. Sure, Laxus had never been exactly kind to Natsu, and Laxus had many times where he rebelled in some way. However, this was much more than all those other times Laxus kicked up a fuss. And to Natsu it was almost scary how much Laxus had changed.

"Far as I can tell, that's an enemy." Gajeel said. "If we wanna save the guild, we have to stop him right here and now. Everyone else has either been knocked out by another member or zapped by his Thunder Palace. Don't you get it? The three of us are the only ones left who can stop him."

Jaser frowned knowing that was exactly right, which is why he hoped Natsu would agree work as a three-man team with him and Gajeel. They needed to work together not apart if they wanted to win this fight.

"Since when were you pro Fairy Tail?" Natsu asked Gajeel suddenly.

"I can protect or destroy whatever the hell I want to!" Gajeel snapped.

"And the guild has grown on you, hasn't it, Gajeel?" Jaser asked grinning.

Gajeel just growled at the Sand Dragon Slayer as Jaser continued to grin innocently since his question wasn't meant to be a quip towards Gajeel at all. Natsu gave a short chuckle before grinning at Gajeel.

"I seem to recall you saying when you swore to beat me then go after Jaser during our fight that the sky wasn't big enough for three dragons." Natsu said.

"Yeah, that's true." Gajeel said. "But there ain't no dragons flying in the sky now. Not with all this lightning."

"Aw, you two are bonding!" Jaser said as he put his arms around the two's shoulders. "Isn't that great? All us Dragon Slayers need to come together."

"Get off me, Sandman!" Gajeel snapped as he shoved away Jaser's arm. "We ain't bonding!"

Natsu just laughed though he did agree there was no bonding happening between him and Gajeel. And there wouldn't be in a million years. Jaser pouted at Gajeel's attitude while wondering why he was being so hostile. Dragon Slayers needed to be like brothers, right?

"Anyway, just so we're clear, this will be the only time I team up with you, Gajeel." Natsu said.

"Trust me, this isn't fun for me either." Gajeel retorted.

"I'm having fun." Jaser said as the grin returned to his face.

Gajeel scoffed rolling his eyes as Natsu laughed while exchanging a high five with Jaser.

"Now let's do it!" The three Dragon Slayers said in unison.

The three of them ran towards Laxus all at once as the older mage prepared for them. Jaser along with Natsu and Gajeel sent a flurry of attacks at Laxus that he managed to mostly block. The ones that got through barely seemed to faze him. Laxus then used his lightning to shock Natsu, which sent him flying backwards towards Gajeel. Jaser just kept up the attacks knowing they couldn't give Laxus time to breath.

"Sand Dragon: Talon!" Jaser shouted as he sent a sand covered kick towards Laxus's face.

Laxus blocked his kick then sent a bolt of lightning at Jaser. The younger man quickly put a barrier of sand between him and that attack with the sand absorbing the sand and hardening due to the heat caused by the lightning. Since Laxus didn't manage to shock him, he tossed Jaser to the side as Natsu combined his breath attack with Gajeel's iron club to attack Laxus, which Laxus avoided by jumping up into the air.

"Iron Dragon: Sword!" Gajeel said as he followed up his last attack.

He tried to slash at Laxus, who was still in the air, with his leg, which he had transformed into a sword. Laxus managed to avoid the attack before firing small explosive balls of lightning at Gajeel, and they were a direct hit. Laxus chuckled when hearing Gajeel cry out in pain. However, he then had to worry about Natsu who appeared behind him with a large ball of fire in his hands.

"Fire Dragon: Brilliant Flame!" Natsu roared.

Natsu threw the attack at Laxus, and when it hit him, Laxus was sent flying towards the ground. Jaser appeared in the air beside him.

"Sand Dragon: Wing attack!" Jaser called out as he threw his sand covered arms forward.

The two slashes of sand hit Laxus directly as planned, which sent him flying towards Gajeel who used his iron spear attack to hit Laxus multiple times. Laxus hit the ground as the three Dragon Slayers turned in towards him.

"Fire Dragon:/Sand Dragon:/Iron Dragon: Roar!" All the Dragon Slayers attacked in unison.

Their breath attacks hit Laxus all at once, and a blinding light was created along with a large billowing smoke cloud due to all the attacks clashing together. Jaser stood in between Natsu and Gajeel as all three of them huffed feeling more than just a little tired.

"Don't tell me that's the best the three of you can do." Laxus said as the smoke was clearing. "None of you deserve the title of Dragon Slayer."

Jaser stared at Laxus with wide eyes while wondering just what the hell this guy was made of. Any normal mage wouldn't even be able to lift his head after being hit by three breath attacks. Yet Laxus is standing and looking as if he wasn't fazed at all.

"What the heck?" Natsu asked. "He doesn't even have a scratch on him."

"But how?" Gajeel asked. "I don't get it. I know he's strong and all, but we whipped out a ton of Dragon Slayer magic on him. How's he still standing?"

"Either he's a monster or…" Jaser trailed off as Laxus's scent hit his nose.

Jaser's eyes widened as when he could have sworn he picked up something familiar in Laxus's scent. It was faint. More faint that the shared scent of himself, Natsu, and Gajeel, but Jaser could pick up a faint trace of it.

"Jaser?" Natsu asked as he looked at his friend curiously when Jaser went silent.

"Something wrong with you, Sandman?" Gajeel questioned.

"His scent." Jaser said. "It smells…of dragon."

Natsu and Gajeel looked at Jaser in utter shock. He couldn't be serious?! Natsu took a sniff of the air while not really being able to tell. However, Natsu's learned that Jaser's sense of smell always seemed a bit stronger than his own. Jaser had once explained it was because when he took on the traits of a Sand Dragon due to learning the Dragon Slayer magic that he also got the Sand Dragon's sense of smell. Sand Dragons apparently had stronger senses of smell due to the fact that sand storms in the deserts made it hard to look for prey, so they developed strong scent glands that allowed them to use their noses to hunt.

"Oh, you were able to figure it out on your own, huh?" Laxus, who was still crackling with electricity, asked tauntingly. "I guess that means I can let you in on my little secret. I haven't told anyone about this because I really hate the old man's lectures, but I guess I can trust the three of you."

The three Dragons Slayers watched with wide eyes as Laxus's body started to transform. His canines got a bit longer, and he grew even larger than he was moments ago. As he continued growing, his shirt ripped off his body to reveal scale like markings on his arm. Jaser couldn't believe what he was seeing. He never would have guessed that Laxus was a Dragon Slayer. The scent of dragon on Laxus was so weak compared to the scent of dragon on himself, Natsu, and Gajeel. Laxus then let out a thunderous roar as an explosion of electric magic energy spiked around him.

"You've got to be kidding me." Natsu said.

"Oh no way." Gajeel said.

Jaser just remained silent as he watched on with Natsu and Gajeel as Laxus was getting ready for a breath attack.

"I had no idea that Laxus is a Dragon Slayer too!" Natsu said.

Laxus let out the breath attack, which was three times the size of one of their own, at them. Jaser knew dodging was out of the question, so he quickly put up a sand barrier even though he knew it wouldn't hold. The lightning hit with most of it getting past the sand barrier to hit the three Dragon Slayers. After the attack cleared, Jaser, Natsu, and Gajeel were laying on the ground unable to move. And in front of them was a thin layer of glass made by Jaser's sand and Laxus's lightning. The glass shattered to hit the ground as Jaser remained on the ground twitching in pain.

"You're still alive?" Laxus asked sounding annoyed. "Damn. I was sure that attack would finish you off. Why won't you just kick the bucket already?"

Jaser just tried to get up while finding it nearly impossible to do so. The best he could manage was pushing himself an inch of the ground.

"Can't more." Natsu said through gritted teeth.

"Me either." Gajeel confessed.

"Same here." Jaser tacked in.

Laxus started moving forward towards them as they remained helpless on the ground.

"You three losers, Erza, Rizzo, and Msytogan." Laxus said. "The old geezer…those weaklings in Fairy Tail, and the pathetic people of Magnolia…YOUR TIME IS OVER NOW!"

Jaser laid there shocked as Laxus built up even more magic energy. He never knew someone could have so much of it, and be able to use it like Laxus is. He's pouring it out without even looking a bit fatigued.

"This magic energy…where's it coming from?" Gajeel asked.

Jaser just continued laying there as he frowned in confusion. This magic…it felt oddly familiar as if he's witnessed it before. For some reason the feel of it made him think of Master Makarov.

"This guy's insane." Gajeel said. "He's trying to cast Makarov's ultimate judgement spell. It will target anyone the castor sees as his enemy. We're as good as dead."

All the magic light around Laxus condensed into one very powerful ball of light between Laxus's hands. Laxus chuckled darkly as Jaser and Natsu both realized why the spell felt familiar. It was like Gajeel said. It was Makarov's most powerful judgement spell.

"You're right, Metal Head." Laxus said. "I've mastered the Fairy Law spell."

"That's the spell that defeated Master Jose." Gajeel said. "No."

"Laxus, what are you thinking?" Natsu demanded.

"If you do this, innocent people will be hurt!" Jaser added. "Don't you care at all for the people of Magnolia? Of your family in Fairy Tail?!"

Laxus didn't reply to his questions as he worked on getting the Fairy Law spell up to full power.

"Don't do this!" Natsu begged.

Laxus once again ignored the pleas of his guildmates as he roared as his power build up in the space between his hands.

"Laxus, stop!"

All the Dragon Slayers stiffened in surprised as a familiar voice cut through the air. Jaser, Natsu, and Gajeel both snapped their heads back to look at the front entrance where Levy was standing.

"Levy?" Natsu and Jaser asked in unison.

"You idiot!" Gajeel snapped. "What are you doing here?!"

Levy ignored the three fallen Dragon Slayers even if she really wanted to run up to them to see if they were okay. She came her for a reason though, so they'd have to wait.

"You've got to see the Master because he doesn't have much time!" Levy shouted. "Master Makarov—I mean, your grandfather—is close to death!"

Jaser looked down at the ground with his heart coming to a complete halt due to the shock he felt. Master Makarov…is dying? Levy's words just kept ringing in his mind repeatedly as Natsu and Gajeel tried to deal with their own shockingly horrified feelings.

"Stop this now." Levy said. "Go see him one last time. Please, hurry before it's too late!"

Levy's pleas finally seemed to break through to Laxus as he paused in casting the Fairy Law spell. He seemed hesitant to complete it as Levy's words really sunk in.

"No, it can't be." Natsu mumbled to himself. "Gramps is going to die? No way."

Jaser didn't want to believe it any more than Natsu. Makarov might be old…but the thought of him dying just really after Jaser was finally settling in…seemed unreal. Jaser didn't want to lose any of his Fairy Tail family when he was completely and truly just starting to feel a part of it.

"Please, Laxus!" Levy begged.

Laxus hesitated for a few more moments, and Jaser really prayed Laxus would just stop all of this. There was truly no reason to be fighting anymore in the first place.

"This is working out perfectly for me." Laxus said grinning. "Now that the old man's at Death's door, I have an even better chance of becoming Fairy Tail's new master."

His guildmates looked at him in shock that he could say that. How could Laxus say something so cruel? He couldn't be completely soulless that he'd really see his grandfather's passing as a good thing, could he?

"This will be the dawn of a new era for Fairy Tail." Laxus said as the light started getting brighter and brighter. "I'll rebuild everything from the ground up. I'll form the ultimate guild. One so powerful everyone will tremble in our name!"

Levy fell to her knees in defeat as Jaser tried to force himself off the ground. He couldn't allow this to happen. However, no matter how much he tried, he was unable to move more than an inch.

"You can't do this!" Natsu shouted. "Don't you even care about Gramps at all?!"

"Fairy Law." Laxus casted.

The spell was cast, and soon spread all over Magnolia to cover the town in a bright, brilliant light.


	42. A Proper Fairy Taill Send Off

Jaser blinked as the light went away, and he realized that he was absolutely unharmed. Nothing happened? As Laxus chuckled, Jaser looked up to look at the blonde.

"I finally surpassed the old man." He said.

Jaser just shook his head to clear his vision completely before turning his head left then right to see if Gajeel and Natsu were okay. When he saw they were still alive and kicking, he let out a breath of relief. It seemed as if Laxus hadn't mastered the spell as he thought, or perhaps something else went wrong with the spell.

"What the—! No way." Laxus said in shock when he saw the boys and Levy were still alive. "Impossible. How the hell are you all still alive?"

Jaser, who managed to get into a kneeling position, had no idea really what happened. He was just glad it seemed everyone was okay…at least here anyway. He had no idea how the rest of the town was doing, or what the condition was of his guildmates. Jaser then let out a breath as he looked at Laxus with a dark look in his eyes. This bastard was really starting to make him angry, and it took a lot to get him _really_ angry.

"Levy, are you alright?" Gajeel asked.

"Uh-huh." Levy said nodding. "But what about Natsu and Jaser? Are they okay?"

Gajeel looked towards Natsu and Jaser as the two of them looked at Laxus with angered expressions. Gajeel gave a short chuckle when seeing the obvious want for a fight in their eyes.

"They seem just fine to me." Gajeel said.

Laxus didn't give them much attention as he looked down at his hands as if they held the answers he was seeking.

"I hit them with so much magic energy." Laxus said.

"The other guild members and the citizens of Magnolia remain unharmed."

The group turned their heads to the door when yet another member of the guild appeared. Freed, who looked a little worse for wear, stood leaning against the door as he spoke to Laxus.

"Freed." Laxus said.

"Looks like your spell didn't work." Freed said. "Not a single person was killed."

Jaser was relieved to hear that it meant not only were the citizens and his guildmates safe, but his siblings as well. That was a huge worry off his shoulders. Now he could focus on pounding Laxus's face in.

"But that's impossible." Laxus said. "I cast the Fairy Law spell perfectly!"

"Maybe so." Freed relented. "But your true feelings have betrayed you."

Jaser and the others looked between the two comrades curiously. Laxus's true feelings? Jaser wondered if Freed meant that deep down Laxus didn't see Fairy Tail members as his enemy. That in his heart he did see them as his comrades in the end.

"You've inherited more than strength from your grandfather." Freed continued. "Deep down you also have the Master's heart. Whether you'd admit it or not, it's evident you care for your comrades. The Fairy Law spell only affects those the castor sees as their enemy. Since no one was hurt we know how you truly feel."

Jaser frowned not sure how to take all this. Laxus seemed to truly care for Fairy Tail deep down in the depths of his heart yet he caused so much pain for his guildmates. Jaser didn't know now if he should beat the shit out of Laxus…or get the guy some serious therapy. Maybe both. Jaser could always apologize for the ass kicking later by giving Laxus a hug. That's how Jaser always apologized to his brothers if he ever won their sparring matches.

"His magic could see into his heart, and that's why we're still here." Levy said as she understood what Freed was trying to explain.

"You can try to hide your feelings, Laxus, but your magic will always reveal the truth within your heart." Freed said as he lightly smiled.

It was silent for a moment as Laxus stood there with a bothered expression on his face.

"No, that's ridiculous." Laxus said finally. "The truth is that anyone who dare stand in my way is my enemy!"

"This has gone on long enough." Freed said as he stepped forward. "You need to go see the Master before he's gone!"

Jaser didn't think Freed's words were helping since Laxus was starting to build up his magic energy once again.

"Let the old man die for all I care!" Laxus said. "He's nothing to me! He may be family, but I'm stronger!"

He let out a blast of electricity, which prompted Jaser to quickly get in front of the wounded Freed to protect him from the lightning by putting up a sand barrier, which started turning into petrified lightning every time it was hit with electricity.

"Thank-you, Jaser." Freed said.

"No reason to thank me." Jaser said. "All I'm doing is looking out for a friend."

Freed looked a bit surprised by Jaser's words since Freed had been helping Laxus in the beginning after all.

"Who do you think you are?!" Natsu, how got onto his feet, demanded. "You're no stronger than Gramps. You couldn't even pull off Fairy Law!"

Natsu then ripped off his tattered vest to throw to the side as Laxus glanced back at him.

"You may be his grandson, but you're no better than the rest of us!" Natsu said as he was engulfed in flames. "Don't you know blood ties don't matter? Cause everyone in the guild is supposed to be considered family!"

"That's just a lie!" Laxus retorted. "Blood ties do matter!"

Laxus started building up his magic energy more as Natsu kept building up his own. Jaser had to admit that the magic energy that Natsu had was impressive. The pinkette had a lot of potential to be stronger than he is now.

"You've been a member long enough to no better than that!" Natsu said. "If you think that makes you above everyone else in the guild, you're wrong!"

Natsu threw a supercharged fire fist towards Laxus, and the latter quickly started charging forward with his own supercharged fist of lightning.

"And you're dead!" Laxus roared.

Their magic clashed, which made the roof of the cathedral explode due to the force. Afterwards both Dragon Slayers flew up into the air to continue clashing in the sky. As they clashed above, Jaser moved outside with everyone else to watch the fight.

"I won't let you get your hands on Fairy Tail, Laxus!" Natsu swore. "It's our home. There's no way I'm going to let you destroy it!"

They swapped a few blows as Jaser wondered what he could do to help. He felt completely useless down on the ground with the others. However, he knew he only had enough magic energy for one good attack. He just needed to know when to use it. After swapping a few more blows, Laxus sent Natsu flying into the cathedral. He crashed into the side of it before falling onto one of the lower rooves. Laxus then brutally struck Natsu with lightning.

"Why won't you just die?!" Laxus demanded.

He hit Natsu again and again while showing no mercy to the pink-haired Dragon Slayer. Natsu was sent flying again, but managed to barely catch himself on the roof by digging his fingers into the surface. Laxus landed on the same roof a few feet away as Natsu remained unable to move for a moment.

"Face it already." Laxus said. "It's over!"

Natsu just tried to get up off the roof as his friends watched on in worry. Jaser clenched his hurt arm tightly as he wondered what he could do to help.

"Natsu!" Levy cried out in worry.

"Why won't you just give up the fight?" Natsu asked Laxus. "The guild doesn't belong to you. It never will!"

"Oh yeah?" Laxus asked then prepared another attack. "Lightning Dragon: Demolition Fist!"

A large fist of electricity started flying towards Natsu who still couldn't manage to completely move. The attack hit him head on, which had him lying face first on the roof.

"Didn't the old man teach you to respect your elders, _boy_?" Laxus asked.

Laxus was shocked when Natsu moved enough to get into a knelt position. He punched the ground hard as if to show he still had enough strength left to fight. He managed to get to his feet, which surprised everyone.

"No way." Freed said. "He can still fight?"

"Natsu, please, be careful." Levy said worriedly.

Jaser looked down at the ground knowing that if Natsu could still fight that he could to. He had to think of a way to help Natsu end his.

"That was your last mistake, Kid." Laxus said as he held up his hand with a large magic circle appearing above him. "Now I'm going to obliterate you!"

"That spell…don't do it!" Freed pleaded. "That much magic energy could kill him."

Just then a plan hit Jaser like a ton of bricks. Jaser narrowed his eyes in determination as he turned towards Gajeel.

"Gajeel, can you redirect that attack?" Jaser asked.

Gajeel looked towards Jaser in confusion, but when he saw some kind of plan burning behind Jaser's gaze, he grinned.

"I can." Gajeel said.

"Good." Jaser said. "As you do that, I'll use the last of my magic energy to distract Laxus long enough for Natsu to give the final blow."

Gajeel nodded his head, and the two Dragon Slayers shot forward in unison, which surprised Levy and Freed. Laxus shot his attack towards Natsu as Gajeel and Jaser jumped up into the air. As Jaser collected a huge amount of sand around him, Gajeel turned his arm into iron. The attack was nearly on top of Natsu as the pinkette crumbled to his knees.

"Natsu!" Freed cried out as Gajeel landed on the roof.

At last second, the attack snapped into a different direction to where Gajeel was waiting for it. He grunted in pain as the attack was strong enough to knock him clean of the roof. As he was falling, Jaser executed his final magic attack. While still in the air he moved his arms in a fluid motion as two twin sand dragons started to dance around him.

"Sand Dragon Secret Art: Twin Dragon Rumble!" Jaser yelled.

He shot his fists forward with the two dragons made of sand rushing towards Laxus who was surprised by the sudden attack from Jaser. Natsu was shocked as well as he watched the dragons hit Laxus.

"Get him already!" Gajeel snapped. "White Sand can't do it alone!"

Just as Gajeel said that, Laxus attacked Jaser with a lightning bolt. Jaser managed to dodge the first attack and land on roof.

"Take the opening while it's there, Natsu!" Jaser shouted. "I can't manage anymore magic attacks, so please hurry!"

Jaser dodged Laxus as Natsu let out a roar while he built up the last of his magical energy.

"Jaser, move!" Natsu ordered.

Jaser didn't have to move since Laxus managed to hit Jaser in the gut with a lightning attack. Jaser went flying towards the ground where he crashed down besides Gajeel. Then before Laxus could even turn to finish off Natsu, the pinkette was in front of him. Natsu started mercilessly beating away on Laxus with several Dragon Slayer attacks as everyone watched on.

"He really is amazing." Levy said. "His magic so powerful. It's almost like it can break through a dragon's scales and crush its spirit."

Jaser chuckled because that's what Dragon Slayer was supposed to be, but considering none of them have fought a dragon for real, he wasn't sure if they were that powerful just yet.

"Dragon Slayer Secret Arts." Freed said while looking awed.

"Flame Lotus Exploding Flame Blade!" Natsu roared.

He hit Laxus with the Fire Dragon Secret Art attack, and it was strong enough to send even a man like Laxus high into the air above. When he crashed to the cathedral roof, Jaser and Gajeel grinned as Freed and Levy started in shock.

"He did it." Freed said looking shocked. "He beat Laxus."

Natsu let out a roar that sounded very much like an actual roar of a dragon, which had Jaser chuckling.

"Ya know, if the Harvest Festival is always this exciting, I might have to put in a few more extra hours of training to keep up with next year's Battle Royal." Jaser said.

Levy giggled in amusement as Gajeel chuckled. They were all just glad the fighting was over.

* * *

"Thanks to Porlyusica's help the Master's going to pull through just fine." Erza announced to the guild.

"So no one has to worry." Breccan added. "He'll be back on his feet, and back to work in no time."

Rizzo let out a breath of relief, and while the others cheered, she leaned against Gray. The two of them were sitting around the guildhall with the others after everyone was able to make it back. She felt so sore and tired that it wasn't even funny.

"Thank goodness." Lucy said as she looked at Rizzo and Gray. "To be honest, I was getting kind of worried."

"Ah, come on, it'll take more than that to make Gramps kick the bucket." Gray said.

"Yeah," Rizzo added as she smiled. "I don't think Master Makarov will be leaving us anytime soon. I don't care how old he is—he's still got many good years left in him."

Lucy nodded with a smile then watched as Gray pulled Rizzo a bit closer, so she could lean into him more comfortably. This made Lucy's smile grow at how cute they are together.

"Well, he isn't as young as he used to be." Erza said. "So any added stress to his heart could significantly damage his health. Let's be on our best behavior, okay?"

"Aye, sir!" Almost everyone replied.

"Ah, shut-up, Erza!" Rizzo said. "Don't be such a worry wart. The Master's gonna live another hundred years, I tell ya! If we suddenly start behaving, it'll make those years boring for him!"

Everyone laughed at her statement as Lucy wondered how old the master really was. She honestly didn't know.

"You're just saying that because it's impossible for you to behave." Gray said to Rizzo.

Rizzo blushed because he hit the nail on the head. It was true. She found it nearly impossible to behave. She seriously thinks if she tries that she'll still cause some kind of trouble in the end.

"Like you're one to talk, ya streaker." Rizzo retorted.

"Hey, I'm only lost my jacket once during this entire ordeal." Gray pointed out.

"The world must be ending then." Rizzo said gravely. "I'd say we barely have a few hours left."

Gray rolled his eyes as Lucy laughed from behind her hand at their bickering. Even Erza was smiling in amusement at the two of them.

"Anyway, guys, I don't think it's such a good idea to do the Fantasia Parade after everything that's happened." Lucy confessed.

"But the Master wants us to do it." Mirajane said. "Besides, it's the perfect way to cheer everyone up after that mess."

Rizzo groaned as she remembered the parade. She still had things to finalize for her part of the parade. Gray blinked wondering why she looked so upset. Usually Rizzo was so excited for the parade that it was hard to keep her standing still until it was time to start.

"Juvia can't wait to see what you all have in store for the parade!" Juvia said as she smiled brightly.

"You're going to be in it with us, little lady." Cana said as she slid up behind Juvia.

The bluenette jumped in surprise at Cana's suddenly appearance before Cana's words sunk in. Was she being serious?

"You're a member, right?" Wakaba and Macao asked in unison.

"Well, yeah, Juvia is." Juvia confessed.

She then moved away from everyone to look dejectedly at a wall while running her finger over it in invisible patterns.

"But Juvia is so new I didn't think I'd be in the parade." Juvia confessed.

She continued to draw those patterns on the wall as Wakaba and Macao gave her deadpanned looks.

"I was expecting a bit more excitement from her." Wakaba said.

"She looks upset." Macao commented.

"Isn't she the cutest?" Cana questioned.

Juvia then felt a hand on her shoulder, so she turned her head up to see Craylee standing there. She blushed as she felt the warmth from his hand spread through her entire body. Her heart also skipped a beat at having him so close.

"Why are you so upset?" Craylee asked looking truly curious. "I would think you'd be happier at being added into such a big activity for the guild. Doesn't this show how much of a member everyone sees you as?"

Juvia's eyes widened as she realized that what Craylee was saying was right. Her being added into the parade showed how much she's been accepted by her new guildmates, which meant she should be happier. She smiled as she almost shyly put her hand over the one Craylee had on her shoulder.

"Thank-you, Craylee-sama!" Juvia said. "You made Juvia feel much better!"

Craylee just sighed as he removed his hand from her grasp. He just said what was on his mind. He didn't see why that warranted a thank-you.

"Hmm, maybe the seamster isn't as heartless as he allows everyone to think." Wakaba teased.

"Hmph, I don't see how an organ that's sole duty is to circulate blood through my blood plays a role in how I act." Craylee said as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I only said what was on my mind. I didn't do it to make her feel better."

"Riiiiight." Macao said while not seeming convinced.

Craylee resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he mentally contemplated sewing the two older mages' mouths closed. It'd keep them from making assumptions.

"Craylee-sama, are you going to be part of the parade?" Juvia asked.

"I believe so." Craylee said then sighed. "With all these substitutes being added in I'll have to work hard on making new costumes. Laxus's little tantrum has made my life harder."

Wakaba and Macao sweat-dropped having a feeling that Craylee was only annoyed about the extra workload for him, and not the fact that Laxus nearly wiped out the town along with everyone in it. Rizzo chuckled at her brother as Craylee was already mumbling about having to get started right away.

"A lot of members were injured fighting against each other, so anyone who's not hurt has to participate." Happy said over the fish in his mouth. "I guess Craylee really does have his work cut out for him."

Craylee's brow just twitched in annoyance though as a professional he would see that everything was done in time and with utter perfection.

"Does this mean I'm going to be in it too?" Lucy asked.

"Well, yeah, we need all the people we can get." Gray said. "Especially since we're not going to be able to use those three."

He gestured to the three injured Dragon Slayers as they were sitting off to the side on a bench together. All three were wrapped in an excessive amount of bandages, which almost looked as if they were wearing horrible mummy costumes.

"Screw you and your parade." Gajeel said irritably.

"I was actually really looking forward to the parade." Jaser said with a sigh. "My brothers and I—well, except Craylee—had something planned, but even Sven can't join in, so we have to scrap our idea."

That was right. Sven was laid up in the infirmary with the Master. Porlyusica had taken a look at the blonde before she left, and said he just needed a few days of rest.

"Igm stifl jonig tog bef ing itg." Natsu mumbled.

His friends looked at him curiously as they wondered what in the world he just said. Even Rizzo who's the second closest to him in the guild couldn't tell.

"Do you have any idea of what he just said?" Lucy asked.

"Knowing him it was probably something stupid." Happy said.

Sanjū, who was sipping tea from beside Happy, shook her head at her fellow feline as she wondered how he could be mean to his companion. Of course, Happy has always said such things of Natsu, so it wasn't like Sanjū was shocked to hear him say such things.

"Come on, how are you going to be part of the action?" Gajeel asked Natsu. "You're out."

"Maybe you really should take it easy, bro." Jaser said.

Natsu just turned to glare at Gajeel with a fiery aura burning around him as if he was preparing for a fight.

"Ur jaous ofph meph arefn't youph?" Natsu asked.

"That's got nothing to do with it, bro!" Gajeel snapped. "What they heck is your problem?!"

Jaser just laughed as the two Dragon Slayers beside him glared at each other heatedly. Rizzo smiled as well while glad to see Jaser was still in good spirits despite being covered in bandages.

"He's just messing with ya, Gajeel." Jaser said as he pat Gajeel on the back. "Brothers do that, ya know?"

"We're not brothers just because we're all Dragon Slayers, White Sand!" Gajeel retorted. "So quit acting like we're related."

Natsu said something else that was hard to understand, but Natsu seemed to be trying to defend Jaser since the latter thanked him. Gajeel just told the both of them to shut their pie holes as Lucy sweat-dropped.

"I wonder why Gajeel and Jaser can understand him." Lucy said.

"Probably because they're just as stupid as Natsu is." Happy, who was still stuffing his face, said.

"That was harsh." Lucy said. "You've got a serious mean streak in you, Cat."

Some of the others laughed in amusement, but Rizzo then seemed to notice the time.

"Oh, it's time for Master Makarov to take the medicine that Porlyusica-san left behind." Rizzo said as she stood. "Mira, where did you place the Master's medicine?"

"Oh, it's in his office." Mirajane said. "Would you like me to take it to him?"

"No, I want to visit Sven anyway, but thanks." Rizzo declined.

Mirajane nodded her head then gave Rizzo a tray to carrying the medicine on once she got it before she left the main room, so to go to Makarov's office. The noise of everyone else laughing and chatting died away a bit as she walked down the hall. As she was allowed a few moments to herself, she wondered where Laxus was, and what was going to happen now that everything was over. She knew Makarov would not be lenient towards Laxus, which made her almost fear what kind of punishment Makarov had planned for Laxus. She sighed knowing that whatever Makarov decided would have to be the decision that had to be right for the guild.

"Which means I can't question him." Rizzo said aloud to herself. "Or try to dissuade him."

She bit her lip as she took a moment to calm herself. She just had this bad feeling that Laxus wouldn't be around much longer, and even after everything, she still thought of Laxus as family. Once she was calm again, she continued down the hall. She made it to Makarov's office, and when she stepped inside she saw the medicine in plain sight on his desk. She grabbed it off the desk then went to the small half bath in his office to fill up a glass she grabbed from his medicine cabinet in the small bathroom.

Once she had that, she put it all on the tray that Mirajane had given her. She left the office to head for the infirmary. A part of her was hoping that Sven was up, so she could ask how he was feeling. Another part hoped he just continued sleeping peacefully until his body knew it was alright for him to be moving again. It didn't take long for Rizzo to reach the infirmary doors. She went up to them to knock, but she paused when she heard voices speaking inside. It was the master speaking…and he was speaking to Laxus.

"Take some time to smell the roses." Makarov was saying. "If you do, you'll be able to see things you've never seen before, and you'll hear things you weren't ever able to hear. Life can be a lot of fun if you allow it to be."

Rizzo's eyes widened because it sounded as if Makarov was getting ready to do the one thing that she was fearing the most.

"Over the years, I have watched you grow into the man that you are today." Makarov said. "Where did we go wrong? What lesson did you not learn? But the past is the past. I am left now with only one choice."

It grew extremely silent as Rizzo waited for Makarov to say those words to Laxus that Rizzo did not want to be said. However, she knew it wasn't her place to interfere. Even if she did barge in right now, it would not change Makarov's decision.

"Laxus, you are hereby expelled from Fairy Tail." Makarov said.

Rizzo backed away from the door until her back hit the wall behind her. She knew the words were coming…but hearing them made them all more horrifically real. Hearing that a member of her beloved family was being exiled was almost like hearing they'd never to be seen again.

"I understand." Rizzo heard Laxus say softly before hearing his footsteps heading for the door. "Thanks for everything….Grandpa. You take care of yourself, okay, old man?"

"Please, just leave." Makarov said with sadness clearly coloring his tone.

The doors to the infirmary then opened with Laxus stepping out. He paused when he saw Rizzo standing there with her back pressed against the wall. He sighed looking down at the ground as the doors shut behind him.

"I guess you must be happy that I'm leaving, huh?" Laxus asked.

Rizzo didn't reply at first as she kept her head down, which hid her face from him, so he could not see her expression.

"…Happy?..." Rizzo murmured. "Why would I be happy?"

Rizzo lifted her head, and Laxus was surprised to see the tears running down her cheeks.

"Laxus, why would anyone be happy to hear that someone from their family is being sent away?" Rizzo asked. "I don't care what you did…I don't want you to go."

The tears flowed even more freely down her cheeks. She set the tray down on a cart outside the infirmary, so to wipe at her eyes. She felt pathetic for crying like a baby, but she couldn't hold back the tears.

"Rizzo, I hurt the people here…I hurt you." Laxus said. "How could you still want me around? Why do you still think of me as family?"

"All families have their ups and downs." Rizzo said as she wiped at her right eye to rid it of the tears that build back up. "This was a down, but that doesn't mean I'm going to start hating you. After losing everyone in Treble Chambers, I never want to lose anyone else, and I definitely don't want someone from my family leaving while thinking everyone hates them. Because if we never see each other again…all you'll remember is a stupid fight and anger that was short lived."

Laxus stared at Rizzo still not believing that she has forgiven him so easily. He then grunted in surprise when Rizzo suddenly hugged him.

"I never stopped looking up to you…even after all this time." Rizzo said. "You're like a big brother to me, Laxus. Just as much as Sven, Breccan, Jaser, and Craylee are to me as well."

Laxus stood there a moment unable to come up with any words to say. Rizzo cried a bit more as she continued to hug him.

"I know you were just exiled, but promise you'll come home someday." Rizzo said. "To your family because I can say with guarantee that we'll all miss you."

Laxus finally reacted as he moved to put his hand on top of Rizzo head much like he used to do when she was little.

"Okay, Rizz." Laxus said. "I promise."

Rizzo sniffled as she nodded her head. She finally let him go while immediately wiping at her eyes again. He pat her on the head one more time before he went walking down the hallway. After he disappeared around the corner, Rizzo went to get Makarov's medicine off the cart she set it on. She knew she wouldn't calm down in the next few seconds, so she walked into the infirmary trying to keep her head up. Makarov, who had returned to sit on his bed, remained silent while not commenting on the tears staining her cheeks. Rizzo briefly glanced over Sven to see the blonde was still sleeping soundly, which she guessed was a good thing since she didn't want him seeing her like this.

"It's time for your medicine, Master." Rizzo said as she turned back to Makarov. "We have get you back to feeling better, so you can join us in the parade tomorrow."

She held out the medicine and cup of water to Makarov, which he took. He swallowed down the medicine without a problem before setting the now empty cup to the side.

"I will understand if you are mad at me, my child." Makarov said as he looked up at Rizzo. "I know that you and Laxus were close. I remember a time where you used to follow him around like a little pink duckling. It was always nice to see the two of you get along, and Laxus used to always get so excited when it came time to pay you and Roscoe another visit…He changed though over the years…actually you both did. You grew a part, and your only interactions towards each other turned hostile."

"Yes, sir." Rizzo said. "But that didn't make him any less family."

"Yes, I know, which is why I can't blame you for being upset with me." Makarov said. "I won't try to justify what I did. I just hope you understand in time what my reasons were."

Rizzo took in a deep breath before she looked directly at Master Makarov.

"I'm not angry at you, Master." Rizzo said as the tears started rolling again. "I understand…it just…it hurts."

Rizzo crumbled to her knees as Makarov gave an understanding sigh. He reached out to gently place Rizzo's head in his lap.

"I know, my dear." He said as he pat her head. "It always hurts when a member of the family leaves…but someday I'm sure it will be time for Laxus to join us again."

* * *

Amarante, who had her joints all back in place and her arm in a sling, sighed as she walked down the streets of Magnolia with a pack on her back. She just left the guildhall a few moments ago after slipping in to speak with the Master. After taking into consideration what Breccan said about her now having freedom to do as she wishes thanks to Laxus freeing her long ago from Shadow Undertaker, Amarante decided she would use this freedom to go on a journey that might lead to some kind of enlightenment.

She had went to the guild to tell Makarov of her temporary sabbatical. He said he understood, and told her to take all the time she needed. She had been grateful for his blessing, but told him she would be back in time for the trials. She now just had to break it to the Thunder Legion…and Laxus who she heard was exiled from the guild. She wonders if he's still even in town. She let out another sigh as she paused in the middle of the street as she was passing the park as the sun was setting, which cast everything in golden warm light.

"I don't even know where the others are since they're not at the guild." She said to herself. "Maybe I should leave without goodbyes. Master said he'd tell the rest of the guild after the Fantasia Parade anyway."

She was horrible at giving goodbyes anyway since she always balled like a baby even if the goodbyes wouldn't be for long. She's just hopeless, isn't she?

"Amara! Amara, there you are!"

Amarante stiffened with her eyes widening before she turned her head seeing that the Thunder Legion and Laxus were in the park. Evergreen was the one who had called out to her, and the fairy woman was waving towards her. Freed and Bickslow were looking at her expectantly as if they thought she'd automatically start heading over. She then glanced at Laxus seeing that his gaze was locked on her arm, which was in the stupid sling. Really it annoyed her, and the moment she was out of town where Porlyusica wouldn't find out, she'd take it off.

"Amara, what are you waiting for?" Bickslow called out. "Haven't you heard about Laxus?! Come try to make him stay!"

Amarante highly doubted anything she said would get Laxus to stay. She was even planning to leave, which she wasn't looking forward to having to explain. She did walk over, however, to join them.

"Amara, how are you feeling?" Freed asked when she reached them. "I heard you went against Breccan."

"He must be strong if he managed to defeat you and put your arm in a sling." Bickslow added.

"Strong." One of his dolls said.

"Very strong." Another added.

Amarante lightly chuckled thinking her friends thought too highly of her. Yes, she's an S-class mage, but that didn't make her invincible."

"Breccan…he's from my old guild." Amarante confessed. "In fact, we were in the same training unit together about 13 years ago. So he knows how to read my movements, and he's fast enough to match them or counteract them. There's a reason why Master Makarov appointed him S-class without even putting him through the trials."

The Thunder Legion seemed surprised to hear this. They don't know Breccan extremely well, but from what they've observed of him, he didn't seem like the type to fit into a guild such as Shadow Undertaker.

"Why do you have a pack with you?" Laxus asked.

The Thunder Legion all frowned in confusion then followed Laxus's line of sight to see that Amarante really did have a back on her shoulder.

"What?! Did the Master kick you out too?!" Evergreen asked.

"That's not fair!" Bickslow said. "Why is he only being hard on our S-Class?"

"Master Makarov didn't expel me from the guild." Amarante said. "I asked him if I could take a short sabbatical."

It grew very silent for a moment as the Thunder Legion stared at Amarante as if she grew another head.

"But why?!" Evergreen demanded. "Why are you leaving too?! Why do you need to take a sabbatical?"

"I've never done anything on my own." Amarante said softly.

Though she spoke softly, her words had Evergreen shutting her mouth before she could continue her ranting.

"I've never really thought for myself." Amarante continued. "I…I was raised like a tool. I wasn't supposed to feel or think. I wasn't supposed to have dreams or ambitions. I was only supposed to do as ordered by my master. I was raised to have my entire life revolve around being the perfect killing weapon for my master. That's I'll I knew…for almost sixteen years…until Laxus took me away from Shadow Undertaker."

Freed looked at Amarante wondering where she was exactly going with this as Evergreen and Bickslow looked at her softly. They remember Amarante telling them a few things about Shadow Undertaker, and they weren't fond memories for Amarante. Laxus just stayed silent as he waited patiently for Amarante to finish though he had an idea where she was going with this.

"I learned to feel emotions like happiness…sadness…and much more." Amarante said as she smiled at her friends. "All of you and Laxus made it possible for me to shed part of my former self, but there's still more of the old me that I need to let go. I still just follow orders without even trying to question them. Even when I do I don't disobey because that's how I was taught. And even though I feel emotions I don't allow them to interfere with my mission. Those are all horrible qualities to have. I need to learn to think for myself…how to be on my own…and how to occasionally let my emotions cloud what my mind is trying to tell me."

Laxus looked down at the ground feeling as if it was his fault that Amarante still hasn't grown completely out of her old lifestyle. He knows he used her obedience to his advantage. He knows there were times that he should have asked her opinion, or asked how she felt, but he didn't. He let her hold onto a lot of teachings that were taught to her by her old guild because it made her more "useful" to him. He should have let her grow…not cage her up like those people did.

"But despite all that I love every single moment I have spent with all of you." Amarante said. "You all helped me grow more than I ever could just on my own, so thank-you. Being with you all and Fairy Tail has brought me a lot of joy…which is why I can never thank-you enough, Laxus, for saving me five years ago."

She smiled softly at Laxus who was surprised she wasn't angry. He sighed while wondering why people forgave him so easily, and why they could smile at him with such warm. First Rizzo and now Amarante. Considering all that he's done, he'd be more comfortable with them feeling hate since it'd be something he could understand and know how to deal with. Dealing with forgiveness when thinking he doesn't deserve it was harder to deal with. Amarante then looked back the Thunder Legion as Evergreen was sniffling.

"Why are you looking so sad?" Amarante asked as she smiled. "I won't be gone for that long, you know? I have to make it back in time for the trials, or the Master will scold me. He needs all the S-Class members he can get his hands on since we never know if Gildarts will be coming home in time."

She let out a small carefree giggle that brought slight smiles to her friends' faces. Even during such somber moments…Amarante was able to make them smile. It was like her gift. Amarante then looked up at the sky as it was turning darker.

"I better get going." Amarante said. "I need to cover enough ground before it gets too late….or rather I don't know if I can handle sticking around for more formal goodbyes before I can't hold back the tears. You know how much of a baby I am when it comes to goodbyes."

"Yeah, you cry buckets every time." Evergreen joked as she wiped her own tears away.

Amarante nodded her head as she smiled once again. She raised her hand her a wave.

"We'll all see each other again soon." She said then looked at Laxus. "Even you, Laxus. We're all tied together, which is why I know this goodbye is more of until next time."

She gave a small giggle before suddenly disappearing in a small breeze with the smell of cherry blossoms and mangos being left behind. Laxus grinned slightly hoping she was right. He wanted to see her again…he wanted to see all of them again because he now realized just how important his Fairy Tail family is.

* * *

As the fireworks went off above Magnolia, Fairy Tail paraded down the street with the bystanders cheering and watching in awe at what all was happening. Rizzo was at the front of the parade leading a large marching band of her own instruments, so there were no actual performers behind her just the instruments themselves. She wore a pink military like jacket with silver buttons and neon green lapels. The sash going across her chest was neon green as well and covered in sequins. She then had on a black mini skirt with black stockings on her legs as well. She then had on black military boots perfect for marching in, and finally on top of her head was a tall back marching hat with a pink plume sticking out at the top.

As her instruments played, tiny fireworks came from the brass sections to dance around the children watching, which had them laughing happily. Sparks and stars shined from the percussion line every time the sticks hit the drums to keep the band in time along with what Rizzo was conducting using her large drum major baton. From the woodwinds fairies appeared to fly through the rest of the parade or around the crowd. Rizzo thought that it was only fitting to use fairies in the parade since it was a guild of "fairies" performing in the parade to begin with.

Behind her all her friends gave their own grand show that had the crowd cheering for more as they were left in awe. Craylee was flying over the parade using the wings sewed into his shoes, and he'd drop candy onto the crowd below, which had the children cheering even louder. Besides, it wasn't a parade if sweets weren't involved. Breccan was doing the same since Craylee added wings to his shoes, and every once and a while they'd perform aerial acrobatics to whoa the crowd.

Lucy was waving her flags and dancing in time with Levy and Bisca on their float, and the blonde had a big smile on her face the entire time. Cana, Macao, and Wakaba were on a float while using the two men's magic to make hearts in the sky then use Cana's card magic to shoot them down. Elfman and Mirajane were on a float together, and many were wowed be Elfman's beastly form. When Mirajane transformed into a large reptile it didn't get as many wowed expressions.

Not far behind them Juvia, who was rather disappointed not to be with her beloved Craylee, and Gray were on a float that was perfect to display their water and ice abilities. Juvia raised the water into the air with Gray freezing parts of the water into the words "Fairy Tail", which had people cheering loudly. As the parade went, more and more exciting floats went by. Like the one Erza was on while displaying her reequip magic, which once again got many excited applauses. Even Natsu and Happy received many cheers.

It wasn't long before the real star of the show Master Makarov started going by on his float. Even after all these years the Fairy Tail Guild Master was the crowd favorite. Not that Rizzo was surprised. Even at his age he could put on a good show. He would act the silliest just to please the children, which is why Rizzo thought he was the biggest hit out of all of them. Rizzo just laughed happily while feeling much better than she did yesterday. Being here with her friends and family could chase away the sadness, and make her feel optimistic for the future. Rizzo then glanced back into the crowd seeing a certain blonde mage trying to quietly get away.

"Don't worry, Laxus, you won't be going away without getting a proper goodbye from everyone." She murmured quietly.

* * *

Laxus lightly chuckled as he looked up at Makarov as he was acting silly for the crowd as he does every year. It was ridiculous what he was doing, but Laxus found it amusing as well. As he stood there watching him, Laxus could remember that one year where Makarov didn't participate, and it was all, so Laxus could have his turn. Laxus then looked down at his hand as he put it in a gesture that had become sentimental to the entire guild. A gesture that meant a lot more than people might think.

He came up with it that year…the year he was the "star" of the parade. Laxus then shook his head as he turned down the alleyway to finally get out of town. If he stayed any longer, he'd never get himself to leave. However, he needed to take that time to smell the roses like Makarov told him to do. Before he could go far though a stray fairy from Rizzo's magic floated in front of him.

"You should turn around." It said in a bell like voice. "You're missing everyone's goodbye to you."

Laxus blinked in confusion before slowly turning around to see what the fairy was talking about. Laxus's eyes widened when he saw Makarov standing proud and tall on his float with his hand up in the air. The back of his hand facing outward, pointer finger up, and thumb out….the gesture that Laxus came up with that meant…even if you couldn't see someone…you were always looking their way. He looked at everyone else in the guild to see they too had stopped moving to put their hands up into the air as well with big smiles on their faces. Laxus started to cry as he realized just how loved he was by his guild as they gave him a Fairy Tail send off.

"No matter how far you go, Laxus, we will always be looking your way."


	43. Cover Story

A week…it's been a week since the Battle of Fairy Tail and Laxus's expulsion. Things were starting to calm down around the guild after a week's worth of drama. However, a lot happened in that single week. After getting Natsu to calm down about Laxus being exiled and Amarante taking a sabbatical, Makarov confessed he knew Laxus was a Dragon Slayer all along, but not one like Natsu, Gajeel, and Jaser. Apparently, Laxus had been very sick as a kid, so his dad put Lightning Dragon Slayer lacrima into his body. It's like how Caspian had put Ice Dragon Slayer lacrima into Miseri to make her stronger.

Then when Master Makarov had tried to retire, Rizzo had thrown a fit over it all. Gray had to try to keep her calm, but all he could really do while hold her as she practically balled her eyes out. Freed, who had cut all his beautiful hair off to show how repentant he was, was the only one able to convince Makarov to stay in the end with just a few words, which had Rizzo hugging him for like half an hour straight out of gratitude, and Bickslow and Evergreen saw that as amusing. She had to be pulled off by Gray _and_ Natsu. She didn't make it easy for them either.

Speaking of the Thunder Legion and on a less dramatic note, they were all starting to open up more to the guild. Rizzo was sure it was due to Laxus and Amarante's absences, but either way, she was happy to see them interacting with their guildmates and not just each other. Evergreen was bugging poor Reedus about getting him to paint her, and Bickslow teams up with Happy to tease Lucy about Loke sometimes. Freed just kinds of sits backs and watches. However, Rizzo is pretty sure she's seen him sneaking glances over at Sven, who's made a full recovery, every once and a while.

In fact, Sven seems to be spending a lot of his time with Freed if he isn't spending time with her or their brothers. It was kind of confusing Rizzo and the boys since Sven isn't one to spend a lot of time with men considering how much he likes to flirt with the women of the guild. Rizzo asked Mirajane about it since the white-haired female had been there during the fight between Sven and Freed and herself of course, which is when Rizzo thinks something happened between the two. Mirajane only giggles in an almost secretive manner that made Rizzo even more confused, so the pinkette decided to drop it.

Something else Rizzo has noticed is that both Erza and Breccan have been keeping to themselves. Rizzo knew Erza must still be thinking about Mystogan who so much resembled Jellal. Then Breccan was still thinking of Amarante, who he had wished to speak with but never got the chance, and thinking about her must make him think of Shadow Undertaker and old memories that would make anyone want to spend time alone. And besides all that craziness, one other thing happened. The Miss Fairy Tail Contest results were posted and…

"I'm getting tired of fourth place." Rizzo grumbled as she sat beside Gray at one of the tables. "It's like I cursed to remain in fourth place for the reminder of my natural life."

She lightly let her head fall to the table with a small cloud of depression hanging over her. Gray chuckled then lifted her up as he put his arm around her shoulders. She laid her head back against his shoulder to look up at his face as she wondered why he wouldn't let her curl up to a ball of despair due to her inability to score higher than fourth place.

"If it's any consolation, I would have given you first place." Gray said grinning.

"You're biased." Rizzo said while trying to ignore the warming sensation she felt in her cheeks. "Besides, I guess I'm not surprised. The judges prefer cute girls to girls like me."

Rizzo tugged a bit on her hair as if feeling self-conscious, and Gray lightly frowned. He didn't like hearing her put herself down.

"Rizzo, you are cute." Gray said. "And I'm not just saying that cause I'm your boyfriend. And what do you mean by a girl like you?"

"I mean, I'm not the "traditional" cute." Rizzo said. "I'm not saying I'm bad looking. I just mean, I'm not the girl with long hair, sweet girlish smile, or anything like that. I'm…edgy."

She shrugged her shoulders. She didn't know how else to explain what she meant.

"You're right…you're not like the other girls." Gray said then grinned. "Which makes you stand out. The judges should have realized that. Besides, I like edgy."

Rizzo felt her lips twitch up into a smile, which had Gray's grin widening when seeing the smile on her face. He preferred to see her smiling.

"I guess I'll just have to try harder next year." Rizzo said then held up her fist in determination. "And next time I'll definitely beat Erza!"

Rizzo would not lose the redhead ever again. Rizzo would catch up to Erza in every way. Rizzo then remembered how she was only able to help half as much as Erza when it came to destroying those lacrime. If she wanted to be ready for when the trials came around, she'd have to train three times as hard. Rizzo didn't know 100% if Makarov would choose her for the trials, but she felt as if her time was coming soon, which meant she had to be ready to face Erza when the time came.

 _'Whenever you wish, we can start training as long and hard.'_ Raoul said within her mind. _'But maybe not today. Isn't that reporter from that magazine coming over to the guild today?'_

Rizzo blinked remembering that today really was the day for the cover story. She remembers Mirajane mentioning that Jason would be coming over to a do spread on Fairy Tail. Rizzo knew Jason fairly well since she's done a few photoshoots with Mirajane. Almost all top girls in the guild have done some kind of photoshoot once, or at least has one picture of themselves in the magazine.

Of course, Mirajane was their poster girl, so she was featured the most. Rizzo honestly didn't care if she was in the magazine or not, but she always did end up having fun when Jason was the photographer. He was just a really "cool" guy even if he was a bit…eccentric.

"Hey, Rizzo."

Rizzo blinked before turning her head along with Gray to see Cana had come up behind them.

"Oh, hey, Cana." Rizzo said. "Can I help you?"

Cana sighed looking a bit embarrassed, which wasn't typical Cana behavior. This had Rizzo looking at the brunette curiously.

"Have you seen Jaser?" Cana asked. "I wanted to ask him if he wanted to maybe go grab a bit to eat."

Rizzo's eyes widened a bit as she stared at Cana while wondering if Cana was saying what Rizzo thought she was saying.

"You want to go out on a date with my brother?" Rizzo asked.

"I wouldn't call it a date." Cana said. "Just two guildmates going out for lunch."

"I pretty sure that counts as a date." Gray said as he grinned.

Cana frowned at the both of them as they were giving her shit-eating grins while obviously enjoying her discomfort.

"Okay, fine!" She said. "Yes, I want to ask him out on a date. I need a man, okay? I'm getting the urge, ya know? And Jaser isn't all that bad."

"If you're talking about that kind of urge then I suggest not using Jaser for it." Rizzo said. "And I'm not saying that to be protective. I'm saying that because Jaser has no idea what to do when it comes to women. He was raised by a dragon until seven years ago. Spent only one year with people, and I was the only girl close to his age that he spent time with. And then he spent six years in a cave focusing on training and taking down an evil guild. So as you can see no girl experience whatsoever."

"Those are the best kind of guys." Cana said. "The ones with no experience or little."

Gray frowned feeling a bit uncomfortable with this conversation. He also felt kind of bad for Jaser since Cana made it sound as if she preyed on "innocent" guys.

"Then take your best shot at it." Rizzo said. "However you're going to have beat your intentions into his skull before he understands that you want something more than friendship. And after that he won't be treating your relationship so casual. He won't be like some of those boys you just hook up with."

"I get that." Cana said. "Now have you seen him?"

Rizzo pointed over towards Lucy who Jaser was consoling since she was upset about getting second place. Cana went over towards the table as Rizzo wondered how long it'd take Jaser to understand what Cana wanted.

"So you're not worried Jaser might get his feelings hurt?" Gray asked.

"Honestly, I don't think Cana will treat him like she does some of the other guys she's been with." Rizzo said. "Haven't you noticed how close she's grown to Jaser since he's been here?"

Gray shook his head since he hasn't been paying attention to any possible budding relationships. For the longest time he was so focused on starting a relationship of his own with the girl sitting with him now. Rizzo shook her head at him though not surprised he hasn't noticed. Most guys don't notice such things. Rizzo then noticed Erza running around in one of her best dresses, and Gajeel sliding by in his suit as he played his guitar.

"Please, tell me that they aren't getting worked up because of the magazine interview." Rizzo said sighing. "They could just sit there, and Jason think their cool to the max."

"Jason?" Gray asked.

"He's one of the leading field reporters for Sorcerer's Weekly." Rizzo explained. "He also does a lot of the photoshoots. He thinks anything mages or magic related is cool."

Gray nodded his head while not really worried about this whole interview thing. He didn't even care if he was mentioned in the cover story or not.

"Hey, after this whole interview thing is over, we should go grab a bit to eat." Gray said. "Just the two of us."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Rizzo said as she smiled.

* * *

"I can't believe she's still at it." Craylee said.

"I know it's been like an hour." Rizzo added.

"She's persistent that's for sure." Breccan, who finally joined his siblings for conversation, said.

"She must really like him~!" Sven finished with a boyish giggle.

What were they all talking about you wonder? Well, Cana still trying to get Jaser to understand that she wants to change their friendship status to romantic couple. Jaser was still not quite understanding what Cana wanted exactly. He knew what a boyfriend and a girlfriend were, and he understands that Cana wants to be like that. However, he wasn't seeming to understand that being a couple meant that Cana wanted certain _things_.

"That or she's really desperate." Gray tacked in to the sibling conversation.

"That could be the only reason why she's wasted an hour of Jaser of all people." Craylee said.

"Hey, be nice." Rizzo chided. "Jaser's a nice guy."

"With sand for brains." Craylee said. "He's more of an innocent child than Sven."

Said blonde giggled as he smiled sunnily at Craylee who just sighed. Rizzo shook her head at the redhead as Breccan very lightly smiled at his siblings. He still had a lot on his mind, but he supposed he could put his thoughts to the side for a moment to spend time with them. Besides, being around them made some of the darker thoughts go away.

"Is that Titiana?!"

Rizzo blinked when she heard a familiar voice coming from the entrance of the guild hall. She turned her head since it must be time for the interview since a certain blonde reporter had finally arrived.

"I can't believe it's really you." Jason said then slid across the floor on his knees excitedly. "This is so COOL!"

"Yep, Jason is definitely in the building." Rizzo said chuckling.

Craylee just frowned while already having the feeling that before this guy even left that he'd have a headache. He got up from the table to walk away while he could. Breccan and Sven followed to make sure he didn't get too far since everyone from Fairy Tail was supposed to be here today in case the reporter wished to ask them questions.

"That guy seems as if he has a few screws loose." Gray said.

Rizzo snorted in amusement behind her hand as Jason continued to practically worship the ground Erza, who he had reequip back to her usual outfit, was standing on as he asked her many questions. Lucy tried to cut in, but Jason didn't seem to hear her…or maybe she didn't show up on his cool radar.

"He seems really taken with Erza." Gray said as Jason and Erza spoke at the bar. "Think he'll just interview her the entire time?"

"Nah, he'll get to everyone most likely." Rizzo said. "Even Happy and Sanjū. See?"

Rizzo pointed over to the two felines as Jason turned his attention on the two of them, which shocked Lucy who couldn't believe Jason found cats more interesting than her.

"So, Happy, why are you blue?" Jason asked.

"Because I'm a cat." Happy said.

"If it's because you're a cat then why am I pink?" Sanjū questioned him with a sigh.

"Because you're a girl cat." Happy said. "Only boy cats are blue."

Sanjū shook her head because that wasn't true since cats came in many colors. Well, she and Happy were different than other cats for sure, but that didn't mean if there were more of them that all the girls would be pink and the boys blue. She didn't point this out, however.

"And, Sanjū, the readers want to know if you're really the only member of the guild that never causes destruction or violence." Jason said.

"That's completely true." Sanjū said. "I don't believe in causing violence. I walk on the path of peace, and plan to for as long as I am able."

"So honorable and COOL!" Jason said.

He quickly wrote all of that down as Lucy face-planted out of despair. She couldn't believe this guy would rather talk to cats than an amazing bombshell like herself. She then noticed Jason seemingly to stare at her, so she straightened up while trying to smile. However, Rizzo grinned from her and Gray's table while knowing exactly where Jason was looking.

"Looks like you've been spotted, Gray." Rizzo said as she poked his side.

Gray blinked before glancing over towards Jason just as the blonde man's entire face lit up.

"Holy Cow! It's the amazing ice mage Gray!" Jason exclaimed as he ran over.

"Yeah, what do you want?" Gray asked.

He honestly wanted nothing to do with this guy or his interview. Actually, he wished Jason would hurry up, get his article, and leave, so Gray and Rizzo could go grab some lunch.

"And I'm in luck!" Jason exclaimed as he knelt by their table. "He's with Rizzo!"

"Hey, Jason." Rizzo said grinning.

Jason waved at Rizzo quickly while almost looking like a giddy child who just drank three cups of coffee. He then turned towards Gray as he pulled out his notepad.

"So, Gray, why do you take your clothes off all the time?" Jason asked.

"That's not true!" Gray, who suddenly lost his pants, said as he stood up in his seat with one foot on the table. "I never do that!"

"Then why don't you have any pants on?" Rizzo asked as she sighed.

"Crap!" Gray exclaimed as he looked down at his boxers.

As Rizzo was shaking her head at him, Jason had one huge smile on his face the entire time. Rizzo then found Gray's pants to toss them right into his face. He grumbled pulling them off his face to slip into it. Once he was back in his seat, Jason turned towards Rizzo.

"Rizzo, there have been rumors going around lately that you are off the single's market, and dating Gray Fullbuster here." Jason said as he addressed her. "Are these rumors true?"

"Yes, the rumors are true." Rizzo said. "Gray and I are dating."

"So COOL!" Jason said the held up his camera. "Can I get a few pictures for the story?"

Rizzo looked at Gray to see if he was okay with it since she didn't want to do it if it made him uncomfortable. He sighed looking a bit irritated, but he did nod his head. Jason started taking shot after shot of the newest magical couple. He had them do cute poses for some, and he nearly felt an overload of "cool" when Rizzo put her arms around Gray's neck while kissing the corner of his lips. It had surprised Gray at how forward she was since Rizzo was bit shy about kissing in front of people. Rizzo smiled up at him as his eyes looked at her questioningly.

"This is so COOL!" Jason said. "You'll be the hottest new couple of the year for sure!"

Rizzo chuckled finding that funny considering how short of a time she and Gray have been together. There was a loud roaring noise from behind, so Gray and Rizzo looked just in time to see Natsu flip over a table and Lucy.

"So you're the reporter, huh?!" Natsu demanded.

Rizzo smiled sure whatever Natsu was going to do next would be humorous to the max.

"Yes! This is so unbelievable!" Jason said ecstatically. "Natsu the Salamander is the person I wanted to meet most of all. This is just way too cool!"

Lucy and Gray felt a bit weirded out by this guy's behavior as he waved his arms about. Rizzo, however, was used to it, so she didn't think much of it. And Natsu was only worried about kicking this guy's ass, so he didn't give a damn how Jason acted.

"You jerk! You're the one who's always writing that bad stuff about me!" Natsu accused.

"OH YEAH!" Jason said as he nodded.

"All you ever write about is how I destroyed one thing! Or demolished that thing!" Natsu continued.

"This is so COOL!" Jason said. "Natsu in the flesh! The Salamander!"

When Jason held out his hand to Natsu, the pinkette just stared silently at the guy.

"Can I shake your hand, sir?" Jason asked hopefully.

"No way!" Natsu growled as he punched Jason in the face.

Jason rolled across the ground keeping pen and paper in hand despite the large swelling mark on his jaw.

"Oh man, that's awesome!" Jason said as he scribbled on his notepad. "Natsu is such a hero. And I can't believe he even showed me his secret handshake!"

Rizzo whistled feeling impressed that Jason was still writing considering he had to be in a lot of pain. Natsu's punches weren't easy to take.

"What a pro." Happy said sarcastically as he shrugged.

"That's not how I'd put it." Sanjū commented. "Sushi?"

She held out a plate towards Happy who happily took a pawful of sushi off the plate. Jason then sat up suddenly as he turned towards Rizzo.

"Rizzo, is there any chance of another Natsu-Rizzo team up?" Jason asked. "It's known that you and Natsu are on a team together. But will there ever be any more action like we saw during the incident where you and Natsu alone destroyed three towns just during one job?"

"Well," Rizzo and Natsu began in unison.

"No!" Their guildmates all cut in together.

The two pinkettes rolled their eyes wondering why their guildmates wouldn't just let them team up again. The destruction they caused hadn't been _that_ bad….the towns hadn't been _completely_ destroyed at least….well, at least they got the job done in the end, right? Jason then went around interviewing many other notable members of the guild with Lucy trying to get his attention every time. However, nothing she did seemed to get his attention. Jason even asked a few questions to Rizzo's brothers.

"So, I hear you four are the newest team in Fairy Tail." Jason said. "And you call yourselves the Treblemen, correct?"

"That is correct." Craylee said in a professional manner.

"And you're all brothers as well?" Jason asked.

"That's right." Jaser said grinning. "We may not be by blood, but that don't matter to us!"

"So COOL!" Jason said.

He jutted down a few things on his notepad as Craylee wondered how many more seconds of his life would be wasted on this man.

"And who would you say is the leader of your group?" Jason asked.

Craylee, Sven, and Jaser all silently pointed to Breccan as the second eldest brother was opening a new back of cigarettes.

"So, Breccan, what's it like being a new S-class mage and the leader of a group of three very capable mages?" Jason asked.

"Stressful." Breccan said.

"Teehee, we cause Breccan to worry so much that it's driven him to smoke." Sven said as he smiled. "Even though I'm the oldest, Breccan takes on a lot of responsibility instead."

Of course, pointing out that he was the oldest got even more questions from Jason, so Sven explained his magic to the reporter. Unsurprisingly, Jason called Sven's magic cool as he was writing everything down in his notepad. He asked a few more questions that seemed rather silly like what kind of girls the boys were interested in, what their favorite things were, and which one of them thought they'd be the higher ranked on Sorcerer's Weekly most popular bachelor's list.

Once Jason moved on from them, he started back to interviewing everyone else from the guild. And Rizzo didn't know how, but somehow everything led to a brawl between Gajeel and Natsu. She thinks Gajeel's singing, which he had been doing to impress Jason, set Natsu off again. Jason didn't seem to mind the fighting since he was taking several photos of Gajeel and Natsu fighting.

"This is so COOL!" Jason said then looked towards Jaser. "Jaser sir, do you think you could get in on the action? If I have photos of all of Fairy Tail's Dragon Slayers fighting, the story will sure to be a hit!"

Jaser was already on his feet and grinning before Jason could even finish his sentence.

"Don't have to ask me twice to join in on a good brawl." Jaser said excitedly.

Jaser cracked his neck with a grin on his face. He jumped into the fight with Jason practically squealing at how cool it was to watch three Dragon Slayers in action. He didn't even lose his enthusiasm when he became a victim to the boys' brawling. Rizzo laughed feeling the happiest she has in days. Gees, she loves being a part of this crazy guild.


	44. Breccan's Tale: How Undertaker's Work

Coco: This brings an official end to the Battle of Fairy Tail Arc, which ran through episodes 41-51. This chapter here is Breccan's personal chapter, and it like takes place during episodes 50 and 51. There isn't a major fight scene in this chapter. It's more like an investigation into how Shadow Undertaker works, which shows what kind of life Breccan had been raised in for seven years. I hop you like it.

* * *

Breccan sat alone in the guild hall at a table in a corner of the space on the first floor. He was leaning the chair back on two legs with his feet propped up on the table. The back of the chair was leaning back against the wall behind him. He had a cigarette between his lips, and the smoke billowed up into the air.

He had on a tightfitting dark purple-colored shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. On the front of the shirt was a black Fairy Tail emblem. Over the shirt was a long back coat with sleeves that went down to his wrists. He then had on tight fitting dark jeans that had a black belt going around his waist. On top his head was a black beanie with his violet hair sticking out from underneath. Then his trademark black boots with the pointed tips on his feet.

All the dark clothes just added to the dark, gloomy mood hanging around him like a storm cloud. He had an almost haunted look in his eyes as he stared blankly in front of him as memories of the past played in his mind.

-FLASHBACK-

 _"Daddy, why are you teaching me this?" A young Breccan asked. "Won't my magic keep people away?"_

 _Aeron looked down at his son as Breccan looked up at him with curious eyes. Aeron chuckled as he pat Breccan on the head._

 _"There will come a day when someone will be able to get past your magic." Aeron said. "Which is why learning hand-to-hand combat is essential. Someday you'll be able to add your powers into what I'm teaching you today, Breccan. Learning this could save your life."_

 _Breccan blinked before he smiled. His daddy was just looking out for him, huh? That made Breccan very happy._

 _"Now how about we start again?" Aeron asked._

 _"Okay, Daddy!" Breccan said as his smile widened._

-END OF FLASH BACK-

That had been before Breccan really realized what all that training was for. When he learned what his father wanted him to do once his training was over, had changed everything. That was when Breccan knew he had to get away from Shadow Undertaker.

"That's a really dark look you have in your eyes, my boy."

Breccan looked down seeing that Makarov had walked over to this table. The old guild master then jumped up to sit on top of the table.

"You've got a lot of people worried about you." Makarov said then glanced back over his shoulder.

Breccan followed his line of sight seeing that many members of Fairy Tail were sending him concerned glances. His siblings the most. Breccan sighed knowing he had to control the expressions on his face better, or more people would be worried. Of course, sitting alone in a corner isn't helping either.

"I just have a lot on my mind." Breccan said.

"Hmm, yes, I heard you come from a background very similar to Amarante." Makarov said.

Saying very similar was putting it lightly. Breccan came from the exact same place as Amarante. Yes, he got out of there sooner than her, but those seven years did enough damage. Even after thirteen years the name Shadow Undertaker makes his skin crawl. When he was fighting Amarante, he couldn't let himself be consumed by the dark memories of the past. Then that reporter had distracted him for a bit as well.

However, now things were calm around here, and it was like he was being swallowed up by those memories. It was driving him nuts. Just last night he had couldn't sleep after having a horrific nightmare. He's supposed to be a grown man, and only children are supposed to have nightmares. He sighed. Who was he kidding? Nightmares affected people of all ages. He just wished it was possible to grow out of them.

"I'm just glad Shadow Undertaker is gone." Breccan said. "I heard from Amarante that Laxus took care of it years ago."

Makarov looked at Breccan steadily before giving a sigh, which did not set well the young man.

"I wish I could say Laxus really did take care of them." Makarov said. "Laxus did lay waste to their guildhall, and he did take many of them down, so that the council could arrest them. However, it has recently come to light that a few slipped past Laxus and the council at least that's what Yajima said to me before he officially quit the council."

Breccan stiffened when heard this with his eyes going wide. A few of them got away? Why have they been quiet all this time? Why is the council just hearing about them?

"The Magic Council wants the remaining members of Shadow Undertaker taken out." Makarov said. "Apparently, they have been the cause of many recent deaths. The council is employing all the guilds for this mission. As in they are putting out bounties on the members they know are still around, and whoever gets to them and brings them in will get the money for them. The information is all here."

Makarov pulled out a request form from inside his jacket pocket before holding it out to Breccan. The younger man took it to look it over. He looked at the list of names of the members of Shadow Undertaker. As he was reading it, he suddenly stiffened with his eyes widening.

"Aeron and Thana Ableben." He said.

His hands started shaking as he read those names over and over while wishing they weren't there. Makarov looked at Breccan solemnly as the violet-haired man tried to come with terms with knowing his parents were alive. He had thought Master Sesshōmoto would have killed them for allowing Breccan to escape in the first place. No one was allowed to simply leave Shadow Undertaker. Sesshōmoto saw that as a loose thread, which is why he killed members either too weak for the guild or members wanting to leave. And when Breccan's parents weren't able to keep in within the guild, he was certain Sesshōmoto would have them filled for their failure since failure wasn't tolerated to begin with.

"The council wants all the legal guilds on this job." Makarov said. "However, I'm sure two of our own Fairy Tail mages can handle this without help."

Breccan looked up from the paper while wondering if Makarov was suggesting what he thought Makarov was suggesting. Makarov pulled out a map from his pocket next. He set it down on the table, and Breccan saw multiple towns circled.

"I called in a favor from Yajima who called in a favor from someone still on the council." Makarov said. "Every town highlighted is a place where members of Shadow Undertaker have been spotted. Or rather their handy work has been found. I want you to investigate these locations. I have a feeling that Shadow Undertaker is up to something, or else they wouldn't have bothered resurfacing after all this time. So your mission is not only to bring in as many members as possible, but also discover their true intentions."

Breccan nodded his head in understanding as he rolled up the request form and the map. He then stood up from the table. He would do this. He'd end Shadow Undertaker once and for all with his own two hands while stopping whatever the hell they were up to. Breccan was about to get going, but he paused to look back at Makarov.

"Master, you mentioned two Fairy Tail mages." Breccan said. "If I'm one of them, who's the other?"

"It's me."

Breccan looked back forward to see Mirajane, who wasn't in her usual outfit, standing there with a bag already thrown over her shoulder. Breccan frowned lightly. Mirajane was to come with him? Breccan had nothing against Mirajane. Nothing at all. However, he didn't think it was a good idea to expose Mirajane to some of the things that Shadow Undertaker has done. Amarante would be the better choice, but she had left a week ago to take a journey to clear her mind and try to achieve personal growth.

"Mirajane is an S-class mage, so I know she can handle the mission." Makarov said. "But she's been out of commission for a while. She needs to get her feet wet again so to speak by taking on missions again."

"And sending her on a mission to deal with people like Shadow Undertaker seems like a good idea, Master?" Breccan said. "I respect you, Master, and I don't wish to question you. However, I don't think it's a good idea to bring Mirajane along. She's strong. I heard so from Sven, but someone from Shadow Undertaker could have her throat slit before she could even use her magic."

Breccan knew how good they were at the art of stealth and the art of the silent kill. Even some of the strongest mages didn't stand a chance against mages from Shadow Undertaker because strength or power wouldn't save them if they weren't able to sense an attack coming before it's too late.

"I can handle this mission." Mirajane said. "I know I can. Besides, even though you know how Shadow Undertaker works doesn't mean it's safe for you to go after them alone. You need someone to back you up."

Breccan sighed knowing that was true, but…he didn't want to drag any of his guildmates really into this. Jaser maybe. His Dragon senses would make it possible for him to sense an attack coming better than some of the others in the guild. And Jaser actually relied more on speed than brute strength though he had a lot of both. But it's his speed that would help him the most since he'd have to be fast and nimble to avoid an assassin of Shadow Undertaker.

Speaking of nimble, Craylee was the most flexible and nimble out of all of them. He also had speed like Jaser. However, his strongest point is how well he can maneuver in a tight spot. Even with little room to move, Craylee can manage to pull out a win in a fight because of how flexible he is. Then Sven can just use his Children's Story book to give him similar abilities to an assassin of Shadow Undertaker. Of course, he'd have to leave out the extremely ability to kill from the book, but everything else was doable. They'd be better options for his partner in this mission than Mirajane.

Breccan then frowned as he wondered if he was really only saying this because he only trusted his brothers to have his back. Hell, he'd take Rizzo before anyone else in the guild if his brothers weren't available if he wasn't afraid of her getting hurt. Maybe he was just looking for excuses of why Mirajane shouldn't tag along. A part of him didn't want anyone besides his family to be pulled into this mission because they'd then be pulled into his past as well. A past he didn't want any of his Fairy Tail family to see or hear about since he was ashamed of it.

"Breccan, I know you're more worried about how you'll be judge than by how well you'll think Mirajane will do on this mission." Makarov said. "But you don't have to hide, my boy. Here you don't have to be ashamed of the past because here in Fairy Tail we're family."

Mirajane then reached out to take Breccan's hand. As she gave it a squeeze, he looked down at her kind expression as she looked at him with soft eyes.

"And families don't judge each other." Mirajane finished. "Don't think that after this that I'll see you any differently than I do now. And the man I see you as now is kind and gentle. A man who loves his friends and family, and would do anything for them. And I will always see you as this man."

Breccan dropped his gaze down to their intertwined hands before he gave a soft sigh. He still wasn't 100% reassured, but he knew he couldn't keep hiding forever. He gave Mirajane's hand a squeeze before letting it go.

"We better get going." Breccan said. "Mages of Shadow Undertaker move fast. If we don't hurry, any evidence of them even being in these towns will be gone by the time we get there."

"Right." Mirajane said while nodding. "Wish us luck, Master."

She waved to Makarov before following after Breccan who went to give his siblings a brief goodbye. Makarov watched them while sighing.

"Good luck, my children." Makarov said. "And be careful."

* * *

Breccan looked up at the apartment building in front of him and Mirajane. It was the latest "crime scene" left behind by Shadow Undertaker. Breccan had known that going to past towns that had be struck would have been pointless since any evidence that had been there would be swept away by now. Even though it'd be rather uncomfortable, he needed to study the bodies and the room to see if he could figure out who from his first guild did the deed.

"So, this place is where they were spotted last?" Mirajane asked.

"No, no one spotted anyone." Breccan said. "Members of Shadow Undertaker are much too skilled to be caught. The only reason the council would be sure this was done by someone from that guild is because of the means of how these people were killed."

Mirajane frowned while already thoroughly disgusted that mages could use their magic to kill for profit in the first place. But these people have killed so much and in such a specific way that the council could tell it was a member of Shadow Undertaker specifically.

"Teams or members of the guild have their own killing style almost like how every person has their own individual fingerprint." Breccan said as he started heading inside the apartment building. "We're here, so I can see how the people inside were killed that way I can figure out who killed them."

Mirajane nodded her head while feeling a bit queasy at the thought of studying someone's dead body. However, she's here to help Breccan, and that's what she'll do. He doesn't have to go through this alone. She won't let him. They reached the second floor where the room where the killing took place was. The two saw a few rune knights stationed outside a room, and Breccan knew that was the place.

"Excuse me." Breccan said as he walked up to them. "We're mages of Fairy Tail. Could we take a look at the apartment?"

"Why would you want to take a look at the apartment?" One asked. "You guild mages are being paid to hunt down these guys not take a look at their handy work."

"How are we expected to hunt them down if we aren't allowed to study their behavior through how they kill?" Breccan said. "Looking around the kingdom randomly won't get us anywhere. If we can study them, we might be able to learn their purpose and where they might strike next."

The rune knight looked as if he was going to retort something rude, but he shut his mouth when a hand was placed on his shoulder. Breccan and Mirajane looked up seeing another rune knight. This one had raven colored hair that was tied up into a loop on top his head, and he had pale purple eyes behind thin-rimmed glasses.

"This Fairy Tail mage has a point." He said. "We can't expect the mages to find these criminals without information. In fact, it would be suicidal. They need to know what they're going up against."

The first rune knight frowned though he did nod his head, which lead Breccan to believe the second knight was the boss here.

"My name is Lahar." He introduced. "You said you're mages of Fairy Tail?"

"Yes, I'm Breccan Indigo and this is Mirajane Strauss." Breccan said. "Master Makarov personally sent us to try and take care of Shadow Undertaker's remaining members."

Lahar frowned lightly while wondering why Makarov would personally send two mages on this mission. The council made it clear that all guilds and their mages could go after these criminals, and that they were to be treated like bounties. Each criminal has their own bounty, which made them fair game to anyone from the legal guilds. The council did this, so hopefully many mages would take on the task. Not so a guild master could put one team on the task.

"I see." Lahar said. "Now, I'll allow you inside to look around, but you should be warned, it's not a pretty sight."

Breccan nodded his head in understanding before glancing back at Mirajane. He placed his hand on her shoulder while looking at her softly.

"You don't have to come in if you don't want to." Breccan said.

A part of Mirajane wanted to take Breccan up on his offer, but she shook her head in the end. Breccan sighed wishing she had decided to remain out here. However, he couldn't force her. Breccan then stepped through the door as Lahar stepped back to allow them inside. Breccan looked around immediately taking note of the carnage. It was hard to tell if these people had been male or female. Or their ages. It was hard to even tell exactly how many people had even been in this room. Mirajane covered her mouth with her hands while wondering what kind of person would do this. Breccan pulled her close while turning her away from the mess.

"Björn." Breccan said with his eyes narrowed. "I have no doubt that it's him."

Björn was known to be very animalistic like his name, which means bear, suggests. He was one of the only assassins that played with the people on the Shadow Undertaker kill list. Most of the other assassins made clean kills while barely needing to touch the body. Some made the deaths look like suicides. There was one who liked to dismember the victims, and another turn the bodies into charcoal. However, Björn only left behind messes like this.

"That's correct." Lahar said as he walked up. "We do believe this is the work of Björn Slaktare. But how did you know that? The way these people kill isn't public knowledge."

Breccan frowned wishing he hadn't spoken too loudly. If the council learn he was once a member of Shadow Undertaker albeit an unwilling one, which won't matter to them, it might not only cause trouble for him, but the guild as well. They might start doing investigations into Fairy Tail, and might even learn about Amarante's past with the dark guild. He had to choose his words carefully.

"We've visited the other towns and got information from there." Breccan lied smoothly. "If you ask the right questions, you can always get the right information."

Lahar stared at Breccan silently for a moment as if looking for any signs that he was lying. In the end, he nodded his head as he accepted what Breccan had said.

"Yes, they have been leaving behind a body count recently." Lahar said. "Slaktare has struck three towns already."

Mirajane frowned wondering how a person could do such a thing to people. It was inhumane what was done to the family here.

"The only information we haven't been able to get is why these people have been attacked." Breccan said. "Why these certain towns and certain families were chosen is all still a mystery to us. Do you have any theories?"

Lahar sighed looking as if he wasn't sure if he should answer Breccan's question or not.

"The people that have been killed…are former members of dark guilds." Lahar said.

Breccan and Mirajane, who had finally pulled her gaze of Breccan's chest to hide from the gore in the room, looked at Lahar in surprise.

"And these members were either members of the Balam Alliance in some form or manner or Shadow Undertaker themselves." Lahar continued. "It's as if Shadow Undertaker—"

"Is taking care of loose ends." Breccan finished.

Lahar nodded his head as Breccan's brain was turning with thoughts. So the people dying weren't innocent? They were just dark guild mages who tried to get out of the business? Breccan frowned wondering why dark mages were trying get out of their guilds so quickly. Was something big happening within the Balam Alliance that it made even them nervous? He also wanted to know what Shadow Undertaker had to do with all this.

Were they part of the alliance, and trying to keep the guilds within safe by getting rid of those who might be able to spill secrets? No, Shadow Undertaker never worried about others. Not even their old guildmates, which meant money had to be involved. Was the Balam alliance paying them to take our former members? And if some of Shadow Undertakers very own mages were deflecting then something must have spooked them. Which was worrying since they didn't spook easily.

"This is all worrisome." Breccan said. "I have a feeling those dark guilds must be up to something if they want to make sure former members are silenced."

"Yes, that's the council's thoughts as well." Lahar confessed. "At first we didn't see a pattern until we realized that some of the victims had the Shadow Undertaker mark on them. The others, who were from other guilds, that didn't have their old guild emblems took longer to connect."

"But why did the former members of Shadow Undertaker keep their guild emblems if they were no longer wanting to be associated with the guild?" Mirajane asked.

Breccan frowned as he absently placed his hand over his left shoulder, which didn't go unnoticed by Lahar and Mirajane. Lahar narrowed his eyes at Breccan, but didn't ask him why he was touching his shoulder.

"Shadow Undertaker brands their members with the guild emblem." Lahar replied to Mirajane. "I suppose it's a psychological tactic that make members feel as if Shadow Undertaker will permanently be a part of their life, or that the members will never rid themselves of Shadow Undertaker even if they try."

Breccan almost wanted to laugh at how right on the dot Lahar was with his theory. That was exactly why members were branded in that guild. Mirajane tried to control her reaction as she forced herself not look at Breccan with wide eyes. However, her body did shake. Was Breccan branded too? Did those evil people leave him with a permanent reminder of their wickedness on his skin?

"Do you have any leads of where other former members of these dark guilds maybe?" Breccan asked as he kept his voice calm.

"We've heard a few…rumors." Lahar confessed. "There has recently been complaints about horrible and abnormal storms in Shirotsume. And it's in our archives that a member of Shadow Undertaker carries storms with him wherever he goes, and when he leaves and the weather clears, he leaves a body count in his wake. However, the man that used to cause those storms was captured about five years ago."

Yes, and his name was Bora Reyne. Breccan remembers that man. His moods were ever changing like the weather around him. One moment he'd be calm, collected, and the next he could be having a raging temper tantrum. And like Aeron, who was raising Breccan to be his replacement someday, Bora had his own child he was passing his magic onto. Her name was Tempest, and she had been part of the unit Breccan and Amarante were a part of in the past. If Bora is locked away still, that means Tempest is in Shirotsume, and since it's close to her, Breccan would bet all his jewel that Björn is heading there next.

"That's all the information we need." Breccan said. "Inform the Magic Council to get a cell ready for Björn because he'll be arriving in a few days. And the girl too if we get to her before Björn kills her. Let's go, Mira. You've seen too much of this already."

He started guiding her out of the room, but he was stopped when Lahar grabbed his shoulder. Breccan glanced back at the older man with a quirked brow.

"You speak very casually of the members of Shadow Undertaker." Lahar pointed out. "Almost as if you know them. And why do you assume the person in Shirotsume is female?"

Mirajane moved in closer to Breccan while ready to defend her guildmate if she had to. Breccan just remained calm as he continued to look at Lahar.

"All you need to know is that Shadow Undertaker left scars on me." Breccan said. "Both physically and mentally. I will never be rid of them unless their taken down or _out_ , so believe me when I say, I won't stop searching for them until their dead or behind bars."

Lahar and Breccan stared silently at each other for a long moment before Lahar dropped his hand. Either man said a thing as Breccan finally lead Mirajane out of the room.

"Are you alright?" Breccan asked as they were leaving the building. "That had to be hard for you to see."

"It was all very disturbing, yes." Mirajane confessed. "But I'm more worried about you."

Breccan blinked in genuine confusion as he glanced down at Mirajane who was looking at him in concern.

"About me?" Breccan asked.

"Yes, you grew up around people capable of things like that." Mirajane said as she gestured back to the room. "Wasn't that hard? Weren't you frightened?"

Breccan sighed as he looked forward once more, and Mirajane was afraid she might have asked too much. He was silent with a somber look on his face all the way until they left the apartment building.

"I'm still frightened." Breccan admitted in a soft tone. "Always looking over my shoulder. Always wondering _when_ they'll come for me. I still have nightmares…nightmares of being swallowed by the shadows to be taken to hell. Or worse becoming part of those shadows, and doing the same cruel things as they do as my parents had been trying to raise me to do…The worst nightmare is when I think I wake from a horrible dream only to find myself in the middle of the guildhall with everyone dead and lifeless around me with my parents standing over me telling me I brought a horrible fate onto everyone….sorry, I'm just ramb—."

Breccan didn't finish his sentence since he stiffened when Mirajane hugged him from behind. His eyes widened as he felt her press her cheek against his back with her arms tight around his torso.

"You don't have to apologize." Mirajane said. "Never apologize for sharing your fears. Whenever you want to talk, I'll listen. Then I'll reassure you that the nightmares will never come real because everyone at Fairy Tail and I won't let them. We'll all work together as a family to chase the darkness away. You don't have to face it alone because when you're part of a guild you're never alone."

Breccan said nothing, but Mirajane didn't need him to reply. She just needed him to understand that someone would always be by his side to face the darkness that haunts him. Breccan let out a soft sigh before reaching up to place a hand over Mirajane's two tiny ones as they rested on his torso.

"Thank-you, Mira." Breccan said.

Mirajane just smiled quietly as she continued to hold him for a few more moments. In this silent moment, Breccan felt at peace, and he felt that with Mirajane at his side he could finish this mission without worry.

* * *

In Shirotsume, a horrible storm raged on that kept many people in their homes. No one even wanted to keep outside their windows because the storm frightened them so badly. Not that Breccan, who just arrived to the town with Mirajane, blamed them. He frowned while keeping Mirajane close as the winds howled and the rain pour down on them. He made sure Mirajane's cloak stayed around her as he looked around. He needed to find a spot that looked as if the storm was circling around it because that meant he'd find Tempest.

"What kind of magic is this?!" Mirajane called out over the storm.

"Black Omen magic!" Breccan replied while having to shout, so she could hear him. "Storms and other things can be seen as bad omens, and after the omens come to pass usually death and destruction are left behind!"

It was lost forbidden magic that Bora's family had stumbled across a few generations back, and ever since they've been practicing it. At least that's what Tempest had told Breccan once during one of their breaks when they used to be a unit and train together. Breccan then spotted a group of clouds that seemed to spiral around an old, abandoned looking building on the street. Looks like he's found Tempest's hiding place, and since the storm was still raging it meant she's still alive.

Breccan moved towards the building while making sure Mirajane was by his side. Once reached it, Breccan took a moment to concentrate as he reached out with his magic. He felt the single thumping of a heart within the building, and it was coming from the upper level. Breccan opened the door while having Mirajane go in first to get out of the rain. Once he stepped in, he was very careful in shutting the door even though he knew Tempest most likely already knew of their presence. He was proven right when he sensed Tempest moving from upstairs to head towards the staircase.

"Stay close." Breccan said as he removed the hood of his coat off his head. "She knows we're here."

Mirajane, who had removed her cloak, nodded her head as she stood closer to Breccan. Mirajane looked around wondering where this Tempest woman was. Breccan had only spoken briefly of her to Mirajane as they were heading here. Only what her name was, and that she was an eighteen-year-old girl who was the daughter of a man named Bora who was already imprisoned. When Breccan moved so suddenly and so swiftly, Mirajane gasped while jerking back. She looked seeing Breccan had pinned a young woman to the wall with his finger pointed over her heart, which had the woman standing completely still.

The woman had stormy black colored hair that fell around in her many messy ringlets. Her eyes were a bluish-gray color like a sky right before a storm hits. Her face was heart-shaped with a button nose, and she had full pouty lips. She had pale skin as well with a curved, fit figure. She looked much like a young beautiful innocent woman, but Mirajane had to remind herself that this young woman was an assassin.

"Breccan." The woman said with wide eyes.

"Hello, Tempest." Breccan said. "It's been a while."

"13 years." Tempest said. "I thought you were dead."

Breccan wasn't surprised. He just barely managed to escape Shadow Undertaker, which isn't something that's ever happened before. He would have thought he was dead too if he had been in Tempest's shoes.

"As you can see, I'm not dead." Breccan said. "I managed to escape. Seems as if you've managed it as well."

Tempest gave a humorless chuckle as Breccan kept a firm hold on her shoulder as he kept her pinned to the wall.

"Escape?" Tempest asked. "I might have managed to get away for a bit, but they're coming for me. You know as well as I that there's outrunning the Shadows."

Mirajane noticed how Breccan shifted uncomfortably for a moment, but he mostly controlled his reaction.

"If they learn you're still alive, you'll get a target painted on the back of your head too." Tempest said then glanced at Mirajane. "And your girl will get targeted as well along with anyone you've come into contact with since you left."

Breccan narrowed his eyes at Tempest as she smirked at him. She really had no reason to be smirking considering that Björn was most likely heading this way to take her life. Breccan is half tempted to let him.

"I won't let them touch anyone I care about." Breccan said resolutely. "Now, I'd like to know why Björn is after you. No, I know why he's after you…you're a loose end. What I want to know is why you defected from the guild."

"You'll protect them?" Tempest asked laughing. "Do you know just home many _Shadows_ Master Sesshōmoto sent out? You can't take them all on alone."

Breccan just pressed his finger threateningly more close to her flesh where he could so clearly feel the pounding heart underneath. He felt his pickup its rate, which meant Tempest at least knew what kind of danger she's in.

"Answer my questions." Breccan said. "Afterwards, I'll make sure you're in the safety of one of the cells with the council. Why did you leave the guild? And is Björn the only one taking care of the obvious hit list?

"It isn't Björn who's taking out former members." Tempest said while ignoring the first question. "He's been dead for years. Verto has taken is place as the fifth Shadow."

Breccan's eyes widened exponentially as his body shook. Mirajane looked at him in concern when seeing that he was shaken.

"Verto is a Shadow?" Breccan asked.

"That's right." Tempest said. "And he's the only Shadow replacement. The others, besides my father's empty spot, are still intact."

That meant Breccan's parents, Amarante's father, Verto, and Beelzebub are still running about. Breccan took a deep breath to calm himself as he looked back at Tempest.

"Why did you leave the guild?" Breccan said. "Whether you tell me or not, the chances of you living are very slim."

Tempest frowned knowing he was right. Shadow Undertaker was sending its best assassins after her. Even if she kept her mouth shut, they'd still kill her.

"The Balam Alliance is really just a pact that the three guilds won't wage an attack on the other." Tempest said. "However, they all have similar goals. Causing chaos or trying to find Zeref."

Breccan and Mirajane both stiffened when Tempest said "find" Zeref not "revive" Zeref.

"All of them have goals that will turn the world upside down." Tempest said. "Which will even cause problems for dark guilds. To be honest, I left became I'm scared of what will happen once the Balam Alliance get everything they want. The world is going to go to hell, so I wanted to get out while the getting is good. Maybe go live under a rock."

She said this last part sarcastically, which had Breccan frowning at her. Though he knew that whenever Tempest was really scared or upset that she'd use sarcasm to hide it. Besides, her fast beating heart gave her away as well.

"What does Shadow Undertaker have to do with the Balam Alliance?" Breccan asked.

Tempest opened her mouth to reply, but suddenly she started choking as she started foaming at the mouth. Breccan backed up immediately while pushing Mirajane back as well as he stayed in front of her as if to protect her. Tempest convulsed on the ground as Breccan looked around the room frantically as if looking for something.

"What's happening to her?" Mirajane asked.

"Beelzebub." Breccan muttered. "He uses magic that deals with bugs, mostly parasitic bugs. He sends them in to infiltrate his target, and he pumps so many into a person at once that their body reacts violently."

Breccan wanted to curse at how stupid he was. He was certain that Björn would be coming after Tempest. Then he thought it'd be Verto once Tempest told him that Björn has been dead for years. He should have known not to assume like that. He should have been ready to sense for the tiny vibrations caused by bugs.

"We need to get out of here." Breccan said.

"Right." Mirajane said.

The two hurried out of the building, but Breccan did pause in the doorway to glance back at Tempest who finally stopped convulsing. Her eyes were glazed over with a few bugs crawling away from her body. He looked away as he closed his eyes with his hands clenching into fists. He shook his head before following Mirajane outside where the storms were finally over. He sensed around for any signs that Beelzebub had remained in the area, but there was nothing.

"Damn." Breccan cursed.

* * *

"So you weren't able to capture one of them, eh?" Makarov asked.

"No, we weren't, Master." Breccan said. "And I take full responsibility. I was foolish in assuming that I knew for certain who would be coming for Tempest, and didn't prepare any other strategy for backup."

"No, you both did well." Makarov said. "You gathered information that could be very useful in the future. I will make sure to report what you found to the Council. You might have to speak with them directly, however, if they want it straight from the two of you. Until then think of dealing with Shadow Undertaker as a mission you do between jobs."

Breccan and Mirajane nodded in understanding then watched as Makarov went to write a report for the council. Breccan then sighed as he put a cigarette between his lips. Mirajane looked up at him feeling a bit worried since he's been very quiet since they left Shirotsume, and he's smoked through about five packs of cigarettes already.

"Breccan, are you…going to be okay?" Mirajane asked softly. "I'm sorry if I wasn't very useful. I wish I could have done more."

Breccan placed a hand on Mirajane's shoulder, so she looked up at him. He gave her a small yet sincere smile that surprised her.

"You don't have to apologize, Mira." Breccan said. "You did a lot more than you think. I honestly don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been at my side. What I do know for sure is that I couldn't have gotten as far as we did without you. So, please, don't look so beaten up."

He gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze before he said he better go see what kind of trouble his siblings had gotten into while they were gone. As he walked away, Mirajane felt her cheeks heat up a bit. She really helped him that much? Mirajane continued to watch Breccan as he was now catching with his siblings. He had a small smile on his face that seemed closer to his usual amused grins as he listened to Rizzo and Jaser talk animatedly about the guild going crazy as everyone suddenly started declaring each other as their rivals.

Rizzo then went on to tell him about Lucy's crazy little mission to save her dad, and how the blonde didn't even wait for Rizzo and the others to back her up. Breccan made a comment, which had Lucy, who was sitting with the siblings and her teammates, blushing in embarrassment. Mirajane lightly smiled as well while glad to see some of the haunted look in his expression was gone. She preferred to see him smiling like he is now as he's spending time with the people he loves. And she'll be sure to try very hard to keep him smiling because she never wants to see the sadness and despair she had witnessed before on his face ever again.


	45. Waitressing Is Harder Than It Looks

Coco: Hello, dear readers! Before this chapter begins I just want to point out that I split the first chapter of the first episode of the Oracion Seis Arc. I messed with the timeline a bit, so that I can put Craylee's personal arc in between the episode. So try not to be confused when it goes from the first half of episode 52 (I think that's the episode anyway) to Craylee's arc for chapter 46 then back to episode 52 for chapter 47. And if you don't read this...guess there might be some confusion. Oh well! Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

"And what else can I get you?" Rizzo asked with a sweet smile.

The boys Rizzo was serving ordered something each for dessert, which had her nodding. Rizzo wrote down their orders then turned away with her eyebrow twitching in annoyance. This mission sucked big time. Not only was she in a ridiculous uniform that made her look horrible, but there was no use for any destructive power at all.

"Boring." Rizzo whined as she placed in the order.

"Tell me about it." Natsu said as he picked up his own order to deliver.

The two pinkettes sighed in unison, which had Gray shaking his head at them. As Rizzo waited for Yajima to fill her ordered, Lucy and Erza continued to wait tables.

"Welcome," Lucy said politely. "I'd be so happy to take your order."

"Thanks." One customer said. "I'd like the Blue Sky Meat Sauce and the… _holy_ soda with ice."

"Beast Man Curry for me, please." The second customer said.

"Sure, both great choices." Lucy said. "Can I interest you in some dessert as well?"

The two customers looked at their menus in front of them as Rizzo was finally given her order.

"Thank-you, Yajima-san." She said as she picked up the tray.

"You're welcome, dear." Yajima said.

Rizzo then went to serve the meals to her customers while making sure a smile was in place even though she hated this job. Besides, she was trying to rack up as many tips as possible to beat Erza who decided to make a challenge out of this job. Rizzo was going to do a good job to begin with since Yajima was the one to send in the request. He was an old friend of her grandfather since they were both on Team Makarov once after all, and he's always been nice to Rizzo whenever they cross paths. However, the moment Erza mentioned a competition on who could collect the most tips and bring in more business, Rizzo swore she would not lose to the redhead again. Of course she says that all time...but usually ends up losing anyway.

"Here are your orders." Rizzo said smiling sweetly once again. "I hope you enjoy your meals. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask."

Her customers, which were two young teen boys, both blushed while nodding their heads as they stuttered out a thank-you. The moment Rizzo turned away from them, she rolled her eyes. Why'd she have to be stuck with the table that had two hormonal teenage boys whom she can clearly sense are staring at her ass at the moment? She shook her head then started walking away. However, Lucy starting to throw a fit had her pausing.

"Wait, what am I doing?!" Lucy demanded as she threw down her notepad.

It bounced back to hit her in the face, which mean she had to throw it down again in anger.

"Waitressing?!" She growled.

Rizzo lightly chuckled while not surprised since she knew it was only a matter of time before Lucy snapped, and look...she snapped.

"Lucy." Natsu called out.

"What?!" Lucy snapped.

"You're working a job for crying out loud." Natsu reminded her.

Lucy, however, didn't seem to accept that answer since she continued to fume and throw her little tantrum that always left Rizzo feeling amused.

"Since when does waiting tables qualify as legitimate mage work?" Lucy questioned. "And why do I have to wear this horrible outfit?"

She pulled at the skirt of her uniform while frowning deeply. She had nothing against orange personally, but this uniform had way too much of it.

"Not my idea." Natsu deadpanned.

"I mean, I know I can rock this uniform, but still." Lucy said as she struck a pose.

Rizzo snorted while pretty sure there was no woman on this earth that could "rock" this uniform. After all Rizzo is known to be a rocking chick (pun intended), but even her rock vibe can't make this outfit "rock" in any sense of the word.

"Whatever." Natsu replied clearly not impressed.

"The chef here at 8island uses magic to cook all his tasty dishes, so he thought it'd be kind of cool if the wait staff were magic users as well." Happy, who had on his own little uniform, explained.

"Besides, Yajima-san is a member of our Fairy Tail family even if he did retire from guild work a long time ago, so helping him when he needs it is the least we can do for him." Rizzo said as she was walking past Lucy.

She patted the blonde on the shoulder as she was walking by, and Lucy sighed knowing that Rizzo was right. Besides, according to Makarov, Yajima had worked hard on the council to get Fairy Tail quite a few pardons, which Lucy knows couldn't have been easy considering how much trouble their guild gets into.

"And don't forget, Lucy, we agreed to take this job for you." Natsu, who was eating the costumer's food, said in a muffled tone.

He then received a tray to the face, which had some customers jumping in surprise. As the tray fell, Natsu just continued chopping on the chicken, which got shoved into his mouth completely due to the tray hitting him square in the face.

"You shouldn't be eating the customer's food!" Lucy scolded.

"But throwing trays is okay?" Happy questioned.

"If it is okay, I'm totally game!" Rizzo said as she held up her tray. "Let's see who can throw their tray the farthest and with the most speed!"

"No!" Lucy shouted.

Rizzo's tray was plucked out of her hand, so she tilted her head back to see Gray had been the one to take it from her. She pouted because he ruined the fun before it could begin. She then frowned when noticing that he was only wearing his jewelry, a bowtie, and boxers.

"Behave." He said to Rizzo. "As for you, Lucy, lighten up. The uniforms aren't all that bad if you ask me."

"You're barely even wearing one." Lucy so kindly pointed out.

"Watch it." Gray said. "Don't forget that we're doing this to pay your rent."

"That maybe so, but if you don't at least go put on some pants, I will be throwing that tray right into your face!" Rizzo warned then sighed. "Seriously, can't you try to be decent for Yajima-san's sake?"

Gray sighed though started to look around for his pants. However, he was distracted for a moment.

"Look there." Gray said.

Lucy and Rizzo blinked curiously before following his line of sight to Erza who was clearly trying to catch attention by swaying her hips.

"Oh, so you like watching redheads sway their hips, huh, Gray?" Rizzo asked with her brow twitching in annoyance.

Gray stiffened with his eyes widening as a dark aura engulfed Rizzo. Lucy leaned away while not wanting to be anywhere near Rizzo or Gray at the moment since Rizzo's annoyance was clearly directed at him.

"No, I don't!" Gray said quickly. "She just caught my eye is all as I was looking for my pants."

"Oh, so Erza catches your eye now, does she?" Rizzo asked.

Gray just paled more while not even sure what to say. Staying silent wasn't a good option either, but no words formed in his mind. Rizzo "hmphed" turning away from Gray while watching Erza use her "feminine wiles" on the men to get them to order one of everything each.

"I'll have to step up my game if I want to beat her." Rizzo said as she held up a clenched fist. "No way in hell am I losing to her again."

Rizzo turned to walk away, but Gray reached out to grab her arm without thinking. Rizzo turned to look at him with a frown on her face. Gray gulped a bit at the dark look then shook his head. He took a deep breath as he looked back to Rizzo.

"Listen, I'm not attracted to Erza or anything." Gray said. "You know that, right? I mean, it's not like your jealous, right?"

Rizzo said nothing as she looked away with her cheeks warming up a bit. Gray blinked when seeing her cheeks turning a bit darker in color. A light went off in his head, and he grinned at her when he realized she was indeed jealous.

"You are jealous." He said.

Rizzo stiffened when he said that with her eyes widening a bit. He chuckled when seeing he was right. Rizzo then narrowed her eyes at him as she pulled her wrist away from him.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Rizzo said. "Why on earth would I be jealous of Erza of all people?"

"I have no idea why." Gray said. "I mean, obviously you're the girl I'm attracted to since I am dating you after all. So I don't see why you'd be jealous."

Rizzo blushed a bit more, and Gray thought it made her look even cuter. Making her blush was definitely becoming one of his favorite pastimes.

"Exactly, which is why I'm _not_ jealous." Rizzo insisted. "As if I'd be jealous of Erza."

"Whatever you say." Gray said as he held out her tray to her. "But,"

He paused in what he was saying as Rizzo grabbed her tray, which Gray didn't let go of just yet. In fact, he leaned in with a slight smirk on his face that had Rizzo's heart skip a beat.

"You're cute when you're jealous." He said.

He then pulled away while returning to his work as Rizzo stood there with her mind processing what Gray just said to her. Once it officially set in, Rizzo groaned while partially hiding her face behind her tray.

"Why does he have to say things like that?" She asked in annoyance. "And why the hell do I keep blushing?! I mean, come on, get a grip, Self!"

She threw her tray down in frustration, which not only had customers jumping in surprise, but also had Gray, who had still been watching her, chuckling. This job turned out better than he thought it would be when they first took on the request.

* * *

After the long day of waitressing, Rizzo was practically curled up to Gray while ready to get home to rest. She's never felt so tired after a job. The exhaustion of using too much magical power during a lot of her other jobs not counting.

"Top notch job today, kids." Yajima praised them. "Gotta say, I am pleasantly surprised by all your hard work. You're welcome here anytime."

Natsu, who had a stomach full of food, just groaned as he rubbed his slightly aching tummy.

"Thank-you." Erza, who was still wearing that horrible uniform, said. "We've learned much from this experience."

"And what was that?" Happy asked. "Ya love clothes?"

"I don't see how anyone could love that outfit." Rizzo murmured into Gray's shoulder.

The ice mage rubbed her back in manner that soothed her in an almost absent manner on his part as he too was feeling tired.

"Now I know how tired Mira must be after work." Gray said.

He just wanted to go home to take a nap or something as well. He'd probably snooze on the cart ride back to Magnolia.

"And how stuffed her belly must be." Natsu groaned.

"She serves the food instead of eats it." Lucy pointed out.

"Well, that's her loss." Natsu said.

"And your weight gain." Lucy retorted.

Rizzo lightly laughed at their bickering since watching the two of them bicker was always amusing. They were almost like a couple. Rizzo blinked looking thoughtful. Natsu and…Lucy? Lucy…and Natsu? Beginning of an adventurous romance? Or more of comedic love story? Rizzo smiled because either sounded good.

"What is the state of the Magic Council these days?" Erza asked suddenly.

"Hmm, well, of course I stepped down some time ago." Yajima said as he scratched the back of his head.

Gray and Natsu both shot up into stiff sitting positions as their eyes widened. Rizzo practically whined in complaint of Gray's sudden movement because it meant she was moved as well, and she had been so comfortable.

"The Magic Council?" Natsu and Gray asked in surprise.

Rizzo blinked at them while wondering if they really forgot that Yajima had once been a member of the Magic Council.

"What the heck has gotten into you two?" Lucy asked. "Did, you dunces, forget that Yajima-san was a member?"

They both just looked towards Lucy with their eyes still wide like the size of softballs. Their mouths then fell open as they looked back to Yajima. Lucy sighed guessing that was her answer.

"After Zeke—or wait—was his name Zelong?" Yajima asked himself.

"You mean Jellal." Erza said helpfully.

"Ah yes." Yajima said. "After he and that other interloper Ultear threw everything into disarray, I parted ways with the organization. I'm not usually one for gossip, but there are rumors going around lately that a plan to reestablish the Magic Council is in the works. Our ignorance and misguided actions caused you a great deal of pain and trouble. I am truly sorry."

Well, Rizzo wasn't upset at Yajima for anything. She heard he tried to keep the Etherion from being used for as long as he could. Besides, all the people who did vote for it never gave them any form of an apology, so there wasn't any reason to be upset with Yajima. Personally, Rizzo didn't even think he needed to apologize since it wasn't his choices that got the Etherion blasted at them.

"It's fine." Erza assured them. "They say you stood your ground in opposition of firing the Etherion right until the very end. Your conviction is admirable."

Rizzo nodded her head in the agreement even if it was to something that Erza said.

"Politics just isn't my thing." Yajima, who was suddenly frying food in a pan, said. "But cooking—!"

Yajima pulled off some flamboyant cook skills in front of them that had Rizzo smiling when seeing how happy he was.

"That was what I was born to do!" Yajima said as he struck a pose.

The lighthearted moment then passed as Yajima turned a stern gaze on Natsu, Gray, and Rizzo.

"By the way, you boys, Rizzo, listen very carefully." Yajima began.

Natsu and Gray jumped while latching onto Rizzo as if she'd be able to keep them safe.

"Now, I expect this new council to be quite different." Yajima said as he fixed them with an even sterner look. " _I_ will no longer be there. I took a lax attitude towards Fairy Tail's high jinx. Do you understand?! Don't test their patience with your careless destruction!"

"We promise we won't, sir!" The boys said as they nodded vigorously.

"I will make no such promises because I'd feel bad if I broke one even by accident." Rizzo said stubbornly as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Besides, where's the fun in always keeping your magic in check?"

The boys looked at her as if she was insane for defying someone who was once with the council. Especially considering how much the council doesn't like them already. However instead of getting upset, Yajima light chuckled in amusement.

"You're just like your father." Yajima said. "He was one to cause a great deal of destruction and enjoy doing it also."

Rizzo smiled a bit when Yajima compared her to her father. It was rare that she got compared to one of her parents, so it was nice to hear every once and a while that she was somewhat like them.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Rizzo said.

Yajima chuckled with a smile on his face. The group of friends then gathered all their stuff together on the cart, so they could head back to Magnolia. Thankfully it wouldn't be an extremely long ride since they were just in Harujion. Once all inside, the cart started heading back for Magnolia.

"Say hi to Maki for me, will ya?!" Yajima called after them.

"We will!" Lucy called back. "And thanks again for the work."

* * *

Rizzo, who had went to Fairy Hills for a change of clothes, and Sanjū, who was being carried by Rizzo, arrived at the guildhall to see a lot of people seemed to have already left for the night because the guildhall was practically empty though she knew some were still away on jobs. She knew Breccan was out looking for more information on Shadow Undertaker and the Balam Alliance.

Apparently he was trying to find defected members from any dark guilds that might have any tie whatsoever to the Balam Alliance, so to get information of what the alliance might be up to even if the three main guilds in the alliance are working separately.

He had taken Jaser, who asked Rizzo to keep an eye on Sanjū, and Sven with him this time around than bringing Mirajane along. Rizzo remembers the older girl looking a bit disappointed when Makarov suggested Jaser and Sven instead of her. Craylee was here with Juvia at his side as usual. Elfman, Reedus, Cana, and a few others were hanging around in the guild as well, and Rizzo wondered if this diagram that she had spotted is what had them sticking around here.

"What's with the diagram?" Rizzo asked as she joined everyone.

"Oh, hey, Rizzo." Lucy said. "Mirajane was just explaining this was diagram of all the dark guilds, and where their allegiances lie."

Rizzo frowned as she looked at all the names. There were a lot more than she thought there were, and all of them seemed to be tied to the Balam Alliance. She saw Shadow Undertaker drawn above the Balam Alliance with arrows pointing towards the assassin guild. She narrowed her eyes at the guild's name since it has caused so much pain for her brother, and she recently learned how much pain Amarante went through because of them.

Rizzo glanced at Craylee seeing he was glaring at the name as well. They both heard from Makarov that taking out members of Shadow Undertaker was fair game, and if they ran into any of them, they'd make them pay for what was done to Amarante and most importantly Breccan.

"What brought all this on?" Rizzo asked. "Is it because of how active they've become recently?"

"Yes." Mirajane said nodding. "All of them have become more active. Especially the mages from Shadow Undertaker."

Rizzo grit her teeth together as her glare hardened. Gray placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort as Sanjū glanced up at the pinkette in worry.

"Why does that matter?" Lucy asked curiously. "Do you think something bad is going to happen?"

"Most likely." Craylee said. "Breccan and Mirajane earlier this month was able to get a piece of information from a former member from Shadow Undertaker. Apparently, the members of the Balam Alliance might have something in the works. Each have their own separate goals, but each goal has some kind of similarity. Zeref being the main objective, so all this recent activity is worrisome."

Lucy shuddered at the mention of Zeref since his name seemed to be coming up in more conversation lately than she's comfortable with.

"That's correct." Mirajane said. "Which is why we need to strength our relations with the other guilds."

"What is this Balam Alliance anyway?" Gray asked.

"It's an alliance between dark guilds." Juvia explained. "The three major players in that alliance are Oración Seis, Tartaros, and Grimoire Heart. All powerful in their own right, but combined they're the strongest force in the shadowy guild underworld. Each control lesser guilds that carryout the dirty work they don't wish to do themselves."

"With Shadow Undertaker being a prime example." Rizzo said. "However, each of these guilds, except Raven Tail that remains independent, only work for one of the top three each. Shadow Undertaker works for the alliance as a whole. They carry out the _executions_ of any guild members that defect from a dark guild, or entire guilds that are deemed useless to the Balam Alliance."

"In other words they're cleaners." Craylee said bluntly. "To them their work is like taking out the trash."

Lucy shuddered really not wanting to mess with these Shadow Undertaker people. They sound super deadly and scary. She can't believe Breccan and Amarante were raised around these kind of people. Looking at the two you wouldn't think they were around anything dark growing up because they're so nice and kind. Lucy then looked back at the list with her eyes landing on a certain guild name.

"Oh man!" She said then sighed. "I recognize the name Eisenwald."

She glanced back at Erza who nodded her head in understanding. All of Fairy Tail's strongest team members remember that name.

"I'm sure." Erza said. "It was the dark guild Erigor belonged to."

And the guild that tried to use the Lullaby on the Guild Master conference, which Rizzo was still upset over. Stupid Zeref just leaving his demons around for anyone to play with.

"So Eisenwald was actually just some kind of sub-guild that worked under this Oración Seis?" Gray asked.

"I've seen a lot of these names before." Wakaba said.

"I think some of them even used to be legit." Macao added.

Rizzo frowned unhappily. Hearing that legal guilds were going dark didn't set well with her. Did they know something other guilds didn't and just decide to join the dark side because of the things they knew or had planned?

"There was one more Ghoul Spirit, which the Thunder Legion took out." Mirajane added.

"Yeah?" Lucy asked.

The Thunder Legion took out an entire guild themselves? Well, Lucy guessed she shouldn't be surprised. They are the Thunder Legion after all, and that was when Amarante was still around. Lucy was sure the S-class mage could have taken them all down on her own.

"Most of the guilds Gajeel-kun and Juvia destroyed when the two of us were members of Phantom Lord were under Oración Seis!" Juvia said chirpily. "Except for Fairy Tail of course, but we're all great friends now, right?!"

"I wouldn't remind them of that if I were you." Craylee deadpanned.

Lucy just started shaking while really, really not wanting to go near these guilds if they were this scary.

"Creepy." Lucy said. "Hey, you guys, do you think they'll take it out on us?"

"I'd like to see them try." Rizzo said as she glared at the diagram. "If they show up here, I'll show them what happens when you mess with Fairy Tail."

Rizzo really, really hated dark guilds. Ever since she was little, and Roscoe told her about how they used magic darkly. This feeling intensified when she heard about Breccan's life while part of Shadow Undertaker. Besides, she's taken out a few weak dark guilds out over the years anyway, and none of the big players came ever knocking.

"Oh, relax." Wakaba said. "Don't worry your pretty little head about that. From what I hear they've only got seven members in the guild anyway."

Lucy smiled already feeling loads better when she heard that. Seven members even if strong couldn't handle an entire guild, so she had no reason to worry, right? Rizzo tilted her head to the side. Seven members? But doesn't Oración Seis mean the _Six_ Demons? Or something along those lines? Someone must be horrible at naming things.

"Yeah, they sound like small potatoes if you ask me." Macao added.

"Don't underestimate them." Mirajane said. "Those seven mages make up one of the most powerful guilds out there."

And what made Rizzo and Craylee a bit more worried was the fact that Oración Seis has Shadow Undertaker on the payroll.

"Speaking of the Oración Seis."

Everyone whirled around with wide eyes to see that Makarov had returned from the emergency Guild Masters conference.

"Word has come down…that we must destroy them." He said.

It was tensely silent for a moment as the group stared at Makarov with wide eyes.

"Welcome back, Master~." Mirajane said chirpily, which broke the tense silence.

Everyone, but Makarov and Craylee, who was too much of a professional to fall, face planted on the floor that very instant. Poor Sanjū had to crawl out from under Rizzo before she was completely crushed. Leave it to Mirajane to not read the mood of the room.

"I hope that you had a good time at the conference." Mirajane continued.

Lucy managed to stand up onto her feet despite her shock to pat Mirajane on the shoulder.

"I'm sure." She said sarcastically.

As the others got up from where they hit the floor, or slammed their heads into the table in Natsu and Happy's case, Mirajane blinked wondering what she had said that was wrong.

"But, Master, what do you mean by that?" Erza said.

"I'm sure it means that we're going to kick their asses." Rizzo said. "I'm all for that."

Gray sighed wishing his girlfriend wouldn't be all psyched and ready to go when it came to fighting a major dark guild.

"Oración Seis recent activity was the focus of much discussion at the conference." Makarov said. "They pose an urgent threat that can no longer be ignored. Therefore they must be dealt with immediately. We will take them down before they can harm any of the fellow guilds we are sworn to protect."

"And we got do all the heavy lifting, right? Typical." Gray said sounding annoyed.

Rizzo was alright with that. She'd fight all of them if she had to. Hell, if Natsu and her were sent on the job those Oración Seis wouldn't stand a chance. That's if their team would actually allow them to fight side-by-side. She then let out a small chuckle as she thought about what Gray said.

"Ya know, I find it funny." Rizzo said. "Everyone complains about how much destruction and mayhem we cause, but when they need help, they sure come asking for ours pretty quickly."

Gray felt his lips turn up into a grin as he glanced down at Rizzo who was grinning as well.

"Will we really be taking on the enemy by ourselves?" Juvia asked.

She looked a bit nervous at the thought. Sure, she and Gajeel have taken out sub-guilds of Oración Seis, but those guilds were small fries.

"This enemy is far more powerful than what we have faced before." Makarov said as he walked towards his children. "To fight them alone would be too dangerous. Our attack would surely incur the wrath of the entire Balam Alliance in no time, which is why Fairy Tail will join a collision of magical guilds."

"A collision?!" Everyone asked in surprise.

Rizzo frowned honestly not sure how she felt about joining a collision of other guilds. She was sure a large group of their own guildmates would be enough for these guys, and if the other two guilds try anything, Fairy Tail can kick their asses too.

"Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, and Cait Shelter." Makarov said. "These four guilds will select members to represent them in the Allied Force. Together we will work together to bring down the enemy!"

"But we can handle it ourselves, Gramps!" Natsu, who was done eating now, said confidently. "In fact, Rizzo and I can probably do it on our own!"

He threw his arm around Rizzo's shoulders to pull her in. She grinned while sharing a fist bump with Natsu. The two of them together could lay waste to any enemy. Their guildmates paled at the very thought of them fighting together again. Erza then separated them forcefully by pushing against their heads.

"Don't be fools." She scolded.

Rizzo just slapped Erza's armored hand away before cracking her neck to get it back into place.

"The Master is wise in considering the long term consequences." Erza said.

"Gees, if we do piss off the other two, we just have to kick their asses too." Rizzo said. "We can do it without a problem."

Natsu nodded in agreement as the others shook their heads at the two of them. When would they ever learn?

"Whoa," Lucy said as she started shaking. "Just hold on a second, you guys. We're only talking about seven people, aren't we?"

It was scary to think that the Guild Masters were so worried about this that they'd send teams from four guilds to take care of seven people.

"I mean, are they seriously all that scary?" Lucy asked.

Lucy then blinked when an arm was thrown over her shoulder. She turned her head seeing Rizzo grinning at her.

"Oh, come on, Lucy, don't look so scared." Rizzo said. "No matter how strong the enemy is Fairy Tail always comes out on top because we work as a family."

Lucy lightly smiled while feeling a bit better. Rizzo was right. They work as a family, which is why she shouldn't be afraid. Besides, it wasn't like the Master would send her on this mission.

"Now, I have already chosen the representatives for this allied mission." Makarov said. "Listen up, Erza, Rizzo, Gray, Natsu, Lucy, all of you will be going on this mission."

Lucy paled immediately while letting out a despairing squeal as she pulled at her hair. Natsu and Rizzo just grinned while sharing a high five. They were totally ready to take on those Oración Seis punks. Gray sighed finding this all to be a pain.

"Understood, Master." Erza said as she nodded obediently.

"But, Master, wouldn't Juvia or Gajeel or even Craylee be better for this mission?!" Lucy asked.

"What do you mean by "even Craylee"?" Craylee asked frowning.

Lucy leaned away from the glare he was giving her. She hadn't meant to insult him.

"Yes, well, I already have a mission for Craylee, Juvia, and Gajeel." Makarov said.

Craylee and Juvia blinked curiously wondering what the Master wanted them along with Gajeel to do.

"Now, the representatives will head out in two days' time to the agreed gathering point." Makarov said. "It takes some of the Guild Masters' longer to get home, so we have to give them a few days. Make sure to get plenty of rest until then."

Rizzo frowned not really wanting to wait, but she supposed she had no choice. Just then Gajeel arrived to the guild, which Rizzo guessed was good timing since the Master wanted to assign him a mission.

"Ah, Gajeel, there you are." Makarov said. "Come here, I have a mission for you, Juvia, and Craylee."

Gajeel frowned in confusion, but did walk up to stand in front of Makarov as Craylee and Juvia moved forward to join them.

"A mission, old man?" Gajeel asked.

Makarov nodded as Gajeel stood in front of him with Craylee standing to his left and Juvia standing beside the redhead.

"I know things are tense with the current threat, but we still have requests to see to." Makarov said as he held up a job request. "In a town north from here, the mayor has requested our help. Apparently the townspeople are being plagued by a small league dark guild that recently sprouted up. I want you three to go and take them down."

Craylee's brow quirked as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. Gajeel just frowned with his arms crossing over his chest.

"Why send all three of us?" Gajeel said. "Seems a bit like overkill."

Rizzo nodded in the background because she was sure Craylee by himself could handle the entire guild.

"I have to reluctantly agree." Craylee said. "With all due respect, Master, I can handle the dark guild on my own."

Juvia deflated at the thought of not getting to go on a mission with Craylee like she wanted. Gajeel scoffed, and Craylee frowned as he looked towards the Dragon Slayer.

"Something wrong, Black Steal?" Craylee asked.

"Yeah, I don't think you can handle those mages with your weak ass thread magic." Gajeel said.

Craylee's glare turned deadly, and everyone but, Juvia, who was also glaring at Gajeel, and Rizzo, in the guild shuddered when feeling the killing intent rolling off the redhead. Rizzo did feel a bit sorry for Gajeel though. If the Iron Dragon Slayer wasn't careful Craylee would sew him in some parasitic fabric then leave him on the side of the road for wild animals to eat. Craylee then smiled a sarcastic little grin as he looked "pleasantly" at Gajeel.

"That's funny coming from a second rate Dragon Slayer." Craylee said.

Gajeel immediately stiffened as his right eyebrow twitched in annoyance a few times. Rizzo and Natsu snickered behind their hands as they were finding amusement in Craylee's insult towards Gajeel.

"What'd you say?" Gajeel asked glaring.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Craylee said while clearly not meaning his apology "Are you hard of hearing?"

Almost everyone stood tensely in spot as they looked between the Iron Dragon Slayer and the seamster mage.

"Enough." Makarov said cutting through the tension. "All three of you will go, and you all will work as a team. Do I make myself clear?"

It was silent for another long moment as Craylee and Gajeel continued glaring at each other. However, the silence was finally broken.

"Of course, Master." Craylee said.

"Yeah, yeah." Gajeel said while looking unpleased.

They didn't even breaking their staring (aka glaring) match as they replied to Makarov.

"Good!" Makarov, whose stern tone vanished, said chirpily. "Now you three kids get going and make me proud~!"


	46. Craylee's Tale: The Half Blind Man

Craylee sighed stepping off the train with Juvia very close behind him. Gajeel practically fell off the train with a sick look on his face. Craylee was starting to think that motion sickness was a Dragon Slayer thing. Jaser usually did fine riding something Sven has created since he claims that since the thing he's riding was created by a friend that it wasn't a mode of transportation. Craylee gave up years ago on trying to understand that logic.

"Gajeel-kun, are you going to be alright?" Juvia asked her friend.

He just grumbled in reply, and Craylee sighed again before he reached down to pull Gajeel onto his feet. He put one of the Iron Dragon Slayer's arms around his shoulder, so he could help support Gajeel.

"Let's find the person who requested for Fairy Tail's help." Craylee said to his companions. "The sooner we finish this mission the sooner we can leave."

"Yes, Craylee-sama!" Juvia immediately agreed.

Craylee started walking away from the station with Juvia hurrying after him as he practically dragged Gajeel around. They stepped outside into the rain, which had Craylee frowning. He hated the damn rain, but he prepared for it since Makarov had warned him that this town was known for its wet weather, which is why his clothes had water proof thread sewed into them.

He wore a red dress shirt under a black-and-white checkered vest that fit him tightly. Then he had on black pants that were tucked into black combat boots. He wore a black coat over his clothes with the collar and the lapels red to match his dress shirt, and the coat had a hood that he had pullover over his head. His chain was connected to a button on his vest, and his sewing kit was tucked away in his pocket.

Craylee gave another sigh before twirling the needle between his lips absently. He looked both ways before he started crossing the street as he continued to support Gajeel who still looked rather peaky. It didn't take long for the Dragon Slayer to recover, however, and it _really_ didn't take him long to shove Craylee away from him. Juvia frowned at Gajeel for shoving Craylee, who adjusted his coat as he was frowning.

"You're welcome." Craylee said sarcastically.

"Tch." Gajeel snorted while rolling his eyes.

Craylee resisted the urge to roll his own eyes as Juvia walked between him and Gajeel. She looked a bit worried that the two might start fighting. It was obvious they weren't going to get along. Right from the start they were against going on this mission with each other after all. She let out a soft sigh while wondering if they would be getting along by at least the end of this mission.

"Juvia!"

Juvia snapped out of her thoughts when she felt someone take her hand. She blushed darkly as Craylee pulled her forward quickly. She gasped landing against his chest as a carriage went speeding by where she had just been standing. It was silent for a moment as Juvia's head rested against Craylee's chest. She could hear his heart beat, and feel the warmth being given off by his body. It was all completely soothing. Craylee then pulled away, and Juvia instantly missed their closeness.

"Be more careful." Craylee said as he frowned. "I don't want you to get hurt."

Juvia blushed deeply when Craylee said that as her eyes widened in surprise. He cared about her!

"You'd become a liability if you did manage to get hurt." Craylee added.

Juvia didn't seem to hear that part since she was once again stuck in her thoughts as she replayed what Craylee had first said. Craylee sighed when seeing she was distracted again.

"Did I say something weird?" Craylee asked Gajeel who was waiting on them a few feet away.

"No, it ain't you." Gajeel said. "Water girl is off in Lala-Land."

Craylee shook his head since they didn't have the time for this. He grabbed Juvia's hand to pull her along, and her cheeks turned even redder if possible. Craylee just wanted to make sure she didn't get run over since it'd be a pain to take care of her. Juvia, of course, thought that why he holding her hand meant something else entirely, which had her blush darkening.

Gajeel rolled his eyes at the bluenette as they continued through the town. As they were walking they noticed some of the shops looked as if they had been raided. The insides looked completely trashed, the windows were busted out, and things were obviously missing. People were trying to clean up the shops, and many of them looked wary.

"We need to take care of this dark guild quickly." Craylee said as he frowned at the damage around them.

"Why, so we can hurry back?" Gajeel asked.

"No, because these people are being bullied by this dark guild." Craylee said. "And I don't like bullies. Besides, taking our leisure to dispose of this guild would be unprofessional, and I'm completely professional."

Juvia's eyes practically sparkled while thinking of Craylee as a gallant knight or a hero. Gajeel just snorted rolling his eyes at the redhead. Craylee was sure if Gajeel continues to roll his eyes like that, they might just get stuck halfway through a roll someday.

"Craylee-sama tries to act like a cold person, but Craylee-sama is really very kindhearted." Juvia said.

Craylee scoffed obviously in disagreement, and Juvia lightly frowned. She's noticed that Craylee doesn't seem to like being referred to as nice or kindhearted. He seemed convinced that he wasn't.

"Hey, Lovebirds, I found the city hall." Gajeel said jerking his thumb over his shoulder to gesture to said building.

"We're not lovebirds." Craylee deadpanned.

He let go of Juvia's hand then walked inside with Juvia and Gajeel following after him. Craylee walked up to the front desk where a woman was sitting in the chair behind it.

"Excuse me." He said.

The woman looked up with her eyes widened when she saw Craylee. Her eyes roamed over Craylee's body, which had Juvia practically boiling in anger. In fact, Gajeel leaned away from her when steam started rolling off the top of her head.

"Can I help you, Doll?" The woman asked as she smiled flirtatiously.

"We're here to see the Mayor." Craylee said. "We're mages from Fairy Tail. We're here to help with your dark guild problem."

"Oh, mages." The woman purred. "I'm going to have to see your guild marks just to make sure if you wouldn't mind."

Gajeel rolled his eyes _again_ before turning his shoulder towards the woman, so she could see it. Craylee lifted his shirt up and lowered his pants just an inch to show the guild mark on the front of his hip. The woman stared a bit too long for Juvia's liking.

"And you?" The woman asked as she frowned at Juvia.

The bluenette frowned with a nervous expression on her face. She didn't want to lift her skirt in public to show the guild mark on her thigh. It would be too embarrassing.

"As you can see, she is wearing the Fairy Tail guild mark." Craylee said as he gestured to the barouche on Juvia's necktie. "She is a Fairy Tail mage just as much as myself and my associate here."

He gestured to himself then Gajeel as the Iron Dragon Slayer crossed his arms over his chest. Juvia looked up at Craylee gratefully as she clasped her hands in front of her.

"Right." The woman said. "Well, Mayor Fairfax is expecting you. Go down that hall, and at the end of it is two double doors. That is Mayor Fairfax's office."

"Thank-you for your help." Craylee said.

"Anytime." The woman said with that flirtatious smile back in place. "I hope to see you again, Handsome."

"That sentiment isn't shared." Craylee said bluntly.

The woman seemed shocked by his reply, but he wasted no more time with her as he moved on. Juvia threw the woman a smug look before quickly following after Craylee. Gajeel, who was following his guildmates, was snickering when the woman's expression turned crushed. They made it to the mayor's office, and Craylee knocked once.

"Come in." A deep voice sounded through the door.

Craylee opened the door, but gestured Juvia in first. She blushed at how gentlemanly he was being before stepping inside the room with Craylee and Gajeel following. Inside a large middle-aged man sat behind a well-made wooden desk. The man, who was rather large in size, had black greasy hair that he had slicked back, and his goatee looked just as greasy as the hair on top his head. He had beady black eyes, and a large mole under his right eye. Gajeel's nose wrinkled when the man's heavy cologne reached his nose. It was so strong that Juvia and Caylee easily smelled it as well, and it actually smelled rather unpleasant. Honestly everything about this man was repulsive in Craylee's opinion.

"You must be the mages from Fairy Tail." He said. "I am Mayor Augustus Fairfax."

His eyes went over all of them, but lingered on Juvia the longest, which had her very uncomfortable. Craylee stepped up towards the man's desk while partially hiding Juvia behind his body. Craylee didn't know why but he felt the need to shield her from this man. He almost felt protective of Juvia like he does Rizzo.

"Yes, my name is Craylee Satterfield." Craylee said. "These are my associates Juvia Lockser and Gajeel Redfox. We've come to take care of your dark guild problem."

He gestured very briefly to Juvia and Gajeel as he was introducing them because he didn't want to put too much of Fairfax's attention on Juvia who was standing rather close to Craylee's back at the moment to hide herself from the man.

"I am so grateful that you came." Fairfax said. "These dark mages have been terrorizing my town for far too long. It will be nice once they're gone, and my townspeople can walk the streets again without fear."

Craylee just silently nodded his head while not really caring about the small talk or pleasantries. They took up time that he could be doing something much more productive. Seeing the bored look on Craylee's face, Fairfax cleared his throat as he moved down to business.

"Usually this guild, which calls themselves Golden Anubis, strikes in the wee hours of the morning before the sun rises." Fairfax said. "When everyone is either still asleep or starting to sink into sleep. When I try to let the guards rest before the usual time they attack, the guild attacks earlier. It's as if they know when the guards are off duty, or when they'll be least mentally prepared."

Craylee frowned as he narrowed his eyes at Fairfax. Something about this guy was off, and it made Craylee suspicious. When Craylee glanced at his guildmates, he could see at least Gajeel seemed to be getting the same vibe from this mayor.

"Hmm, I see." Craylee said. "Well, tell your men to only worry about their usual dayshifts. We'll take care of the nightshifts."

Craylee already had an idea forming, and he was sure that it would work out for them.

"Excellent!" Fairfax said clapping. "I'm sure the three of you would like to rest before tonight! There is a wonderful hotel in town that I recommend. In fact, I can call there, and have the staff bill me for your stay. It's the least I can do."

"Thank-you, sir, but no thanks." Craylee said. "We'll find our own lodging. We wouldn't want to be of any _inconvenience_."

Craylee saw the slightest twitch in Fairfax's lips that was a telltale sign that the mayor was trying to fight off a frown. Fairfax gave an obviously forced chuckle as he continued to smile at the mages.

"It really wouldn't be a bother." Fairfax said as he kept a light tone. "I insist."

"And I must decline again." Craylee said. "Now, as you said, we would like to rest before tonight. Please, make sure to inform your men that they won't be needed tonight. Thank-you."

Craylee gave a falsely polite smile before he turned to leave the room with Juvia and Gajeel following after him. The three of them remained silent even after they left the mayor's office. As they were leaving the front of the building, that secretary from before glared after Craylee. He either didn't notice or didn't care because he didn't even give the woman a glance. Juvia threw a smug look at the woman as she stepped closer to her beloved Craylee-sama. They left the town hall to start walking down the street.

"You get a bad vibe from that mayor too?" Gajeel asked as he finally broke the silence.

"Yes, which is why I declined his offer to pay for us to stay at that hotel he mentioned." Craylee said. "He obviously wanted us there, which is why I don't want to be there. He is involved with this dark guild in some form or another. He was horrible at hiding it."

Gajeel nodded his head because he picked up a nasty stench from that guy, and it wasn't his foul smelling cologne. It was something else.

"How does that slimy mayor fit all in to this?" Gajeel asked.

"It wouldn't surprise me if he hired these punks from Golden Anubis himself." Craylee said as he came to a stop at a street corner. "As we were passing through the town, I noticed a lot of campaigning posters hung up around. Apparently, it's getting around time to vote for a new mayor. My theory is that the mayor hired these punks to cause trouble, and he hired us to show the townspeople he's working on the problem as any good mayor. However, I have a feeling that he doesn't want us to win the fight."

Gajeel and Juvia looked at Craylee in confusion as the seamster mage leaned against the wall next to him.

"Yes, hiring mages to take care of their problem would show them that Fairfax cares about the wellbeing of this town and its people." Craylee said. "However, if he showed up just as it looked as if we might lose, to take care of the mages himself…well, he would be seen as a hero. A hero would get more votes than someone who simply just cares about this town. I believe that's why he wanted us in that certain hotel where an ambush would be waiting. Of course, I could be completely wrong. I could most likely be giving the grotesque man, who doesn't appear to be the intellectual type, way too much credit."

Craylee shrugged in a nonchalant manner as his two guildmates looked at him with mixed expressions. Juvia seemed rather impressed as Gajeel's gaze was questioning if Craylee was even human.

"Craylee-sama is so smart!" Juvia said with her eyes beaming with love.

"It's more that I'm observant than overly smart." Craylee said. "Example being that ever since we left the mayor's office, we have been followed. People on the rooftops. However, they stopped following after we passed a hotel a few blocks away, which I'm sure was where those men were waiting to jump us."

Gajeel frowned because he hadn't noticed anyone, and usually his dragon senses picked up on people. He frowned even more as he looked up at the raining sky. It was throwing off his sense of smell.

"How did you notice all that?" Gajeel asked.

"Master Roscoe used to tell me that even though I only have one eye that I see much more than people with two." Craylee said. "I just have to put it to use."

Roscoe and Rizzo both used to push him to use his remaining eye to the best of his ability. Now there was little that escaped his gaze. Including attacks from the enemy even if they came for his blind side.

"Master Roscoe?" Juvia asked.

"Oh, that's right." Craylee said. "Neither of you know about my past. Long story short my siblings and I were once a part of Treble Chambers before that tragic event that wiped out the guild. Master Roscoe was the Guild Master at the time and my and my brother's guardian and Rizzo's grandfather. He taught me much in the years that I did live under his roof."

Craylee then decide that sharing time was over. He motioned for his comrades to follow him, and so the three of them started walking down the street again. After taking a few more turns, they found a motel that wasn't overly extravagant, but it looked as if it'd have a nice homey feel.

"We can stay here until the night comes." Craylee said.

He opened the door while letting his guildmates go in before him. When he followed inside, he saw an elderly woman behind the counter.

"Oh, good day, young ones." She said. "Are you here to rent out a room?"

"We need three, old woman." Gajeel said as he leaned against the counter.

"I'm sorry, Dear, but I only have two rooms available." The woman said. "Both with only single beds."

Craylee and Gajeel frowned in unison before throwing glares at each other. They definitely didn't want to share with each other. While the two men were unpleased with this news, Juvia was blushing like mad as she pictured herself and Craylee alone in bed.

"We'll take the two rooms then, please." Craylee said sighing.

"Okie-dokie then." The woman said as she smiled.

Craylee and Gajeel put out money for the rooms then took the room keys. They walked towards the hall that led to the rooms. They reached the rooms that matched their key numbers and paused.

"Who's sharing with her?" Gajeel asked as he nodded to Juvia. "There's no way in hell I'm sharing with you."

"Believe me, I'd rather not share with you either." Craylee said. "However—"

"Juvia will share with Craylee-sama!" Juvia cut in.

It was silent for a moment as Craylee turned towards Juvia who had a big smile on her face. Gajeel snorted looking very amused as Juvia hugged Craylee's arm tightly.

"Gihi." Gajeel snickered. "Then it's decided."

Gajeel unlocked his door while stepping inside, and slamming the door shut before Craylee could even open his mouth. Craylee then let out a sigh before he pulled away from Juvia to unlock the other room. He stepped to the side while letting Juvia walk through the door first. After she stepped inside, Craylee took a deep breath as he hoped that he wouldn't regret taking this mission for Makarov. He then stepped into the room as Juvia was looking around the room.

Juvia felt giddy and nervous at the same time as she stared at the single bed in the room. She wasn't sure if she was ready to go all the way with her beloved Craylee, but she would love very much to lay in her beloved's arms. She wished to feel his arms around her to feel his warmth seep into her body. Craylee had no desire for anything close to what Juvia was wishing. In fact, he didn't like the thought of being stuck in a room with her at all. Nothing against her personally…despite how annoying she can be…he just can't get comfortable stuck in a room with others unless they're his siblings.

"You can have the bed." Craylee said as he was taking off his coat. "I probably won't be sleeping."

Juvia felt her heart break when Craylee said that. However, she forgot about her disappointment when seeing the pensive expression on his face.

"Craylee-sama, is something wrong?" Juvia asked.

Craylee glanced over at Juvia as he was rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt.

"Nothing is wrong." Craylee said as he sat down in the only chair in the room. "You should get some sleep before tonight."

Juvia looked down at the floor with a sad expression on her face. She wished Craylee would open up to her. Something was obviously on his mind, but once again he kept it to himself. Craylee saw her look and gave a soft sigh.

"I'm not comfortable sharing a room with someone." Craylee finally explained. "Even though you are my guildmate I cannot relax enough to sleep knowing you're here."

Juvia blinked while having noticed over the months that she's known Craylee that he was very guarded and cautious around others. He always sat with his back faced towards a wall, so no one can come up behind him. He seemed to always keep a blank, neutral expression that gave nothing away. When he showed any emotion it was usually sarcastic or slightly cruel like when he so bluntly tells people what he thinks even if it does hurt them. His smiles are usually condescending, or obviously fake, and he doesn't even seem to try to hide the fact they're fake. The only time he seems to smile kindly or warmly is around Rizzo and his brothers including even Jaser.

He has his moments where his true colors shine through. Like his rare acts of kindness, or his protective side surfaces around his guildmates if they're in danger. Juvia has seen that deep down Craylee is kind. She knows he had taken away the gloom in her heart purposely. He had freed her from the rain, so to give her a world of sunshine. She bit her lip wondering what had made him become so guarded. What prompted him to try and hide his heart away from everyone?

"Juvia understands." Juvia said nodding as she moved towards the door. "Juvia will ask Gajeel-kun if he will share with her."

Craylee sighed again while actually feeling guilty when he saw Juvia's slightly dejected look.

"You don't have to go." Craylee said as he averted his gaze. "Please…stay."

Juvia turned around with wide eyes, and soon she felt her cheeks starting to warm. He…wanted her to stay? She reigned in the excitement bubbling up in her chest to look at him calmly.

"Are you sure, Craylee-sama?" Juvia said. "You will need your sleep for tonight as well…Juvia does not want to keep you from resting."

"I'll sleep, okay?" Craylee relented. "Just stop looking so sad already. It's annoying."

Juvia smiled knowing that Craylee was really just being kind to her even if he was trying to act indifferent. Juvia went over to the bed to sit down. She pulled off her hat and shoes before laying down as Craylee stood up. He sighed not sure how this was going to go. He hasn't a shared a bed with anyone since living with Roscoe and Mercury, and that was with Jaser when they shared a room as kids. For some reason the Dragon Slayer would never sleep in his own bed, and crawl into Craylee's in the middle of the night with Sanjū in tow.

Craylee shook his head before he went over to the bed. He looked down at "his side" while noting that Juvia left him a lot of room as if to make him feel more comfortable by leaving a decent amount of space between them. Well, he was grateful for that at least. He sat down on the bed before removing his own shoes. He laid down on the mattress on his back, and he'll admit he was laying a bit stiffly. He sighed trying to relax though it was hard when feeling Juvia's eyes on him.

"You should get some sleep." He said while glancing at her to see her blushing as she stared at him.

"Yes, Craylee-sama." Juvia said smiled. "Pleasant dreams."

She closed her eyes while snuggling into the covers and pillow to get some sleep. Craylee let out a sigh as he placed his hands behind his head. He stared up at the ceiling while not feeling as if sleep would be coming to him anytime soon. Seconds ticked by and became minutes before seeping into hours, and Craylee didn't relax and sleep in the slightest. He turned his head to look at Juvia as she slept peacefully. He frowned wondering how she could sleep so soundly beside someone like him. Did she trust him so completely that she didn't worry about things he could possibly do while she slept?

He shook his head. She was way too trusting. Now, he would never force himself on her or even hurt her in general, but she should always be ready to fend off attack from anyone…even friends. Sleeping this soundly left her open to attack. He let out a deep breath before glancing at the clock in the room to see that it was starting to get close to nightfall. They should probably get ready then get into position to wait for these Golden Anubis punks. He pushed himself up partially to rest on his elbows. He rolled his neck to get it to crack, so to get rid of the stiffness. He was about to get up when he felt a hand curl around his wrist. He stiffened while glancing towards Juvia to see she had reached out to him in her sleep.

"Craylee-sama." She murmured in her sleep.

He sighed while tugging his wrist free gently before reaching out to lightly shake her shoulder.

"Juvia, it's time to get up." He said as he leaned in a bit to speak to her.

It only took a few more shakes before Juvia's eyes fluttered open, and she blushed darkly when seeing how close Craylee was.

"Get ready." Craylee said as he sat up in the bed completely. "We're going to head out now."

"U-uh, y-yes, Craylee-sama." Juvia said.

Craylee simply nodded before getting his shoes back on. He then went over to the door while planning to leave his coat behind for now as Juvia was getting ready.

"I'll go get, Gajeel." He said. "Meet us outside when you're ready."

Juvia nodded her head as Craylee left the room. He went to Gajeel's room and knocked rather loudly. A few seconds later, Gajeel appeared at the door.

"Do you have to knock so loud?" Gajeel asked sounding annoyed.

"I didn't know if you were asleep or not." Craylee said shrugging. "I just knocked loud just in case you happened to be asleep."

Gajeel rolled his eyes before coming out of his room. He and Craylee went to the front of the motel to wait outside for Juvia. It didn't take her long to reach them.

"Alright, let's get into position." Craylee said.

* * *

Craylee flipped out of the way of another attack as he faced off with four mages from the Golden Anubis guild. Their defeated comrades lay around them, and Craylee has yet to use his magic on them. Earlier when Craylee and his companions had moved out for the nightshift, they had separated to cover more ground. It had only been three hours after sunset that these Golden Anubis punks tried to jump Craylee, which proved to be a stupid move on their part. Craylee was fired at again, but he dodged the attack once more.

"Stay still, bastard!" The guy, who fired at him, shouted.

He then grunted in pain when Craylee hit him in a certain spot in his check that rendered him unconscious. He dropped to the ground with the rest of his companions backing away from Craylee.

"Gees, what is this guy?" One guy asked. "He's already taken out seven of us without magic."

"He must be some kind of monster!" Another mage exclaimed.

Craylee just silently stood there moving his needle between his lips as he looked at the last three mages in front of him. Honestly he was expecting a bit more of a challenge. How could these guys, who are so weak he can beat them without magic, be causing so much trouble for this town?

"We might need to get the Master!" The last guy said.

Craylee's brow quirked while curious to meet this master of theirs. Maybe he'd be more of a challenge.

"The Master is already dealing with that water girl." The first guy said. "I almost feel sorry for the chick."

Suddenly the man was pinned to the wall behind him as his friends fell to the ground unconscious. The man struggled against Craylee's grip as the redhead kept him pinned by the throat.

"Where's your master fighting?" Craylee asked with his dark deadly. "Tell me now."

* * *

Juvia hit the ground while crying out in pain. She had bruises on her body and a bit of blood running down her head. She had been fighting those Golden Anubis mages without difficulty, but then their master appeared. He had sent some kind of attack at Juvia. She was going to take it since she didn't think it'd hurt her body made of water. However, when it hit her, it didn't pass through her like she thought it would. It hit her hard and knocked the air out of her.

She was hit be the master's magic repeatedly since then, and if she had to guess, she'd say he uses magic that nullifies the magic of others, which is why her body made of water wouldn't help her. She was hit again by this man's magic, and it sent her rolling across the ground. The man moved in closer to her defeated form with a wicked grin on his face as his men all snickered from where they watched.

"Hmm, you're a pretty little thing, aren't you?" He asked. "Maybe I won't kill you just yet. We would have some fun."

Juvia looked up at him with fear in her eyes since she knew exactly what he meant by that.

"You should step away from her." A dark-toned voice said.

Juvia gasped immediately recognizing the voice of her beloved. She lifted her head seeing Craylee was right behind the master. The seamster mage had a dark look in his gaze as he looked at the master with his good eye. The master whirled around with wide eyes when seeing Craylee behind him.

"Men, get him!" The master shouted.

His mages all gave shouts of attack as they charged towards Craylee who just stood there calmly. Juvia was about to tell him to move, but Gajeel appeared as he landed behind Craylee. He used his iron club to wipe out all the flunkies that had been going after the redhead. The master stared in absolute shock at how easily Gajeel took out his men.

"Cutting it a bit close, Gajeel." Craylee commented.

"Saved you, didn't I?" Gajeel asked with a scoff.

Craylee didn't reply as he stepped forward towards the supposed master of Golden Anubis. The man shook as Craylee got closer with that dark look still in his eye…an eye that seemed to peer right into him and see his darkest of secrets.

"Stay back!" The man shouted. "You don't want to mess with me! I'm part of the Balam Alliance!"

"If you're a dark guild part of the Balam Alliance, it just means you pay them for protection, which means you're a little nobody." Craylee said. "And if I were you, I'd ask for my money back."

He continued walking forward, and the master was so frightened by the almost murderous gaze Craylee was giving him that he couldn't think straight enough to use his powers.

"Wait, wait, what if I give you information?!" He asked. "I heard a man from Fairy Tail was looking for information on the Balam Alliance!"

Craylee did pause when he heard this, and his two guildmates looked at the man curiously. He had information on the Balam Alliance? Gajeel didn't think it'd be much use since someone as low on the food chain as this guy wouldn't be given the important information. However, Makarov told all his children to be listening for any news that had anything remotely to do with the Balam Alliance.

"Speak then." Craylee said. "If your information proves useful I won't hurt you…much."

The man gulped when seeing that Craylee was being completely serious about this. He nodded his head then went to speak, but his head suddenly exploded after a spike went through the air to hit his head. Juvia cried out in surprise while covering her head. Craylee moved quickly in front of her to give her protection as he and Gajeel looked around for any signs of the attacker.

"Tut, tut." A feminine voice said from behind Juvia and Craylee, which had them freezing in surprise. "He was about to give out important information that makes him a naughty boy."

Craylee whirled around to see an older woman who was most likely in her forties. She had long pale green hair that fell to her hips. Her eyes were as red as the rose in her hair. Her figure was tall and toned, and her skin deeply tanned.

"Now what to do with all of you?" She asked looking down at Craylee and Juvia. "I suppose I could let you go….but where's the fun with that?"

Craylee moved quick by picking up Juvia, and tossing her at Gajeel who grunted in surprise when she hit him. He caught her barely before the both of them could fall.

"Hey, what's the big idea?!" Gajeel demanded as he looked back at Craylee.

The smell of blood then hit his nose. He looked closer to see the woman's arm had turned into a spike of some kind, and the spike was lodged in Craylee's torso.

"Craylee-sama!" Juvia screamed.

"Oh, how sweet." The woman cooed. "You protected your girl, hmm? It's so hard to find men these days who would take a blow for their girl like that. Not even my Aeron comes to my rescue like that."

Craylee's eyes widened as the name Aeron registered in his mind despite it feeling fuzzy. Craylee then looked closer at the woman to see a Shadow Undertaker brand on her left shoulder.

"Thana." Craylee said.

"Hmm…you know me?" The woman asked. "How is it you know me?"

She pressed the spike deeper into Craylee, which had him hissing in pain. Juvia cried his name again as Gajeel set her down.

"That's Breccan's mother's name, isn't it?" Craylee muttered more to himself than to her.

Thana stiffened at the sound of her son's name before jerking the spike out of Craylee. She grabbed a fist full of his hair to lift him up when he started to fall to his knees, so he was at eye level with her.

"You know Breccan?" She asked. "My son."

Gajeel and Juvia's eyes widened when they heard this woman was the mother of Breccan. Thana then grinned cruelly.

"It seems leaving you alive will actually benefit me." She said. "Now, I'll finish cleaning up the mess here for you, and when you leave I want you to tell my son that his father and I will be visiting him soon. Oh, but I guess you won't be leaving until the nightmares my toxin will give you are over."

She let out a dark chuckle then let Craylee drop to the ground as his vision started to become blurry. She vanished a moment later as Juvia forced herself to her feet to run over to Craylee. Gajeel hurried over as well as Juvia dropped to her knees beside Craylee. Juvia moved his head into her lap, and she cupped his cheek.

"Craylee-sama." Juvia cried. "Please, answer Juvia! Craylee-sama!"

-INSIDE CRAYLEE'S MIND-

 _Craylee looked around the darkness in confusion. How did he get here? Wasn't he with Juvia and Gajeel moments ago?_

 _"Damn, I can't see anything." Craylee said._

 _"That's because you're not looking hard enough."_

 _Craylee stiffened when that familiar voice hit his ears. The voice came from behind him, so he very slowly turned around to see a woman standing there. She was petite with red hair that fell around her in ringlets. She had one forest green eye that looked exactly like Craylee's left eye, and there was a scar going over it even though she had vision in that eye. Her left eye was a pale blue color much different than her right eye._

 _"…Mother…" Craylee said as his hands clenched into fists._

 _"Hello, darling." She said smiling. "Why so tense? Aren't you happy to see your mother?"_

 _Craylee just narrowed his eyes in reply as he tried to contain his shaking. He couldn't let her see that he was frightened._

 _"You're dead." Craylee said. "So if you're now right here in front of me then we must be in my head."_

 _"Good, boy." His mother, Elizaveta, said. "I was always so proud of intelligent you are."_

 _Craylee didn't take that as a compliment since it was coming from her of all people. Elizaveta chuckled as if she knew what he was thinking. He wouldn't be surprised since this was all happening in his mind._

 _"That woman…Thana…she did something to me." Craylee said._

 _"She injected a toxin into you." Elizaveta explained. "To give you…certain dreams."_

 _"Nightmares." Craylee retorted._

 _"Oh, is seeing your mother really that horrible?" Elizaveta asked._

 _Craylee's glare was the only reply she got, but it got the point across just fine. She chuckled again finding amusement in his hatred of her._

 _"When am I going to wake up?" Craylee asked._

 _"Even I don't know that." Elizaveta said with a shrug. "I guess we'll just have to make every second we have with each other count."_

-OUTSIDE OF CRAYLEE'S MIND-

Juvia sat at Craylee's bedside as she held his hand with both of hers. The doctor had left a few moments ago saying that the toxin within Craylee wasn't fatal. It was some kind of hallucinogen that was meant to cause nightmares. The doctor had extracted as much as he could from Craylee's wound, so hopefully the mage wouldn't be down for too long. Gajeel was off to have a "word" with the mayor after Gajeel learned from one of the flunkies that Craylee's theory about the mayor's involvement was true.

Gajeel even took the flunky with him as evidence to show the townspeople. Juvia wanted to go with Gajeel to make the mayor pay. It was his fault they were here. If he hadn't been so power hungry to set up such a scheme, Craylee wouldn't be like this now. Juvia sniffed as tears in her eyes started to roll down her cheeks again. She knew Craylee was going to wake eventually, but she was still worried. What kind of nightmares would her beloved be plagued with? The thought worried her, and what was worse is that she can't help him.

"Craylee-sama." She murmured.

-WITHIN CRAYLEE'S MIND-

 _Craylee looked around seeing that he was no longer in the darkness, but in a cemetery. He was standing in front of one grave. It was his mother's grave. However, he doesn't remember burying her. Her body should have been ash considering the fire it was in._

 _"The fire wasn't enough to burn me down completely." Elizaveta said as she appeared sitting on top of the headstone. "The townspeople were kind enough to bury what was left of me."_

 _"You don't deserve kindness." Craylee said bluntly._

 _"And you do?" Elizaveta asked._

 _She stood up from the headstone while taking a step towards Craylee. It took everything he had not to flinch._

 _"If your new friends knew what you did, do you think they'd continue being kind to you?" Elizaveta asked._

 _Suddenly the two of them were in the guildhall where everyone was chatting and joking around like every day. Natsu and Gray were arguing with Lucy and Rizzo trying to get them to break it up. Erza was enjoying cheesecake off to the side as Happy munched on a fish. Vijeeter was dancing on the table. Cana was guzzling a barrel of booze. Elfman was spouting off stuff about being a man. Jet and Droy were sitting with Alzach and Jaser, who had Sanjū hanging off his shoulder, at one table as they talked about pointless things. Gajeel was stuffing his face with iron at one table with Max and Warren looking at him oddly as they wondered where he put it all._

 _The Thunder Legion was at their own table, but they were sharing it with Sven and Levy as they were speaking with Freed about runes and script magic. Laki and Bisca were having drinks with a few others as Mirajane was walking around making sure everyone was happy. Wakaba and Macao, who was keeping one eye on Romeo as the youth was chatting with Breccan about his latest mission, were talking about the younger generation of mages as usual, and Makarov was at the bar watching over his children as always. These were his friends and family. The people he cared about…except where was Juvia?_

 _"If they knew about the blood on your hands, they'd make you leave in a heartbreak." Elizaveta said as she pulled Craylee's eyes away his guildmates._

 _She waved her hand with the guildhall disappearing along with his guildmates. Only a few people remained. Rizzo and her teammates, his brothers and Sanjū, Freed, Cana , and Mirajane. They were all smiling at him. But there was still no Juvia._

 _"Now your siblings would stick by your side." Elizaveta said. "But then Rizzo would have to say goodbye to her friends and that cute boyfriend of hers."_

 _Elizaveta waved her hand again with Gray and the rest of the team disappearing. Rizzo's smile dropped as she looked around for them. She then looked down sadly when seeing they were gone. Craylee felt his heart clench when seeing Rizzo's heartbroken expression._

 _"Ah, there goes little sis's happiness." Elizaveta said. "Let's not forget that Jaser would have to say goodbye to Cana just as they're starting some form of a relationship."_

 _Another wave of the hand had Cana vanishing from sight, and Jaser's mood darkened like Rizzo's._

 _"Let's not forget that big brother Breccan is getting close to Mirajane." Elizaveta said. "So she's gone. Then Sven seems to be making friends with that Freed guy. So he goes too. Now look at your siblings…all sad because of you."_

 _Craylee stared at his siblings as they were huddled with each other with sad expressions on their faces._

 _"A man with blood on his hands can't bring happiness to others, son." Elizaveta said. "And a man with blood on his hands can't be loved. Isn't that right, Juvia?"_

 _Craylee stiffened when hearing her name before he slowly turned to finally see Juvia. She was looking at him with eyes that looked at him as if he was a monster, which had him flinching away from her._

 _"You are a monster, Craylee." Elizaveta said. "You killed your own mother."_

 _"You hurt me…you took my eye from me." Craylee said. "You wanted to take the other."_

 _"Doesn't change the fact that you took that scalpel and shoved it into my neck." Elizaveta said. "Only monsters do that, and I'm sure Juvia agrees."_

 _Suddenly Elizaveta and his siblings were gone. Only he and Juvia remained. Juvia stood in front of him with that look of hate in her eyes._

 _"Juvia." Craylee began as he stepped forward._

 _"Monster."_

 _That one word leaving her mouth had him freezing. Did…did she really just call him that?_

 _"Craylee-sama is a monster!" Juvia shouted. "Juvia could never love you. Juvia wants nothing to do with you! Just go away! Juvia never wants to see you again!"_

-OUTSIDE CRAYLEE'S MIND-

Craylee gasped jerking up and awake in the bed he was in. Juvia jumped at his sudden movement, but she was overjoyed to see Craylee was awake. However, her happy expression turned concerned when seeing the tears starting to roll down his cheeks.

"Craylee-sama, what's wrong?" She asked as she stood. "Are you in pain? Juvia can go get the doctor!"

Juvia went to hurry out of the room, but Craylee reached out to grab her wrist to stop her.

"No, I'm not in pain." Craylee said as he let go her wrist. "Just nightmares."

He wiped at his eyes then tried to calm his breathing. Juvia moved in closer to rub his back in a soothing manner. However, he flinched from her touch when he remembered what the Juvia in his mind said. Juvia frowned feeling even more worried.

"You'll leave." Craylee said softly as he stared forward away from her. "Why would you stay?"

Juvia looked at Craylee in confusion as he looked down at torso to see his shirt and vest had been reformed, so his wound could be bandaged.

"Craylee-sama, Juvia isn't going anywhere." Juvia assured him.

"You will." Craylee said. "Because no one wants to near a monster."

Juvia shook her head while not wishing to listen to Craylee call himself a monster.

"You're not a monster, Craylee-sama!" Juvia said.

"Oh yeah?" Craylee asked as he scoffed. "I killed my mother."

Juvia froze with her eyes widening. Craylee looked at her expression while nodding his head when he saw it. He knew once the shock wore off that she'd be out of here. Craylee turned in his bed to sit up with his feet touching the floor.

"It happened when I lost my eye." Craylee said. "Or rather she took it."

Juvia didn't reply, but her eyes widened even more. His mother took his eye?

"She said there was some kind of special magic in my eyes that I inherited from my father, and that she wanted it." Craylee said. "I still haven't learned what that magic is, but she wanted it so bad that she'd take her own son's eye. She used a magical scalpel that left me with a sightless eye instead of just an empty socket, so maybe I should grateful, huh?"

He gave a humorless dark laugh as he stared down at the floor. Juvia still remained silent.

"She wanted the other one." Craylee said. "But the thought of being sightless scared me even when she promised to protect me. So as she was giving herself one of my eyes, I reached for the scalpel that was on the tray…and I jammed it in her neck and ran. I killed her…my own mother…only monsters do that, which is why you and everyone else but my siblings will leave me."

He felt tears in his eyes, which had him mentally cursing. He turned his head away from Juvia to hide the tears. Craylee was then surprised when he was suddenly enveloped with warmth. His cheek was pressed against something soft and comforting as a gentle hand stroked is head. He realized Juvia was hugging him, and that she was crying as her body shook.

"Craylee-sama, please don't cry." Juvia begged as she continued stroke his head. "Juvia won't ever leave you. You sent away my sadness. Let me do the same. Juvia will stay with you, I promise."

Craylee sat there in shock as Juvia continued to hug him. After everything he just told her…she still wanted to stay? Craylee slowly felt his arms come around Juvia to hug her as well. He let himself enjoy her warmth at least this once, and he allowed himself to let his walls drop for this moment. Juvia looked down at him softly as his shoulders shook. Her dear Craylee who always seemed so strong had his own weaknesses…and fears, which is why she wouldn't leave his side. She never wanted to see her beloved so sad ever again. Outside the room Gajeel leaned against the wall while glaring at the one across from him.

"This mission was a serious pain in the ass." He said to himself.


	47. Meeting the Allied Forces

Rizzo stepped out of her closet two days later dressed and ready to meet everyone for the job. She had dressed in a black strapless tight fitting crop top that stopped below her breasts. She also wore a neon green leather jacket that went down to her waist. Then she had on a pair of pink skinny jeans that hugged her hips nicely. Her black boots went up to her knees as usual, and the buckles on them were white. On top her head was a black beanie with the Fairy Tail guild mark on the side of it in neon green.

"Time to get going." Rizzo said to herself. "Hopefully this job will be a challenge."

She really hoped so since she was starting to feel a bit bored. Ever since the incident during the Harvest Festival, she and the team haven't taken many jobs, and the jobs they had taken were very mundane and menial. Rizzo needed this job to have a lot of action or she'd go nuts. Besides, she also knew she needed more challenging jobs to test herself since the trials were getting closer. However, for right now, she'd worry about the job she had now. She shook her head to clear her mind then grabbed her guitar case before stepping out of her room.

"Sanjū, are you ready to head to the guild to meet everyone?" Rizzo asked.

Sanjū had decided to come along on this mission since she didn't want to be left behind when all her family was gone. Breccan, Jaser, and Sven were still away. Craylee left two days ago for his mission with Juvia and Gajeel, and still wasn't back either. Sanjū didn't want Rizzo to go away either while not knowing when the boys would be back. She didn't like to wait anymore for them to return because she knew things were getting more dangerous for everyone due to the dark guilds becoming more active. Sanjū didn't like violence, but she wasn't useless, so she'd help if she can.

"Yes." Sanjū said as she walked past the paper changing screen.

She wore a pale blue kimono today with darker blue trim with a faux blue flower in her ear. Rizzo scooped her feline friend up into her arms before she left her room at Fairy Hills. Once they left out the front door, Rizzo started walking down the path towards the guildhall.

"Let's try to get their quick, Sanjū!" Rizzo said. "Time to get serious! We're going to go on this mission, kick ass, and when we get home, we need to get some serious training time in since the trials are getting closer and closer."

Sanjū sweat-dropped really hoping that Rizzo wasn't truly expecting her to keep up with the suicidal, rigorous training plan that she knew the pinkette had in mind. Sanjū sighed with her ears drooping as she hoped she survived until the trials come around this year. A few minutes later, Rizzo arrived at the guildhall where Makarov was waiting by the cart that would take them all to the rendezvous point.

"No one else is here yet?" Rizzo asked blinking.

"Idiots are probably sleeping in." Makarov said while frowning. "Don't they understand the urgency of this mission?"

Rizzo chuckled as Makarov grumbled a bit about having lazy children. Rizzo knew Erza probably woke hours ago. The redhead was most likely late because she was packing a huge amount of stuff.

"It's probably best they're not here yet." Makarov said as he looked up at Rizzo and Sanjū. "There's something I wish to discuss with you, Rizzo."

Rizzo blinked wondering why Makarov wished to speak with her without the others. Sanjū looked between Makarov and Rizzo before sighing.

"I'll be in the cart." She said.

She flew out of Rizzo's arms then went into the cart to leave Makarov to speak with Rizzo.

"There's a chance that a member of Shadow Undertaker will be around the Oración Seis." Makarov said. "I'm sure Breccan taught you ways to notice if one of them are in the area."

"Yes, Master." Rizzo said. "He taught me the signs of knowing if one of the high-ranked members were around."

Each member had their own magic, and it was so strong that it tended to affect the area around them. Like the Black Omen magic that Tempest had possessed before her death. Aeron's vibration magic was so strong that the air seemed to buzz with vibrations due to his very presence. Of course, he could control this from happening if he wanted, but Breccan said that letting his enemies feel the vibrations before his attack, was a scare tactic that Aeron liked to use.

"Be sure to warn the others if you sense any abnormities, or if you think it's in the best interest of everyone, let them know about the Shadows." Makarov said. "And be sure to be on high alert, and don't do anything foolish like engage one of the Shadows alone. If one comes at you without the others, retreat. Make sure the others know that if you believe a Shadow is in the area. If not, you might not want to mention it at all. There's no reason to spook everyone."

"Yes, sir." Rizzo said. "I'm promise to be extra vigilant during this mission."

Makarov nodded his head as Erza finally came into view, and unsurprisingly, she had a lot of stuff.

"Typical." Rizzo snorted.

"Rizzo, I'm a bit surprise you made it here first." Erza said.

"Well, Sanjū made sure to get me up extra early." Rizzo said. "Isn't that right, Sanjū?"

Said pink feline popped her head out from the end of the cart with her ears twitching lightly.

"That's correct." Sanjū said nodding.

"Oh, Sanjū, I didn't know you'd be joining us." Erza said smiling.

Sanjū explained her reasoning for coming along as Lucy, Gray, Natsu, and Happy finally arrived. Finally the group was all assembled, so they could head out. Happy and Sanjū went to the front of the cart where Happy would be steering their boar in the right direction. Lucy then had to force Natsu into the back when he tried to suggest walking, which had Rizzo chuckling in amusement. Erza climbed in after them after hooking her stuff to the back. Gray got in next then held out his hand to Rizzo, which she reached out to take.

"Good luck, my children." Makarov said. "And be careful."

Rizzo looked back at Makarov with a large reassuring, bright smile on her face.

"Don't worry about us, Master." She said. "We'll take care of everything and make you proud."

She then let Gray help her up into the cart. Once they were settled, Happy had the boar start pulling the cart along. Makarov watched them go silently. He truly hoped they would be alright.

* * *

On an overlook near above the Worth Woodsea, a group of seven mages and one snake stood looking down into the forest. In what appeared to be the center of the forest a large dark fog like substance hung over the trees.

"I can hear it." The man codenamed Cobra said as he stroked the jaw of his snake companion. "That sweet sound of light crashing to the ground.

Cubellios just hissed in reply as she remained curled around Cobra loyally and protectively.

"Don't jump to conclusions so quickly, Cobra." Racer said. "Though speed can be a wonderful thing."

"Racer, the magic we seek is right under our noses." Cobra said. "I'm sure of it."

Racer wasn't completely convinced. He knew Cobra could hear a lot, but Racer didn't want to jump the gun, so to speak.

"That ancient and hidden magic with the power to turn light into complete and total darkness, oh yeah!" Hot-Eye said.

"Nirvana." Angel added with a smirk.

"I don't know if we've found it or not, but I can sure pick up a foul smell from here."

The group turned to the woman, who spoke in a thick accent (Romanian), as she stood beside the sleeping Midnight who was sitting on his flying rug as always. She had silvery-white hair that was cut in an Aline style with one side touching her jaw, and the other brushing against her shoulder. Her sharp blue eyes stuck out against her pale skin and dark lashes. Her figure was hourglass shaped with a medium height stature. On her pale body her guild's emblem was on top of her chest just below her collar bones with its color being white.

She wore a brown corset top that pushed up her chest, and it had tan strings holding it together. She then had on tan pants that had many sewing stitches in the material as if they've ripped many times then been put back together. Around her waist was a large brown belt metal nubs going around it. Her brown boots went up to her knees, and on her wrists were brown bands that went halfway up her arm and were buttoned on the sides. Then around her neck was a white steam punk cravat. Finally on top her head was a pair of googles that looked like they belonged to an old time pilot.

"Oh, so you smell something off, Moonlight?" Cobra asked.

"Yes, I smell darkness." She said grinning crookedly. "It's making my spine tingle just being near it."

This had Cobra grinning even more. His ears and Moonlight's nose have never been wrong before. They must really be close. Their leader, who didn't count as one of the six demons as their guild name says, cracked his staff on the ground to get their attention, so they all except the sleeping Midnight turned towards him.

"A legendary power…one that will soon be ours." Their leader, Brain, said.

"Are you sure we should put all our bets on Nirvana?" Racer asked. "It all sounds too good to be true."

"Look there." Brain said as he pointed his staff towards the back mass hanging over the trees. "The darkness that spreads through the trees means that Nirvana is close at hand. The forest is beginning to die."

* * *

Rizzo plucked away on her acoustic guitar in a relaxed manner with a soft tune filling the cart as they were all still traveling towards the gathering place. Natsu was groaning as he was laid out on the floor of the cart, which had Rizzo feeling bad for him. They really needed to get some motion sickness medicine for him or something. Her other companions were rather silent as Happy and Sanjū kept the boar going in the right direction.

"I know I've said this before," Lucy began. "But I've got a really bad feeling about this mission. And why am I here? I'm not all that strong! It's not like I'm going to be able to help you guys anyway."

Lucy then let out a whine when Rizzo lightly bonked her over the head with the acoustic guitar.

"Quit putting yourself down, Lucy." Rizzo said as she started playing her guitar again. "You're stronger than you think. Besides, the only way to get even stronger is to challenge yourself with missions like this."

Lucy just pouted as she rubbed her head where Rizzo had bonked her. Even if Rizzo didn't give the hit her all, it still hurt.

"Look, this is no picnic for me either." Gray said when he saw Lucy was still pouting. "So quit pouting, would ya?"

Lucy looked away just pouting even more, and for some reason Happy turned around with a pout on his face as well.

"Eyes on the road, Happy." Sanjū chided.

Happy sighed though did put his eyes back on the road. He was sure the boar would be fine for a few minutes of him not looking, but he'll just do as Sanjū says for now. Natsu just let out another groan while looking miserable.

"We are here for one reason." Erza cut in with a stern voice. "Because the master put his faith in us, so let's not disappoint him."

"Tch, you don't have to tell me that." Rizzo said. "Just point Natsu and I at the bad guys, and this will all be over before ya know it."

"I think Gramps said stop the Oración Seis not blow them into oblivion." Gray commented.

Rizzo pouted at him wishing people would just let her fight with Natsu again. Seriously, the two of them needed a good freaking fight.

"I know…you're right." Lucy said. "But Gajeel, Juvia, and Craylee are better fighters."

"They can't go because they're still away on their mission, remember?" Sanjū asked Lucy. "Same with a lot of our other best fighters."

Lucy sighed knowing that was true. Rizzo stopped her playing as she looked out the end of the cart. She wondered if any of her brothers have made it back to Fairy Tail yet. She had gotten a bad feeling last night that something happened with Craylee, so she was a bit worried. She was also worried about Gajeel and Juvia. However, she couldn't keep worrying about them, or it'd distract her on this mission.

"Hey, don't look so worried." Gray said as he took her hand. "I'm sure the others are all okay. They went as teams, which means they all have someone watching their backs."

Rizzo let out a soft sigh though she did nod her head. Gray was right. They all went as teams, so they should be alright. Natsu let out another groan as he slid completely into the floor.

"I don't care." He groaned. "I just…wanna…get there."

Gray shook his head at Natsu while wondering how someone who's supposed to slay dragons can be reduced to this sorry state just because of a moving cart.

"It just seems like we're always picked for this kind of stuff." Lucy said.

"You should consider it an honor." Erza said. "Today will be our first joint operation involving the other allied guilds. It's important we all focus our efforts into starting to build a positive rapport."

Rizzo rolled her eyes. She was already on good terms with Blue Pegasus. In fact, she's pretty sure it'll be Ichiya and the Trimens that will be waiting for them at the rendezvous point.

"There it is!" Happy called out getting their attention. "The rendezvous spot."

Everyone looked out the front of the cart to see a mansion not far from them. After Happy and Sanjū pulled the cart to a stop outside the mansion, everyone climbed out of the cart. Rizzo looked up at the mansion not surprised that it belonged to Bob at all. She went up to the doors to push them open with her friends following her.

"Great another creepy old mansion." Lucy said.

"It probably only looks creepy because the lights are off." Rizzo said as she set her guitar case to the side.

She knew Bob didn't do creepy…though some would say the Blue Pegasus Guild Master…is creepy.

"It's the second home of Blue Pegasus's Guild Master—Bob." Erza explained as some lights were coming on.

"Oh him." Gray said looking very unpleased. "He…makes me feel…funny."

"Oh, should I be jealous?" Rizzo asked with a teasing grin.

Gray frowned at her, which had her snickering behind her hand. Lucy was smiling as well in amusement as was Erza.

"On a more serious note, you should be nice." Rizzo said. "Master Bob is eccentric, but he's a powerful mage, so be respectful. Not to mention he gave us a lodging without charge when we went on that job into the mountains."

Gray's frowned deepened as he remembered that job. He kind of had mixed feelings about it. Yes, at the end of it he and Rizzo were finally dating, but at the beginning he had to deal with those Tri-losers. That Hibiki guy even led to Gray and Rizzo fighting in the first place. If Gray sees any of them never again, it'll be too soon.

"Yeah," Lucy said sarcastically. "Eccentric."

Lucy didn't have anything against the Master of Blue Pegasus, but even she was freaked out by him. Rizzo on the other hand didn't seem to get bothered at all around the guy.

"Just tell me when we get there, you guys." Natsu, who was sitting pitifully on the floor, said.

"Okay, we're there." Happy said.

"We stopped moving a few minutes ago, Natsu." Sanjū said. "Please, pull yourself together."

Natsu just let out another moan of pain as his head was bowed. Sanjū shook her head though she did pat Natsu on the knee in what was meant as a comforting gesture.

"Yes, they're here at last!" A voice that was familiar to Rizzo said as a tambourine was being used.

"At least!" Two other familiar voices echoed.

Rizzo smiled knowing she was right when she was sure that it'd be the Trimens that were chosen for this joint mission.

"Hey, hey, hey, hello~"

"Hello~"

Gray frowned having a feeling that he's heard these three voices before. His eyes then widened as he hoped those voices didn't belong to who he thought they did.

"Fairy~"

"Fairy~"

Gray's frown deepened while now completely sure these voices belonged to those three pretty boys from Blue Pegasus. Rizzo just continued smiling in amusement as the boys continued their greeting with a spotlight being turned on to shine down on them.

"Tail~"

"Tail~"

"Mages!" The Trimens finished in unison.

The three of them posed at the end of it as Gray's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. Rizzo and Sanjū, who met the Trimens when she went with Rizzo a few times to Blue Pegasus, politely clapped for them as the rest of their friends blinked in confusion.

"We're so glad you came." They said in unison once more.

Their voices echoed through the large mansion a few times as the spotlight continued to shine onto them.

"We are," Hibiki began.

"The Blue Pegasus," Even continued.

"Elite crew." Ren finished.

"The Trimens." They said in unison.

Gray wondered if they practiced this whole greeting regularly to make sure not to mess up. If they do, they're weirder than he thought.

"Hundred Knights—Hibiki."

Hibiki struck a pose while winking towards Rizzo who chuckled in amusement. Gray wasn't amused at all, and pulled her in towards him.

"Holy Knight—Eve."

Eve struck his own pose as he pointed towards the group of Fairy Tail mages.

"Still Knight—Ren."

Ren struck a more "mysterious" pose compared to his two friends before they all stood beside each other in those poses.

"The Trimens from Blue Pegasus." Lucy said in awe. "Whoa that is cool. Those guys are like the hottest mages around now. Hibiki Lates is always near the top of Sorcerer's Weekly's most eligible mages bachelor list! He's been in the top three for the last few months."

"Lucy, be careful, or you'll make that big head of his grow even more." Rizzo said as she smiled teasingly at Hibiki.

"Oh, Rizzo, must you hurt my feelings?" Hibiki asked as he placed his hands over his heart. "And it's been so long since we've last seen each other."

Lucy blinked looking between her guildmate and Hibiki as Gray was grumbling under his breath. It hasn't been long enough in his book. He could go another hundred years without seeing the Trimens. Hibiki especially.

"Wait, you two know each other?!" Lucy asked.

"I know all the Trimens." Rizzo said. "They're my friends."

Lucy's mouth dropped open in shock. Her friend knew _the_ Trimens, and never said anything?!

"We've missed you, Nee-chan." Eve said as he took Rizzo's hands into his. "Have you missed us?"

Gray's brow twitched as he glared at the little blonde midget holding Rizzo's hands.

"Of course, I have." Rizzo said smiling. "It's so good to see you three again."

Ren then stepped up to put his arm "innocently" around Rizzo's shoulders, which had Gray's brow twitching again.

"Hmph, I haven't missed you, but I guess it's good to see you as well." Ren said.

Rizzo chuckled in amusement while knowing Ren had missed her even if he wouldn't show it. She then felt a hand on top her head, so she turned towards Hibiki.

"Rizzo, you look more beautiful than the last time I saw you." Hibiki said.

"Okay, that's it!" Gray said having enough as he tossed his shirt and jacket to the side. "Get your hands off my girl, pretty boys! Or we're going to have some problems."

He went to step forward, but Sanjū started pulling back on one of his belt loops as she flapped her wings hard to try and hold him back. They really didn't need a fight on their hands before the mission even started.

"Oh, Gray, calm down." Rizzo said as she went over to him. "There's no reason to get jealous. You know how they are."

Gray just continued to glare at the Trimens as they looked almost smugly at him. Once Sanjū saw Rizzo had at least stopped Gray attacking, she let go of the ice mage to fly over to Rizzo's other side. She gasped when she was plucked from the air.

"Even Miss Pretty Kitty is here." Hibiki said as he held Sanjū.

Lucy sweat-dropped really wondering if Hibiki was flirting with Sanjū who is most definitely a cat. Granted she was an anthropomorphic cat that could talk, but still just a cat.

"Sanjū-nee-chan, it's good to see you too!" Eve said smiling.

Wait, now Eve was calling her "nee-chan"? Lucy really didn't understand these three guys.

"You're still looking cute…for a cat that is." Ren said.

Sanjū just sighed wishing Hibiki would just let her go already. She didn't like this kind of attention.

"Please, let go of me." She said.

"Anything Miss Pretty Kitty wants." Hibiki said.

He let her go, and she flew over to Rizzo. The pinkette took Sanjū into her arms while chuckling at the bothered expression on the pink feline's face. The spotlight then fell upon Hibiki again as he turned his attention onto Erza.

"I've heard tales of your beauty, and they're true." Hibiki said as he winked.

Erza's eyes fell onto Eve next as he bowed to her as he was knelt down on one knee.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Titiana-san." Eve said as he smiled sweetly.

Ren then moved in to put his arm around Erza's shoulders with his hand resting on her armor.

"Please, come with me." Ren said.

Lucy watched in shock as Ren and Eve brought out a couch with a flashing heart behind it. Hibiki lead Erza over to it by holding her hand. Rizzo shook her head knowing that if the boys went too far that Erza would beat them up much like she had done Loke when he first hit on her. Once Erza was sitting, Hibiki knelt down while holding out a hot towel to her.

"Would you like to freshen up?" Hibiki asked.

Eve then moved in a table before he and Hibiki sat down on either side of Erza.

"Or perhaps something to eat?" Eve asked.

"No." Erza replied.

"Ah, but there's cake." Hibiki said. "Want some?"

"No, thank-you." Erza replied.

"Are you sure, Erza?" Rizzo asked. "This is some pretty good cake."

Lucy and Gray looked at her in shock when seeing that she and Sanjū both were eating some cake as Ren had them sit down on a separate couch. When did that happen?!

"And there's sparkling water if you wish to have it." Ren said. "But I didn't get it just for you because I know you don't like alcohol."

"Thanks, Ren." Rizzo said smiling.

Ren simply nodded his head then nonchalantly placed a traditional teacup in front of Sanjū, which she could smell her favorite tea coming from. Lucy couldn't believe what she was seeing here.

"Gees, what is the deal with these guys?" Lucy asked.

Suddenly, Ren left Rizzo and Sanjū's sides to appear behind Lucy. The blonde gasped with a blush appearing on her face as he placed his hand on her waist.

"Please, have a seat." He said. "Oh wow, you're almost too cute."

He pulled her in closer with both arms around her now, which had her blush darkening.

"I am?" Lucy asked.

Rizzo snorted seeing that Lucy was pulled into Ren's charm as the dark-haired man lead her over to the couch Erza was on. Gray was getting more annoyed as he had to watch these guys flirt with his female teammates and his girlfriend.

"I'm getting really tired of these cornballs." Gray said.

"I missed something." Natsu said. "Who are they?"

"They're the Trimens." Rizzo said.

Natsu turned towards his friend to see she was eating cake with Sanju on one of the couches.

"Hibiki, Ren, and Eve are the elite crew of the Blue Pegasus guild." Rizzo explained as the boys were flirting it up with Erza and Lucy. "Master Bob entrusts the three of them and their leader with all the important stuff. That's why I'm not surprised they are the ones chosen for this joint mission."

Gray frowned wishing Rizzo would have given him some kind of warning earlier. He hated dealing with these guys, and he still owed Hibiki a beating for that stunt he pulled with Rizzo before they got together.

"Leader?" Happy asked. "Is he here too?"

"Most likely." Rizzo said as she finished her cake. "He'll probably make a grand entrance soon enough."

She set the empty plate on the table while dabbing at her mouth with a napkin. Sanjū did the same then finally grabbed her tea. Happy and Natsu blinked wondering what kind of man led the three cornballs here. Rizzo then blinked as Hibiki sat down beside her.

"I'm sure you must be tired after your trip, ladies." Hibiki said to her and Sanjū. "Please, feel free to spend the night. We won't mind."

Ren and Eve said the same to Erza and Lucy, which had the two of them freaking out. Rizzo just snorted in amusement as she shook her head. These guys were never going to change. Gray just growled while feeling his limit was really about to break.

"Calm down, Men." Another familiar voice said. "Give these ladies some breathing room."

Looks like he's finally decided to make an entrance. Rizzo stood up while taking Sanjū with her since she knew the couches and tables would soon be swept away.

"Whoa, that voice…it's silky smooth." Lucy said as she put her arms around herself.

Yeah, Rizzo will admit he was a wonderful voice…However, his troll like appearance and his personality make it hard to be near the guy.

"Yes, Ichiya, sir!" Ren said.

"Him?" Erza asked. "Oh dear."

Rizzo almost wanted to laugh while knowing that Erza was going to be uncomfortable this entire mission with Ichiya around.

"It's been far too long, Scarlet-san." Ichiya said.

"A long time, yes." Erza said as she stood at the foot of the stairs shaking. "I never expected to see you here."

Lucy blinked while following Erza's frightened gaze up the stairs. Her eyes widened when she saw just what kind of man stood there.

"Oh, how I've missed you, my sweet honey." Ichiya said as he posed. "But don't cry. I am here."

He struck another pose as he gazed down at Erza who really wished she was somewhere else at the moment.

"MY SWEET HONEY?!" Lucy and Happy asked.

They then looked at Erza to see that the mighty Titiana was literally shaking in her boots.

"Look she's shaking." Lucy said to Happy as they both looked on in shock.

Rizzo knew it wasn't nice, but she was finding great amusement in Erza's discomfort. In fact, she couldn't wipe the grin off of her face. Ichiya then started sliding down the banister towards Erza.

"A surprise!" Ichiya said as he slid.

"A surprise!" The Trimens repeated.

"A reunion!" Ichiya continued.

"A reunion!" They parroted while popping confetti up into the air.

Did they just find that laying around somewhere? Or did they have it on their person the entire time? Ichiya then did a spin in the air before landing on the end of the banister.

"Oh yes!" He said as Hibiki popped off more confetti. "Oh yes!— _Eve pops some confetti_ — Oh yes!— _Ren finishes with the last of the confetti_ —."

The Trimens then knelt down on one knee as they clapped for Ichiya's grand entrance.

"We didn't know she was your girlfriend, Ichiya-san." They said in unison.

They popped back up onto their feet quickly before giving a bow towards everyone.

"Please, forgive our rudeness." They said together.

"You know that is not true!" Erza said angrily as she pointed towards Ichiya.

Lucy jumped away from Erza not wanting to get caught up in her anger. It was scary enough just watching her get angry let alone be the one she had it directed at.

"You idiots!" Ichiya, who jumped down onto the floor, yelled at the Trimens, which had them jumping. "We have work to do!"

"Right, boss!" they said as they were cleaning up their mess. "Right, boss!"

They carted it away as Rizzo was laughing in amusement. These guys always cracked her up, which was probably why she became fast friends with them. Even Ichiya…even though he does disturb her…quite a bit.

"Boss, huh?" Lucy asked. "I think that's like the third thing they've called him."

"They're a bunch of mixed nuts." Happy said.

"You have no idea." Sanjū said sighing.

Rizzo just continued smiling while guessing this joint mission would be okay if they meant she could work together with her friends from Blue Pegasus. Ichiya then turned his attention on the three women of the group as they were standing next to each other.

"It seems that destiny has brought us together, Erza-san, Lucy-san, Rizzo-san." Ichiya said then turned towards the boys. "You two no so much."

Gray, who suddenly had his shirt and jacket back on, looked at the tiny man in shock, so Rizzo reached out to pat his shoulder in a consoling manner. Ichiya then started sniffing the air, which was when Rizzo starts getting freaked out. If he'd keep that nose of his away from her, she wouldn't have as many problems with him.

"Sweet perfume!" He said as he struck yet another pose.

"He's creeping me out." Lucy said as she shuddered.

Rizzo nodded in agreement while absently stepping closer to Gray. The ice mage momentarily forgot about glaring at the little troll when he felt Rizzo pressed against his side. He put his arm around her while mentally swearing that Ichiya wouldn't get a step closer to her.

"Yeah, me too." Erza said as she took a few steps back. "I'd never choose to be in his company. However, he is a gifted mage."

Still didn't make the sniffing thing any less creepy. Rizzo's tried to look past it in sake of her friendship with the Trimens and Ichiya, but it was so hard to.

"Listen up, ya Blue Pegasus playboy wannabes." Gray said. "You'd be wise to keep your hands off these ladies. Especially my girl, we clear?"

Rizzo blinked thinking that might have been a bit too mean. However, she had a feeling Gray still hasn't forgiven them for the thorn cutting her finger incident, which led to the two of them fighting.

"Clear as crystal." Ichiya said. "Now take your leave."

Gray growled feeling his patience has hit far past his limit. He was really about to start throwing punches.

"Thanks for dropping by." Hibiki said not sounding genuine at all.

"Thanks for dropping by." Eve and Ren echoed.

"We're here on some serious business, ya know?" Gray asked. "Can you pretty boys even fight?"

Rizzo snorted knowing that if all this arguing kept happening that an actual fight really would break out.

"You wanna find out?" Ren asked.

"Yeah we're real tough, pal." Eve said.

Rizzo lightly chuckled as she pat Hibiki on the shoulder, which got his attention.

"Well, all of you except dear Hibiki." Rizzo said.

Hibiki pouted at her teasing comment as she grinned up at him. However, he soon felt his lips twitching up as well since it was hard to resist one of Rizzo's grins.

"Fight?!" Natsu asked sounding excited. "Well, count me in!"

Rizzo laughed at his enthusiasm while glad to see that all the motion sickness had finally wore off. However, she knew a fight wasn't what they needed right now, so she'd have to contain herself.

"Everybody needs to calm down this instant." Erza said sternly.

However, she stiffened in fear and discomfort as Ichiya got all up in her personal space. He sniffed her like a dog would as she shook feeling very uncomfortable.

"Your sweet perfume…it still drives me crazy." He said.

Before he could get any closer Erza socked him right in the face to send him flying.

"You stay far away from me!" Erza snapped.

Rizzo let out a low impressed whistle at how far Ichiya was flying as Lucy complimented her right hook. The Trimens watched in shock as Ichiya flew towards the open doorway. Rizzo blinked while seeing that someone had arrived, and Ichiya was reading right towards that person. The person stopped Ichiya with one hand then froze his head in ice.

"You dare to greet us with this flying buffoon." Yet another familiar voice said. "Lamia Scale deserves more respect. We insist on it."

Rizzo's mouth dropped open in shock when seeing who exactly was standing at the door. She looked towards Gray seeing he didn't look rather happy with this new arrival. If Lyon was here, Rizzo wondered if the rest of his friends would be making an appearance.

"It's you!" Gray said.

"It's you!" Lyon said as well.

The two stared at each other while not exactly welcoming or happy expressions on their faces.

"Oh, hey, so you went and joined a guild after all." Natsu said grinning.

Lyon just threw Ichiya through the air with his face still engulfed in ice. He hit the floor with the ice shattering due to the impact. He continued rolling across the ground with the others having to move to avoid him.

"Oh, no, don't hurt the face!" Ichiya begged as he finally came to a stop.

"What is wrong with you?" Gray demanded.

"He was the one who attacked me, Gray." Lyon said.

Rizzo frowned not sure what happened could be called at attack on Ichiya's part. Lyon could have dodged to avoid him. He didn't have to freeze Ichiya like that.

"Watch it." Ren said. "That's our leader you're messing with, pal."

"How dare you!" Eve added.

"You and your men should just turn around and go home." Hibiki advised.

Rizzo and Sanjū exchanged a glance knowing none of this was going as it should. It looked as if a fight really was going to break out.

"I suppose that means women can stay and fight." A feminine voice asked with the carpet suddenly starting to move. "Marionette Attack: Carpet Doll!"

The carpet attacked Lucy who squealed trying to get out of the way. Sanjū flew in to get her out of the way faster.

"Thanks, Sanjū." Lucy said then realized something. "Hold on, I recognize that magic."

Lucy turned around to face the door as Sanjū set her down on her feet. Appearing at the door was a familiar reddish-pink haired woman with blue eyes.

"Sherry?!" Lucy asked in surprise. "No way! You joined the guild too?!"

Rizzo wasn't all that surprised considering that Sherry was so loyal to Lyon back on Galuna Island. In fact, Rizzo was sure the woman loved the guy.

"I was hoping you fairies hadn't forgotten who I am." She said then pointed towards them. "But, please, do try to forget about who I was, okay?"

"Still crazy." Lucy muttered.

Sanjū, who was resting on Lucy's shoulder now, had to agree this woman did seem a bit unusual for sure.

"I have been born anew by the power of love!" Sherry said.

Rizzo rolled her eyes at this woman as Sherry and Lucy started to face off. In fact, it looked like almost everyone was facing off with someone. Even Erza as she tried to keep Ichiya, who was skipping towards her, at bay. As everything was getting chaotic, Rizzo was starting to feel really annoyed.

"EVERYBODY CUT IT OUT!" She shouted.

Everyone jumped turning towards her as she stood there with her hands on her hips.

"We don't have time for this!" Rizzo said. "We were sent here to work together to take down a dark guild, so quit squaring off with each other!"

It was silent for a long moment until there was a chuckle from the door. Everyone looked towards the door seeing two people were standing there. One was a large bald man carrying a staff. He looked vaguely familiar as if Rizzo has seen his face somewhere before. Maybe in Sorcerer's Weekly Magazine. Standing beside him was a woman who bore many similarities to Sherry.

The woman had the same shade of hair as the marionette mage, which she had cut short though her bangs, which were wavy, fell to her chin. She also had the same blue eyes as Sherry. Her skin was tanned compared to Sherry, and she had a more toned figure. In her ears were multiple piercings, and she had the Lamia Scale tattoo visible on her on the left side of her neck. She also had a beauty mark under her left eye.

She wore a lavender crop top under a dark blue leather jacket, and on the back of the jacket was a even darker blue mark that Rizzo has seen on the Rune Knight's uniform. The woman then had on white cargo pants that were tucked away into pale gray combat boots. On her hands were white fingerless gloves that had lavender straps going around her wrists. Finally on top her head was a military like hat.

"Looks, like we don't have to get the grunts in line ourselves, Jura." The woman said then turned towards Sherry and Lyon. "Now you two better quit acting up, understand?!"

"Yes, Sher!" They said in unison as they jumped in fright.

Sher nodded her head then stepped forward with Jura at her side. Rizzo's eyes widened while now knowing why he seemed so familiar now. He's Iron Rock Jura, and he's one of the Ten Wizard Saints. Sorcerer's Weekly did do a spread on the Ten Saints one time, which is where she saw his face.

"Rizzo Sweeney is right." Jura said. "This isn't the time to be fighting amongst ourselves."

"Yes, Jura." Lyon said.

Rizzo blinked wondering how someone like Jura even knew what her name was.

"That's Jura?!" Erza asked in surprise.

"So that's really him." Ren said.

"Lamia Scale's top man—Iron Rock Jura." Hibiki said.

Rizzo guessed Lamia Scale's master must be really worried if Jura was sent as one of the representatives of the guild.

"Who?" Natsu asked.

"He's part of the Ten Wizard Saints." Happy explained.

"Yeah, which means he's kind of a big deal." Lucy said.

Natsu didn't seem all that impressed. Of course, it sometimes took a lot to impress Natsu. Sherry then scoot up closer to Lucy with her hands on her hips.

"So five from Fairy Tail?" Sherry asked. "Funny, our guild only needed to send four members."

"Yeah, but one those members is a Wizard Saint." Rizzo said. "So I wouldn't be acting so high and mighty because Jura is probably enough to count for two to three mages at the most."

"She has a point." Sher said. "Besides, it doesn't matter the amount of mages each guild sent. The mages were probably sent here based on how they work as a team. If they work together the best as a five man team, we have no reason to judge them."

Sherry frowned at Sher wishing she wouldn't agree with someone from Fairy Tail or defend them.

"Oh, man, why do they always forget about me?" Happy cried.

"They forgot about me too, Happy." Sanjū pointed out. "So you're not alone."

Happy just wiped at his eyes, so Sanjū pat him on top the head in a consoling manner.

"It seems we have representatives from three guilds." Jura said. "The members from Cait Shelter have yet to arrive."

"Yes, and about that guild," Ichiya, who was hanging from Erza's spear, began. "I hear they're only sending one."

Rizzo and everyone else seemed surprised to hear this. One person only? Either this person was very strong, or Cait Shelter wasn't taking any of this seriously.

"One member?" Erza asked.

It was silent for a moment as that information really sunk into everyone's heads.

"That's insane!" Gray said. "We're supposed to be after a powerful group here!"

"One?" Lucy asked. "If that's true, how crazy intense is this guy going to be?"

Rizzo was about to comment when there was suddenly a squeal from behind them. She blinked before turning around along with the others to see a little blue-haired girl lying face down on the floor. She picked herself up of the floor while mumbling a bit in pain. She got onto her feet then dusted herself off as everyone took in her appearance. She looked no older than twelve or thirteen at the most.

"Hi," She began nervously. "I, uh, I'm sorry I got here so late. I've come from the Cait Shelter guild. My name is Wendy. It's a pleasure to meet all of you."

Rizzo stared at Wendy while wondering what this little girl was capable of, and wondering what this meant for the alliance.


	48. Setting Off to Hunt Demons

IMPORTANT!

 **I just want to warn you guys that after this update I won't be able to post as much as often. For some reason my documents aren't working. Not my Microsoft Word or my WordPad. I can't open certain documents, and I can't save new ones for some reason. I have no idea what's causing this. Until I get the problem fixed, I won't be able to post as often as I usually do. I just want to apologize in advance, and I promise to try to figure out what's wrong.**

UNTIL THEN

ENJOY THE CHAPTER!

* * *

Rizzo kept blinking at this Wendy girl while thinking she looked rather adorable. Rizzo didn't want to rudely assume…but could this girl even fight? Rizzo knew looks could be deceiving, so maybe the girl had a lot of magic power behind her. Sven is a powerhouse and looks twelve after all. As Rizzo was wondering what this girl was capable of, the others murmured together while looking confused at Wendy's arrival.

"Now then, since all guilds are present we can begin." Jura said.

"Yes, Jura." Sher said as she nodded once obediently.

She stood at his side with her arms behind her back as she stood at attention like a soldier would do.

"They're not even fazed by this?!" Gray asked shocked.

"Obviously not." Lyon said.

The white-haired mage knew it took a lot to faze Jura or Sher. In fact, he's never seen either one of them surprised before.

"What in the world is Cait Shelter thinking sending a little girl on this kind of mission?" Sherry asked. "They must really be hurting for members if they sent her here on her own."

"She isn't alone." A new voice said. "You shouldn't jump to conclusions, gaudy Trollope."

Rizzo and everyone else looked down where the voice came from to see a small white-furred cat like Happy and Sanjū. Sanjū blinked in surprise at seeing another feline much like her and Happy as she landed on the ground beside Happy who gasped with wide eyes as he stared at this new feline.

"What is this?" Gray asked.

"A cat." Lyon answered.

"Whoa, she's just like Happy and Sanjū." Natsu said.

Rizzo nodded in agreement while still feeling a big surprised. She knew that there was always a possibility of there being cats like Happy and Sanjū. After all they had to come from somewhere, right? It's just that after six years, Rizzo and everyone from Fairy Tail haven't seen any felines close to Happy and Sanjū before.

"She can talk too?" Lucy asked.

"Stupid cat." Sherry insulted. "I'm not gaudy."

"That's your beef?!" Lucy asked surprised.

"Sherry, quit your whining." Sher said. "And stop pouting. You're not a child."

"Yes, ma'am." Sherry said. "Sorry."

Lucy blinked as she looked between Sher and Sherry. They looked so much alike, and their names were so similar. Were they related? If Sher was the older sister, it'd make sense why Sherry was doing as she said.

"Oh, Carla, you followed me here?" Wendy asked.

"Of course I did." Carla said. "You're far too young to be traveling unaccompanied, Child."

Sanjū tilted her head. Too young? When Rizzo was Wendy's age, she was always out traveling. She was taking jobs by Wendy's age, and sometimes went on her own.

"Pretty kitty." The Trimens said flirtatiously.

Sanjū shook her head at them while feeling sorry for Carla. However, if the Trimens put their attention on her, Sanjū wouldn't have to worry about being picked up again any time soon.

"Stop flirting with cats!" Lucy snapped.

Sanjū doubted that'd be happening anytime soon. She then turned towards Happy as he let out a happy gasp. She blinked in confusion when seeing hearts in his eyes before she looked over to see Carla looking his way.

"Thumpty-thump-thumpty-thump." Happy murmured to go along with his thumping heart.

Sanjū frowned wondering what got into him. Over all the years they've none each other, she's never seen Happy act like this. Carla looked away with "hmph!", which had Happy letting out a small squeal. Sanjū watched as his entire body shook….was he crushing…on Carla?

"Happy's…acting funny." Sanjū said.

She then blinked as she was picked up by Rizzo who had an amused smile on her face.

"Love can sometimes make people act funny." Rizzo said.

"You don't act that way around Gray." Sanjū pointed out.

She even pointed towards Happy who was asking Lucy to tell Carla he wasn't neutered yet.

"Yeah, well, that's because he's Gray." Rizzo said.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Gray asked.

Rizzo just grinned at her boyfriend as he walked over to stand beside her while she was still holding Sanjū. Gray rolled his eyes at her while guessing he wasn't going to get a reply.

"I still don't understand Happy's odd behavior." Sanjū said.

"Maybe if you ever find a handsome cat out there to crush on, you will." Rizzo said.

Sanjū scoffed highly doubting that she would ever act like Happy is now almost more than she doubted that she'd ever find herself a feline to have romantic feelings towards. Rizzo lightly chuckled when she saw the doubt on Sanjū's face.

"Sorry." Wendy said getting their attention. "I'm probably not what you expected. I know I'm a lot smaller and younger than most of you. And I may not be much of a fighter, but I can use all kinds of support magic. So, please, let me join the group! I'd be so embarrassed if you sent me home!"

Rizzo and the others blinked as Wendy kept looking everywhere but at them as if she was too scared to meet their gazes.

"You'll never gain their respect if you can't show confidence, Child." Carla scolded.

"I'm sorry, Carla." Wendy said.

"I swear you'll drive me to catnip." Carla said.

"I can't help it!" Wendy said nervously.

Carla let out a sigh of exasperation as if she had to deal with Wendy's nervous tendencies daily.

"Forgive me." Erza said as she stepped forward. "I was caught off guard, but rest assured no offense was meant. We're glad to have you aboard, Wendy."

"Yeah, so don't be so worried." Rizzo added as she stepped up as well. "As if we'd send home a member from one of our fellow allied guilds."

Wendy, who had crouched down on the ground, blinked a few times before her face lit up.

"Oh, wow, you're Erza, right?" Wendy asked as she cupped her cheeks. "And you're Rizzo! I can't believe I'm meeting the two of you!"

Rizzo was a bit surprised the girl new of her. Rizzo has been mentioned a few times in Sorcerer's Weekly just as much as everyone else in Fairy Tail, and she has had a few of her pictures in the magazine. However, she didn't know her face was well known. Well, she does have that one little fanclub, but they were locals from Magnolia.

"You're not quite the monster I pictured, Erza." Carla said.

"Surely you've heard of Happy the Catmander." Happy said as he stepped up to Carla's side. "Brace yourself cause he's right here."

Carla turned away from him again while putting her nose quite snootily up in the air. Sanjū was about to console Happy in getting snubbed, but when she saw the happy expression on his face, she paused.

"She loves me!" Happy said. "This must be destiny."

Sanjū nearly fell over in shock while wondering what was up with Happy's mind.

"Destined to be rejected." Lucy said. "She's totally ignoring you."

"Naïve comments like that show you know nothing about women and their wile ways." Happy said.

"I hate to break this to you, but I'm a woman!" Lucy said.

Happy just ignored Lucy as he went back to gazing lovingly towards Carla who was still ignoring him. Sanjū shook her head while deciding to not even try to understand what was going on inside Happy's head.

"I just really need some tea." Sanjū said.

Rizzo chuckled in amusement at Sanjū then turned back to Wendy who was still crouched on the floor. Rizzo stepped forward while holding out her hand. Wendy blinked up at her curiously.

"Here." Rizzo said with her hand still held out. "There's no reason for you to be crouched down on the floor like that."

Wendy nodded her head then hesitantly reached out to take Rizzo's hand. Rizzo helped pull Wendy up onto her feet. Rizzo then blinked when Hibiki stepped up to take Wendy away from her.

"Please, come with me, lovely lady." Hibiki said.

"Um, okay." Wendy said.

"Do not touch!" Lucy said.

Hibiki blinked once in confusion when Rizzo pulled Wendy away from him, so the little girl was out of arms reach.

"Hibiki, I love you like family, and I let you get away with a lot of flirting." Rizzo said. "However, Wendy is far too young for you, so hands off, understand?"

Rizzo fixed him with a stern gaze that showed she meant business. Gray grinned glad to see that Rizzo was finally stopping the flirting even if it was for Wendy and not herself.

"Yes, Rizzo." Hibiki said while pouting.

"That goes for the two of you as well." Rizzo said.

She looked to Ren and Eve, who was actually must closer to Wendy's age, as said girl was glancing between Rizzo and the Trimens.

"Yes, Rizzo-nee-chan." Eve said obediently.

"Tch, whatever." Ren said.

Rizzo nodded her head satisfied that they would do as she told them to do. Hibiki put his arm around Rizzo's shoulders as he brought her in close.

"If we can't pamper Wendy, may we pamper our musical princess?" Hibiki asked innocently.

Before Rizzo could even think of a reply, Gray had tugged her away from Hibiki into his arms. He held Rizzo against his chest as he glared at Hibiki.

"What did I say about keeping your hands off of her?" Gray asked.

"Hey, we just want to be nice to a friend." Hibiki said. "What's wrong with that? Besides, didn't my plan push you two together in the first place?"

Gray practically growled remembering the plan that Hibiki was talking about. He let go of Rizzo while ready to pounce on Hibiki to kick his ass. However, Rizzo held him back by grabbing his arm. She did not want to be breaking up a fight between her boyfriend and friend from another guild.

"Oh?" Lyon asked as he stepped up. "I'd love to hear this."

Gray glared at his fellow ice mage since he didn't want Lyon of all people to hear about the story of how Gray and Rizzo ended up together. He really, really didn't want him to know.

"Well, dearest Rizzo and Gray were passing through our town on the way to a job." Hibiki said. "I graciously offered them a place to stay for the night before they would have to go through the mountains."

Gray frowned because "graciously offered" weren't the words that came to mind. More like Hibiki was trying to coax Rizzo to his house.

"When seeing the attraction they held for each other, I came up with a plan to push them together, and my friends agreed to help." Hibiki continued.

"Because all we wanted was for Nee-chan to be happy." Eve said smiling.

Rizzo smiled at him as well as she put an arm around his shoulders, which had him smiling up at her. Ren just "hmphed" as if he didn't care about it at all.

"And the plan led to the two of them having a lover's quarrel." Hibiki said. "And let's just say my plan worked because when they returned from their mission, you couldn't get Rizzo to let go of the guy."

"He was injured!" Rizzo said as she blushed. "I was making sure he didn't fall over at any second."

"Aw, you're so cute when you blush." Hibiki teased.

Rizzo just blushed more as she turned away from the group and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh, and what happened on the mission, Gray?" Lyon asked.

"None of your damn business." Gray said.

"Ya know, not even we know what happened exactly." Lucy said as she grinned. "Why don't you tell us, Gray?"

Gray frowned at Lucy while really not wanting to talk about what happened. It was a tender moment between him and Rizzo. Why did he have to share?

"What's wrong, Gray?" Lyon asked. "Too shy to reply?"

"Lyon, quit pestering them." Sher said sternly as she walked up. "Now, everyone quit goofing off because we have work to do, understand?!"

Everyone jumped at her drill sergeant like tone except for Jura, who was used to hearing it, and Erza.

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" The group said while saluting her. "Please forgive us!"

Sher stared at them a moment longer then adjusted the military cap on top her head. She turned to face Jura while standing at attention again as she saluted him.

"The troops are ready to be briefed, Jura sir." Sher said.

"Yes, thank-you, Sher." Jura said as he lightly smiled. "Now at ease, soldier."

Sher nodded while dropping the salute. She then moved to stand with Sherry and Lyon since they are part of her guild after all. Rizzo watched her go while wondering if Sher was more than just some guild mage. She almost acted as if she was part of the military.

"Your guildmate is scary." Gray whispered to Lyon.

"You have no idea." Lyon said back.

When Sher threw them a glare, they stiffened in fear. Ichiya then cleared his throat to get everyone to turn their attention onto him now.

"Sher-san is right." Ichiya said. "We are here on business. Now, men, prepare for the briefing!"

"Yes, Master, right away!" They said.

They ran off to get what Ichiya needed to brief everyone on what was information they had as Ichiya continued posing.

"Those pretty boys keep calling him different things." Lucy said.

"They may not be the brightest, but at least they're consistently inconsistent." Gray said.

Lucy nodded in agreement as the Trimens reappeared with some lights and other props for Ichiya. He stepped up on the small platform as everyone gathered around.

"Okay," Ichiya began as he posed with the lights coming on to shine on him. "Now that all the involved parties are present, I think it's now time to get the mission briefing on the way."

He then posed again in some odd manner that had some sweat-dropping at the sight.

"You gonna brief us through interpretive dance?" Lucy asked.

Ichiya ignored Lucy's question as he once again struck another pose for all of them to see.

"Our first order of business— _pose_ —is determining the location of the Oración Seis." Ichiya said. "….Right after I make a letter of the alphabet."

He started scurrying away as many of the group made disgusted faces. None of them wanted to know that. The only ones who weren't bothered were, of course, the Trimens who were even clapping for him.

"Great, if he's making the letter for poop, I'm out of here." Gray said.

"We're rooting for you, Teacher." The Trimens said as they continued clapping.

"Pick a title, would ya?" Lucy asked.

"He's being a disgraceful unit captain." Sher said with her eyebrow twitching in annoyance.

Sherry and Lyon stiffened while knowing that it was never good when Sher got annoyed.

"Now, Sher, calm down." Lyon said as he bravely put his hand on her shoulder. "Remember we're here on business, so we can't lose our heads."

"…fine…" She said in the end.

Sherry and Lyon both let out sighs of relief since they just dodged a bullet there.

"Lyon." Sher said.

"Yes?" He asked blinking curiously.

"Remove your hand." She said.

"Oh, right!" He said as he jerked his hand back as if he had been burned.

Gray and Rizzo watched the interaction before exchanging a glance with each other. Rizzo just silently shrugged her shoulders in the end.

* * *

Once Ichiya returned from the bathroom, everyone gathered around once more to listen to what information Blue Pegasus had managed to get.

"Much better." Ichiya, who was in yet another pose, said. "Now, please, pay close attention. To the north likes the Worth Woodsea where the ancients once sealed a powerful force. A magic called— _pose_ —Nirvana!"

"Those poses are getting really old." Gray said with a deadpanned expression on his face.

Rizzo gave his hand, which she's been holding for the last few minutes, a squeeze as a sign for him to behave. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze back in acknowledgement though there was no certainty that he would keep the snarky comments to himself.

"Nirvana?" Lucy and Natsu asked unison.

"Never heard of it before." Lyon said.

"Do you know what it is?" Sherry asked.

She looked up at Jura as she asked this as the large bald man was staring forward with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"No, I do not." Jura said.

"Sher, did you ever hear anything about it when working under the Magic Council?" Lyon asked.

The other guilds' members looked towards Sher with wide eyes as the woman cupped her chin.

"Not that I'm aware of." Sher said. "Of course, Rune Knights weren't often given information over ancient weapons or powers unless said weapon or power was causing trouble for the people."

More surprised looks went her way when the group learned that she was a Rune Knight. Or once was at one point in time. Rizzo has never heard of a female Rune Knight before. Of course, Rizzo knew any female mage with enough power could be a Rune Knight. She's just never heard of one before. She always thought those sexist pigs from the Fiore Military tried to purposely keep women from their ranks.

"You're a Rune Knight?!" Natsu asked shocked.

"Not anymore." Sher replied. "I resigned a year ago to return to Lamia Scale."

"My cousin had been a Unit Captain." Sherry boasted. "So she was a pretty big deal when she was working with the council."

Natsu gawked at Sher while wondering how powerful she exactly was.

"None of that is important." Sher said. "We need to focus back on the task at hand."

Rizzo got the feeling that Sher wasn't just trying to keep everyone on track. It was almost like Sher didn't wish to speak of her past as a Rune Knight as if the memories were unpleasant ones.

"Right. Now,we don't know much about this magic other than its name." Ren said. "And that it's destructive in nature."

"And that the Oración Seis wants it badly." Eve added.

"Destruction magic?" Natsu asked.

"Okay, bad feeling confirmed." Lucy said.

Rizzo frowned while quite sure that if Oración Seis was going after something so important that they would want some extra help to make sure things went as planned. That help could be some of the sub-guilds that answer to them, or even the members of Shadow Undertaker who are on the payroll. Should she warn the others of the possibility of an attack from Shadow Undertaker? If later they get separated and she does see signs of Shadow Undertaker being around, it'd be too late to say anything, right?

"We assume that's why they traveled to the Worth Woodsea." Hibiki said. "They're desperate to get their hands on such a powerful magic."

"To prevent that from happening— _pose_ —we must destroy the Oración Seis!" Ichiya said.

And not only was he posing. The Trimens were doing their own poses as well as they looked towards everyone else.

"I'm so over the posing." Lucy said.

"I think they're starting to grow on me." Gray confessed.

Ichiya struck another pose once more as Sher turned towards Rizzo who was to the right of her.

"Do they usually act like this?" Sher asked Rizzo.

"Well, yeah, but they do it more if they have an audience." Rizzo said as she lightly chuckled.

Sher shook her head wondering how this whole mission was going to go with these pretty boys and one troll tagging along.

"We may have the advantage in numbers, but remember—" Ren warned.

"We cannot underestimate." Even said to finish the warning.

"They're incredibly strong." Hibiki said. "We may well be in over our heads."

He then snapped his fingers with his archive magic appearing beside him, which had some blinking in confusion.

"That's Archive." Jura said.

"Don't believe I've seen it in use before." Lyon said.

"And it does what exactly?" Sherry asked.

"Overall it's used to store information. However, it's actually a very useful magic for analyzing data, helping in strategizing, and connecting troops together." Sher said. "Using it he can even upload things to others' minds that might be useful in battle. It might not be good for fighting, but it can make a difference in battle nonetheless. Of course Archive is only as good as the mage who uses it."

Sher has seen mages who use archive magic before, and using their magic it changed things in the overall battle. Very handy in her opinion. Pictures then started to appear in front of everyone, and Rizzo had to guess these were images of the Oración Seis.

"Oh, the beautiful lady flatters me." Hibiki said as he smiled towards Sher who frowned at him in return. "And she's right. Archive can do all of those things. But storing information like these pictures is its basic function. Don't ask how we got them."

"Saying that makes me want to ask." Rizzo said pouting.

Hibiki chuckled in amusement while not all that surprised. Usually telling the pinkette not to do something leads to her doing it, or really, really, wanting to do it.

"First is the snake mage—Cobra." Hibiki said.

"Beady eyes and a mischievous smirk." Natsu said. "Looks like trouble to me."

Rizzo nodded her head in agreement because the guy really did look like trouble.

"Talk about the pot calling the kettle black." Lyon and Gray said in unison.

Rizzo blinked wondering what they meant by that. We're they saying that Natsu was like this guy?

"Next is a mage, who judging by his name likely uses speed magic—Racer." Hibiki continued.

"I don't know what it is, but I don't like the looks of this guy." Gray said.

"I don't either." Lyon said.

Personally, Rizzo didn't like the look of any of these guys. They were mages who used their magic darkly, which means Rizzo was going to work as hard as ever to bring them down.

"Then there's a mage who's willing to wipe out and entire military unit if the price is right." Hibiki said. "Divine eyes, Hot-Eye."

"The guy kills for money?" Sherry asked.

"Turns my stomach." Jura said.

Sanjū and Rizzo exchanged a glance while both having deep personal issues against such mages. Any mage that killed for money didn't deserve to be called a mage in Rizzo's opinion.

"She's gorgeous, but just as vicious." Hibiki said. "This is Angel."

"She's the beautiful yet deadly, huh?" Lucy asked. "Is this chick for real?"

Hibiki moved onto the next person, and Rizzo frowned with something about the woman in the photo making her uncomfortable.

"And this is Moonlight." Hibiki said. "All we really have is her name. We don't even have a clue what her magic could be. However, we do have reports that on her own that she wiped out a small unit of Rune Knights."

"What?" Sher asked with a frown on her face. "She was strong enough to do that?"

"Gees, this chick is bad news." Rizzo said.

That wicked grin on the woman's face already had Rizzo's skin crawling. Gray placed his hand on Rizzo's shoulder to give her some comfort. Lyon even moved in closer to Sher when he saw that she seemed troubled to hear some Rune Knights had been injured because of this woman named Moonlight.

"The next member is such a mystery all we know is his name—Midnight." Hibiki continued.

"That's an odd name." Erza said. "Does it correlate to his power?"

"We have no idea." Hibiki said. "But those six members there are considered the six demons of the Oración Seis, and the one who is commander is called Brain. There you have it. Alone they can wipe out entire guilds, and together they're unstoppable."

The images disappeared from in front of the others as Hibiki finished introducing them.

"We have fourteen to their seven, but that's our only advantage." Hibiki said.

"Actually we might have more than seven dark mages to worry about." Rizzo said.

Everyone turned towards her with curious gazes as she stepped up towards Hibiki.

"Hibiki, is there a way to download certain images from my mind to Archive?" Rizzo asked.

"Yes," Hibiki said nodding. "All you have to do is think specifically on the images you have in mind, and I should be able to add them to Archive. Would you like me to do so?"

Rizzo nodded her head then closed her eyes as she thought about certain images in her mind. Hibiki placed his left hand on top her head then typed with the left to get the images in her head to download. Six more images appeared in front of the group, and the Fairy Tail group gasped when seeing one of the images bared a striking resemblance to Breccan.

"These are the Shadows of Shadow Undertaker, and I also would like to ask that you don't ask where I got these images. I assure you though that I have never met any of the people in these images. Also these images are thirteen-years-old, so the people have aged. However, I'm sure you'd be able to tell who they are even now that they're older." Rizzo said as she gestured to the images. "Now, due to recent information gathered by some mages of Fairy Tail we have learned that Shadow Undertaker works for the entire Balam Alliance."

The three other guilds' mages stood there in shock to hear this as Rizzo touched one image to make it widen. The image showed a man with long teal hair that was braided at the end where it fell past his waist. He had pale lavender eyes, and he was rather beautiful almost like a woman yet he had definite masculine features. He was pale skinned, and a guild emblem visible on his left hand.

He wore a traditional blue kimono top with long sleeves. He then had white hakama on then white socks and black slippers. There was a red sash going around his waist, and three swords rested there in their sheaths. He had black spiked armor on his shoulders, and a straw hat on top his head.

"This is Sesshōmoto Yoru." Rizzo said. "He is the fifth Guild Master of Shadow Undertaker, and the leader of the Shadows, which are the elite members of the guild. In other words they are considered the most deadly of the group. It's unknown what his exact power is, but it's a safe bet that those swords on his hip play a key role in his magic."

Lucy and Wendy gulped both feeling freaked out as they looked at this beautiful man who could probably have them laying on the floor choking on their own blood in the matter of a second. Erza, Gray, and Natsu all stiffened when hearing the man's last name. Yoru? So…he was related to Amarante in someway?

"His second-in-command is a man name Aeron Ableben." Rizzo said as she brought up said man's photo. He uses vibration magic. It doesn't sound like it'd be good for assassinations, but believe me, strong and precise vibrations to a human body can cause a lot of damage."

Rizzo's friends frowned as they realized this man was Breccan's father. If any of them ever ran into this guy, they needed to kick his ass for Breccan. Rizzo had Hibiki blow up the next photo to show a green-haired woman.

"And this is Thana Ableben." Rizzo said. "She's the wife of Aeron, and she uses magic that deal with toxins. Toxins that can cause nightmares and hallucinations to death. I hear she enjoys causing her prey nightmares before she "mercifully" puts them out of their misery."

Jura narrowed his eyes wondering how such despicable people could live in the world. His stomach was churning so much right now due to this wickedness.

"Next is a man named Bora, but since his and his daughter's deaths, no one has taken his spot as a Shadow." Rizzo said. "His daughter's death leads me to the man who killed her, and his name is Beelzebub."

The next image enlarged with a young looking man with dark skin and dark green hair that was cut very short except for the turf of hair that stuck up on the middle of his head. His eyes were hidden behind goggles that much looked like a fly's eyes. He then had long chain earrings hanging from his ears with fly charms hanging from them. He wore a simple black turtleneck with dark green sleeves and black pants and boots.

"He uses a type of magic that allows him to summon many insects to his side." Rizzo said. "They either infect the victim's body to cause them illness, or they eat the victim alive."

Sherry shuddered as she put her arms around herself. These people sounded like a bunch of monsters. The next image pulled up to show a young boy with scruffy brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. He seemed to be about six or seven, and he wore a dojo looking outfit.

"Finally there is Verto who became a Shadow a few years ago after killing his father to take his title." Rizzo said.

The group gasped with their eyes widening. Did they really just hear Rizzo right?

"This…this guy killed his own dad?" Natsu asked.

"Yes." Rizzo said. "In Shadow Undertaker bonds of family and friendship are not taught. In fact, it's preferred that no such bonds exist because apparently it gets the jobs done more efficiently. Now, Verto uses morph magic. It allows him to morph into the forms of others. It also allows him to download their memories and use their abilities. He can even change into animals if he wishes. Besides Sesshōmoto he is considered to be the most deadly out of Shadow Undertaker."

Rizzo nodded to Hibiki, so he had the images disappear from in front of everyone.

"I'm telling you all of this because there's a possibility that one of these Shadows is hanging around." Rizzo said. "I just don't see Oración Seis making such a powermove without extra protection of some kind. Now, they might be so sure of their abilities that they don't call in a Shadow for help, but I wanted all of you to be informed of this threat just in case one is around."

"I see." Jura said. "Yes, this information will definitely be helpful. Thank-you, Lady Rizzo."

Rizzo nodded while glad the information she knew was helpful. Rizzo learned all this from Breccan, and she knew all their faces up to when Breccan saw them last since he shared their appearances with all this siblings through their telepathic link. Rizzo knew Breccan wanted all his siblings prepared, which is why he gave them all a crash course on the Shadows after learning they were still in business.

"If I wasn't freaked out before, I sure am now." Lucy said before she held up her hand. "Question: can I volunteer to stay behind and not die today?"

"I don't wanna die either." Wendy said. "So may I please go home?"

"You may not!" Carla said sternly. "We have a job to do, Child!"

Sanjū, who hated everything to do with violence, nodded in agreement. She didn't want to be around such violent people, or get pulled into the violence. However, she came here to be useful to her guildmates because she knows just how dangerous these Oración Seis can be.

"Since they didn't count us do you want wanna get out of here and find some trashcans to raid?" Happy, who was holding up a fish, asked Carla.

Carla ignored him again as she turned her nose up at him. Sanjū sighed while placing her paw on Happy's shoulder.

"Give it a rest, Happy." Sanjū said. "We need to be getting serious here."

Happy just continued to looking dreamily at Carla as if Sanjū hadn't spoken at all. Sanjū's brow twitched in annoyance as she actually wished to hit the love struck tomcat with that fish he's holding. She gasped realizing where her thoughts were leading her. She fell to her knees in depression with her front paws keeping her from falling face first into the ground when realizing that her guildmates' violent ways were rubbing off on her. She needs meditation to cleanse herself of such horrible, violent thoughts.

"Curve your fear, my friends." Ichiya, who was still posing, said. "There's more to our operation than mortal combat. With your help maybe we can find the enemy's stronghold!"

"Strong hold?" Natsu asked.

Everyone turned back towards the Blue Pegasus boys as Hibiki was typing away on Archive.

"Yeah, you heard the man." Ren said. "We've looked everywhere, but had no luck."

"Here's the deal," Eve began as Hibiki pulled up an overview shot of the forest. "They've got to have a temporary base in the Worth Woodsea."

"And once we've located it, our plan is to gather the Oración Seis inside." Ichiya said.

"How do we do that?" Gray asked.

"We beat 'em up and drag their butts there!" Natsu said.

"Oh yeah!" Rizzo agreed.

She and Natsu shared an excited grin while also giving each other a high-five. Gray and Lucy frowned at the both of them as they were practically vibrating in excitement.

"They're a little too excited about this." Lucy said as she hung her head.

Gray silently agreed as he shook his head at Rizzo and Natsu who had their arms thrown around each other's shoulders.

"What's the next part of the plan?" Erza asked.

Ichiya pointed upwards with everyone glancing up wondering what they were supposed to be looking at. If it was the ceiling, Rizzo didn't see how it was going to help them.

"Then we will give them a one way ticket to oblivion!" Ichiya said. "Courtesy of Christina! The pride of the Blue Pegasus guild."

"Oh, I completely forgot about Christina!" Rizzo said as she smiled.

She's only seen Christina from a distance during her visits to the Blue Pegasus guild. She wondered if she'd be able to get a closer look now. She wanted to see inside and press buttons that she probably shouldn't. She grinned mischievously at the very thought.

"I've heard about the magic bomber, but I thought it was just a myth." Sherry said.

Sher tilted her head while intrigued about this bomber of theirs. She's heard of it too, but never laid eyes on it.

"Whoa, is that necessary?" Lucy asked. "There's only seven of them."

"That's the type of enemy we face." Jura said.

"Sir, yes, sir!" Lucy said looking a bit scared.

She then hid behind Rizzo as if the pinkette would be able to protect her from Jura. Rizzo highly doubted the man was going to be attacking them anytime soon. Besides, even giving it her all, she's sure that Jura could squash her in two seconds flat. Taking him on would be like taking on Gildarts, and every time she did that while growing up lead to being K.O.-ed after one hit. Even when she partnered up with Natsu, they both failed miserably.

"Remember under no circumstances should you engage the enemy in solo combat." Jura said. "Our best bet is to separate them then devote two mages to each fight."

Everyone, except Lucy and Wendy, nodded in agreement while sure that would be the best plan of action. However, Rizzo knew she'd have to pay extra close attention for members of Shadow Undertaker. Hopefully, they wouldn't be a part of this fight. If they were, it would make things harder.

"Oh, this is a total nightmare." Lucy said.

"Yeah, I can't take the pressure!" Wendy added.

"Will you two stop acting like children?" Carla demanded.

"Come on, Lucy, pull yourself together." Sanjū added gently as she pat the blonde's leg.

Lucy just scooped Sanjū up to hug her as if holding the pink feline made her feel better. Sanjū sighed though supposed if it gave Lucy comfort that she could allow the blonde to hug her like a stuffed animal. Natsu then slammed his fire covered fist into his hand with a large grin on his face.

"Let's go!" Natsu said. "I'm all fired up! Time to kick some ass, Rizzo!"

"Right!" Rizzo said.

The two of them took off towards the door where Rizzo quickly grabbed her guitar case as Natsu bust down the door. They ran down the path together as Rizzo was snapping the strap to her guitar case around her.

"Time to hunt us some demons!" Natsu said. "Here we come!"

"Yahoo!" Rizzo cheered.

She and Natsu picked up the pace while leaving their friends in the dust… _literally_.

"Rizzo, get back here!" Gray shouted after her as Lucy called out, "Where do you think you two are going?!"

The two of them were ignored as the two pinkettes of Fairy Tail kept running as fast as possible towards the direction of the forest.

"Always acting without a thought in their heads." Erza said. "Actually, what makes it worse is that Rizzo does think…she just decides not to listen to her head when Natsu is involved."

"Some days I wonder about their mental health." Lucy said.

Sanjū, who was still in her arms, nodded her head in agreement as Gray let out a soft sight.

"What do you wanna bet that Natsu didn't even hear the plan?" Gray asked.

"I bet five fish he didn't." Happy said.

"Then I suppose it's good that Rizzo is at his side." Sanjū said. "Natsu might bring out Rizzo's brash side even more, but at least she also makes Natsu think a bit more as well."

The Fairy Tail mages nodded in agreement because that was rather true. At least they knew Rizzo heard the plan.

"Overkill much?" Ren asked as everyone else came outside.

"Yeah, no kidding." Eve said.

"Just great." Hibiki complained. "We're going to have to fix it. I love our dear Rizzo to death, but it would have been nice if she opened the door instead of plowed right through it with Natsu."

The other two Trimens nodded their heads as Gray sent them a frown when Hibiki said "our dear Rizzo".

"I just realized something." Sanjū said. "Natsu and Rizzo went to go fight the enemy together…unsupervised."

Erza and Gray paled in horror when they realized the same thing. Even Happy looked a bit horrified as his mouth dropped open. Lucy has yet to see what the two pinkettes could do as an actual fighting team, but based on her guildmates reactions she didn't want to find out.

"We need to move now!" Erza said urgently. "Don't let them get too far ahead!"

"Right!" Gray said.

The Fairy Tail mages hurried off running to try and catch up to their pink-haired guildmates. The other guilds watched them go with some of them looking amused.

"Their energy is as infection as I remember." Lyon said.

"Well, let's not get left behind." Sher said as she started running forward. "Move you two! Double time!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Sherry and Lyon said in unison.

They hurried after Sher as they were trying to catch up to the members of Fairy Tail. The Trimens were right after them while knowing they can't be left behind.

"So we're hunting demons." Ren said.

Eve hummed in agreement with a slight smile of excitement on his face. Hibiki ran on his other side with a smile of his own appearing on his face.

"And an angel too." Hibiki said.

"Yeah, Demon Hunting! Woohoo!" Rizzo could be heard yelling from far ahead.

The Trimens all laughed in amusement while already feeling a bit more excited about this mission. Natsu and Rizzo's enthusiasm really was contagious. Carla then looked up at Wendy as the blunette watched the older mages run off. Wendy was shaking while wondering how the others could be so brave to just start running off to fight seven powerful mages without hesitation.

"Pull yourself together, Child!" Carla ordered Wendy.

"Have no fear!" Happy, who was supposed to have went with his team yet didn't, said as he held up his paw. "Because the catmander's here!"

However, he was ignored as Carla started pulling Wendy along to make her catch up with the others.

"You'll be the death of me." Carla complained.

"Sorry, Carla!" Wendy said apologetically.

Happy stood there quietly for a moment before he realized that he had been left behind.

"WAIT FOR ME!" He cried. "You need a man to protect you!"

* * *

Rizzo and Natsu ran ahead of the pack with their friends finally starting to catch up. A head of them they saw a forest, which had Natsu grinning.

"There it is!" Natsu said.

"Wait up, Rizzo, numskull!" Gray, who was just right behind Rizzo, said.

She glanced over her shoulder seeing he wasn't happy in the slightest. He must not be happy that she and Natsu ran off without everyone. Oh well, he'd get over it eventually.

"In your dreams." Natsu said.

"That's an order!" Erza said. "You can't rush into this one alone!"

"One: We're not alone, Erza." Rizzo pointed out. "And two: you're just worried one of us will stage you up!"

"Say what?!" Erza demanded.

Rizzo just laughed while glad to see that she had pushed a button of Erza's. She rarely was able to really do that since the redhead was used to Rizzo insulting her.

"Stop moving your feet right now!" Erza snapped.

Natsu fumbled trying to stop, but ended up going right over a cliff to start falling down towards the forest.

"Don't worry, Natsu!" Rizzo shouted. "I'm coming."

She then jumped off the side of the cliff after him, which had Gray starting to freak out.

"Rizzo!" He shouted.

It appeared he didn't have to worry since Rizzo moved her guitar case under her as it suddenly sprouted wings. He let out a sigh of relief while remembering that Craylee had added two sets of wings to Rizzo's guitar case. A smaller pair towards the neck of the case and a larger pair towards the back since Rizzo was saying that the case sometimes got in the way, and Craylee decided to add something "cool" to it, so it could be used in more ways to make it more useful. Gray and the others watched as Rizzo managed to grab a hold of Natsu by the back of his shirt.

"This is totally awesome!" Rizzo said.

"Yeah, good job, Rizz!" Natsu, who wasn't feeling sick since Rizzo was holding onto him, said. "Now let's go find these Oración Seis guys!"

"You got it!" Rizzo said. "Downward we go!"

Rizzo used her feet to steer the case downwards as their friends watched them go. Once they passed the trees of the forest, Rizzo let go of Natsu who easily landed on his feet. She then jumped off the case to land on her own feet. The wings disappeared off the case before it floated down to rest on her back again.

"That was so amazing." Natsu said. "Why haven't you used that before?"

"Well, before it case could only float a minimal amount." Rizzo said. "It wasn't made to carry people, but when Craylee added the wings, the case could take the wait. Pretty cool, huh?"

"The coolest!" Natsu said. "Now let's get moving before the others catch up. If we find the enemy before they do, they won't be able to stop us from fighting together!"

Rizzo nodded feeling super excited already. The two of them started running through the forest again while hoping the others didn't catch up. Rizzo was to take down those members of Oración Seis. There was no way in hell that she was letting them get the best of her, and with her best friend at her side there wasn't a chance of them winning.

"Ya know, this forest has a funky smell." Natsu said as they ran.

"Really?" Rizzo asked. "What do you think might be causing the smell?"

Natsu frowned unsure, but he sure didn't like the smell that was for sure. As they were leaving the patch of forest, the others caught up to them. They must really be double timing it to catch up. When Rizzo glanced back, she saw Sanjū a bit farther back to hang back with Lucy who was having trouble catching up. Lamia Scale, who had Sher in the lead, was keeping up well enough though Jura wasn't in sight.

"You finally decided to catch up, huh?" Rizzo asked smiling at Gray.

"You two just can't go running off on your own." Gray said frowning.

"What?" Rizzo asked. "Jura said devote two mages to a fight, right? Well, Natsu and I went as a pair of two, didn't we?"

Gray frowned wishing Rizzo would be a bit more cautious. He knows she's a strong capable fight, but he can't help but worry about her. Suddenly a dark shadow fell over the group, which had everyone pausing. Gray didn't stop quick enough, and ended up bumping right into Natsu, which sent the two of them to the ground. However, they were both soon back on their feet, so to butt heads.

"So we're pulling cheap shots now, are we?!" Natsu demanded.

"If I wanted a piece of you, I'd take you head on!" Gray retorted.

Erza then forced them apart by shoving their heads a part.

"Focus!" She ordered.

Rizzo just stared up in awe with everyone else as Christina was flying overhead.

"That's the magic bomber...Christina." Erza said.

"I want one!" Natsu said.

"Me too!" Rizzo agreed as she smiled brightly.

Gray looked at the two while knowing if they had a magical bomber that all of Fiore would be doomed. He then shook his head as he looked back up at the bomber.

"It definitely lives up to the hype." Gray said.

"I have to say I'm quite impressed." Sher said as the others finally caught up.

Sher was sure that the Magic Council could benefit from having a few magical bombers themselves.

"Whoa cool." Lucy said.

"Horses can fly too?" Happy asked.

Sanjū sighed looking towards Happy while wondering if he really didn't know what a Pegasus was. They were mythological horses with wings. There were actual legends about them. Flying cats...not so much. So really she and Happy were the weird ones.

"Please, refrain from opening your mouth again." Carla said.

"Alright, let's split up and find their temporary base." Erza said.

"I'm flying the bomber thing!" Natsu said.

"Can I co-pilot?" Rizzo asked eagerly.

"Don't even think about it." Gray said.

Rizzo pouted at him wondering why he had to burst her bubble so quickly. Would it really hurt to let her dream? Suddenly an explosion happened from Christina that had billowing smoke going up from its side. Everyone gasped wondering what was going on.

"What's wrong with Christina?!" Hibiki asked urgently.

No one knew the answer, and to make things worse more explosions happened on the magical bomber. Soon it nosedived into the forest below with a huge, massive explosive being triggered the moment it hit the ground. Everyone started in horror as smoke and fire flew up into the air from where Christina had hit.

"This doesn't bode well." Lyon said.

Sher frowned while moving in front of Sherry. She had a feeling they were about to be engaged by the enemy, which meant she had to be on her guard. Rizzo was on the alert as well as she gripped the strap to her guitar case. Rizzo then got into a stance when the air seemed to shift.

"Gray, Rizzo." Natsu said.

"We know." The two said in unison.

"We've got company." Gray continued. "Everyone stay frosty."

Everyone else got ready as the smoke started clearing, which revealed seven people coming towards them.

"Yeah, it's gotta be them." Lucy said. "The Oración Seis."

The smoke cleared completely, which allowed Rizzo to size up their enemies more clearly. She didn't know their exact powers, but she knew they were dangerous. That meant she had to be on her guard.

"Lowly maggots swarming together." Brain said.

Sher's brow twitched when he said that. He dared to call _her_...a maggot? Who the hell did he think he is?

"Maggots?" Sher murmured.

Lyon and Sherry leaned away from their guildmate when feeling the dark aura starting to build around her. They knew she didn't take kindly to anyone referring to her as bug.

"I'm afraid short stuff isn't going to make it to the party." Angel said.

"And neither is that big, bald Wizard Saint." One of the odd creatures beside her said.

"We took them down!" The other added.

The three mages from Lamia Scale stiffened when hearing that Jura was taken down. Then Rizzo and the Trimens were shocked to hear about Ichiya. Rizzo knew he was a very capable mage even though he's a little troll, so it was surprising to hear he was already defeated.

"They were defeated?" Lyon asked.

"Impossible!" Hibiki denied.

"There's terror in their voices." Cobra said as he smirked. "I can hear it."

"And they reek of fear." Moonlight said as she snickered. "Poor little piglets are scared. How adorable."

Rizzo frowned at being referred to as a piglet. Actually she was feeling very insulted.

"The quicker we wrap this up the better." Racer said then pointed at the groups. "I'll run you over so fast your head will spin."

"Money determines strength in this world! Oh, yeah!" Hot-Eye declared. "If you save but a penny today, it shall become a vast fortune in the future! Further more,-"

"Enough with the preaching, Hot-Eye." Cobra, Moonlight, and Racer said.

They all looked exasperated as if Hot-Eye usually went on long preaching rants. Well, if they hadn't told him to shut-up, Rizzo would have by shoving her guitar in his face. Midnight just kept snoring as he continued to sleep on his magic carpet. Lucy sweat-dropped as she looked at him.

"Is it sad that I'm terrified of the snoring guy?" Lucy asked.

"A little bit." Sanjū admitted.

Lucy nodded while not all that surprised. After asking, she knew it sounded pretty pathetic.

"I have to admit that I didn't expect you to show yourselves." Erza said.

It was tensely silent for a moment as the air blew between the two opposing groups.

"Ready?" Natsu asked Rizzo and Gray as he cracked his knuckles.

"You bet." Gray said.

"I've been waiting for this." Rizzo said.

Cobra smirked at all three of them while feeling a bit excited himself. Moonlight was definitely excited. She let her eyes rack over the group before they landed on Rizzo...yes, she'll be her target. The female pinkette sure did look delicious.

"Want an invitation?" Cobra asked.

"You being here is invitation for us!" Natsu and Gray said in unison as they rushed forward.

As they were rushing the enemy, Rizzo snapped her fingers with her guitar case flying off of her back to float behind her.

"Take them." Brain ordered.

"Yes, sir." Racer said.

He rushed forward in a blur before ending up behind Natsu and Gray. He kicked them down and before Rizzo could even call their names, Racer ended up behind her. He kicked her in the back, which sent her rolling across the ground. Lucy screamed all their names, but then realized her voice had been overlapped. She turned seeing herself. Before she could process was going on the other her started whipping her.

"Why am I whipping myself?!" Lucy asked. "What's going on!"

"Lucy!" Sanjū called.

She tried to help her friend, but the imposter Lucy wrapped her whip around Sanjū then slapped the pink feline into the ground.

"Sanjū!" Lucy cried.

Lyon and Sherry went to help the Fairy Tail mages, but were caught in magic from Hot-Eye that had them sinking into the ground.

"Forget love!" Hot-Eye said as he had the earth mold around Lyon and Sherry. "All you need is money! Money is all you need!"

The two of them were being completely swallowed up with struggling not even helping.

"What is this stuff?! Quicksand?!" Lyon said.

"How dare he say love is less important!" Sherry said then held out her hand to Lyon. "Grab my hand, love!"

Sherry did feel a hand grab hers, but it belonged to her cousin. Sherry gasped while gripping Sher's hand back tightly.

"Sherry, quit goofing off at a time like this!" Sher snapped.

"Yes, ma'am!" Sherry said.

Sher then frowned as she forced herself through the quicksand like magic to grab a hold Lyon.

"Sher!" He gasped.

"Hold onto me!" Sher ordered. "We're getting out of here!"

Lyon and Sherry put their arms around Sher's torso as Sher was taking in a deep breath.

"Water God: Bellow!" She shouted.

A large torrent of water cut through the quicksand to free them from the quicksand just as the Blue Pegasus boys were being taken out by Racer. Sher stood tall as Sherry and Lyon fell to the ground still covered in muck.

"Oh this one has some fight in her." Moonlight said.

"I think I've seen her face before." Cobra said.

"Her name is Sher Blendy." Brain said. "Former Captain of the 5th Custody Enforcement Unit. In other words, she's a former Rune Knight. Also she practices a form of lost magic known as God Slayer magic with water being her element."

"The power to slay gods, huh?" Moonlight asked. "Sounds intriguing."

Sher just narrowed her eyes while ready to show these "demons" not to mess with members of her guild. Anyone who lays a hand on Jura or Sherry or Lyon will find themselves staring down death as Sher comes to drown them with her power.

"Water God: Nebula Wave!" Sher said.

She sent a large black water wave towards the Oración Seis. They all dodged except for Midnight and Moonlight. The silver-haired woman took the attack head on, which had Sher wondering what the hell she was up to. Sher then gasped when seeing that Moonlight had changed into some fish-like humanoid, and was managing to swim right through her Nebula Wave. Sher didn't have time to prepare for her, so she wasn't able to block the hard right hook that Moonlight sent at her face. Sher was knocked through the air before she crashed to the ground, which had her magic coming to a halt.

"Sher!" Sherry and Lyon called.

Moonlight, who was back to her original form, laughed as she landed on her feet in front of her guildmates. She looked around seeing the Allied Forces were down except for Erza Scarlet who was having to fend off Racer and Cobra. Rizzo frowned while not ready to give up now. She had to keep going. One hit wasn't going to be the end of this fight for her. She flipped onto her feet everyone was getting up. However, no matter how many attacks they threw, the Oración Seis was besting them. And no matter how many times she got up, Rizzo was knocked back down. She wasn't even able to get an instrument from her case at all.

"Dammit." Rizzo cursed as she hit the ground again.

She laid on the ground with her comrades as the Oración Seis looked at their handy work.

"How pathetic." Brain said. "Prepare for oblivion's embrace!"

He raised his staff towards them with a dark magic circle appearing in front of the skull head. Green magic appeared around them, and Rizzo cursed again while feeling unable to move. She couldn't even turned her head towards Gray or her other teammates. As Brain went to cast the attack, Rizzo closed her eyes while ready to take the hit. She didn't know what was coming, but she'd take it then walk if off if she had to. However, when the attack didn't come, she opened her eyes in confusion.

"What's the matter, Brain?" Racer asked.

"Are you going to case that thing or what?" Cobra asked.

Brain didn't reply as he stared in front of him looking shocked. Moonlight blinked wondering what his deal was. She turned her head to follow his line of sight over to the little blunette hiding behind a rock with two cats in front of her.

"Wendy." Brain said.

Wendy, who had tears in her eyes, looked at Brain in confusion.

"Uh, yeah?" She asked softly.

Rizzo laid there wondering how the hell Brain knew Wendy when the little girl didn't seem to know him. And why did Rizzo have a bad feeling in her gut?


	49. It's Time to Get Serious!

Coco: I actually got to post a new chapter. I'm so happy. Now my computer problems aren't fixed. In fact I had to work like hell to get this thing written and posted. Hopefully over the weekend I'll get my computer fixed, so posting chapters will become simple again. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, K?~

* * *

Rizzo managed to push herself off the ground a bit when Brain stopped mid-spell cast. She couldn't really move much else, and it seemed the others were in the same state. She looked towards Brain wondering why he stopped. He seemed interested in Wendy, and even knew her name. Rizzo was worried just what the sicko was thinking as he stared at the young girl.

"What's the matter, Brain?" Racer asked. "Are you going to cast the spell or what?"

"Do you know her?" Cobra asked.

"No doubt about it." Brain said. "That's Wendy…the Maiden of the Sky."

Rizzo frowned wondering what all this Maiden of the Sky crap meant. Was Wendy someone of importance?

"What, Maiden of the Sky?" Gray questioned.

"Wendy." Hibiki murmured.

Wendy just ducked behind the rock as she held her head. Happy and Carla looked at her as she crouched there in confusion.

"What does that mean?" Wendy asked.

"I was going to ask you." Happy said.

Wendy just sniffled as the tears collected around her eyes. She didn't even know what she was doing here. She wasn't a fighter. She wasn't brave. She just wanted to meet Natsu to ask him some questions. Now she doesn't know what to do.

"To think we simply stumbled upon her here." Brain said. "We've made quite a find, my friends. Grab her!"

He pointed his staff forward with a green like substance shooting out of it. The Allied Forces watched as the green substance formed a hand on the end to pluck Wendy right off the ground.

"Wendy!" Carla and Happy shouted.

Wendy let out a scream as the green hand started pulling her towards the Oración Seis.

"Unhand her now!" Carla ordered as she rushed after the hand.

Wendy begged for help as Carla tried to get close enough to offer her assistance to Wendy.

"I'll save ya once I'm able to catch up!" Happy said.

Rizzo growled as she tried even harder to get up on her feet. Wendy needed saving, so laying around on the ground wasn't helping at all.

"Striking while we're down that isn't fair!" Natsu complained.

"All is fair in money and war!" Hot-Eyes said as he prepared to attack. "Oh yeah!"

He morphed the ground around the allied forces to send them flying up into the air as Brain continued trying to collect Wendy.

"Carla!" Wendy cried.

"Grab my paw!" Carla shouted.

Wendy reached out to grab Carla's paw, but blinked when she ended up grabbing onto a certain blue feline instead as a certain pink feline was holding onto him by the tail.

"You've gotten the wrong cats!" Carla said.

She managed to grab ahold of Sanjū's tail, which had the pink cat hissing in pain when Carla jerked hard to try and free Wendy. However, all she accomplished was tugging Sanjū so hard that she lost her grip on Happy's tail. Sanjū landed on the ground with Carla then watched as Happy and Wendy disappeared in a swirl of green.

"Happy!/Wendy!" Natsu and Carla shouted.

Sanjū sat there on the ground not believing that she let her grip slip like that. She should have held on tighter.

"I have no use for the rest of you." Brain said. "Be gone!"

He sent that dark attack down on all the fallen members of the Allied Forces. Sher forcibly and quickly got onto her feet while sucking in a deep breath.

"Water God: Bellow!" She shouted with all her might.

The torrent of water shot up out of her mouth to hit the attack. She blocked most of it, but some of it got past her, which had her mentally cursing. She wouldn't be able send out another attack in time to stop the rest of Brain's magic. When seeing this, Gray was quick to cover Rizzo with his own body as Hibiki and Ren hurried to protect Lucy.

"Gray, don't try to be a hero!" Rizzo said.

"Just shut up and let me protect you!" Gray retorted.

He wasn't planning on budging anytime soon. He'd keep Rizzo protected no matter what. Sher continued standing up while turning quickly to try and get to Sherry. However, Lyon was suddenly in front of her as some of the magic was nearing her head.

"Sher, watch out!" Lyon shouted.

He jumped at her to tackle her to the ground with her back hitting it kind of hard while using his own body as a shield.

"What are you thinking, idiot?!" Sher snapped. "Cover Sherry!"

However, it didn't appear Lyon had to since Eve, who was gentleman enough, covered Sherry first. Lyon just pulled Sher closer while ready to take the blunt hit of the attack for her. He wouldn't let his guildmate be harmed. However, it didn't seem he needed to worry since Jura arrived just in time to cast a spell over them that formed a rock wall to block the attack. Gray let out a sigh of relief as he let his forehead drop to brush against Rizzo's. He had been kind of scared there for a second.

"That was awesome!" Sherry said.

Lyon smiled while glad that everyone was safe, and that Jura seemed okay. Sher shifted under him, so he moved back a bit to give her some room. She pushed herself up into a partial sitting position as she frowned at the ground.

"Sher, are you alright?" Lyon asked.

"I'm fine." She said.

Lyon frowned because the tone of her voice suggested that she wasn't fine. However, he knew better than to press the issue.

"You're the best Wizard Saint ever!" Eve said as he got off Sherry.

"I'll second that." Hibiki said as he moved off Lucy. "We owe you one."

"Yeah, we were almost goners." Lucy added. "Thanks a million."

Gray finally moved away from Rizzo who set up. She was glad they were all okay, but they still had a dark guild to deal with. And she was ready to throw them for a loop this time.

"Okay, let's take them down!" Natsu said.

He and Rizzo looked to where the Oración Seis had been standing…to see they were no longer there. Natsu blinked in confusion as Rizzo narrowed her eyes.

"They're long gone by now." Gray said as he stood.

He held out his hand to Rizzo, and when she took it, he helped her up off the ground. She then gave a whistle, so that her case, which had fallen, would return to her. Once it was on her back, she was ready to get going.

"Why'd we let them get away?!" Natsu demanded.

Gray rolled his eyes because they didn't let them do anything. They got their asses handed to them, and when those guys got Wendy, they left while Gray and the others couldn't eve move.

"They wiped the floor with us." Ren said.

"They're a lot stronger than we are." Eve said. "We never stood a chance against them."

Sher, who was on her feet by now, growled in aggravation while planning to get Moonlight back for that punch earlier. After that she was going to teach Oración Seis not to piss her off.

"The Oración Seis…what unbelievable power." Lyon commented.

"And there are only seven of them. Their magic is much stronger than the rumors suggested." Hibiki said. "And the chance of there being more dark mages around is unsettling to say the least."

Rizzo frowned knowing that Shadow Undertaker being around was indeed still a possibility.

"Just look at what they did to Christina." Sherry said.

She was honestly getting worried about all this. Not to mention she was worried about Sher who had a pensive look on her face.

"According to Angel—the woman who peers into minds—they know everything about our mission." Jura said. "We're lucky no lives were lost."

Sher just "tched" not feeling lucky at all. She hated being defeated so easily. Hated it to her very core. Rizzo glanced at Sher seeing the slightly older woman had the same look on her face that Rizzo usually got when she angrily feels weak. Rizzo used to get that look a lot when she was younger, and needed protecting from her comrades more often than not. Of course, her training brought her far since then, but she still has those moments where she's defenseless and needs help. It's not something she enjoys, and she can tell Sher doesn't either.

"Wait a sec, what about all the people inside?" Lucy asked in concern.

Sanjū was worried about that as well. There had to be people to pilot such an airship, right? What happened to them when Christina went down?

"Don't worry, pretty lady." Ren said.

Lucy and everyone else turned towards the Trimens as they stood there looking unworried.

"Christina is equipped with a remote control function, so there's no need for a pilot." Eve explained.

"We were going to climb aboard once we found their base, but as you can see we never made it that far." Hibiki added.

Well, Rizzo was just glad to hear that no one was hurt since that was the most important thing. However, Wendy and Happy were taken, and those Oración Seis bastards got away.

"Oh good." Lucy said. "That's a relief."

She was truly grateful no one was hurt. Well, not too much anyway. All of them sure took a beating though.

"Glad to see you've made it out unscathed." Lyon said as he stepped up to Jura.

"Not quite." Jura said. "In fact, I barely made it out alive."

The younger three mages from Lamia Scale looked a bit surprised as they turned towards Jura.

"You're wounded?" Lyon asked.

"Their power terrifies me." Jura said. "I hate to admit it, but if it wasn't for Sir Ichiya's painkiller perfume, I would be in utter agony right now."

Rizzo finally noticed the little troll was here as he was posing off to the side in his typical manner.

"Detestable Oración Seis, instead of bravely facing your foes you decided to flee." Ichiya said. "Which means we win by default!"

"That's not how it works, ya weirdo!" Gray snapped.

Rizzo reached out to place a hand on his shoulder to calm him down before his annoyance started another "disagreement" amongst the group. Sher frowned at Ichiya while not believing he counted this as a win. Those guys didn't run. They just decided that the Allied Forces weren't worth their time anymore, which makes her even more pissed off.

"Look, Pal, we may be battered, but we are not beaten." Ichiya said to Gray then held up a vile and popped the cork on it. "Here take a whiff, and let my painkiller perfume ease your comfort!"

As the perfume filtered around everyone, Rizzo was feeling the aches in her body all but vanish. She looked down at her hand while clenching it and unclenching it for a moment. She felt a bit stronger already. Those Oración Seis better watch out. She was starting to feel rejuvenated, and she has a bone to pick with them. The moment she finds them, they'll be shit out of luck because she will beat them the second time around.

As the others were also feeling the effects from the perfume, Rizzo was already planning what she was going to do to the bastards that attacked them. She wasn't going to let them get away with what they've done for sure. Besides, they have to get Happy and Wendy back. Thinking of Happy had Rizzo glancing down at Sanjū as the pink cat was looking sadly where the Oración Seis had disappeared while taking Happy and Wendy with them.

"Don't worry." Rizzo said as she crouched down beside the pink feline. "We'll get them back, I promise."

She pet Sanjū on top of her furry head, and Sanjū nodded even though she was still worried.

"What do we do now?" Natsu asked. "How dare those punks run off with Wendy and Happy! This sucks I've got to go find them!"

He then hurried to his feet to rush into the forest in the direction none of them were even sure the Oración Seis even went.

"Hey, where are you going?" Lucy asked though didn't get an answer from the running Natsu.

Natsu didn't get very far though since Carla flew up to grab him by the scarf, which jerked him to a halt like a dog on a leash.

"You mustn't be reckless." Carla scolded. "You need to calm down and think this through."

The others just blinked at Carla's wings as she continued to hover in the air. Sanjū guessed that Carla really was just like her and Happy.

"Those wings." Gray murmured.

"Was she hiding them?" Lucy asked.

Gray looked down at Sanjū as she stood between him and Rizzo. Well, he guesses he shouldn't be surprised since Carla is like Sanjū and Happy.

"You can fly?" Ren asked.

"That's so cool." Eve said.

Rizzo glanced back at them while wondering if they already forgot that Sanjū and Happy can fly too.

"You've never seen aera magic before?" Carla asked. "Well, in that case I suppose it's only natural that you'd find it surprising."

"Not really." Rizzo said. "We have two flying cats in Fairy Tail."

She pointed to Sanjū who also spread out her wings and took to the air, so she could fly around Carla to get a better look at her wings.

"Happy and I can fly too." Sanjū said.

"That's right." Natsu said as he continued to lay on the ground. "You must be trying to copy them."

"As if, Dimwit!" Carla said.

She then frowned at bit at Sanjū as the pink-furred cat continued to hover in the air in front of her. Carla knew there were other cats like her ever since she hatched, so she really shouldn't be surprised that Sanjū has magic like her own. However, Carla was confused as to why Sanjū wasn't with a Dragon Slayer. Unless she and Happy were both Natsu's companions. Carla didn't think that was the case considering Sanjū stuck more around Rizzo, who's known to be a music mage, than Natsu.

"Now, now, we can have three flying cats." Lucy said.

"Though I am concerned about Wendy and _that_ Tomcat, this is not a foe to be taken lightly." Carla said. "We cannot face them again until we come up with a plan of attack."

Rizzo frowned thinking this feline was a bit too bossy. Yes, Rizzo knew that a plan of attack was a good idea. However, she really didn't like Carla's attitude.

"I wholeheartedly agree, Lady Carla." Jura said. "The enemy is far stronger than we anticipated."

"But first," Carla said as she turned her head.

Everyone followed her line of sight seeing that Erza was leaning against a tree clutching her arm…which was turning purple. Her guildmates hurried over to her as she continued to wince in pain.

"Are you okay?" Natsu asked.

"What's the matter?" Lucy asked looking concerned.

Rizzo frowned stepping forward to get a better look at Erza's arm, which wasn't looking good. Rizzo gently moved Erza's hand away from her wound. Erza cried out a bit, but Rizzo was being as gentle as she could.

"The venom from her wound is spreading dangerously fast." Rizzo said. "At this rate her entire body will be infected soon enough."

The Fairy Tailers all frowned in concern as Rizzo continued to inspect the wound where the venom had been injected.

"Master Ichiya!" Eve said sounding worried.

"I've got this, Men." Ichiya said then _unsurprisingly_ posed. "I know what you need, my honey. A little painkiller perfume! Aroma Increase!"

He sent the perfume right at Erza to make her feel better, but Rizzo noticed that the perfume seemed to make the venom spread. She looked at Erza's arm in confusion as the Trimens explained to the confused Lucy how Ichiya's perfume would help Erza. Sher, who was watching Rizzo look after Erza, frowned realizing something.

"Put a cork on that thing now!" Sher ordered.

The group jumped at her demanding voice as she went over to Erza and Rizzo.

"Wh—what's wrong, Sher?" Sherry asked.

"That stuff is making the venom spread, so cork it!" Sher snapped again.

Ichiya quickly did as he was told as Sher moved Rizzo to the side, so she could take a closer look at Erza's wound.

"Erza, hang in there." Natsu said.

"What do we do?" Lucy asked. "Sher, do you know of anything?"

Sher did seem like a knowledgeable person, so Lucy was hoping that she knew something.

"I can make it where some of the venom leaks out by cutting a slit in her arm where it was injected." Sher said. "However, that'll only slow down the venom from spreading. It won't be a permanent fix, but might give us time to find an antidote. That Cobra guy might even know of one."

Erza's guildmates looked a bit hopeful when Sher said that. The woman from Lamia Scale brought a knife out of her boot while ready to make the cut.

"No wait." Erza said.

Sher paused wondering why the redhead would want her to pause in trying to help save her life. Rizzo wanted to know to, and if it was for a stupid reason, Rizzo might smack Erza even though she is injured.

"I'm sorry, Lucy." Erza said to the blonde. "I need to borrow your belt."

Lucy tried to ask why, but Erza already jerked if off over her. Lucy squealed as her skirt dropped to the ground, which had the Trimens blushing and basically panting at the sight.

"Look away!" Lucy ordered as she kicked all of them.

They went flying a few feet away as Lucy tried to keep her skirt up on her hips. Erza quickly put Lucy's belt around her arm tightly. Sher frowned thinking she knew where the redhead was going with this, and Sher knew that sometimes desperate times called for desperate measures. However, right now didn't seem like one of those times.

"Just what are you going to do with that?" Lucy asked.

"It's harsh, but it's the only way I can keep fighting." Erza said.

She put a cloth in her mouth to bite down on before throwing one of her swords down in front of the others.

"Somebody cut it off." Erza said.

Everyone stared at her in shock as she held out her arm to the side of her. Yep, she had Sher pause in her plan to come up with a stupid one. Rizzo was really tempted to punch her right now for being moronic.

"At least give us time to find an antidote!" Gray said.

"I don't have time!" Erza retorted.

"You would if you let Sher help you." Rizzo shot right back. "Stop being stupid, Erza! You're not fighting anymore until you're cured. Now lay down, and let Sher do something to help you!"

Erza just stubbornly continued to sit there waiting for someone to do the deed. Rizzo was really close to knocking her out to make her do as they said.

"Very well." Lyon said as he grabbed the sword. "I will do it."

Most of the Allied Forces looked at him as if he was crazy. He couldn't really be serious?! Rizzo narrowed her eyes at him as she stepped in front of Erza. He'd have to go through her before he could even think of laying a finger on Erza. Rizzo wasn't about to let Erza lose an arm. If she did, Rizzo would no longer have a reason to strive and beat her because Erza would be useless (yeah, yeah, we all know you're doing this because you care, Rizzo. Don't try to hide it).

"How kind of you." Sherry said.

Rizzo scoffed because she didn't see what Lyon planned to do as doing something kind.

"Put down the sword." Gray ordered as he got in front of Rizzo and Erza.

"Do it!" Erza said.

"Shut the hell up, Erza!" Rizzo said. "If you cut off that arm, there's no guarantee you'll live! Stop trying to be tough or something because you're failing miserably at it!"

Erza frowned as Rizzo turned to glare down at her with eyes that showed she wasn't budging just as much as Erza didn't plan to.

"Um, Lyon, are you really going to do it?" Lucy asked.

"We can't lose one of our strongest when we're facing such a powerful foe." Lyon said.

"Yeah," Lucy said. "But—"

"Oh, come on!" Sherry complained. "I can't believe we got stuck with you wimpy fairies! Quit whining! Your friend is going to die if we don't do something to help her."

Sher silently frowned at her cousin while wondering if Sherry really thought cutting off a comrade's arm when asked is supposed to make you strong. It doesn't. Rushing to the easy solution while not even thinking about fighting for the harder solution showed weakness. However, she remained silent because Erza's fate was up to her comrades not her.

"Your friend's going to die if he doesn't put down that sword!" Lucy warned.

"Why is that?" Sherry asked. "This is just his way of showing love."

Lucy's glare just hardened while ready to fight both Lyon and Sherry if it kept them away from Erza.

"Just hurry up and cut it off before the venom spreads to the rest of my body!" Erza said.

Lyon stepped forward while lifting the sword up. Rizzo stood her ground ready to fight him off with magic if that's what it came to.

"Put the sword down!" Gray snapped.

"Don't do it!" Hibiki said. "Do you wanna be known as the guy that maimed Erza?"

"You don't have to do this!" Eve said. "Stop! We'll find a cure!"

Eve went to run forward to interfere, but Jura calmly blocked the blonde by putting out his arm.

"We have no right to interfere with her wishes." Jura said.

"Ready?" Lyon asked as he raised the sword.

He went to bring it down, but he was kicked in the gut, which sent him going backwards. He caught his footing then glared at Rizzo who kicked him.

"Try that again, and you'll be the one missing the arm." She said darkly.

"Is her arm worth more to you than her life?" Lyon asked. "I didn't take you to be spineless like Gray, Rizzo. In fact, I got the vibe you didn't even like Erza."

"Erza is a pain in my ass for sure." Rizzo said. "However, she bares the mark of Fairy Tail, which makes her my family. Anyone who I see as a threat to my family will find themselves six feet under if they don't tread carefully."

Lyon frowned while actually feeling his body shake a bit when Rizzo had that glare fixated on him. Her eyes showed she meant some serious business.

"If you cut off her arm now, it'd affect her for the rest of her life." Rizzo said. "You might be worried about her being down for the count, but I'm not. We can beat Oración Seis without Erza as long as we pull together. So drop the sword, so we can all work together as our Guild Masters want us to do."

Lyon was silent for a moment as everyone else looked between Rizzo and him quietly. The silence was broken when Erza let out a cry of pain before falling to the ground. Lucy was quick to rush to her side as were Gray, Natsu, and Sanjū. Rizzo, however, didn't move as she kept her eyes trained on Lyon. Sher saw the resolve in Rizzo's eyes, and realized the decision had been made. Erza would not be losing an arm today. Knowing that meant that Sher could move in to help the redhead.

"This is bad, guys!" Eve said. "We've got to find a way to keep the venom from spreading, or she'll die."

Sher moved in beside Erza, and grabbed her arm quickly. Before anyone could blink, Sher cut a somewhat deep cut into Erza's arm, which had blood trickling out. Lucy gasped when seeing some purple substance leaving Erza's body as well.

"That gives us a bit more time." Sher said as she stood up. "However, she can't continue to bleed like that either, or she'll die from blood loss instead. After a few minutes she'll need to be bandaged up."

Sher pulled out a small roll of bandages before tossing them to Lucy who barely managed to catch them.

"Thank-you." Lucy said.

Sher silently nodded her head then went up to Lyon. She held out her hand expectantly. He frowned though handed the sword to her, which in turn she held it out to Rizzo. The pinkette blinked a bit surprised that Sher was doing this, but Rizzo took the sword nonetheless while nodding her thanks to the older woman.

"Taking her arm wouldn't be the right thing to do." Sher said. "And considering her body is being affected by poison she isn't in the right state of mind to be making decisions on what to do. And, Sherry, I never want to hear you call them wimpy fairies again. It takes more courage to fight for a harder solution than take the easy solution right from the get go."

Sherry looked down at the ground unable to meet Sher's gaze. Why did her cousin keep taking those stupid fairies' sides?

"Now we need to find a way to help Erza." Sher said.

"What we need is to get Wendy back because she can help." Carla cut in after being silent for so long.

Everyone turned towards the white feline as she stood there with her paws up her sleeves.

"This is not the time to be bickering amongst ourselves." Carla said. "As Rizzo said we need to work together. That is why you were all sent here, yes? Now we need to think of a plan to rescue Wendy and I suppose that Tomcat too."

Sanjū frowned wondering why Carla wouldn't just use Happy's name. Sanjū also didn't like how dismissive Carla was of Happy. He's just as important as Wendy.

"Wait a sec, are you saying that little girl has some kind of anti-venom magic?" Eve asked.

"Amazing." Ren said.

"Not just anti-venom." Carla said. "She can cure fevers, relieve pain, and heal wounds."

"Um, excuse me, I feel as though my role in the group is being threatened, and I find that rather unsettling." Ichiya said.

Rizzo gave Ichiya deadpanned look as she wondered if he forgot he could do other things besides use his painkiller perfume. Even though he's a troll he's actually a very powerful mage.

"That's crazy." Sherry said. "Everyone knows that healing spells are lost magic. There's no way the kid could use them."

"Well, my magic is considered lost magic too, but I still use it." Sher pointed out.

Sherry tilted her head supposing that was true. Sher self-taught herself God Slayer magic via a book that had been given to her by a man on the council. She had even been very young when she mastered it. She was now helping to mentor Sherria, who's Sherry's cousin and Sher's little sister, in God Slayer magic as well.

"Can these powers have anything to do with this whole Maiden of the Sky thing?" Lucy asked.

"Yes, it does." Carla said. "You see that little girl is the Sky Dragon Slayer. She's Wendy the Sky Dragon."

Everyone looked at Carla in surprise. Rizzo had not been expecting that at all.

"She's a Dragon Slayer too?!" Natsu asked in shock.

"I'll give you all the details later." Carla said. "Although to be honest there's really not much more you need to know. Wendy is the only mage capable of saving your friend. We need her right now. Unfortunately the Oración Seis feel like they need her too for some unknown reason."

At Carla's words something seemed to change in the group dynamic. Sanjū looked at all the mages seeing that the look in their eyes showed determination. She knew they were now ready to truly work together.

"In that case," Lyon began.

"There's only one thing we need to do." Hibiki continued.

Sher nodded in agreement as she cracked her knuckles. She read ready for round two, and she was ready to fight to help her new and old comrades.

"We're going to have to rescue Wendy." Eve said.

"We'll do it for Erza's sake." Gray said.

"And Happy's too." Lucy tacked in.

"Those Oración Seis won't know what hit them once we catch up." Rizzo said.

"Alright!" Natsu said. "Are you with me?!"

Everyone gave a shout as they brought their hands together. They were ready now to fight as the allied force that their Guild Masters wanted them to be.

"Let's move out as teams." Sher said. "We'll cover more ground like that."

"But we couldn't handle those guys all together." Sherry said. "How will we beat them if we divide our numbers even more?

Sher put a reassuring hand on Sherry's shoulder as she stood between her cousin and Lyon.

"We weren't ready for them then." Sher said. "Now we are. Now, we need to go in teams of three."

"I think I'll stay here with Erza." Lucy said. "I don't want to leave her alone."

"I think that's best." Sher said nodding. "And, Hibiki, I believe you should stay behind as well. Your archive magic isn't made for combat, but you could help us by staying back and strategizing."

Hibiki nodded his head understanding his role. He really wasn't made for combat, but he can help from here with Lucy and Erza.

"I will go with Natsu." Carla said. "I believe his nose might be able find Wendy faster than anyone else."

Sher nodded her head then looked at the rest of the mages who didn't have teams yet.

"Then the rest of the groups should be divided by guilds." Sher said. "Except one team will be a mix of members. Two from Fairy Tail and one from Lamia Scale. That way every team has three members."

"Sanjū and I will pair with someone from Lamia Scale." Rizzo said. "I have a feeling Gray wouldn't be too keen about it."

Gray frowned because it's true that he wouldn't want to take the chance of getting paired with Lyon. However, he didn't want Rizzo out of his sight.

"I'll be fine." Rizzo said when seeing his look. "Not only will I have Sanjū at my side but one other capable mage."

"Yes, there's no reason to worry." Sher said. "I will partner with Sanjū and Rizzo myself. Now the plan is rather simple, we find Wendy and Happy, crush the Oración Seis if they get in the way, and bring Wendy back here to Erza. Afterwards we end all of this nonsense."

"Right!" Everyone agreed.

The groups then prepared to leave as Lucy and Hibiki went to move Erza a bit farther into the forest where they'd have more cover. Natsu and Gray went up to Rizzo and Sanjū as Rizzo was adjusting the strap to her guitar case.

"You two be careful out there." Gray said.

"Same goes to you." Rizzo said. "Remember Shadow Undertaker might be out in the trees as well. However, Oración Seis might have just gotten their grunts together instead, which would work well in our favor. If members of the sub-guilds come after any of us that means the Shadows aren't present, which will be one less thing to worry about."

Natsu and Gray nodded in understanding. They two hoped that all they had to deal with is the Oración Seis and lowlife dark mages from sub-guilds. Rizzo and Natsu shared a fist bump as they grinned at each other.

"How about a friendly competition, Natsu?" Rizzo asked. "Whoever finds Wendy first and gets her back to Erza is the winner, and the loser has to buy the winner lunch for a whole month."

"I'm game." Natsu said. "Oh, and whoever takes out the most of the Oración Seis will get to choose the dual training regimen as we get ready for the trials."

"Deal." Rizzo said.

They shared a high-five to strike the deal as Gray snorted at them in amusement. Leave it to them to make such silly bets during such a serious mission. Gray then hugged Rizzo, which had Natsu gagging. However, the pinkette did move off to the side to leave the "couple" alone for a moment.

"See you soon." Gray said as he held her.

"Yeah." She agreed as she hugged him back.

As they were saying their goodbyes, Sherry and Lyon were standing in front of Sher.

"You be careful, okay?" Sherry said while looking concerned. "And push yourself too much. I know you tend to do that."

Sher chuckled while reaching out to ruffle Sherry's hair, which had the younger cousin whining in complain.

"I'll be fine." Sher said. "You just watch out for the boys. Especially Lyon. You know sometimes he doesn't think."

Sherry nodded her head as Lyon resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the insult towards his intelligence, which he had an abundance of in his opinion. He then looked at Sher seriously as Sherry went to join Jura.

"You should listen to Sherry, and not push yourself." Lyon said. "I've only known you for a few months, but I know what that look in your eyes means. You think you failed in protecting everyone, so you want to redeem yourself by crushing the Oración Seis. However, there's no need for you to feel that way. Despite your wounds you got up to try and protect us, which is what matters. Don't go do something reckless just because you feel as if you have something to make up for."

Sher frowned at Lyon as she crossed her arms over her chest. She didn't like this little punk reading her like he is. Was she that readable? Were her feelings really that noticeable? She then tried to cover up what she was feeling by giving a chuckle.

"Hmph, it's cute how the little grunt is worried about me." Sher said as she turned away from Lyon. "Just worry about yourself and Sherry. I'm trusting you to look out for her, Lyon. You fail in doing that, and I'll have to whip you into shape when we get home."

Lyon shuddered knowing that Sher would keep to her word. If he doesn't keep Sherry safe, Sher would "help" him by putting him through training that would either make him stronger…or kill him. Either way, he'd feel a lot of pain.

"Let's move out!" Sher said. "Every second counts, and we don't have the time to be standing around! So shake a leg!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Everyone said.

* * *

Rizzo and Sher ran side-by-side with Sanjū flying just right above them. They haven't seen any signs of the Oración Seis or their kidnapped comrades so far during their search.

"Thank-you for what you did back there." Rizzo said. "Taking charge like you did, I mean."

Sher blinked while glancing towards Rizzo as the pinkette was sending her a friendly grin.

"I just did something that comes natural to me." Sher said. "Like Sherry said I used to be a unit captain amongst the Rune Knights. Learning to take charge when the troops are in such disarray is something all captains must do. Besides, you handled things quite well too."

Rizzo looked at Sher curiously while wondering what the older woman meant. Rizzo didn't do anything special.

"Not only did you stand your ground to help your guildmate, but you told everyone we could win if we pull together, which is what a good leader would do." Sher said.

"Oh that?" Rizzo asked. "It's not a big deal. A lot of our core members today were practically raised at Fairy Tail because we lost our families when we were young. As we grew up, Master Makarov always said that as long as we work as a family and as friends we could get past any obstacle and defeat any foe. These beliefs were some that even the first master of Fairy Tail lived by."

Sher looked at Rizzo intrigued as they continued to run through the forest with Sanjū flying overhead.

"Bonds of friendship are stronger than anything that can be thrown at us from the enemy." Rizzo said. "It's our feelings and bonds that make us stronger mages. That is what I believe, and my feelings are a hell of lot stronger than those Oración Seis guys', which is why I won't lose to them."

Sher felt her lip turn up into a grin as she looked back forward to the path ahead of them. She really wished those kind of beliefs were taught on the Magic Council. The council as a whole would benefit by thinking like the mages of Fairy Tail. When she was a Rune Knight, she used to hear often about the antics caused by the Fairy Tail guild. Many of the higher-ups would complain about them, and call them nothing more than delinquents.

However, Sher started thinking differently when she read about what the guild has done. Even though they usually leave destruction behind them they get the work done, and recently they've done a lot of good. They took down one of Zeref's demons known as Lullaby. They took down Phantom Lord, which had become rather corrupted by Master Jose's petty jealousy and greed. They brought down Jellal. who,was once posing as a man known as Siegrain, before he could revive the dark mage Zeref. And now they were here trying to help bring the Oración Seis down. For a guildof destructive delinquents they've sure helped do a lot of good for people.

"I wish more people thought like that." Sher said aloud. "Most people think strength comes from numbers and what kind magic a person practices. For example, people assume that I'm extremely powerful because I'm a God Slayer, and while I'm not weak I'm not unbeatable. And it isn't my magic that makes me as strong as I am it's my feelings and drive to protect the people I care about that give me strength, so I understand where you're coming from."

Rizzo smiled as she nodded. It was nice to see that someone understood. Some mages just scoffed at one of Fairy Tail's key philosophies even those this belief is what helps keeps them as the strongest guild in Fiore. As they continued running, they started to notice that they were being followed, but none of them were worried.

"I think we're going to work together just fine, Sher." Rizzo said as the enemy, which were a punch of sub-guild punks, surrounded them. "Which is why I'm sure we'll take care of these guys real quick."

Rizzo's guitar case snapped up into air without being commanded as Sanjū circled overhead ready to give aid. Sher chuckled with a grin on her face as the two of them skid to a halt while getting back to back. As they looked at their enemy, they noticed the people around them had black face paint on their faces that took the forms of black skulls.

"Looks like they're from the Night Skull guild." Sher said.

"Well, they're going to regret messing with us." Rizzo said. "We have friends to save, and anyone who gets in our way—"

"Is going down!" Sher and Rizzo said in unison.


	50. Monster Mash

Coco: I think after playing around a bit on my computer to see if there was any solutions to fixing it, I managed to actually do it because things are working really well again. However, I think I might still have it look at to be safe XD Anyway, since it's working I should be able to post chapters as a I regularly do. Now, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

"Well, that was boring." Rizzo said with a frown.

Sher nodded in agreement as she cracked her neck, which was a little stiff.

"You'd think an entire dark guild coming at you would mean a challenge, but these guys were pathetic." Rizzo continued.

Sanjū just sighed as she looked at her two companions as they stayed on top of a pile of the defeated dark mages. Sher was standing on some poor man's back with one of her feet on top of his head while Rizzo was sitting on top the pile with a bored expression on her face. The feline didn't even have to help since the two women showed no mercy on these guys and used strong attacks to quickly take them out. They didn't have to be so brutal, did they?

"Now," Sher began.

Sher reached down to grab one of the flunkies by his hair to jerk him up to her level. He squealed in fear when seeing the deadly look in Sher's eyes.

"Tell us where we can find the hideout of the Oración Seis." Sher said.

"N-no." He stuttered. "You're scary, Lady, but the Oración Seis is scarier."

"Oh really?" Rizzo asked.

The man stiffened looking past Sher to see Rizzo heading towards him with a scary expression on her face as she gave an unfriendly grin.

"You think they're scarier?" Rizzo asked. "Well, we're going to have to change that because let me tell ya, Pal, those demons have got nothing on us."

She leaned in towards the guy with their foreheads touching, and the man felt himself start to shake in fear when Rizzo peered at him with eyes that promised him pain that would scar him for life. Rizzo pulled back, which actually didn't make him feel better since now he had her glare and Sher's darken gaze on him. It doubled the amount of fear he was already feeling.

"Those bastards took our friends, and we're ready to do whatever it takes to get them back." Sher said. "Even if that means torturing you for information. Not to mention I'm pretty pissed off, which isn't good for you if you continue to be difficult."

The man whimpered with tears collecting in his eyes as he looked at these two monstrous women in front of him.

"Fine, fine, I'll tell you want you want!" He cried. "Just please don't hurt me!"

Sher dropped the man onto the ground as she, Rizzo, and Sanjū waited impatiently for him to cough up the Oración Seis's location.

"There's this old village west from here." He said. "It belonged to some natives who lived here a long time ago. It's in a small ravine with a waterfall beside it."

"Thanks for the info." Rizzo said. "Now why don't you take a nap?"

Rizzo kicked him right in the face, which sent him falling backwards unconscious. Sanjū frowned wondering if that was really necessary. She looked up at the grinning Rizzo getting the feeling the pinkette just did that for fun whether it was necessary or not.

"Can't believe he fell for that bluff." Rizzo said chuckling. "Sure, we'd knock him around a few times. But torture? Pfft, please."

She's not that mean of a person. Sher nodded her head in agreement.

"We better get going." Sher said. "We've wasted enough time here."

Rizzo agreed with her, so she jumped down to the ground where Sanjū was waiting. Her guitar case returned to her with the strap snapping around her securely.

"Okay, so we're heading west." Rizzo said. "Sounds simple enough, and we've got even more good news."

Sher and Sanjū looked at the pinkette music mage curiously as Rizzo grinned.

"If these grunts are the ones Oración Seis sent, it means they obviously didn't feel the need to call for a Shadow." Rizzo said. "That means once everyone takes care of the grunts that might still be running around we only have the Oración Seis left to defeat."

Sher was glad to hear this. This really meant they had one less thing to worry about.

"That's great." Sanjū said smiling.

Rizzo nodded her head as their group started moving once more, but they changed their course a bit to head west. Rizzo had to get there and kick the Oración Seis's asses before Natsu got there. Her bank account would take a huge hit if she had to feed him for a month. She accumulated enough money over the years and when combined with some of the money she inherited it would last nearly a decade without her having to work. Well to pay her rent at least that doesn't count for the food and other necessities she'd need.

However, if she had to feed Natsu and most likely Happy lunch for a month, she'd lose at least three years' worth of jewel. Then if he was in charge of the training they do together that mean Happy would actually be in charge, and that cat is absolutely brutal. He'd have boulders whirled at them while they were tied up, and the last time he did that Rizzo and Natsu were bruised for weeks.

"After we get Wendy and Happy back, we have to hurry back to Erza." Sher said as they ran. "If those Oración Seis get in the way, one of us will have to hold them back while the others continues to take Wendy to Erza."

"No, I could get Wendy back to Erza myself." Sanjū said. "Neither of you should fight those dark mages alone, so let me handle getting Wendy and Happy to safety. It's something I can do that's actually useful."

Sanjū didn't want to be useless after she came here to help. She might not be strong like Rizzo and Sher, but she can manage acting as a air service.

"Will you be able to carry both Happy and Wendy if they aren't capable of moving themselves?" Sher said.

"She'll be able to do it." Rizzo answered instead as she grinned. "Sanjū is stronger than she looks, and if they're heavy, she can use that other form of hers."

Sher blinked wondering what Rizzo meant by other form. Did these cat creatures have more than just flying abilities? Sanjū frowned hoping she wouldn't have to use that form. If she used it, it would mean she would be having to fight, which is the only reason she trained along Rizzo the last six years...ever since the fall of Treble Chambers. Sanjū hated violence because it was people with a love for violence that took away her first family, which is why she chose to walk a path of peace.

That meant she didn't wish to fight and hurt others. However, she's not naïve to believe that following this path of peace would always be possible...not if she wanted to make sure that she never lost the people she cared about again. That's why she trained for six years. Well really five years since she had to be a bit older because training with Rizzo. Now she wasn't anywhere close to the power of the many members of Fairy Tail. Not even half close, but she wouldn't allow herself to be useless.

"Well, well, looks like I've come across two lost little piglets and their pet kitty."

Rizzo and Sher both came to a skidding halt when hearing the accented voice. Sanjū landed on Rizzo's shoulder as the three of them looked up into the branches of a tree. Sitting crouched on one of the big tree branches was Moonlight. She had a twisted grin on her face as her piercing eyes gazed down at the girls.

"Today must be my lucky day." Moonlight said. "Not only do I get to test myself against the powers of someone with the power to slay gods, but I get to play with the cutie to her left."

Moonlight licked her lips as she put her eyes solely on Rizzo. The pinkette stiffened with her eyes widening. No...no, it couldn't be happening again!

"After I take care of the God Slayer and the cat, I'm going to take my time with you, Piglet." Moonlight said winking at Rizzo.

"Piglet?!" Rizzo demanded. "Do you I look fat to you?!"

"No," Moonlight purred. "In fact, you have such a subtle and delicate form. It makes you look delicious. I could just eat you up."

Rizzo started shaking in discomfort and fear as Sher grimaced at Moonlight. This woman was creepy for sure. Sanjū pet Rizzo on the side of her head to comfort her, but no amount of petting could comfort her right now.

"This can't be happening again." Rizzo said as she clutched her head.

"Again?" Sher asked.

"First that Silk guy declared he wanted to pluck my pure white lily!" Rizzo said as she pulled her hair. "Now this woman wants to "eat" me?! Why the hell does my rocking body attract all the weirdoes?!"

Sher sweat-dropped while actually feeling sorry for Rizzo. If Sher had to deal with freaks like this often like Rizzo appears to, she'd probably go insane.

"Silk guy?" Moonlight asked with a frown. "There's someone else after you, my sweet piglet?"

"Don't call me that!" Rizzo snapped. "And I really don't want to think of that guy! He defiled me by taking my first kiss, and swore he'd be back for my virginity! Just thinking about him makes me sick."

Rizzo shuddered as an image of Silk's smiling face entered her mind. Sher and Sanjū watched Rizzo as her face turned green. She really did look as if she was getting sick.

"Well, you won't have to worry about that guy taking that innocence of yours, sweet piglet." Moonlight said. "Because I'll be making you mine before the day is through."

Rizzo turned pale as she looked at Moonlight in horror. Why did all the freaks want to take her virginity?! She wasn't planning to give it up anytime soon, and when she did...Rizzo blushed a bit as Gray's face came to mind. Well, she'd give it to him, of course, when the time is right.

"Rizzo, try to pull yourself together." Sher said as she grabbed Rizzo's shoulders to shake her. "I know this woman is a complete creep, but we have to defeat her to get to Wendy and Happy! Come on, get your shit together!"

Rizzo started getting dizzy as Sher continued to shake her while telling her to pull it together. Sanjū sighed as she watched the two women. They were so embarrassing. Moonlight then chuckled, which got their attention.

"Creepy? Me?" Moonlight said. "Now, now, there's no reason to be throwing insults out of jealousy. I'll admit you're cute, but you're much too butch for me. So sorry, but only Pinky will be getting some lovin from me."

It was silent for a moment as Sher stood completely still with her hands still on Rizzo's shoulders as the pinkette shuddered when Moonlight said "getting some lovin", which made her stomach churn. Rizzo then stiffened when she felt Sher's magic power start build rapidly. Rizzo looked at Sher's murderous expression as her body started to glow blue from the amount of magic rolling off of her.

Rizzo didn't scare easy. Hell, she butts heads with Erza, who's known for being monstrous, and when Mirajane still acted like a punk, Rizzo used to mouth off to her too. However, Sher was scaring the shit out of her right now. This woman was more intense than Titiana Erza and the She-Devil Mirajane put together.

"That's it." Sher said as she let go of Rizzo. "I've had enough of you and your creepy comments. I'm going to show you why you should fear and respect a God Slayer. You caught me off guard last time, but it won't happen again."

Moonlight grinned with the excitement building up inside of her. She was going to enjoy beating this God Slayer, and she was really going to enjoy playing around with Rizzo afterwards. Rizzo shuddered once more while getting the feeling that Moonlight was thinking about something that she didn't want to know about.

"Bring it, water piglet." Moonlight said. "I'll show you that your power to slay gods won't help you against my Take-Over Magic: Monster Soul."

Moonlight was enveloped in a dark light, and when the light faded away she was revealed to be a wolf-human hybrid. Her fur was a grayish-silver and her eyes had an animalistic light to them. Her pants were ripped a bit along with her boots where her now clawed and furry toes were sticking out. Her bushy wolf tail swayed behind her as her large pointed ears twitched.

"Werewolf." Moonlight said grinning with her sharp teeth and long snout making her look more menacing.

Rizzo, who finally pulled herself together, frowned as she stood beside Sher who was more than ready to get this fight on its way. Rizzo's guitar case flew up into the air behind her with her violin dropping out to her hands. However, it was Sher to attack first instead of her.

"Now, Water God: Geyser!" Sher shouted as she slammed her hands into the ground.

The ground started rumbling, which had Sanjū and Rizzo exchanging a wide-eyed glance. Then right under the tree that Moonlight was standing in a huge gush of water shot out from the ground. However, this water had a black hue mixed with it that showed it wasn't ordinary water. Rizzo and Sanjū watched on in shock as the blast of water was powerful enough to uproot the tree and send it up high in the air. Moonlight had to quickly jump from the tree before she could get thrown halfway across the forest with it.

"That's awesome." Rizzo said. "But I can't stand by and gawk. It's time I get in on the action!"

"Ooo~ Statements like that get me riled up, piglet." Moonlight said from behind Rizzo suddenly.

Rizzo whirled around planning to plant her foot in Moonlight's face. However, the wolf-woman jumped back out of the way. Rizzo narrowed her eyes at Moonlight. Rizzo placed her violin under her chin then started playing.

"Song of the Dancing Wind!" Rizzo said.

The whirlwind of Rizzo's song shot forward at Moonlight who dodged against without fail. Moonlight snickered then grunted in pain when she was blasted with water from behind. It send her rolling across the ground. She managed to right herself into a crouch as she looked over at Sher while Rizzo stopped playing.

"You're fighting two opponents here." Sher said. "I suggest taking it more seriously."

Moonlight gave a little giggle before she stood back up onto her feet. Her heart was racing so much. She hasn't felt this excited in years. She was going to have fun ripping into these piglets.

"You landed a hit on me…I'll admit I'm impressed." Moonlight said. "No one has done that in years. Not even those Rune Knights I took down a few months back."

Sher's fingers cracked as she tightened her hands into fights. Moonlight tilted her head as she watched Sher shake in anger.

"Oh, what's gotten you so upset?" Moonlight asked then grinned. "Wait, Brain said you were once a Rune Knight, right? Are you upset that I might have hurt some of your friends? If it makes you feel better, I didn't play with them before putting them to death… _much_."

Something in Sher seemed to snap. She rushed forward without even thinking. Rizzo called out to her to get her to think before rushing in, but Sher wasn't listening to her at all. Sher started throwing water covered fists of fury at Moonlight, but the wolf-woman kept dodging every time. She then whirled around planting her foot in Sher's face to send Sher flying right into Rizzo. The two of them hit the ground with a hard thud, which had Sanjū gasping in concern.

"Tut, tut, piglet." Moonlight chided. "Mustn't let your anger get out of hand. It might lead to problems!"

Moonlight started sending a series of melee attacks at Rizzo and Sher. Her claws left scratch arms, and her punches were already bruising their skin. As Rizzo was getting beat around, she was ticked off at herself for being defenseless. This was pathetic. She was stronger than this. She couldn't lose to someone like Moonlight and expect to be able to beat Erza someday.

"Is this really all you've got?" Moonlight asked as she threw Sher against a tree.

She then grabbed a fist full of Rizzo hair to pull Rizzo up to her eye level. Rizzo grimaced not wanting to be this close to the psycho wolf girl. Especially since it looked like Moonlight was foaming at the mouth.

"Aren't you supposed to be some of the strongest from your guild?" Moonlight asked.

She threw Rizzo to the ground before stomping down on Rizzo's ribcage, which had Rizzo whimpering a bit.

"Is my werewolf form too strong for you to take on, sweet little piglet?" Moonlight asked.

Moonlight picked Rizzo up again, but this time by her throat to lift her up into the air.

"Sorry if this hurts." Moonlight said. "You just need to be shown who the dominate woman is in this relationship this."

"Go to hell!" Rizzo said then used her knee to hit Moonlight hard in the chest.

It knocked the air out of the wolf-woman, and made her loosen her grip on Rizzo. The pinkette dropped to the ground then snapped her fingers with her violin going back into the case to be swapped out with her guitar. Once her guitar reached her, Rizzo stood up while Moonlight finally got some air back into her lungs.

"There is no relationship between us. Get that through your head!" Rizzo said.

She then held her guitar up like a baseball bat before giving it a hard swing. The end of it clocked Moonlight in the face, which sent her up into the air.

"Now, Sher!" Rizzo said.

"Water God," Sher began as a large spinning vortex of water formed beside her as she held out her hands. "Torrent!"

She sent the tornado of water at Moonlight with the woman getting caught up in the attack. It sent her flying even farther into the air before eventually crashing down. Rizzo, who had summoned her amplifiers, didn't give her much room to recover since the pinkette started ripping through some riffs quickly that sent screeching noise towards Moonlight. When it hit her, Moonlight let out a howl of pain since the high-pitched screeching make her sensitive ears bleed. As Moonlight laid on the ground covering her ears, Sher moved in for another hit.

"Water God: Nebula Wave!" Sher shouted.

She sent the large black water wave at Moonlight were it crashed over it. When the water went away, Moonlight was laying there unmoving. Rizzo stopped playing while thinking they had beat her. Sher frowned expecting a bit more of a fight. Sure, Moonlight had been tossing them around for a while, but it almost seemed too easy.

"I guess we keep going from here." Rizzo said as her guitar and .

Sher nodded in agreement though had a bad feeling about all of this. Suddenly there was an explosion not far from them that had them looking west once more.

"Who do you think's causing that ruckus?" Sher asked.

"Natsu or Gray for sure." Rizzo said chuckling. "Probably both."

Leave it to her boys to be kicking ass and causing destruction as they go. Sanjū sighed while quite sure that Rizzo was absolutely right. Causing mayhem and destruction was just something mages from Fairy Tail are good at.

"Well, we better go check it out." Sher said. "It's on our way heading west anyway."

Rizzo nodded her head as she and Sanjū were ready to follow Sher towards where the explosion came from. However, before they could get moving. A spike of magical energy skyrocketed from where Moonlight lay. The girls slowly turned around to see dark magical energy swarming around Moonlight as the wolf-woman was sitting up.

"I'm not done." She said. "Far from it. Now feast your eyes upon one of my strongest Monster Souls…Mummy."

The black magical energy shot out, and Rizzo turned her back to it while holding Sanjū close. Sher put her arm over her eyes as she tried not to let the blast of magical energy push her backwards. Once the magical energy settled, the girls looked back to see a slim bandaged figure was standing there. The only way the figure could be identified as Moonlight was by the strands of slivery-white hair sticking out from the top and the one visible silvery-blue eye peeking through the bandages.

"Great." Rizzo said sarcastically. "Why won't she just stay down?"

Sher just sighed as she cracked her neck while knowing they had to wrap this up (pun not intended XD).

"I hope you're ready, piglets." Moonlight said. "I'm going to wrap you up, and squeeze you tight until all your insides pop out."

"That sounds so gross." Rizzo said.

"Very." Sher agreed.

Sanjū nodded her head silently as she flew above the three squaring off women. It was still for a second longer before Rizzo, who summoned her violin from the case, and Sher moved quickly to attack. A large water serpent formed around Sher as she moved her arms in a fluid motion while Rizzo started up a song on her violin that had sparks of electricity dancing in front of her.

"Water God: Lotan (water deity that took the form of a sea serpent)!" Sher said as Rizzo shouted, "First Song of Raiden!"

Sher sent the water serpent at the newly mummified Moonlight as lightning shot out from the magic circle in front of Rizzo. The bandages around Moonlight unraveled quickly as the attacks were closing in on her, and surprisingly it didn't appear there was anything underneath even though Rizzo could have sworn she saw an eye earlier. Moonlight's body of unraveled bandages twirled and seemingly danced around the attacks before they could hit her.

"Dammit." Sher said. "This chick is proving to be a real pain."

Sher then grunted in pain when some of those bandages socked her hard in the jaw, which sent her to the ground. Before Rizzo could even ask if Sher was alright, she was wrapped up in bandages, which had her screaming in surprise. As Rizzo was lifted up into the air, Sher was wrapped away in bandages as well. Some of the bandages moved to form a human shape and that one single eye peering up at Rizzo.

"I always like a girl who puts up a fight." Moonlight said. "However, games over, piggy. I win. Now say goodbye to your butch buddy."

Rizzo looked over with wide eyes as Moonlight threw Sher around like a ragdoll while keeping the bandages around her. Sher grunted or lightly cried out in pain every time she hit a tree or the ground. Rizzo knew she had to be trying hard not to scream instead. Rizzo tried to wiggle free, but the bandages just tightened around her to keep her in place.

"Now, now, you might as well give up on struggling." Moonlight said. "I'm not letting you go after finally getting myself all wrapped around you."

Rizzo shuddered at the purring tone that Moonlight was using before the Oración Seis mage lifted Sher up into the air like Rizzo.

"And now it's time to put the squeeze on you, water piglet." Moonlight said. "Sorry, but I have no use for someone like you."

Moonlight's bandages started constricting around Sher even more, and the former Rune Knight couldn't hold back her screams as the bandages became painfully tight.

"Sher!" Rizzo called in concern. "Let her go!"

Moonlight just started chuckling darkly before it turned into full manic laughter that had a frightful chill running down Rizzo's spine.

"This is the end for you, Sher Blendy!" Moonlight said. "See you in Hell someday! Hahahahaha!"

"Enough!"

Rizzo's eyes widened when she heard Sanjū voice. Rizzo turned her head up towards the sky above. She saw Sanjū flying towards them with her target being Moonlight. However, before Sanjū could hit Moonlight more bandages shot out from Moonlight to hit Sanjū away.

"Sanjū!" Rizzo shouted as the pink feline hit a tree before falling to the ground.

Moonlight then proceeded to use her bandages to whip Sanjū repeatedly, which had the pink feline crying out every time. Rizzo watched on with anger burning in her eyes at what Moonlight was doing to her friend while feeling something stir within her. It felt like power…the kind of power that would and could not only save Sanjū, but defeat Moonlight.

Rizzo would save Sanjū because after thinking she lost everything six years ago, Sanjū had been there as a form of comfort to Rizzo. They've always been at each other's sides ever since Sanjū hatched from her egg at Treble Chambers after Rizzo and Jaser helped to get her to hatch. And that wasn't going to change now!

-FLASHBACK-

 _"Rizzo! Rizzo!"_

 _Rizzo, who was meditating on a tree stump in the forest just outside of town, opened her eyes. She turned her head seeing Sanjū flying right towards her._

 _"There you are." Sanjū said. "I've been looking everywhere for you."_

 _The pink feline landed in front of Rizzo while looking up curiously at the thirteen-year-old._

 _"What are you doing out there?" Sanjū asked._

 _"Meditating." Rizzo said. "Sometimes getting stronger takes mediation, so one can clear one's mind while taking in more Ethernano into their body, which increases their magic power."_

 _Rizzo's been trying for months to bring in more magical particles into her body. If she built up how much magic she had in her body, she could become a more powerful mage. Then she'll be ready to take down Erza._

 _"Can I join you?" Sanjū asked. "I like to meditate too."_

 _Rizzo smiled down at Sanjū before reaching down to pet the pink feline between her ears._

 _"Of course you can." Rizzo said. "You know I'll always want you beside me, Sanjū, so whenever you want, you can come and join me up here, okay?"_

 _"Okay!" Sanjū said while smiling._

-END OF FLASHBACK-

"Don't interfere with my fun, Kitty." Moonlight said as she hit Sanjū again.

This stirring in Rizzo continued when she heard Sanjū cry out again. Sher herself felt her magic churn when she was forced to hear a comrade in pain. Moonlight was about to give another hard blow when suddenly Rizzo and Sher let out a huge spike of magical energy that ripped through her bandages.

"What the hell?!" Moonlight cried out in shock.

The two women dropped down to the ground where they landed in crouches. Rizzo glared up at Moonlight while ready to make her pay for what she had done to Sanjū.

"That's it." Rizzo said. "We've had enough of you."

She stood up straight with Sher standing up beside. Moonlight stared in shock. How could Sher even move?! Moonlight was sure some of her bones were broken while Moonlight was putting the squeeze on her.

"That's right." Sher agreed as she stood. "Which is why we're taking you down now!"

Their magic continued to build and build as Sanjū turned her head to look at the two of them. Sanjū was surprised by how much magical power Rizzo was giving off since she had no idea how much Rizzo's power has grown over the last few months. Storm clouds began to form over them due to Sher building up her attack as Rizzo's violin flew towards her as she held out her hand. Rizzo started playing her violin in a fast pace, foreboding manner with a ball of electricity forming above the storm clouds.

"Water God Secret Art," Sher began while holding out her hand.

Water appeared at the end of her hand to start taking shape of something as thunder boomed through the clouds. What formed was a trident made of water, which is a weapon that the god Poseidon himself would use.

"Second Song of Raiden," Rizzo started saying.

Moonlight shook in actual fear as Rizzo's playing intensified as if she was trying to show how much anger she was feeling through her instrument. The ball of electricity lowered down into the storm clouds created by Sher's magic, and the thunder boomed again as lightning streaked across the clouds.

"Poseidon's Divine Punishment/Raiden's Judgment!" Sher and Rizzo said together.

"No way!" Moonlight said. "A Unison Raid?! But how?!"

She didn't get a reply as Sher gave the trident a mighty throw to hurtle it right at her. She cried out as the trident struck her and when it did the storm clouds and lightning descended on her in one quick strike. As the attack hit, an explosion happened with lightning streaking up into the sky and smoke billowing up into a high pillar. Sher and Rizzo stood their huffing while feeling so damn tired.

"Did we get her?" Rizzo asked.

"If we didn't, I'm going to finish this fight by putting my fist in her face." Sher said.

The smoke finally cleared revealed a large scorched crater in the ground along with Moonlight who was back to her original form. She stared up at the sky not believing she had been beaten. It seemed that her one prayer did not come to pass…her prayer of being so powerful that no one like the monsters from the Tower of Heaven could harm her again. However, it seemed that along the way she herself became the monster.

"She seems down for the count to me." Sher said.

"Oh yeah!" Rizzo cheered. "That's a victory for the Allied Forces!"

Sher chuckled in amusement as Rizzo threw her arms up into the air while giving another cheer. Sanjū, who was watching the pinkette, smiled while glad to see that she and Sher were finally able to defeat Moonlight. Sanjū also let out a sigh of relief as she looked down at the ground. She had been really worried there for a second. When a shadow fell over her, she looked up to see Rizzo smiling down at her.

"Hey, why don't we get out of here?" Rizzo asked. "Wendy and Happy are waiting for us, right? Can't stop now when they need us."

"…yeah." Sanjū said nodding.

Rizzo have a small laugh before she picked Sanjū up into her arms. The pinkette then turned towards Sher as her guitar case fastened back onto her back after the violin returned to it.

"Alright, let's start heading towards where that explosion happened." Sher said. "Our friends might be in trouble. I know we're both tired, but if we help them out using that move of ours, I'm sure we'll win."

"Yeah!" Rizzo said smiling before getting a thoughtful look on her face. "We need to give it a name if it's going to be a combination attack."

"Well, we can think about that on the way." Sher said. "Let's move."

Sher started jogging in the direction where the explosion had come from. Rizzo was right behind her while carrying Sanjū in her arms.

"Oh, I know!" Rizzo said as they jogged. "How about the God's Divine Judgment? Huh? What do you think?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure." Sher said. "Just keep moving, alright?"

* * *

When Rizzo, Sher, and Sanju appeared in the clearing where all the battling noise had been coming from, the girls saw Gray up on a high pillar of ice with Sherry down below.

"What happened here?" Rizzo asked.

Gray and Sherry quickly looked at the two women and one feline as they blinked.

"Where's Natsu and Carla?" Rizzo said.

"And what happened to Jura and Lyon?" Sher added.

As Sherry explained things to the girls, Gray got down from the pillar by creating an ice slide. When he got to the bottom, he took in Rizzo's slightly battered appearance.

"I take it you guys ran into one of those Oración Seis too." Gray said once Sherry finished explaining her side of the story where Jura had stayed behind then she had Lyon ran into Gray to fight Racer.

He cupped Rizzo chin gently to take a closer look at some of the cuts on her face. She smiled up at up him with a big, bright smile.

"Yeah and we kicked her ass." Rizzo said. "You guys just win your fight?"

Gray lightly chuckled while feeling reassured. If Rizzo could smile like that then she must be okay.

"Yeah." Gray said as he let go of her chin. "We better go check on Lyon. He took quite the beating to get me a shot on that Racer guy."

He started moving in the direction where Lyon was probably laying immobile while waiting on them. The others followed as Sher hoped that ice punk was okay.

"Okay, but where's Natsu and Carla?" Rizzo asked.

"We found Wendy and Happy, and to let Natsu get them back to Erza I took on Racer, so we were separated." Gray explained.

"Oh, man, there goes like three years' worth of finances on feeding him and Happy lunch for a month." Rizzo said. "And a week worth's of bruises due to Happy's intense training."

Gray chuckled as Rizzo hung her head. Sherry and Sher exchanged a glance wondering if Natsu and Happy could eat that much food in a month to put that big a dent in Rizzo's wallet.

"You should have known better to make that bet." Gray said. "Anyway, who did you guys fight?"

"Moonlight." Sher replied. "She was quite the disturbing character. She developed a little crush on Rizzo."

Gray nearly tripped over his feet when he heard that, and Rizzo shuddered remembering all those creepy things that Moonlight had said to her.

"Seriously?!" Gray asked. "Another weirdo admirer?!"

"Don't yell at me!" Rizzo said. "It's not my fault I'm loveable with a hot body!"

"What the hell did she do?!" Gray asked. "Did she do anything to you?!"

"What did I say about yelling?!" Rizzo demanded. "And I'd rather not relive what happened, so don't ask!"

Sher and Sherry sweat-dropped as Rizzo and Gray continued to argue on their way to Lyon. Sanjū shook her head while a bit embarrassed by her guildmates' behavior.

"You too are as loud as ever."

Rizzo and Gray quit bickering as the group came to a pause at the edge of a cliff where Lyon was resting against a log. He then looked over Sher to see her wounded state.

"What happened to you?" He asked.

Sher's brow just quirked as she looked down at Lyon who didn't look much better than her.

"I could ask you the same thing, grunt." Sher said.

Lyon lightly chuckled as Sherry knelt down on her knees beside him to check on his wounds. Gray then looked over at the defeated Racer.

"Ya know, I'm kind of surprised that worked." Gray said.

"I can't believe there are six more just as strong as him." Lyon said.

"Five more." Sher corrected. "The three of us didn't get in this state facing sub-guild members, yanow."

She gestured to herself, Rizzo, and Sanjū, and the two latter nodded their heads in the agreement. Lyon nodded his head while glad to hear another one of them had been defeated.

"On another note, would you two try to include me on your little ruse next time?" Sherry asked.

She looked at the boys as she said this as Gray had his arm casually around Rizzo's shoulders.

"Don't blame me." Gray said. "He's the man with a plan."

"Thanks." Lyon said.

He then blinked when a hand was held out in front of him. He looked up at the owner of the hand as Sher gave him a slight grin.

"You ready to get up, Mastermind, or not?" She asked.

"Think I'll sit a bit longer." Lyon said.

Sher snorted rolling her eyes at him as Sherry giggled behind her hand. Sher then knelt down in front of Lyon.

"Good job, Lyon." Sher said. "I might actually be a little bit proud of you."

Lyon grinned at Sher, and Rizzo blinked as she looked between Lyon and Sher. Was there some kind of attraction between the two of them?

"I've got you now!"

The group looked over quickly at Racer as the wounded Oración Seis member opened his shirt to show he had a bomb underneath. Rizzo and everyone gasped in shock while tensing.

"In the name of the mighty Oración Seis, I'm taking you to the big slab in the sky!" Racer said.

The lacrima on the bomb started to glow, which meant it was already counting down for detonation.

"Is that what I think it is?" Lyon asked as Sherry and Sher helped him to his feet.

"He's rigged himself with a bomb lacrima!" Sherry exclaimed.

"Seriously?" Gray asked. "Is he insane?!"

Rizzo would say that based on the crazy look in his eyes that Racer has far went past sane into insane for sure.

"We'll cross the finish line together!" Racer said.

"No way." Gray said as he got prepared to attack.

However, he stumbled forward when a wave of dizziness hit him. Rizzo quickly tried to catch him with one arm as the other held Sanju. It looked as if Gray was out of magic energy…in fact, they all were, which wasn't good since Racer was heading towards them. Gray pulled Rizzo in close while ready to shield her if he had to. However, everyone was shocked as Sher shot forward to tackle Racer.

"No, Sher!" Sherry gasped.

"What are you doing?!" Lyon, who had about to do the same as her, demanded.

Sher just grinned as she pushed herself and Racer completely off the cliff. Gray, Rizzo, and Sanjū watched with wide eyes as Sher fell farther over the side with Racer. Then…the bomb exploded with Sher and Racer disappearing in flames and smoke. Sherry let out a pain filled scream as tears started running down her cheeks. She scrambled over to the side of the cliff to look down at the damage done.

"No, this can't be happening!" Sherry sobbed. "She can't be dead."

Gray and Rizzo just stood there horrified as Sanjū ears pressed down onto her head. Lyon's body shook as he looked down to where Sher had disappeared with Racer…and there was no sign of her at all. Tears entered his eyes.

"SHER!" Lyon cried with his voice carrying up into the heavens.


	51. And the Angel Falls

Rizzo and the others stood in place watching as the smoke billowed up from the forest floor into the air. It was impossible to see if Sher or that Racer guy had even survived. Rizzo glanced at Sherry and Lyon as they stared down into the forest in disbelief. Sherry had tears running down her cheeks as her body shook. Rizzo looked away while bowing her head. She knew how hard it was to lose family. However, they didn't know if Sher was truly gone yet. They needed the proof.

"No, is she—? How could this happen?" Sherry asked.

"Sher is too strong to go down like this." Lyon said then brought his hands together. "I'm going down there to find her."

He made an ice-like slide that went all the way down to the forest below where Sher and Racer landed.

"We'll come with you." Gray said.

Rizzo nodded in agreement before the three mages started sliding down the ice slide with Sanjū flying above them. Rizzo truly hoped they would find Sher alive down below. Once making it down below, the group started heading towards the billowing smoke. Lyon had to find Sher. He couldn't lose a guildmate, not like this. Sher might be rough around the edges, but Lyon has learned ever since he joined Lamia Scale that Sher cares deeply for her guildmates.

-FLASHBACK-

 _Lyon walked into the Lamia Scale guildhall with Sherry, Yuka, and Toby. All three of them had once been part of this guild before they left to join his cause. The people around were chatting with happy expressions on their faces. However, when they noticed the three former members and Lyon, they paused to look at them. Sherry bit her lip looking a bit nervous._

 _"Everyone…we're back." Sherry said_

 _It was silent for a long moment before a chair being pushed back grabbed everyone's attention. Lyon followed everyone's eyes over to the woman who resembled Sherry. The members of the guild all looked away with their heads ducked as if this woman frightened them, and Lyon noticed that his three friends were shaking a bit. The woman turned her eyes on the group while walking towards them. When she stopped in front of the three former members they all couldn't meet her gaze._

 _"So you three finally decided to come back?" She asked. "Everything you worked out as you wanted it?"_

 _"No…Sher." Sherry replied. "Everything ended differently than expected…but it was probably for the best."_

 _Sher just hummed in acknowledgement with her eyes narrowed, which had the three fidgeting even more. Lyon frowned wondering what made his friends so scared of this woman. Sure, she looked tough, but was she really that terrifying?_

 _"So things didn't pan out, so you come running back here, huh?" Sher asked. "Didn't I tell you three not to go running off in the first place?"_

 _"Yes, ma'am." They said in unison._

 _"And didn't I tell you the path you wanted to take would most likely lead to a place you don't want go?" Sher asked. "Like hurting others to get what you want?"_

 _"Yes, ma'am." They said again._

 _"I bet you regret running off like you did." Sher continued._

 _"A little, ma'am." They confessed._

 _Lyon's frowned deepened wondering if they were really going to let this woman talk to them like this. She probably doesn't understand what they went through, or why they wanted to join Lyon. It was silent for another long moment before Sher let up on her stern look._

 _"Well, as long as you learned your lesson." Sher said. "Welcome home."_

 _The worried looks left the three's faces as they smiled at Sher who had a small grin on her own face. Sherry let out a cry of joy before launching herself at Sher. Sher put her arms around Sherry patting her on top the head as the rest of the guild laughed and called out their own greetings. Lyon blinked a bit surprised by the change of mood in the room._

 _"And who's this?"_

 _Lyon turned his eyes back onto Sher as she stepped up to look at him curiously._

 _"This is Lyon." Sherry explained. "He wants to join our guild."_

 _Sher's brow quirked as she looked Lyon up and down as if he was sizing him up. Lyon narrowed his eyes at her wondering just who she was. She was acting as if he was an insect or something._

 _"So this is the guy you ran off to follow right?" Sher asked._

 _"Uh, yes, ma'am." Yuka replied._

 _"I see." Sher said._

 _It was silent for a moment before a fist hit Lyon right in the face to send him flying into the wall. His eyes widened exponentially as he looked at Sher who was the one to sock him in the jaw. He was about to ask her up the hell her problem was, but when she pinned him with a narrow-eyed gaze he felt the words get stuck in this throat. He didn't know what it was about this woman…but she frightened him._

 _"If you're going to be part of this guild, shenanigans like the one you were trying to pull with Deliora won't cut it." Sher said. "Do you understand me, grunt?"_

 _"Yes, ma'am." Lyon found himself saying._

 _It was silent for another moment before Sher grinned while reaching out to pat his shoulder._

 _"Welcome to the guild then." Sher said._

 _Lyon blinked wondering what was wrong with this woman._

-END OF FLASHBACK-

Ever since he joined Sher has been hard on him. However, he's learned that was how she showed her "love" as Sherry put it towards her guildmates. He also knows she isn't as mean as she tries to make herself appear to be. He's seen how she is with Sherria, who's her little sister and Sherry's cousin, and how caring she can be if she sees one of her guildmates is having trouble or feels troubled. He had to find her. The guild wouldn't be the same if she was gone. It'd feel emptier…darker.

Sher was important to everyone in Lamia Scale. She was important to him. If she was gone….some many people would mourn her death. As he was stewing in this thoughts, Rizzo and Gray exchanged a glance. They could see Lyon was very worried about Sher. Gray never knew Lyon could care about someone like this. Now, Lyon loved Ur, but she was their master and almost like another mom to Lyon. Gray never saw Lyon show have the care towards anyone else like he had had for Ur.

"Don't worry, Lyon." Gray said. "We'll find her."

"Yeah, and from what I can tell Sher's super tough." Rizzo added while trying to give Lyon a comforting smile. "We'll probably find her in more or less one piece as she's walking off a bit of pain caused by the explosion."

Lyon knew Gray and Rizzo were trying to cheer him up, and he actually felt his lips twitch up a bit when Rizzo made that statement.

"Sher is a bit of a monster." Lyon said. "I've never met anyone as durable as her."

"Maybe is a Slayer thing." Gray said. "Because Natsu is freakishly durable as well."

"So is Jaser and Gajeel." Rizzo said.

Gray nodded in agreement. The three of them did fight Laxus in a full out battle and live. Sure, they were kind of banged up, but anyone else would have been dead.

"Hey, where's Sherry?" Sanjū asked getting the three mages attention.

"What?" Rizzo asked as she started turning around. "Wasn't she right b—?"

Rizzo stopped mid-sentence when seeing that Sherry was not behind the rest of them. Didn't Sherry go down the ice slide with the rest of them? Lyon felt a bit of panic when not seeing his guildmate. He couldn't lose Sherry too. He had to look out for her…for Sher's sake. Not to mention he didn't want to lose two guildmates in one day. And if they did find Sher, and she didn't see her cousin, she'd hurt him for losing her.

"I'm here."

Everyone turned their heads seeing Sherry walking out of the bushes with her head downcast. Rizzo frowned getting a weird feeling from the girl. Rizzo knew Sherry must be worried about her cousin, but something was off about her right now.

"Try to keep up, Sherry." Lyon said.

"Yes, of course." Sherry said nodding.

Lyon returned to start looking for Sher, and Rizzo wondered if Lyon was so worried about Sher that he didn't notice something weird with Sherry. It didn't seem as if Gray noticed anything either since he returned to searching as well. Rizzo looked at Sanjū seeing that the pink feline seemed to get the same vibe Rizzo was off of Sherry. Well, at least she wasn't the only one. For a second there Rizzo thought she might actually be going paranoid.

Suddenly a bright black and white light shot up into the air not far from them, and Rizzo gasped while nearly falling backwards when a gust of magic energy hit them. However, Gray managed to grab her to pull her closer to keep her from falling back. He even managed to get a hold of Sanjū's tail to bring her in. Sanjū hissed wondering what was up with people grabbing her tail. Sanjū was then tucked in between Gray and Rizzo, so keep her from getting forced away from the group due to the magic energy sweeping past them.

"That beam of light just shot up out of nowhere!" Gray said. "Oh no, don't tell me they already found Nirvana!"

Rizzo frowned because if the Oración Seis really did find Nirvana then their job just got a lot harder. The backlash of power finally stopped, which meant the mages didn't have to fight to keep their footing.

"Well, whatever's going on, we have to find Sher first." Lyon said.

"Right." Gray said. "Let's continue going towards the explosion sight."

Rizzo went along with the boys towards where the explosion happened. By the time they got there the smoke and fire had disappeared. Lyon and Gray immediately started moving the larger trees as Rizzo climbed over some to look for any sign of Sher or even Racer.

"I know she has to be here somewhere." Lyon said as he and Gray moved more of the broken trees out of the way.

Rizzo sure hoped that what they found was an alive and well Sher, and not one who's dead. She shook her head knowing she couldn't think like that. She had to stay positive.

"Hey, Sher!" Rizzo called out. "If you hear me, answer!"

She was quiet for a moment while waiting to see if she got a reply. When she didn't, Gray decided to try to call out.

"Where are you?!" Gray shouted. "Answer us, Sher! Hey!"

"Sher!" Lyon shouted.

They went quiet while not getting a reply back in the end. Lyon growled not believing that this was happening. Was…was she really gone?

"Hey, don't give up yet." Gray said. "She might just be unconscious."

"Yeah." Lyon said nodding.

The two of them went back to moving the broken trees out of the way as Sanjū squeezed through some of the openings in the piles of branches to get a look. Rizzo crouched down waiting for Sanjū to return, and to make sure to be there in case the limbs tried to fall in on the pink feline. When Sanjū returned, she shook her head to indicate she didn't see anyone.

"Then onto the next pile." Rizzo said.

Sanjū nodded then followed after Rizzo towards another rather large pile of tree limbs and trunks. However, before they could check inside, they were lifted up into the air by vines. Rizzo choked as the vines wrapped around her neck. Her guitar cause was pulled off of her to drop to the ground, which allowed the vines to tighten around her even more. She looked to the side seeing Gray and Sanjū in the same position. Lyon gasped in shock before turning to see the culprit.

"Sherry, what are you doing?!" Lyon demanded.

"It's their fault….their fault that Sher is gone. They're the reason my cousin is dead!" Sherry shouted.

Lyon's eyes widened wondering what had come over Sherry. She wouldn't do something like this.

"Sherry, stop this right now!" Lyon said as he put his hands together. "You're going to kill them!"

"I know." Sherry said. "I will avenge Sher by taking their lives!"

Lyon frowned really not wanting to hurt Sherry, but if he didn't….Gray, Rizzo, and Sanjū would die.

"Sherry, stop now before I have to hurt you!" Lyon said.

However, before he could do anything, he was suddenly wrapped in the vines as well.

"If you would defend them, you are my enemy as well." Sherry said. "Join them in the afterlife."

Lyon gagged and coughed as the vines tightened around his throat. Soon things became blurry for him and the others. Rizzo grit her teeth while wondering if this was the end, and if at least out of all that this that Erza and the others were alright before she fell unconscious. Once Sherry was certain they were dead, she dropped them to the ground while ready to go after the rest of Fairy Tail and anyone else who got in her way. She was sure that Lucy would make the perfect target.

* * *

Lucy stared down Angel as the two celestial mages faced each other. Lucy was worried about her friends because of Nirvana, but she should know that it'd take more than some funky light to make them fall to the darkness. She also knew they were too strong to be beaten, which means she has to worry about this fight here and now. It was a good thing that there was water here now because that meant Lucy could summon her most powerful spirit to take Angel down. She would do this for her friends.

"Your gate keys would make a lovely addition to my collection." Angel said. "So, hand them over now, or you'll be wearing lots of red."

"Never to the likes of you!" Lucy said then pulled out Aquarius's key while jumping into the water. "Here we go! Open: Gate of the Water Bearer, Aquarius!"

Lucy put the key into the water with Aquarius appearing as Gemini went back to the Celestial World on Angel's command.

"Wipe her out!" Lucy ordered as she pointed at Angel. "I don't care if you have to take me with her!"

"That's just what I was planning to do." Aquarius said.

Lucy stiffened in surprised. Well, she knew Aquarius tended to wipe her out anyway, but hearing her say that she was planning to do it bothered Lucy.

"What did I ever do to you?" Lucy asked.

Aquarius just got ready to attack as her urn started soaking up the water from the little river.

"Every last moron here is going to drown!" Aquarius warned.

Lucy shuddered just waiting to be swept away along with everything else as it usually went when she summoned Aquarius.

"Now, open: Gate of the Scorpion," Angel began.

Lucy's eyes widened wondering if Angel really had her hands on another zodiac key. Aquarius also paused in her attack with her eyes widening a bit.

"Scorpio!" Angel finished.

A bright blinding light appeared as the Gate of the Scorpion was opened. As the light died down, a man, who seemed to be in the early twenties, with red and white hair and a large metal like tail was standing there.

"I was born to be wicked!" He said while striking a pose.

"Honey-bunches of hunk!" Aquarius squealed in a lovey-dovey manner.

"HUNK!?" Lucy asked.

She was obviously shocked since she's never seen the brutal and vicious Aquarius act like a love-struck teenager. Lucy was even more shocked when Scorpio put his arm around Aquarius who was leaning into his chest.

"What do ya know? It's my mermaid of delight, Aquarius." Scorpio said. "Back that wicked tail up for me."

"Oh, you don't know how much I've missed you, love muffin." Aquarius cooed.

Lucy blinked trying to get over her shock of how out of character Aquarius was acting.

"No way." Lucy said. "Please, don't tell me that Scorpio—"

"Yes, my boyfriend!" Aquarius said.

Scorpio then went up to Lucy as Aquarius was practically glowing in happiness behind him.

"Heard a lot about ya." Scorpio said. "Finally getting to meet my blue bombshell's mage is wicked."

Lucy jumped not sure how to take this information since she knew how much Aquarius hates her.

"So what exactly has she told you?!" Lucy asked.

Lucy then shrunk away when Aquarius got up in her face with a scary look in her eyes.

"Look here, Blondie, if you wanna keep breathing, listen closely." Aquarius said. "Don't even think of embarrassing me in front of my Scorpio, or you're gonna suffer. Are we clear?"

"As crystal!" Lucy squeaked.

As she tried to calm her thumping heart, Aquarius went back to acting all sweet as she latched onto Scorpio's arm. She asked him if he wanted to go on a date as the two of them were walking away.

"Sounds wicked awesome." Scorpio said. "I'm taking my lady out for a night on the town, Angel. You've got this, right? Ain't no rest for the _wicked_!"

"Have fun!" Angel said as she waved farewell with a handkerchief.

"Wait you can't just leave!" Lucy said as she rushed after them. "Please, don't go!"

However, she was ignored, and Aquarius left with Scorpio back to the Celestial World. Lucy screamed in aggravation as she fell to her knees.

"How have you survived this long without knowing how the Celestial Spirits relate?" Angel, who was walking up on Lucy, asked.

She then kicked Lucy right in the head, which sent Lucy flying forward into the water.

"A novice like you can't beat me." Angel said.

Lucy stayed hunched over in the water for a moment as her ribbon, which had fallen out, went floating away due to the current. Lucy frowned wondering what she was even going to do now. Her eyes then widened when she realized something. She grabbed Loke's key before bursting up out of the water.

"She's not the only powerhouse I can call!" Lucy said as she held up Loke's key high. "Open: Gate of the Lion!"

In a bright beam of light, Loke appeared with his hair looking even longer than the last time Lucy saw him.

"Your prince has arrived." Loke said grinning.

Hibiki, who was wounded and watching from the bank, stiffened in surprise when seeing Loke standing there.

"We have to beat this chick, or the guild's in danger." Lucy said.

"Sounds easy enough." Loke said.

He was the strongest Celestial Spirit after all. Meaning even if Angel had another zodiac key up her sleeve, he'd be able to beat them. Said woman gave a small chuckle as she grinned.

"You're a slow learner, aren't you?" Angel asked. "Let me give you another lesson in compatibilities."

Angel held up yet another golden key, which had Lucy worried about which zodiac spirit would be coming next.

"Open: Gate of the Ram," Angel began with Loke and Lucy stiffening. "Aries!"

Aries appeared through a puff of smoke with a bothered expression on her face as she looked away from Loke.

"I hope you can forgive me, Leo." Aries said

Loke just stood there not believing that after all this time that he gets to see Aries again, and they have to fight just after being reunited.

"It's you." He said.

He wasn't sure how he felt about this. Loke was always fond of Aries. He saw her as a little sister that needed to be protected. Now he had to fight her?

"No way." Hibiki said. "It can't be."

He couldn't believe he was seeing Karen's former two spirits right in front of him.

"How did she get her hands on Aries?" Lucy asked. "I thought she was one of Karen's spirits. I can't ask Loke to fight a dear friend of his."

Lucy would feel wrong if she tried to make Loke fight Aries who was obviously a close friend of his.

"How did you get one of Karen's spirits?" Lucy asked Angel.

"Simple." Angel said. "I'm the one who put her six feet under."

Loke and Hibiki stiffened in absolute shock as Angel pet Aries on top of the head.

"And as they say, to the victor goes the spoils." Angel said.

"Please, just stop." Aries said.

"She wasn't much of an opponent." Angel said. "She tried to open two gates at once when she barely had the energy to stand. The fool practically handed her keys over to me."

Loke growled feeling anger bubble up inside him as he was faced with Karen's killer.

"It worked out well, but I wish she would have put up more of a fight." Angel said. "So many Celestial Mages have lost their lives and spirits to me that I've stopped counting. You're just going to be another stone on the trail of misery I've paved."

Lucy stood there shaking in both anger and in a bit of fear. She was angry at how cruel Angel was, and a bit scared as she wondered if she would really win this battle. Lucy then looked down at the water knowing that even if she had to continue fighting, she couldn't make Loke fight his friend. She'd just have to call out someone else.

"You finally get to see each other again, and you have to fight?" Lucy asked. "No, I won't force you to go through with it."

Lucy went to close Loke's gate, but he grabbed her wrist to stop her from doing so.

"I don't need you to protect me, Lucy." Loke said. "It's true Aries and I were once friends, but now we have new celestial contracts. And we'll fight for the mages we made them with."

Aries nodded in agreement as Lucy looked between the two of them in shock.

"That's right." Aries said. "I may owe my life to you, Leo, but in this instance you are my enemy."

Lucy stood there feeling completely conflicted about all of this. She didn't want them to fight, but it seemed Loke wanted to fight for her as her Celestial Spirit.

"For a Celestial Spirit," the two began as they geared up to attack. "It's a matter of pride!"

They two charged at each other to start the fight. Lucy shook as she watched the two friends swap blows. Her heart ached having to see two people who were obviously close battle like this. They shouldn't be forced to fight.

"This isn't right." Lucy said.

Aries and Loke continued fighting each other with Loke seeming to have the upper-hand due to his expertise in hand-to-hand combat.

"What do you know? They're actually fighting." Angel said. "Well, it may not be expected, but who am I to stop good theater?"

She gave a laugh as the battle continued with Aries and Loke swapping blow after blow.

"Stop it!" Lucy said unable to handle this fighting amongst friends. "Friends shouldn't fight. Please, stop. I'm begging you."

Despite her begging, the fighting continued, which broke her heart. She knew this had to be painful for Loke even though he was holding strong.

"Hmm, this didn't work out quite the way I expected it to." Angel said. "I never thought she'd be fighting a combat orientated spirit. But am I going to worry? No."

She pulled out a silver key as Aries and Loke continued to duke it out in front of her.

"Open: Gate of the Chisel, Caelum." Angel said.

The spirit appeared at its master's side while ready to take orders from her immediately.

"I've got some targets for you." Angel said. "Are you excited? As soon as Aries is able to stop Leo in his tracks, do what you do best!"

Caelum changed form to resemble a cannon like shape as it took in its targets in front of it. It prepared to fire, and when it did, Lucy gasped when Loke and Aries were hit by the blast. They started to turn into stardust to return to the Celestial World as Angel laughed in amusement.

"Now that's entertainment." Angel said as she laughed.

"No, Leo!" Aries said as she reached towards him.

Loke reached towards her as well while wishing that this reunion with his friend hadn't ended like this.

"Aries." Loke said then addressed Lucy. "Sorry, Lucy. I failed you."

Lucy just felt more tears collect in her eyes as she had to watch this sad farewell.

"Your mage cares for you." Aries said with tears in her own eyes. "I wish I was so lucky. Until we meet again."

They then returned finally to the Celestial World where they would heal from their wounds. Lucy stood there with wide eyes as Angel laughed. How could Angel be so cruel? And how was Loke holding up in the Celestial world?

-IN THE CELESTIAL WORLD-

Loke sat there on the ground while holding his aching side. That hit from Caelum really did a number on him.

"You going to be okay?"

Loke turned his head seeing Laelaps standing there with her hands on her hips. He frowned looking away from her.

"You saw all that?" He asked.

"Well, when I ran into Aquarius about two seconds ago, she informed me of the fight, so I decided to listen in." Laelaps confessed.

She crouched down in front of Loke as he continued to not look at her. She reached out to him while cupping his cheek. His eyes widened as she gently made him look up.

"Why do you look away from me?" Laelaps asked then lightly smiled. "Do you think I'm going to judge you, oh mighty Leo the Lion?"

Loke humorlessly chuckled while reaching up to place his hand over the one Laelaps had on his cheek. Her touch felt warm, which helped smooth him.

"I did just lose…because I let me feelings get in the way." Loke said. "Aries is like my family, and I guess I held back…even after I said I would fight for Lucy because it's my pride as a spirit to fight for my owner."

"I believe you once said we Celestial Spirits have our own emotions and feelings." Laelaps said. "You said we aren't tools for just our mages to use, which is why there's nothing wrong with how you feel and how you did in battle. I know Alpha knows this, which is why right now she's trying to help you and Aries be together again like a family. Can't you hear her tearful words, Leo?"

Loke looked up while listening for Lucy's voice. As her Celestial Spirit he can always reach out in a manner of speaking to listen for Lucy's voice, which is how he can hear her call for him in the first place. He listened to his master as she begged Angel to release Aries from her contract, which brought tears to his eyes. He had such a wonderful Celestial Mage, and he failed her.

"You didn't fail her, Leo." Laelaps said. "Now wipe your tears away. Don't worry about our master. The rest of us—her spirits—will defend her in your place. I will protect her, and end this battle with my own two hands if I must. You just need to get your rest."

She hugged Loke with his head resting against her warm chest where he could hear her heartbeat. He felt his aching heart start to feel soothed as Laelaps gave him this comfort. Laelaps then stood while turning away from Loke as she prepared to go to Lucy's side.

"Open, my gate." Laelaps said as she held out her hand. "I, Laelaps, guard dog of my master, order you to open, so I can give her aid. Obey me!"

The gate sprung open in front of her as Loke watched. He knew Laelaps could order her gate to open do to her own special power. Before he learned he could force his open, Laelaps was the only spirit that could pass through from world to world, so to protect her master. He's never seen her do it until now.

"I'll be back in a second tops." Laelaps said grinning. "Alpha is out of power, which means I shall give her a part of my own, so she can end this fight."

-BACK IN THE HUMAND WORLD-

"Caelum , finish them!" Angel ordered.

However, she heard a crunching noise, and when she turned her head she saw Laelaps had shot her fist into Caelum's metal sphere body. Her fist made a deep hole in the spirit that sent it back to the Celestial World.

"Sorry, but this is the end of the road for you." Laelaps said as she smirked at Angel. "Guess you weren't the superior Celestial Mage after all."

Angel shook in fear as Lucy, who was glowing brightly, continued to feel the spell Hibiki put in her mind downloading still. Laelaps hurried to Lucy's side just as Hibiki fell back unable to move any longer.

"La…Laelaps." Lucy murmured. "I…I don't think…I can do this."

Laelaps smiled softly at her master then got behind her to put her arms around her.

"Don't worry, Alpha." Laelaps said. "I am here to give you the power I have, so you can perform this spell. Besides, you're more powerful than you think. Just calm your mind."

As Lucy was feeling the last of the spell download, she felt a warmth spread through her along with new strength. Was this…Laelaps's magic? The space around her filled golden like celestial bodies as words started flowing through her lips as if she was in trance.

"Most stars far and wide that embody the heavens." Lucy said. "By thy radiance reveal thy form to me. I implore you, oh Tetrabiblos—ruler of the stars—let your unrestrained rage flow with the 88 heavenly bodies shining! Urano Metria!"

Lucy cast the spell at Angel with Laelaps pouring in her magic into Lucy, so the spell would be at full power. Angel was blasted with the spell that sent her flying and crashing into the water, which snapped Lucy out of her trance. In fact, she jumped when it happened.

"Uh, did I win?" Lucy asked.

She then blinked at the arms around her shoulders. She glanced back see Laelaps smiling at her.

"Good job, Alpha." Laelaps said. "I knew you could do it with a little push."

Lucy then noticed that Laelaps was starting to disappear much like Loke had earlier as her body started to turn to stardust.

"Oh, no, Laelaps, are you hurt?!" Lucy asked.

"No, I just gave you so much of my power that my body can't hold form here anymore." Laelaps said. "I'll be fine. Just take care of yourself, Alpha."

Lucy felt tears in her eyes when realizing that once again one of her spirits came to her aid when she needed it most. Lucy turned around to hug Laelaps, which slightly surprised the dog spirit. Lucy then pulled back to smile at Laelaps.

"Thank-you, Laelaps." Lucy said as the dog spirit was almost gone.

Laelaps gave Lucy another smile before finally completely vanishing, so to return the Celestial World where she would get well needed rest.

-IN THE CELESTIAL WORLD-

Laelaps reappeared in the celestial world while having to sit down since she felt exhausted.

"Gees, who knew that spell took so much power." She complained. "I'll be sore for a week."

"Are we talking about a week here or are we talking about a week in the human world?"

Laelaps turned her head seeing that Loke was up on his feet and walking towards her.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" She asked instead of answered.

Loke just chuckled as he sat down beside her. He was glad to know that everything was okay now. Laelaps and he might not be in perfect condition, but at least Lucy was safe.

"Hey, Laelaps, thanks for what you said back there." Loke said.

Laelaps blinked curiously while wondering what the heck he was talking about. She then tilted her head guessing he meant what she said before leaving to help Lucy.

"Don't mention it." Laelaps said. "I only said what was true. However, if you really want to thank me, can we go on a walk later?! A really long walk."

She looked at Loke hopefully as she held his arm with her tail wagging behind her. Her big golden eyes sparkled at the thought of a walk. As a dog she really loved going on walks. Loke chuckled in amusement as he smiled at her.

"Sure." Loke said. "Just a lovely stroll together sounds great."

He put his arm around her to pull her close, which had her eyes widening and her cheeks burning. He cupped her chin while tilting her head up at him.

"Sending time alone with you is something I enjoy." Loke said. "And afterwards, we should have a picnic…just the two of us where we won't be disturbed."

He leaned in closer with his face getting very close to hers, which had her panicking.

"I think you have the wrong idea!" Laelaps said.


	52. Taking Nirvana By Storm

Rizzo started to come back to consciousness as she felt a hand lightly pat her cheek.

"Hey, Rizzo, come on." A familiar voice said. "Open your eyes for me, please."

Rizzo lightly groaned before her eyes fluttered open. She looked up seeing Gray leaning over her as he held her in his laps with his arms around her.

"Gray?" She murmured.

"Hey." He said grinning. "Gees, you're one heavy sleeper, ya know."

Rizzo irritably frowned at him, which had him chuckling. He was just glad to see she was awake. Rizzo then blinked as she tried to remember why she had been unconscious in the first place. It all came rushing back to her, which had her eyes widening. She was soon up on her feet with her eyebrow twitching in anger. Her guitar case returned to her to snap around her back as she held up a fist.

"That's right." She said. "Sherry was choking us when I blacked out. Where is she? I'm going to kick her ass."

Gray snorted as he got up off the ground. Why wasn't he surprised she said something like that? Sanjū, who was also awake now, shook her head. Of course, Rizzo just wakes up and is already threatening to hurt someone. How typical of her.

"I don't think my cousin was herself when she did what she did to you."

Rizzo blinked in confusion before turning her head to see Sher standing there with an unconscious Racer at her feet.

"Sher?" Rizzo asked in shock.

Gray grinned as he placed his hands on his waist. He had woken up a few minutes ago, and when he woke up, Sher had been waking Sanjū up.

"Hey, I'm not dead." Sher said. "Great, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is!" Rizzo said grinning.

Sher snorted in amusement at Rizzo's enthusiasm as Gray shook his head with the grin still on his face. Sher then looked over at Lyon who was still unconscious. Sher went over to Lyon while silently looking at him for a moment. She narrowed her eyes a moment later.

"Lyon, you lazy bum, get up!" Sher snapped as she kicked him in the side.

Gray, Rizzo, and Sanjū gaped in shock with their eyes wide as Lyon, who was well awake now, went sailing through the air. He hit a tree then slid down to the ground. He blinked as he wondered if he really heard her voice yelling at him. He lifted his head as a shadow fell over him, and he saw that Sher really was standing in front him.

"Sher?" He asked with wide eyes. "You…you're alive!"

Sher was the one surprised this time as Lyon got up onto his feet to hug her. Gray was surprised too since he's never seen Lyon so affectionate before. In fact, Gray doesn't think he's ever seen Lyon affectionate. Rizzo just snickered behind her hand while certain there was some kind of attraction between the two now.

"I was worried you were dead, but I'm happy to see that you're alright." Lyon said. "Please, don't ever do anything so reckless again."

Sher pushed him away with a frown on her face. She felt her cheeks warming a bit, but she refused to acknowledge the feeling.

"I don't think you're in the position to tell me what to do." Sher said. "Now, weren't you supposed to take care of my cousin? If so, how come I hear she went crazy and hurt all of you from Gray?"

Lyon paled as Sher narrowed her eyes at him. He was so dead for sure. She was going to kill him any second now. However, before he could even open his mouth, Sher just sighed as she shook her head.

"Let's just go find her before she hurts anyone else or someone hurts her." Sher said. "Oh, I found this earlier when I went back up on the cliff to look for you guys."

Sher held up his coat to Lyon, and he took it from her cautiously. She wasn't going to hit him? Sher turned away from Lyon though paused.

"I'm happy to see you're okay too." She said.

Lyon blinked before a small grin appeared on his face. Was he witnessing Sher Blendy going soft? Rizzo, who was holding Sanjū now, and Gray exchanged a glance while feeling as if they were intruding on something personal.

"Anyway, we need to hurry after Sherry." Sher said. "I'd hate for her to run into Natsu, and try to pick a fight with him."

"She'd be toast." Gray and Rizzo said in unison.

"Literally." Sanjū added.

Lyon, who was putting on his coat, knew that was true, so they really better hope to find Sherry first.

"Well, let's move out." Sher, who was dragging Racer along, said as she started jogging in the direction she was sure Sherry headed. "Double time! Let's go!"

The three mages and one cat jumped at her drill sergeant tone while not wanting to make her mad. She's one scary woman after all.

"Yes, ma'am!" The others replied as they rushed after her.

They hurried through the forest with Sher at the back since holding Racer slowed her down a bit. She could just leave him behind, but…she'd almost feel bad about it.

"How did you survive anyway?" Rizzo asked as they ran.

"I waited until we were far enough from the rest of you then ripped the bomb off of Racer." Sher said. "I then put up a wall of water between us and the bomb. I didn't get out of it unscathed, but at least I'm alive, right?"

Rizzo nodded her head while glad the Allied Forces didn't lose a member. Rizzo planned to beat the Oración Seis and not lose anyone from their group. Not her friends from Fairy Tail, not the boys from Blue Pegasus, her new friends from Lamia Scale, or Wendy and Carla. They'd get through this without losing anyone, and the Oración Seis would regret messing with them.

* * *

Rizzo ran ahead of the rest of the group as they tried to catch up with Sherry. As they were running, Sanjū flew alongside Gray. Rizzo saw a breaking in the trees ahead, and the very person they were after standing just beyond the trees. Sherry was standing in front of Natsu and Lucy with creepy wooden hands heading towards them as Sherry attacked.

"I see her." Rizzo said. "Sher, I have to take her down before she hurts someone."

"I understand." Sher said.

Rizzo jumped through the trees with Gray as they attacked Sher. Gray cut down the wooden arms with his ice as Rizzo tackled Sherry down to the ground.

"Is she okay?" Lucy asked.

"We think she may be possessed." Gray replied.

Sherry tried to squirm under Rizzo to get away from the pinkette, but Rizzo wasn't letting her go anytime soon. In fact, she's half-tempted to knock her ass out. Ya know, so Sherry can't cause harm to others and herself. Not because Rizzo wants to get her back for what she had done earlier to them.

"Get off of me!" Sherry snapped. "You'll pay for what you did to my cousin! You'll never leave this forest!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say." Rizzo said as she rolled her eyes.

Natsu just blinked in confusion as Lucy tried to wonder what happened to Sher to make Sherry be possessed by the darkness.

"She's been acting strange since that light showed up." Gray said. "Have you seen anything weird?"

"Yeah, and I owe you a kick in the teeth for that little trick you pulled." Natsu said.

Gray and Rizzo looked at Natsu in confusion as Rizzo continued to hold Sherry down to the ground.

"Natsu, that really wasn't Gray back there." Lucy said.

Rizzo was just more confused. However, she had to put her attention back on Sherry when the woman tried another attempt to break free.

"You won't escape me." Sherry said. "I swear on my life I'll avenge her."

"And why are you avenging me?" Sher asked. "Really, Sherry? I thought you knew not to doubt me."

Sherry stiffened before turning her head when Rizzo let go of her, so to see Sher standing there with Lyon at her side. Sher dropped Racer to the ground finally where he just laid there unconscious.

"Is it really you?" Sherry asked.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Lyon asked. "You know as well as I that Sher is a tough woman."

As Sher grinned at her cousin, Sherry felt a lot better and so relieved when seeing that Sher was indeed in once piece. She had been so afraid she lost someone else from her family.

"It was a close call." Sher admitted. "And it was a bit touch and go there for a minute, but as you can see I'm in one piece for the most part anyway."

"Sounds like you had as rough a time as we did." Lucy said.

Sher shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly while just glad that was all over. Now she just had to deal with the rest of the Oración Seis along with the others. Lyon then blinked when he saw what Natsu was wearing.

"Wow, Natsu, where'd you find that getup?" Lyon asked.

"Why?! You jealous?!" Natsu retorted.

"I seriously doubt that's the case." Lucy said.

"Ya know, I thought there was something between you." Sher said to Lucy. "I guess those matching outfits confirm it."

"What?! No!" Lucy said. "That's not why we're wearing these!"

Lucy tried to explain what happened, but it was hard to understand through her sputtering and wild arm movements. Rizzo was laughing hard as she watched the scene with her arms holding her aching stomach. It was hurting a bit to laugh, but she couldn't help it. Lucy told Rizzo to quit laughing though she just stuttered through the words since she was so embarrassed. Gray snorted as he sat down beside Rizzo.

"None of this is funny!" Lucy said.

"Really?" Sher asked. "I'm finding it funny. And it's obvious you have some attraction to this guy, or you wouldn't be acting like you are."

Lucy blushed darkly while not sure what to say to that. Sanjū shook her head at the blonde who started sputtering again. Natsu blinked wondering what Lucy's deal was. Sherry, who was still on the ground, smiled when seeing that Sher was well enough to tease. She could rest now that the heartache was gone from her chest. She fell unconscious, but the smile remained on her lips. After falling unconscious, this black like smoke started leaving her body, which had the others blinking in confusion.

"Whoa, what's that?!" Natsu asked.

"I told you guys she seemed like she was possessed." Gray said.

Sher was just glad her cousin was going to be okay now. When Sherry came to Lamia Scale after the death of her parents due to the demon Deliora, Sher and Sherria, who also lost their parents to that demon, we're the only family they had left. Sher had sworn then that as the oldest she would look after Sherry and Sherria, so knowing Sherry was safe was a huge relief.

"No kidding." Lucy said. "We're running out of time."

The entire group looked towards the white light that was coming from where they believed Nirvana was. They had no idea where the rest of the Allied Forces were, but they didn't have time to go look for them. They needed to find a way to put Nirvana down. Suddenly the light on Nirvana changed once more as another explosion of power blew through the Worth Woodsea. Gray and Rizzo hurried to their feet as Sher knelt down beside her cousin to protect her if anything happened. Lyon stood close to both girls as he frowned up at the light.

"So our mission was a failure." Lyon said.

Sher grit her teeth in aggravation while not believing that this was happening. They were sent here to prevent this, but right now she felt totally useless. She didn't have enough magical power to deal with the rest of the Oración Seis and Nirvana.

"No way!" Natsu said with wide eyes.

"I hope that's not as bad as it looks." Gray said.

Sanjū looked at Gray as if he was crazy. She didn't think that light was just for show, and he shouldn't either.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it is." Lucy said.

"Way to be a downer, Lucy." Rizzo said.

The light, which cast a reddish like glare on everything it touched, continued to shoot up into the sky as everyone watched from down below on the ground.

"And once again Erza is right in the middle of it." Gray said.

"Seriously?!" Lucy asked.

"And I thought she couldn't become more of a pain in the ass, but looks like I was wrong." Rizzo grumbled.

Now not only did they have to stop Nirvana, but they had to save the troubling redhead as well. Lucy sweat-dropped thinking Rizzo was being a bit harsh.

"This is the most dangerous thing I've ever smelled." Natsu said.

That didn't make Rizzo feel better at all. The ground then started shaking as something came sprouting out of it. Rizzo gasped along with the others as long stone like legs sprouted out not far from them.

"Oh, great." Natsu complained. "Now what's going on?!"

"I don't know what it is, but it's everywhere." Gray said.

Well, Rizzo wanted whatever the hell it was to go back into the ground where it came from. She didn't have time to deal with it. She had more of the Oración Seis to beat up.

"Do you think this is Nirvana?" Lucy asked.

Sher frowned guessing it probably was since those long stone like legs all seemed to connect where the light was coming from.

"It doesn't seem like magic to me." Lyon, who was now holding Sherry safely off the ground, said.

The earth right underneath their feet started to shake, which put a bad feeling in Rizzo's stomach. Sanjū flew up into the air to get off the ground, and rest on Gray's shoulder as the earth continued to shake.

"Why is everything shaking?" Natsu asked.

"Get ahold of yourself, man." Gray said.

"Here comes that feeling again!" Lucy asked.

"You said it." Lyon agreed.

Just then one of those stone legs shot up from the ground, which had the group going up with it. Rizzo gave a short yell of surprise as she tried to cling onto the stone.

"What did I tell you?!" Lucy yelled.

Rizzo just held on for dear life as the others did the same. They didn't want to be falling off anytime soon. When it stopped moving, Rizzo let out a sigh of relief. At least they weren't all dead. She then looked up to the top where some large mass was. It was like the body of this entire thing.

"It's almost like this thing is demanding our attention." Rizzo said to her friends as she stood. "How about we give it our full attention then, guys?"

Natsu and Gray grinned as they stood up on the long stone leg they were all forced on. Lucy and Sanjū were both sure that going up there was a bad idea, but it wasn't like they had a choice, so Lucy stood up as Sanjū used her wings to fly up into the air.

"Well, we're already here." Natsu said.

"So we might as well." Gray said.

"Then let's go!" Rizzo said. "We have work to do, so let's get to it, Fairy Tailers!"

She held her fist up in the air with Gray, Lucy, and Natsu lifting theirs up as well with determined looks on their faces.

"Yeah!" they all agreed.

They all started running up the stone leg with Natsu easily taking the lead. Gray and Rizzo were right behind with Lucy trailing in the back with Sanjū staying with her, so to make sure she didn't get too far behind. However, it seemed as if Rizzo had another job in mind for her.

"Sanjū, I want you to fly ahead, and see if you can find Erza." Rizzo said. "I'd bet next month's rent money she's on this thing somewhere. Can you do that?"

"Yes!" Sanjū said nodding. "I can handle it."

Rizzo nodded grinning then watched as Sanjū quickly flew off to find Erza if she could. As she was doing that, the rest of them continued running up the stone leg while planning to put an end to Nirvana and the Oración Seis.

"Once I get to the top, I'll punch this thing in a million pieces!" Natsu said.

"I'll help." Rizzo said as she picked up the pace. "I think a little Natsu-Rizzo teamwork is the only thing that'll bring this thing down."

Natsu grinned over at Rizzo as his fellow pinkette caught up to him. She grinned at him as well as their comrades both paled. Those two working together was not a good idea.

"Wait up, Fairy Tail!"

The group turned their heads seeing Sher was trying to catch up to the group as quickly as she could.

"Hey, Sher, are you sure you have enough power to continue going?" Lucy asked.

"Do any of us really?" Sher asked. "I am tired, but I will push through the weariness I feel to help my friends. Besides, I got carried away on this thing as well, I might as well be of some use."

Lucy smiled at Sher as did the rest of the group. Lucy reached out her hand to Sher as the older woman was finally starting to catch up. Sher grinned before reaching out as well to grab Lucy's hand. Lucy helped pull Sher the rest of the way to get her caught up with them. Once Sher was beside Lucy, they let go of hands, so Sher could run alongside her.

"What about Sherry and Lyon?" Gray asked.

"I got them off this thing before it we were too high up on it." Sher explained.

Gray grinned while glad to hear that the two of them were alright. Now they could completely focus on stopping Nirvana.

"Why didn't you join them?" Lucy asked. "I know you said you wanted to help us…but wouldn't you rather be with your guildmates as this is going on?"

Sher would like to stay at Sherry and Lyon's sides, but that wasn't the place she needed to be at the moment.

"I wasn't able to get myself down in time, but that doesn't matter." Sher said. "I'd rather continue fighting than be left to wait and see how things play out. Sitting back and waiting is something I'm bad at, which is why I left the Rune Knights because all they ever did was sit back and watch as others did the work or until they felt it was the right moment to attack. I returned to my guild, so to help people, which is what I will now."

"Well, we're happy to have your help." Rizzo said. "The Oración Seis and Nirvana isn't going to know what hit them once we're done with them."

Sher nodded her head in agreement as they all continued running up the leg of Nirvana. Suddenly Nirvana started moving, which made all of them have to hurry up and grab on before they could fall over. Natsu, who had fallen behind, even gagged feeling sick to his stomach.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Gray said. "Come on!"

Sher sweat-dropped wondering how a powerful Dragon Slayer could be reduced to such a state just by a bit of movement.

"What is wrong with you?" Lucy asked. "You can't start getting sick right now!"

"Don't think he has much of choice, Lulu." Rizzo deadpanned.

It wasn't like Natsu could control his motion sickness. It was just something he went through.

"I'm sorry." Natsu said. "I can't help it."

Rizzo, who was beside him, reached out to rub his back while wishing she could help him.

"Just try." Lucy said.

"This thing's moving from one place to another." Natsu said.

He let out another gag as he clung to Nirvana for dear life even though he'd just love to be off of it.

"It may be moving, but it's not like it's a vehicle." Gray said. "Don't think of it that way."

"Yeah, think of it kind of like how you do Happy." Rizzo added.

Natsu closed his eyes trying to do just that, but it was proving to be a bit difficult to do. However, he continued trying.

"Yeah, you're right!" He said as he stood up.

He started marching forward, which had his friends looking at him in shock. Sher just blinked wondering how far he was going to make it. He got just past Gray and Lucy before he stopped while hanging his head.

"My tummy hurts." Natsu said.

"Just think of it as a giant octopus." Lucy said. "Being on the back of an animal doesn't bother you, does it?"

"And octopus in the woods is all kind of wrong." Natsu said.

Rizzo had to agree there since it sounded pretty weird to her. Why would a sea creature be in the woods? Well, to be fair this forest is called the Worth Wood _sea_.

"Don't sweat the weird details!" Lucy said.

Natsu slapped his face a few times trying to make himself focus on the task at hand.

"You're right." He said. "I just have to put my mind at ease."

Nirvana then moved again with Natsu starting to slip off, which had his friends starting to panic.

"Watch out!" Lucy and Rizzo called out.

"You idiot! Stay alert, man!" Gray snapped.

"Seriously, if you fall from this height, you'll probably die!" Sher added.

Of course, she fell over a cliff not all that long ago, and she was more or less okay. Maybe he would be too since he's a Slayer. Slayers are more durable than most humans.

"I know what I'm doing." Natsu retorted. "This is piece of cake."

However, when the thing moved again, he started slipping even more, which had his friends freaking out. Natsu struggled to stay on, but he fell right off to start falling to the ground below. Lucy screamed in fear for Natsu as he continued falling.

"Natsu!" Gray and Rizzo shouted.

Rizzo stood up ready to use her case to fly and get Natsu. However, she lost her balance, and started falling forward as well. She dropped her case, which started falling down below as Gray grabbed her by the back of the pants to pull her back before she could follow after it.

"Natsu!" Rizzo cried again as Gray held her close, so she didn't go over the edge as well.

Natsu continued falling along with Rizzo's guitar case, but honestly, she was more worried about the pinkette than her guitar case. However, it seemed none of them had to worry since a certain blue cat appeared just in time to swoop in and save Natsu. Rizzo let out a sigh when seeing Happy had arrived to catch Natsu, and to make things better Natsu managed to snag a hold of her guitar case.

"Awesome! Great catch!" Lucy said as the two soared up above the group.

Natsu tossed Rizzo down her guitar case, and she easily caught it while glad it and Natsu were safe.

"Stupid Hothead nearly gave me a heart attack." Gray complained.

Lucy sheepishly laughed as she sweat-dropped. Sher was just glad Natsu didn't go splat across the ground below. That would have been very bad. Happy then took Natsu higher up into the air to perform a loop as Rizzo and the others finally made it to the top of the leg where there was conveniently a way inside.

"Take it all the way to the top guys!" Gray called out to them. "We're going to head through there and check out how things are on the inside."

"Right." Natsu said.

"Aye, sir!" Happy added.

Happy soared up over Nirvana as Rizzo and the other girls followed Gray inside. Rizzo looked around seeing nothing more than a dark hallway.

"This place is creepy." Lucy said.

"Eh, dark tunnels don't really bother me." Rizzo said shrugging.

"Well, I guess not since you spent a lot of your childhood playing in caves." Lucy said.

Rizzo chuckled while remembering all those days where she and her brothers were playing in the tunnels. Those were good times. They also trained a bit in there. Breccan the most since he'd cause cave ins in certain tunnels purposely, so he could try to strength his vibration magic on shattering the rocks with large enough force yet with a precise hit in the right spot to make sure another cave in didn't happen.

"You used to play in caves?" Sher asked.

"Yeah, good times." Rizzo said with a nostalgic sigh. "My brothers and I used to play mage hide-and-seek in the cave's labyrinth of tunnels."

"Mage hide-and-seek?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, like regular hide-and-seek, but everyone is seeking at the same time." Rizzo said. "And when you find someone you have hit them with your magic, and it gives you a point, so it was liking getting some training into playtime."

Lucy sweat-dropped while not all surprised since Rizzo and her brothers seemed like the type to make training into a game. Or to fit training into time where they could play like most kids do. And if they've been training since they were that young it's no surprise they're all super stronger.

"I used to play a game like that too when I was a kid." Sher said. "But the kids stopped playing with me since they were scared of me. I showed no mercy, and crushed my opponents from the start."

Lucy and Gray shuddered while both picturing a small demonic Sher as she drowned her playmates in tidal waves of water. Rizzo just laughed because her brothers and she played a rather rough game themselves. There was showing no mercy since they all wanted to win so badly. Well, Breccan was the exception. He didn't care if he won or not, and he didn't have to give it his all since he was always so much stronger than the rest of them.

"Hey, I think I see some stairs up ahead." Gray, who was still leading the way, said.

"Then let's get out of here." Lucy said as she shuddered again. "Because this place is still creeping me out."

Once they reached the stairs, they hurried right up of them to find an opening that lead outside. Rizzo looked around in confusion when seeing they were surrounded by what looked like ancient buildings. Almost like they were in a city of some sort. The others looked around as well while seeming a bit confused.

"So, any idea what this place is?" Gray asked.

"You mean besides from ruins on the back of a giant monster?" Lucy asked. "No clue."

Rizzo stepped up to one of the houses then peeked into the open doorway. The house was as deserted as the rest of the place seemed to be.

"I thought Nirvana was a power magic." Gray said. "Not a bunch of broken down buildings and rubble."

"If it's a city, what happened to the people?" Lucy asked.

"Well, this place was underground, and I'm guessing for a reason." Sher said. "I bet the people just left a long time ago after putting into the ground. Or it's been around for so long that over the years it became submerged into the ground."

Rizzo guessed that was all plausible, but she's still a bit confused. Like she didn't feel a lot of magic from where she stood. And this thing was supposed to be Nirvana, right?

"An excellent theory."

The group of four stiffened at the sudden voice, but then Sher stood up straighter when sensing two presences behind them. She whirled around, which had the others doing the same as they turned to see what caught her attention.

"Oh yeah."

Rizzo's eyes widened when she saw Jura and that Hot-Eye guy on top of one of the rooves.

"This is the mystical city of Nirvana." Hot-Eye continued.

"And seeing you here puts the odds in our favor." Jura added.

Sher just frowned as she wondered what Jura was doing with someone from the Oración Seis. If he had to make a friend with one of them, why'd it have to be the one who likes to give longwinded preaches?

"It's the guy from Lyon and Sher's guild." Gray said.

"And a member of the Oración Seis." Lucy said.

"What the heck?!" The two asked in unison.

"Why'd he have to become friends with the weirdest one?" Was all Rizzo asked. "Wait—no, second weirdest one. Moonlight is definitely the weirdest."

Sher snorted because she was just thinking something similar. However, she supposed she and Rizzo should be grateful he suddenly didn't become friends with Moonlight.

"Sir, may I ask that you explain what's going on?" Sher asked respectfully.

Jura smiled before jumping down to where the others were with Hot-Eye close behind him. Sher frowned at the ginger as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"There's no need to worry." Jura said. "Hot-Eye is now our faithful ally."

"He is?" Gray asked.

Rizzo frowned definitely not sure how to take this. So…did Nirvana mess with his mind too?

"All you need is love! OH YEAH!" Hot-Eye said as he spread out his arms.

"NO WAY!" Rizzo and her friends exclaimed.

Rizzo, Lucy, and Gray all then turned around away from the guy as Sher's eyebrow twitched a bit. He's sounding quite a bit like her cousin, and she hears all about love way too much from Sherry.

"Isn't this the guy who couldn't screaming anything but money this and money that before?" Lucy asked her guildmates.

"Yeah, Baldy must have beaten some sense into him." Gray said.

"Or Nirvana made him switch sides." Rizzo whispered. "It can turn dark to light just as well as it can turn light to dark, remember?"

Lucy and Gray blinked guessing that could be the case as well, but that meant the guy wasn't completely bad in the first place since Nirvana could only change those who were teetering between light and dark to one side of the other. The three then turned back around to see Hot-Eye still talking about love, which had Sher's eyebrow twitching even more.

"We were about to duke it out when he had a change of heart." Jura explained.

"Looks like you were right, Rizzo." Gray said.

"Yep." Rizzo agreed. "We witnessed something similar with Sherry, but she went all dark-side unlike this guy who went all…un-dark-side."

Lucy sweat-dropped wondering if that was the best Rizzo could come up with.

"Yeah, Lady Love, pretty much went psycho on us for a bit." Lucy said.

"What? Is she okay?!" Jura asked urgently. "Where is she?"

"She's going to be fine, sir." Sher said. "If I was worried about her, I would have found a way off this thing before it started moving. She's safe where she is with Lyon."

Jura nodded his head while happy to hear that. He'd hate to know one of his comrades was suffering from something that'd cause permanent damage.

"As I was saving, this city is where the ancient Nirvits once resided and prospered, oh yeah." Hot-Eye said.

"Never heard of the Nirvits." Lucy said.

Rizzo hadn't either. They must be really old and really not around anymore, or otherwise Rizzo would have heard about them somewhere, right?

"I can't say I'm surprised since there's no record of them." Hot-Eye said. "They lived four-hundred years ago. A time when the world was engulfed in war. The Nirvits tried to remain neutral, but the bloodshed was such that they became compelled to intervene. They created a type of magic that could restore balance to the world, oh yeah."

Rizzo frowned as she put her arms around her as if for comfort. Gray glanced at her wondering why she looked so bothered all of a sudden. Yes, what Hot-Eye was saying wasn't pleasant, but Rizzo had…an almost haunted look in her eye.

"Don't tell me." Lucy said. "That magic was—"

"Nirvana." Hot-Eye confirmed. "A powerful spell capable of switching light and darkness. So confident were they of their creation they named it after their homeland. A word synonymous with peace, oh yeah."

Rizzo's hold on her arms became a little tight as she tried to control her shaking. This was all reminding her a lot of _that_.

"So this city of ruins," Gray began.

"Is really Nirvana itself?" Lucy finished asking.

They were standing on something that was meant to do good by bringing back balance, and yet now Brain wanted to use it to cause chaos. Rizzo almost wanted to laugh at the irony.

"Man, talk about irony." Gray said.

"Huh?" Lucy asked.

"Nirvana was given its name in the hope that it would bring peace." Gray said. "Now it's fallen into the hands of someone who will use it for nothing but destruction."

It looked like Gray was thinking the same thing as Rizzo. Funny how much they think alike.

"Gees, I'm all for balance." Lucy said. "But why couldn't they just make Nirvana turn darkness into light? Then we wouldn't even be in this mess."

"They probably didn't think about that, Lucy!" Rizzo basically snapped.

Her friends looked at her in surprise, and Rizzo frowned while looking away. She hadn't meant to lose her temper.

"Sorry." Rizzo said. "It's just…these people probably meant no harm. They just did what they thought was right to help end the war. I don't think we should judge them for that."

Lucy blinked wondering why Rizzo seemed to be taking this kind of personally. Gray was wondering the same, so he stepped up to place his hand on her shoulder. She glanced up at him under her eyelashes.

"Rizzo, what's wrong?" Gray said.

"It's just…funny." Rizzo said.

"Funny?" Sher asked.

"Funny that so many bad things can be brought into this world through good intentions." Rizzo said. "Nirvana was built to bring balance, but now Brain wants it to cause chaos. It's like the Pied Piper."

Gray and Lucy stiffened when Rizzo brought up that instrument that Raoul had created a little over a hundred years ago with the help of his friend Caspian.

"Pied Piper?" Jura asked.

"I've heard of it, oh yeah." Hot-Eye said. "In fact, Brain once mentioned trying to find the instrument that had been created by the official creator of music magic Raoul Sweeney. Your ancestor, correct?"

He looked at Rizzo as he asked this, and she nodded her head as she looked back down at the ground.

"Master Raoul wanted to evolve sound magic into music magic from the very beginning." Rizzo said. "But…he chose the function of the instrument to enslave those who hear it because he and Caspian both decided it'd help with the war that was happening in Fiore back then. A lot of battles could be won easy if you could just play a little tune and have the enemy surrender. That was why the Pied Piper had such a power. My ancestor created it to save lives by stopping battles before they could really begin."

Gray looked at Rizzo softly while now understanding why she seemed so upset earlier.

"But…even though it helped…at the end of the war it became something far too dangerous." Rizzo said. "Anyone could get their hands on it and use it for evil. And it did end up causing pain…it brought pain onto my family…and my friends had even got pulled into the conflict caused by its existence. When Master Raoul created it…he never meant for a hundred years of pain to follow afterwards. He didn't think of people fighting tooth and nail for its power, which would bring harm to others."

Rizzo bit her lip knowing that Raoul has regretted bringing the Pied Piper into existence ever since it started driving him and Caspian apart. However, Rizzo knew why he created it, so she couldn't be upset with him about it.

"Just like how these people created Nirvana to help and didn't expect for something like we're going through now to happen." Rizzo continued. "I…I just don't think we should give blame to them or criticize them. At least, I can't do that because to do that to all of them would be like doing that to Master Raoul, and I don't blame him for anything."

Lucy bit her lip guessing she should have been more careful with her words. She hadn't been thinking about the Pied Piper incident. And she never really thought about why Raoul and Caspian gave the Pied Piper that kind of power. Like Rizzo said it was similar to why the Nirvits made Nirvana.

"Yes, it's like Lady Rizzo says." Jura said. "Nirvana and this Pied Piper was created to help. However, criminals can find the dark side of even the most constructive of magic."

Rizzo knew that to be true better than most. When she felt Gray squeeze her shoulder, she looked up at him. He gave her a look that said he everything would be okay, which brought her a little peace.

"In any case, now that it's been activated, Nirvana poses a clear and present threat to the entire world." Hot-Eye said. "We must do everything within our power to destroy it, oh yeah."

"Sounds like plan to me." Gray said.

Rizzo was ready to go. She wasn't going to let Nirvana be continued to cause so much evil when the ancients only built it to make the world better. She would not let that happen. Just like how she, her brothers, and her friends worked hard to destroy the Pied Piper, so no one would be able to cause harm with it. If she has to beat Brain and the rest of the Oración Seis, she'll do it. If she has to bring this entire city on legs down and smash it into rubble, she'll do it no matter how much she has to throw at it. Suddenly Nirvana shook as flames started to build up around the tall tower in the center.

"Now what?" Gray asked.

"They're lighting up." Lucy said.

Sher frowned getting a bad feeling about those torches. She didn't know if they served a purpose, but seeing their eerie glow in the distance had her feeling uneasy.

"It must be Brain's work, oh yeah." Hot-Eye said. "Knowing him, he's most likely controlling Nirvana from the royal throne located in the city's heart. Luckily for us he's unable to use any other magic while doing so. It's the perfect time to strike, oh yeah."

Well, Rizzo was all for going after that guy while he's busy and unable to fight. She usually didn't like fighting unless she could get a challenge out of it since that made it fun. However, considering this was all for the greater good she can push aside her need for a challenge to kick Brain's ass while he's like a defenseless little newborn.

"If he's driving, is he taking it anywhere specific?" Gray asked.

Sher was already thinking off all the possible targets Brain could choose from that was nearby. She also thought about the direction they were heading in, which is south. What was nearby while heading in this direction? Her memory of the Fiore Map she had once studied in great detail while a Rune Knight was a bit fuzzy, but…she was 85% sure it was a guildhall that would be coming up first. In fact there were a few that were closer, but it seemed as if Nirvana was passing all of them for some reason.

"A guild maybe." Sher said allowed. "I'm pretty sure there's a guild in the direction we're going, but I can't remember which guild."

"That could be it, oh yeah." Hot-Eye said. "However, sadly, Brain didn't share the particulars of his plan with the rest of us."

"Not true."

Everyone stiffened when hearing this new voice before whirling around to see that guy, who had been sleeping during the action the first time around, and—

"Moonlight!" Rizzo and Sher exclaimed.

Standing beside him was indeed Moonlight, who didn't have a single mark on her, and the look in her eyes clearly said she was ready for vengeance. If it wasn't for her tattered clothes, one wouldn't think she was ever in a fight.

"Hello, piglets." Moonlight said. "Miss me?"

Rizzo shuddered while moving in closer to Gray to grab ahold of his arm. He looked down at her as she shook while holding onto him. Lucy noticed she was shaking as well, which had her a bit nervous. It took a lot to scare Rizzo, so seeing her shaking let Lucy now this Moonlight woman was a scary chick.

"Father, didn't trust the rest of you enough to tell you." The man beside her said. "Well, he told Moonlight, but she's like a loyal little dog."

He reached out to pat Moonlight on the head, and Rizzo noticed how Moonlight had to hold back a flinch. Was she afraid of this guy?

"Hello, Midnight, Moonlight." Hot-Eye said.

"Two members of the Oración Seis." Gray said.

"It's the creep who's always napping." Lucy said.

"And the other one is who Rizzo and I took down." Sher said. "Where the hell are her damn wounds?"

Rizzo wanted to know the same thing because she and Sher gave it everything they had to take Moonlight down. However, she was standing here without even a scratch on her.

"Moonlight has taken over the soul of a vampire." Hot-Eye explained. "It's just one of four monster souls she has at her disposal. Using the vampire soul she can heal any damage she has sustained, but she must drink so much blood to do so."

"And I was very lucky to have members of one of the guilds working for us come by and find me." Moonlight said. "I sucked those little piglets dry, and now I'm back to full strength."

Rizzo frowned wondering what kind of person could drink people's blood in general let alone from their comrades. Midnight then jumped down onto the ground to face the group as Moonlight remained on top of the roof.

"You betrayed us." Midnight said then switched locations suddenly. "I didn't think you had the guts, Hot-Eye."

"I haven't betrayed anyone." Hot-Eye said.

Moonlight snorted with a look of distain on her face as Midnight once again appeared in a different location.

"Oh?" Midnight questioned.

"I've come to realize the error of Brain's misguided ways." Hot-Eye explained.

"What was that?" Midnight asked.

He then vanished again from spot to appear behind the group of allied mages and Hot-Eye.

"Why don't you come over here and say that, big guy?" He asked.

Rizzo stiffened with the others before whirling around to look at Midnight. Rizzo frowned wondering how he was switching location like that. Was he a teleporter of some kind?

"How's he doing that?" Lucy asked.

Rizzo had no idea, but honestly Midnight wasn't her biggest concern. Nope, it was the monster lady whose eyes she could feel on her at the moment. Why did Moonlight want her?

"Hang on, what's all this father stuff about anyway?" Gray asked.

"Some kind of family that slays together?" Lucy guessed.

Moonlight snorted rolling her eyes before she jumped down to stand beside Midnight who reached out to pat her head again. It was almost like she was some kind of pet to him.

"I say he is misguided because he truly believes a person's heart can be changed with magic." Hot-Eye said to explain his earlier statement. "But only love has the power to make the weakest of hearts become strong, oh yeah."

"And I thought his preaching about money was annoying." Moonlight said as she brushed some of her hair back behind her ear.

Midnight just smirked before letting out a blast of his power. Rizzo gasped in surprise when the earth under her shifted to form a dip that had her and the others falling as some of the building tops were destroyed. Jura had fallen first with his head stuck under Gray's leg, and he had Sher on his torso. Rizzo fell right into Gray with Lucy fall right on top of her, and Rizzo knew that couldn't feel comfortable since her guitar case is on her back.

"Whoa, anyone know what just happened?" Gray asked.

"Hot-Eye liquefied the ground before we could be hit." Jura said. "It happened so fast I barely saw it."

Rizzo just wished there would have been some kind of heads up before it happened.

"There's no time to waste." Hot-Eye said. "Get to the royal throne as quickly as possible. I'll stay behind and take care of Midnight and Moonlight. But you needn't worry about me. All members of the Oración Seis are equal in power."

Moonlight frowned feeling insulted. She also couldn't believe how stupid Hot-Eye was. He might think every member of their little guild was equally powered, but he's dead wrong.

"You really think you're a match for us?" Midnight asked as he absently played with his hair that he had decorated with red beads. "Please, Moonlight is too much for you to handle."

Hot-Eye just replied with an attack using his earth softening magic. The attack came right at Midnight and Moonlight, but the latter wasn't worried. She just moved behind Midnight, and with a swipe of his hand the liquefied earth was sent away from them.

"Who would have thought the Oración Seis would turn on each other." Gray, who was up on his feet with the others, said.

"Dark guilds aren't exactly about peace and harmony." Lucy pointed out.

Rizzo snorted because that was the understatement of the year right there. Sher just frowned knowing that Hot-Eye couldn't take on two members of the Oración Seis. She sighed before climbing out of the crater.

"Sher, what are you doing?" Jura asked.

"I can't just leave the guy here to take on these two alone." Sher said. "Besides, I have a bone to pick with that bitch."

And she would pick that bone, and by the time she was done Moonlight was going to black and blue with multiple broken bones herself.

"But, Sher, last time it took the two of us to take her down, and that was when we were at full strength." Rizzo pointed out. "D…Do you need me to stay behind with you?"

"No." Sher said. "I can handle her. You just get going. I have a feeling taking on Brain will need a lot of power, which is why you need to be with the group."

Rizzo bit her lip not sure. Jura placed a hand on her shoulder, so she glanced back at him.

"Don't worry." Jura said. "Sher has an inner strength that she can call upon in times like this. I believe she will be alright against Moonlight."

Rizzo nodded her head while putting faith in the hope that Sher will defeated Moonlight without too much of a problem.

"That being said, I want you both to be careful, Sher, Hot-Eye." Jura said.

"Yes, sir!" Sher said like an obedient soldier. "Now, please get going!"

"Yes, please, go quickly!" Hot-Eye added. "Also I would prefer you didn't call me that anymore. The name's Richard, oh yeah."

Jura thanked him as the smoke cleared from the attack to revealed Midnight and Moonlight in one piece.

"Hmph, we're not supposed to reveal our true name to the enemy." Midnight said. "That's a new low even for you, oh yeah."

"Please, don't start copying him." Moonlight begged.

Midnight just started to gear up for an attack, which had Sher getting ready as well.

"I have no interest hiding behind a codename now that I've opened my heart to love." Hot-Eye—er—or rather Richard said. "Prepare yourselves!"

* * *

Rizzo ran towards the royal throne with the others right behind her. She felt a pull towards there as she sensed familiar magic coming in that direction.

"Natsu." She said.

Suddenly one of those pillars with fire on top cracked with the fire lacrima and flame falling down onto Nirvana, which caused a huge explosion.

"Whoa, what was that?" Gray asked.

"Maybe one of your allies needs help." Jura said.

Rizzo just grinned while certain that Natsu was the cause of that explosion. She can still sense his magic.

"An over the top explosion." Lucy said.

"Bet ya I know how caused it." Gray said.

"Natsu for sure." Rizzo said laughing. "And once again he's destroying things without me."

The fire started to slowly disappear, and Rizzo felt an increase of Natsu's magic energy. A few moments later, Rizzo then saw what looked like red cloud like substance in the sky, and it didn't set well with her. She frowned getting a bad feeling as the cloud disappeared, but was soon followed by a blast of the substance. Afterwards Natsu's magic energy dropped quite a bit, which had her worried.

"Something isn't right." Rizzo said. "I can sense a drop in Natsu's magic energy."

Jura and Lucy looked at Rizzo in surprise. Jura was quite awed that Rizzo could sense the state of Natsu's magic energy from here. Some of the most experienced mages can't do that. Lucy was a bit surprised since she had no idea Rizzo could do that. Gray wasn't shocked at all. He knew Rizzo knew Natsu's magic energy signature the most out of anyone since she and Natsu spent the last six years training side-by-side almost every day. Natsu could always sense Rizzo's magic when she battles as well, and he could tell whenever she was in trouble, which let him know when to give aid.

"Rizzo, I know what you're thinking." Gray said as they continued running. "But you don't need to rush to Natsu's aid. We just have to trust he can handle this himself. Right now we have to deal with Brain to bring this thing to a stop."

Rizzo looked down at the ground really wanting to rush towards Natsu's side, but…she knew Gray was right. Brain was their top priority. Besides, she believes in Natsu. He won't lose because losing isn't an option.

"Right." Rizzo said. "Let's keep going."

As they ran, Rizzo tried to block out how weak Natsu's magic energy was getting. No matter how weak it became she knew he still had the chance of winning, which is why she can't allow herself to worry, or she'd just want to hurry to his side. Minutes later the air was filled with the sound of an inhuman roar, which had all of them stopping.

"Is that someone screaming?" Gray asked. "It sounds inhuman."

"Please, don't be a monster." Lucy begged.

"I don't know what it could be." Jura said.

Rizzo grinned knowing exactly who it was making that noise that sounded like a roar of a dragon.

"Natsu." She said.


	53. The Unwavering Heart

Sher stood beside Richard with her eyes narrowed at Midnight and Moonlight.

"So, water piglet, ready for round two?" Moonlight asked. "Can't get enough of me, can you?"

"Believe me, I had enough of dealing with you the moment I set eyes on that ugly mug of yours during the briefing we had." Sher said. "Which is why I'm going to throw everything I have at you to put you six feet under."

Moonlight just grinned while ready to fight once more with this God Slayer. She was sure she would win this night. Not only was Sher weakened from their fight and the explosion caused by Racer, but Moonlight was back to complete strength.

"You might think you have this fight won because of my current state." Sher said. "But my resolve is much stronger than your own, which is why victory will be mine."

Moonlight narrowed her eyes at Sher as the Water God Slayer started to build up her magic around her.

"You think your resolve will grant you victory?" Moonlight asked with a scoff. "The amount of power a person has determines who the victor is."

"You're wrong." Sher said. "It's my resolve to protect my friends and loved ones and to protect the rest of the world from this evil that makes me stronger than you. Not my magic or the strength in my body. Both would be useless if I did not have the strong resolve to fight. Now, come at me. I'm ready for you, Moonlight."

Moonlight growled starting to feel really pissed off by this woman. After Moonlight is finished with Sher, she'll hunt down sweet little Rizzo and have her fun with the pinkette. Moonlight then glowed a dark light before transforming into that fish creature form.

"You'll regret challenging me, Blendy." Moonlight said. "By the time I'm through with you, you'll wish you were never even born."

* * *

When Rizzo and the others got even closer to the royal throne, she saw Brain dragging Natsu along by his scarf, which had Rizzo's blood boiling in anger. What did that bastard think he was doing with her friend?

"There he is." Gray said when also seeing Brain and Natsu.

"Natsu!" Lucy called out.

Natsu weakly turned his head towards the others, and Rizzo could tell immediately something was wrong with him. More so than his usual motion sickness.

"What happened to you?" Lucy asked.

"It's moving I just can't handle it." Natsu said pathetically.

Rizzo looked at Natsu with concern before she glared at Brain. She was going to get her friend away from that guy for sure.

"Hey, guys." Happy called out. "Please, help."

"Are you okay?" Lucy asked worriedly.

Rizzo could see that Happy was pretty sick looking too as he continued to lay on the ground.

"Sir Cat is still alive." Jura said.

Rizzo, Lucy, and Gray looked at Jura with wide eyes as the Wizard Saint was looking towards Happy.

"Are you talking about Happy?" The three of them asked in unison.

"You guys got to save Natsu." Happy said with tears in his eyes. "Brain's taking him away."

Oh, Rizzo was going to save Natsu, and she was going to kick Brain's teeth in while she's doing it.

"The six demons and I have been cut down into a merger three." Brain said. "Moonlight was also cut down even though she has rejoined the fight. Even if she pulls out a victory, I will dispose of her later for losing in the first place."

Rizzo's eyes widened. He'd do that to his own guildmate? Rizzo didn't like Moonlight one bit, but it made her angry that Brain could just toss Moonlight away like trash.

"In order to stop the bleeding in our once healthy ranks, I will fortify them with this one." Brain said.

Natsu just groaned looking sicker by the second as Nirvana kept moving along.

"I always knew this was going to happen someday." Gray said. "One of these dark guilds was going to try to pull Natsu over to their side."

Rizzo's hands clenched into tight fists as her mind raced a mile per second in trying to think of a way to get her friend back.

"You must be out of your mind if you think you're ever going to get that hardhead to cooperate with you." Lucy said.

"Once Nirvana darkness his heart he will gladly do my bidding." Brain said. "His—"

"You're wrong!" Rizzo cut in. "There's no amount of magic in this world that can change Natsu's unwavering heart! Because his feelings and emotions are a hundred times stronger than any magic power you throw at him. That goes for the rest of us Fairy Tail mages as well."

Gray and Lucy grinned while nodding their heads in agreement. Jura just looked a bit surprised as he looked at Rizzo who stood tall and unafraid in front of Brain.

"You foolish girl." Brain said. "Magic power is everything! Things such as feelings and emotions can never overcome power! Especially the power of Nirvana!"

"Obviously you're not as smart as your codename suggests." Rizzo said. "You think just because you have Nirvana that you're all powerful. I'm telling you right now, Pal, that you're deadly mistaken. As long as there are mages with unwavering feelings and emotions, guys like you will never win!"

Brain growled having enough of this girl, who was so openly defying him, running her mouth. He tossed Natsu to the side while looking ready to gear up for a fight.

"That was kind of mean, don't ya think?" A new voice cut in through the air. "He's sick, so you should be gentler with him."

Everyone gasped looking behind Brain to see Raoul standing there with his hands inside his pockets.

"Who the hell are you?" Brain asked.

"Raoul Sweeney." Raoul said. "First Master and co-founder of the Treble Chambers guild, which dispersed when sixth Master Breccan and the rest of its members joined the Fairy Tail guild. So you can say I'm pro-Fairy Tail, which is why I came here to get this guy."

Raoul quickly picked up Natsu to put over his shoulder before quickly dodging the blast of magic that Brain sent at him. Rizzo and the others watched in awe as Raoul continued to easily dodge Brain who continued attack. Raoul landed beside Happy at one point to pick him up as well. Raoul then hurried over to the others.

"Whoa, that was so cool, Master Raoul." Lucy said.

Raoul just laughed before he set Natsu and Happy down on the ground near Rizzo.

"Now you can fight the guy without worry about them getting hurt." Raoul said.

Jura just frowned in confusion since he had no idea who this guy was at all. He said he was the first master of Treble Chambers, but it was in history books that Raoul Sweeney died at a young age when his oldest and closest friend betrayed him and started a war between their guilds. Besides Treble Chambers was founded over a hundred years ago.

"Thank-you, Granddaddy Raoul." Rizzo said while dropping the "great-great" since it was too long.

Raoul grinned then disappeared since there wasn't much else he could do as Rizzo knelt down beside Natsu to pull him partially into her lap to make him more comfortable. Lucy knelt down as well while very worried about him and Happy who she picked up to hold in her arms.

"I am…so…sick." Natsu groaned.

"The spirit is strong, but the stomach is weak." Jura said.

"Yeah, you can say that again." Gray deadpanned. "Kind of gets in the way."

Rizzo just pat her best friend on top of the head while wishing there was something she could do to help.

"Damn you." Brain said as he glared over the group then sighed. "However, I suppose it doesn't matter if you managed to retrieve him for now. I will have him back in the end."

Rizzo narrowed her eyes at Brain while not about to let him get his hands on her best friend anytime soon. In fact, he wasn't going to be trying to take any of her friends.

"Please, beat this guy. I'm begging ya to stop this thing." Natsu groaned.

"Oh, we're going to stop it, but not just for your sake." Gray said to Natsu.

"Yeah." Lucy and Rizzo agreed.

Brain just chuckled as his entire body started to glow an eerie green color that had Rizzo frowning. What was he planning?

"Is that so?" Brain asked. "You'll stop Nirvana? Try your best, but you mustn't waste any time. We're quickly approaching our first target. The Cait Shelter guildhall."

Rizzo and the others all stiffened in shock when Brain told them what his first target was.

"That's the one Carla and Wendy belong to." Happy said. "Why them?"

Rizzo wanted to know as well. She knew there were other guilds before Cait Shelter. Yes, they were small guilds that most people forgot the names of, but they were still legal guilds, which Brain considered his enemies, right? So why Cait Shelter?

"What is your objective?" Jura asked. "What could you possibly hope to gain from their loss?"

"The world's on its head." Brain said. "In the blink of an eye, this guild of light will be consumed in darkness. Oh, the things we will see. What splendid horrors await us?"

Rizzo glared at his guy wondering what the hell was wrong with him. He had to be insane.

"We won't let you do that to them." Lucy said.

"You're not going to get away with this, Scumbag." Gray said.

Gray then stiffened with fear creeping down his spine when he felt an angered presence behind him as there was a spike in magic energy.

"You still haven't told me." Jura, who was the source of this overwhelming magic, said. "What do you hope to gain?"

Gray looked at Jura with wide eyes while feeling fear even though Jura is his ally. Brain started laughing manically, which had everyone turning towards him.

"I don't have to answer to you!" Brain said. "I hold the reigns of light and darkness! Kneel before me and ask for one thing only…for mercy."

Rizzo really wanted to sock this guy in the jaw. Like right in his damn jaw, and see if he's still talking big then.

"What a bothersome fool." Jura said as he walked out in front of the others.

"Pops, what are you doing?" Gray asked.

"He's far too delusional to hold a conversation." Jura said as his magic continued to build.

Brain then pointed his staff at the group with that large manic grin still on his face.

"You hear me?!" Brain asked. "I asked you to kneel!"

He gathered up his magic energy to fire, but Jura put a stop to that real quick as he used his own magic to send large pieces of rubble at Brain to send him flying. There was an explosion of power that had Rizzo and her friends wide-eyed as the backlash from the attack sent their hair and clothes whipping around them. Once the dust cleared, Brain was sent lying into some rubble with his own eyes wide.

"Stand up." Jura ordered as he raised his hand. "Once you've explained why you've set your sights on the Cait Shelter guild then I'll let you rest."

Rizzo blinked feeling a bit intimidated by Jura, and he didn't even have his anger focused on her.

"Whoa, I guess Baldy ain't messing around." Gray said.

"No, it looks like he's pretty serious." Lucy said.

"Do you really think you should be calling him baldy?" Rizzo asked.

Gray frowned guessing not since Jura could most definitely kick his ass. The three then blinked in confusion when Nirvana gave another shake. Rizzo guessed it was still moving.

"Iron Rock Jura is another one of the Ten Wizard Saints." Happy said. "Just like Master Makarov."

Which meant he was just as powerful as a Guild Master, or really more so than most since not all Guild Masters were Wizard Saint Level. Rizzo wondered if the Lamia Scale Guild Master was this intimidating.

"How fascinating." Brain said. "I must admit I'm a bit surprised, but it seems your strength merits such prestige."

He then got up looking ready for round two, but if Rizzo was him, she would have stayed down.

"I know for a fact that there are numerous guilds closer than Cait Shelter." Jura said. "To go so far out of your way it betrays a specific intention."

Brain just smirked before holding up his staff with a spiral of green magic energy swirling around it.

"By the time I reach them you'll be nothing but a fading memory." Brain said. "Dark Rondo!"

As the burst of greenish-black magic went towards Jura, the tall bald man stood still holding his ground. Rizzo watched with wide eyes as Jura used his magic to bring up three pillars of rock in front of him.

"Iron Rock Wall!" Jura said.

Rizzo and her friends gaped at how quickly Jura up such a large rock mass in front of him.

"Holy." Gray murmured.

"That move was totally amazing!" Lucy said then paled a bit. "And I little scary."

Rizzo nodded her head in agreement while absently wondering if Jura was as strong as old man Gildarts. Jura then jumped up onto the large stones he created.

"It is pointless for you to continue attacking me." Jura said. "I demand an answer to my question, Brain!"

If Rizzo was Brain, she'd probably answer Jura right away. Not point the glowing staff at him like Brain is doing right now.

"Why do my reasons concern you?" Brain asked then fired another attack at Jura.

Jura created another rock wall to block the attack as Rizzo and her friends continued to watch.

"I told you your attacks are pointless." Jura said.

"Are they now?" Brain asked.

Dark started teleporting all over the place trying to get in behind Jura, and when he did he took aim.

"I've got you." Brain said.

Lucy and Gray called out warning to Jura who turned his head not looking all too worried.

"Dark Capriccio!" Brain shouted.

His dark magic shot out towards Jura, but this attack was different since it had fire spiraling up around it. Jura bent one of the rocks around to block the attack, which had the others staring in shock. The rock blocked the attack, but Brain didn't seem too worried.

"Your defense is pointless!" Brain declared. "The Dark Capriccio pierces through everything it encounters. That rock will be rendered as ineffective as paper."

The attack did crumble the rock, so Jura had to jump down while ready to continue fighting.

"But that rock wall was like a huge slab of iron." Lucy said while looking worried.

Rizzo just remained silent as she wondered how this fight would end. If it looked like Jura really would lose then she'd hurry to her ally's side to give him aid.

"I don't know if I'm more impressed by Brain pushing through it, or Jura being able to dodge his attack." Gray said.

"You may need to rethink your claim." Jura said to Brain.

"That's true." Brain said. "If running is your defense. So, Wizard Saint, is that how you plan to proceed?"

He then fired at Jura and, and Jura put up a double amount of rock walls. Rizzo watched on with wide eyes as the fighting continued. Brain's attack busted through the walls, but Jura changed its direction by bending a rock over the attack. Rizzo's mouth dropped open in shock. Brain tried an even stronger attack, so Jura put up a large, long line of rock walls. Brain's attack cut through them like butter, which had Rizzo worrying.

"You need to get out of there, Jura!" Lucy called.

Jura didn't budge an inch as he prepared for his own attack. Rizzo blinked wondering what he had planned. Rizzo watched in amazement when Jura used the rubble cause by Brain's attack cutting through Jura's rock wall to attack Brain with it. Once Brain was hit, it had his attack curving since he moved, and it went around Jura. The tall bald mage continued to bury Brain in the rubble before tightening it around him.

"He trapped Brain underneath all those rocks!" Lucy exclaimed.

Jura then let out a wave of his power that made the ground appear to ripple with golden light.

"Supreme King Rock Crush!" Jura shouted.

Two large stone hands came out of the ground to smash the rock pile in between them with great strength. Brain cried out in pain, and Rizzo smiled thinking this fight was over now.

"That was awesome." Happy said. "He took the blasted rock from Brain's attack, and made a whole new weapon out of it."

"It was a cool move for sure." Rizzo said.

Gray just stared on in awe while understanding why Jura was shown so much respect from Lyon and Sher. He then grinned feeling like things were really starting to look up.

"He did it!" Gray said. "Jura just took down the leader of the Oración Seis!"

Brain went crashing to the ground, and he didn't look like he was going to get up anytime soon.

"It's over!" Lucy said. "We won!"

She hugged Happy happily while overjoyed that the leader was down because that had to mean that this was all over. Lucy and Gray hurried over towards Jura as he was walking towards the fallen Brain. Rizzo just remained with Natsu and Happy who Lucy had set down beside her.

"Now, I still need an answer as to why you're attacking Cait Shelter." Jura said.

"Um, Jura, do you think we can stop this thing now?" Lucy asked.

Natsu gave a groan, which had Rizzo looking down at her fellow pinkette sympathetically.

"That's a great idea." Natsu groaned. "Like right now."

She pat his head then looked back at the group as Brain started speaking, but it wasn't to them.

"I never imagined that I would fall like this….losing a battle against a light guild." Brain said. "Please hear my words, Midnight, you're our last remaining hope. You must not allow the six prayers to disappear. They are our only hope of keeping him at bay."

He then fell unconscious, and his words had Rizzo feeling a bit uneasy. In fact, a bad feeling started up in her gut.

"Keeping who at bay?" Jura asked.

Rizzo had no idea, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to find out who Brain was talking about.

"Hold on, is it my imagination, or did one of those black lines of his face disappear?" Gray asked.

"Gray, I think it's more like you trying to scare me, and I think it's really starting to work." Lucy said.

Rizzo didn't know what they were talking about since she was over to the side with Natsu and Happy, so she couldn't see.

"Hey, guys!"

Rizzo and the others turned their heads seeing Wendy and Carla running towards them quickly.

"Hey, it's Wendy." Lucy said.

Well, Rizzo was glad to see the girl and the feline were okay. Seeing Carla made Rizzo wonder if Sanjū was okay and if she found Erza.

"Just as I thought." Carla said. "Only those hooligans would cause such a ruckus."

Rizzo rolled her eyes wondering if Carla would stop insulting them anytime soon.

"Carla!" Happy called out cheerfully.

Rizzo smiled down at him thinking it was cute he had a crush. But why'd he have to crush on the cat with the snooty attitude?

"We're in trouble." Wendy said. "I think this city is heading straight towards my guild for some reason!"

"Don't worry everything's going to be okay." Gray said as he looked down at Brain.

Wendy blinked in confusion before following Gray's line of sight down to Brain. She gasped in surprise when seeing Brain down for the count.

"His buddy—the snake charmer—is laying over there." Gray said.

"Wow." Wendy said.

"From what we can gather this creepy Brain guy was also the one controlling Nirvana." Lucy said. "And now that he's out cold the city should stop at any moment."

Rizzo frowned wondering if things would really end this easily. She knew getting here was hard, but she just felt like as if this entire thing wasn't completely over. Just another fight ended, but the overall battle was still running…at least that's how she felt.

"It doesn't set well with me." Carla said. "He is down, but did you ever find out his reasoning for targeting our guild?"

"No, I just think it's just the kind of thing that villains do." Gray said.

Rizzo looked down with that bad feeling still in her gut that didn't feel like it was going away anytime soon.

"I still have some lingering concerns, but the worst is over." Jura said.

"No, I don't think so." Natsu said.

Everyone looked at Natsu as Rizzo was looking at him with concern in her eyes.

"Guys, please stop this thing." He begged.

"Oh, you poor guy, have you been poisoned too?" Wendy asked.

Rizzo sweat-dropped as Gray and Lucy shook their heads in unison since poison wasn't his problem.

"So what's your problem, Tomcat?" Carla asked Happy as she walked over. "Don't tell me you're too weak to stand."

"Yes, ma'am." Happy said pathetically.

* * *

Sher huffed feeling extremely tired at the moment as she continued to face off against Moonlight. During their fight they have gotten separated from Richard and Midnight, which had Sher worrying about the prior. However, she would have to trust in Richard to defeat Midnight and make it out of the fight alive. She just had to worry about her own battle.

"You're looking a bit tired, piglet." Moonlight, who still in her fish creature form, said. "You look as if you could kill over at any moment, and I have still yet to be hurt."

Sher narrowed her eyes at Moonlight's taunting words. This monster that she was, which was like the Creature from the Blue Lagoon, could stand up against her water attacks pretty well. It was proving to make everything more difficult for Sher. It was like the power of her attacks only caused half the damage they do against any other opponent. Not to mention they weren't at full strength anyway due to her being in less than perfect condition.

"This fight is really just getting started." Sher said as she held out her hands as a spinning vortex formed out beside her palms. "So don't get cocky yet. Now, Water God: Torrent!"

She threw the attack at Moonlight who dodged without too much of a problem. Sher was quick to keep attacking, however, since she didn't want to give Moonlight the chance to attack.

"Water God: Geyser!" Sher shouted as she slammed her hands into the ground.

Moonlight gasped unable to move in time. She was hit head on by the water that shot up out of the ground. It shot her up into the air, and it felt as if she was being hit with boiling hot water. She cried out in pain then gasped in shock when Sher appeared in the water with her to hit her right in the face with another water attack that sent her flying into the ground. The geyser disappeared as Sher landed on the ground in front of Moonlight.

"How did you get in the water?" Moonlight asked.

"I went through the whole in the ground made by my attack, and managed to get swept up in the remaining water before it shot up into the air." Sher explained.

Moonlight just managed to sit up before she was hit again and again with water attacks from Sher who was not letting up. Sher was feeling extremely tired, but she wasn't about to slow down now. Moonlight could only take the hits as she wondered where this surge of power came from Sher. The attacks were actually started to really hurt, and this fishwoman form was supposed to protect her from water attacks. Moonlight hit the ground again, and rolled away from Sher who had to take a moment to catch her breath.

"How can this be happening?" Moonlight asked. "I had restored my power and my strength…but it's like I'm powerless child all over again…unable to protect myself let alone fight back."

She then looked up at Sher as the woman started moving in like a lioness about to finish her prey.

"How are you so much stronger than me in your weakened state?" Moonlight asked.

It didn't make any sense to Moonlight. It shouldn't be possible. She had more power…so why was she losing so horrible? Why did she feel like everything was over?

"Like I said, I have the stronger resolve." Sher said. "Having people who depend on me and who I know will always back me up makes my resolve even stronger. As long as I have them and as long as I have a reason to fight, I refuse to lose because it isn't an option."

Moonlight looked up at the sky thinking she was finally starting to understand. She smiled while accepting her fate as Sher built up enough magic power for one final attack.

"Water God: Nebula Wave!" Sher shouted.

She swept her arm forward with the attack hitting Moonlight straight on. It sent her crashing into one of the many old buildings on Nirvana, and once the attack was over, she crumbled down to the ground. Sher stood there huffing before she fell forward not having the energy left to stand. Though she wanted to keep going she couldn't, and would have to put her faith in the others to finish this fight.

"Everyone," She began as she hit the ground. "Stay…safe."

She then fell unconscious alongside Moonlight. Both of their roles in this battle was over. Now they could rest.

* * *

Rizzo stood up on top of the royal throne with Jura, Lucy, and Gray as Wendy was taking care Natsu and happy who did in fact get poisoned by Cobra. Rizzo frowned in confusion as did Gray. Where was the control panel?

"Now I'm totally confused." Gray said.

"No joke, so am I." Lucy said.

Jura just frowned unhappily since he was getting more annoyed by the second.

"You'd think there'd be some kind of control panel or something up here." Gray said.

"Maybe the control panel isn't physical." Rizzo suggested. "Maybe it's magic."

"Well, how do we use it if that's the case?" Lucy asked.

Rizzo shrugged because she had no idea. She was completely at a loss as to how to use it. Nirvana just kept moving along at its slow pace, but it was still getting closer to its destination.

"Man, this sucks." Gray said. "I was almost positive that if we beat Brain, this hunk of junk would stop moving."

Rizzo wished that was the case, but it seemed as if they still had work to do before this thing stopped.

"I was too." Lucy said. "Now he's out cold, so we can't even ask him about it."

"We can always force him awake." Rizzo said as she cracked her knuckles. "Just let me at him. I'm sure a few fists to the face will wake him right up."

"Whoa, girl, calm down." Lucy said as she sweat-dropped. "I don't think hitting him will work."

Rizzo tilted her head to the side wondering why Lucy thought that. A few well-placed hits to the head should definitely wake him up. Natsu, who was suddenly up on his feet, gave a cheer as he jumped up into the air, which grabbed everyone's attention. Rizzo looked over at him feeling a bit shocked to see Natsu up. He kept jumping up and down and dancing around as Rizzo wondered what got into him. When she saw him speaking to Wendy, Rizzo guessed the Sky Dragon Slayer did something that temporarily stopped Natsu's motion sickness. Natsu then ran over towards Lucy with that happy grin still in place.

"Wow, I don't feel like I'm riding on anything right now." Natsu said as he lightly shook Lucy back and forth. "Hey Lucy, summon one of your train or boat spirits for me."

Lucy growled then glared right up at Natsu who didn't seem to understand why she was so mad.

"I don't have those!" Lucy snapped. "Look, Buddy, this is not the time to play! We're still in big trouble!"

Rizzo sighed knowing that was true. She wished she knew how to stop this stupid thing.

"We've got to figure out how to stop this thing." Gray said. "And there's obviously nothing up here that will help us do that."

"I don't get it." Lucy said. "I thought this is where Hot-Eye—I mean—Richard said Brain was controlling it. Was he lying?"

He was either lying, or Brain just made him assume this is where the controls were. Because according to that Midnight guy, Brain didn't trust the entire Oración Seis with all the details.

"No, I believe him to be a man of his word." Jura said.

"There's a much more pertinent question at hand." Carla said. "Or should I say a different question on how to stop it should be phased? There are no visible controls, the royal throne is empty, and the one presumed to be piloting it has been defeated. So perhaps instead we should ask, why is it still functioning the way it was before?"

Well, Rizzo had to admit that was a really good question. One she wasn't sure she knew how to answer.

"Do you think he might have put it on autopilot?" Gray asked. "If that's the case, it might be programed to fire too."

Wendy started to shake as tears entered her eyes. Was this going to be the end of her guild? Could they not stop Nirvana before it was too late?

"Our poor guild is in trouble." She sniffled.

"Don't worry we'll find a way to save them." Natsu promised. "I won't let these things hurt your friends. I owe it to you. I'll stop it, I promise."

"We all will." Rizzo added as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Wendy looked up at the two of them with wide eyes as the two pinkettes stared out at the direction towards the Cait Shelter guild with determined looks on their face.


	54. Iron Rock Jura Falls?

Rizzo remained on top of the royal throne with the others as they all tried to think of a way to take care of Nirvana.

"So if there isn't a pilot seat or control panel where we can stop this thing what are we going to do?" Happy asked.

"Destroy it, of course." Natsu replied.

Rizzo was seriously starting to think that just destroying Nirvana was the only thing they could do, and she wasn't just saying that because she loves causing destruction. She honestly could think of no other way to take care of this thing.

"Leave it to us to demolish a city, right?" Lucy deadpanned as she sweat-dropped.

"Not to sound pessimistic, but that's a pretty tall order." Gray pointed out.

Rizzo blinked wondering if it really was that much of a tall order. She and Natsu together can destroy three towns. So one big city on seven (I changed the number to give Rizzo a leg to demolish XD) legs shouldn't be a problem, right?

"Natsu and I could handle it." Rizzo said. "One power move from right here in the center with crack this thing in half."

"You got that right!" Natsu said as he fist pumped with his fist on fire. "One Natsu-Rizzo power move would get the job down for sure."

"No power moves!" Gray ordered. "We are not having another incident like the one where the two of you demolished three towns."

Lucy nodded her head vigorously. She hadn't been there when that all happened, but if it's as bad as everyone makes it out to be, she didn't want anything similar happening anytime soon.

"Ah, come on." Natsu complained. "There isn't a town anywhere near us, and we'd be pointing our magic towards the ground."

Rizzo nodded her head in agreement while not seeing any harm in doing that.

"Yeah, and knowing our luck your attack would reach the earth's core and cause damage to the entire world." Gray quipped.

"Don't over exaggerate, Frostbite." Natsu snorted. "We don't have any other options, so you might as well let Rizzo and I have a crack at it."

"I said no!" Gray said firmly.

Natsu frowned as he and Rizzo crossed their arms simultaneously over their chests. Natsu's face then lit up as if he had thought of something. He put his arm around Rizzo's shoulders while turning her away from the group. He whispered something into her ear that had their guildmates nervous. When Rizzo started snickering it worsened the feeling. Once Natsu stopped whispering, Rizzo nodded her head. Rizzo turned towards Gray while walking up towards him.

"Oh no." Gray said. "Don't think trying to pout at me will get me to change my mind."

He was shocked when Rizzo just hugged him while making sure to press her breasts closely against his body. He blushed at how close they were as Rizzo peered up at him with what could only be described as a smoldering gaze.

"Gray," Rizzo spoke softly while trailing her finger tips up his arm, which sent chills down his spine.

"Huh?" Was Gray's intelligent reply.

Rizzo bit back a smirk as she started to trace imaginary patterns on Gray's chest, which just made the chills running up his spine worse. He felt his heart hammering fast, and he was feeling kind of hot around the metaphorical collar.

"Won't you let Natsu and I team up to take down Nirvana?" Rizzo asked. "It's for the greater good. And afterwards when Nirvana is stopped, I'll award you for cooperating and being a good boy, okay?"

Gray's eyes widened even more as mouths fell open in shock at Rizzo's words. Natsu was snickering over to the side while sure this would work. He doesn't like Rizzo dating Gray since he knows his best friend can do better, but her dating the ice mage had perks it seems.

"That's totally cheating!" Lucy said. "Gray, stay strong!"

Gray just gulped as Rizzo continued to leave featherlike touches across his skin that just made him crave more. He almost wanted to give in. After all, they were in the middle of a forest, so it wasn't like too many people could get hurt, right? Gray nearly slapped himself right there for thinking that. No, he had to stay strong, and not give into his beautiful girlfriend who he wanted to pull even closer at the moment. He had to stay firm with his decision.

"No." Gray said shaking his head. "The answer is still no."

Happy and Lucy sighed in relief as Natsu cursed under his breath. He was sure that would have worked. Carla just resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Couldn't these people take things more seriously? Rizzo just bowed her head, and when Gray heard sniffling his heart stopped. Rizzo then turned around while crying uncontrollably, which had her friends jumping in surprise.

"I'm sorry, Natsu, I guess I'm not pretty enough to seduce anyone." Rizzo said. "Not even my boyfriend! I must be ugly!"

She continued crying as Gray stood there panicking since he wasn't sure what to do. Natsu hugged Rizzo patting her on the back as he glared at Gray.

"It's okay, Rizzo." Natsu said. "You're not ugly, I promise. Gray's just a jerk."

"No, it's because I have no sex appeal whatsoever." Rizzo insisted as she continued to cry. "I can't believe I even tried."

"No, no, Rizzo, don't think like that!" Gray begged as he took her away from Natsu. "You're more than pretty! You're beautiful! I mean it. How can I prove it to you?"

Rizzo just sniffled wiping at her eyes as Happy and Lucy felt bad too since they wanted Gray to resist Rizzo's charms. They're horrible friends.

"Well,…you could…let Natsu and I team up." Rizzo said as she looked up at Gray.

Gray, Lucy, and Happy nearly fell over in shock when realizing Rizzo had just tried another play.

"No!" Gray said. "And stop trying to play me!"

Rizzo sighed as she and Natsu stepped back with slightly disappointed expressions on their faces.

"Hmm, I guess it was a bust, Rizz." Natsu said. "It was a good try though."

"Maybe if I put more effort into my seduction technique it'll work next time." Rizzo said with a thoughtful look on her face.

Natsu nodded his head in agreement thinking that may work as Happy shook his head at the two of them.

"Next time?!" Lucy demanded.

"What do mean by put more effort into it?!" Gray added.

He was blushing beet red while having all these images of Rizzo trying to seduce him in his mind. Now he needed a really long and cold shower.

"Before that we should see if Brain knows how to stop Nirvana." Jura, who seemly wasn't fazed at all by the antics of the Fairy Tail guild, said.

"HOW ARE YOU NOT FAZED AT ALL?!" Lucy demanded.

Her question went unanswered as Jura remained straight faced. Rizzo just tilted her head while sure that earlier everyone said Brain was too unconscious to say anything, and when she offered to "wake him up", they turned her down.

"I doubt that brute would share such information with us." Carla said.

That was a very good point. Brain didn't seem like the type to give up sensitive information, and Rizzo doubted he could be scared into giving up the info like that one guy from the Black Skull guild she and Sher dealt with. And trying to beat it out of him would take too much time. Wendy suddenly gasped, which had everyone turning towards her.

"Is everything okay?" Lucy asked.

"Think of something that will help?" Gray, who managed to recover from that incident moments ago, inquired.

Rizzo sure hoped so since they needed all the options they could get to bring Nirvana down.

"Well, I'm not quite sure, but it may be the best option we have, so I'll do my best to find it." Wendy said.

She then started running off, which confused her allies who watched her run towards the stairs that lead down.

"Wendy, where are you going, child?" Carla, who was flying after her, asked.

Wendy didn't reply as she finally reached the stairs, which she started going down. She didn't even slow down when Gray called out to her. Rizzo blinked wondering where Wendy planned to go.

"She sure is determined." Lucy said.

Jura nodded in agreement, but like the others he too was wondering what Wendy had in mind.

 _'My friends,'_ Richard's voice cut into their minds so suddenly. _'Can you hear me?'_

Natsu blinked in confusion wondering whose voice he was hearing in his head. It definitely wasn't Warren's voice or Hibiki's voice.

 _'It is, I, the mage known as Hot-Eye.'_ The voice continued.

Rizzo frowned a bit wondering why Richard was referring to himself by his codename when he had asked them not to use it since he was riding himself of it, so to no longer hide behind it. She shook her head supposing she was just overthinking it.

"Do you guys hear that too?" Lucy asked. "Or am I going crazy?"

"I heard it." Natsu said.

Though he still wasn't sure who this voice belonged to, but it was good he wasn't the only one hearing it. He didn't want another "great tree" thing happening.

"Did you defeat Midnight, Richard? And what about Sher?" Jura asked.

 _'I tried my best, but in the end it seemed my magic simply wasn't strong enough to trump his.'_ Richard replied. _'As for the Water God Slayer Sher, we were separated when the battling started, but I can sense that she defeated Moonlight, oh yeah! Do not concern yourself with my rescue, and I am certain Sher is alright and needs no assistance. You must work together to bring Midnight down for good. If you succeed in defeating him, Nirvana's source of magic power will be rendered dry, and the city will cease its destructive path.'_

Well, that was good to hear sorta. So Sher defeated Moonlight, and was okay, which was very good. However, Midnight was still roaming around. But it seemed if they all defeated him that Nirvana would finally stop. Though Rizzo had an odd feeling in her stomach that made her uneasy about what Richard was saying.

"Am I supposed to know this guy?" Natsu asked.

"So we can stop Nirvana without destroying the whole thing?" Gray asked.

That would be less work on their part, but it wouldn't be as fun that was certain. Rizzo knew this was a serious situation, but she wishes destruction was a bit part of the plan.

 _'He's directly below you.'_ Richard continued. _'Just outside the royal throne. His power is not one to be underestimated. Please, be cautious, my friends.'_

"The same to you, Richard." Jura said.

Lucy then looked at her friends guessing they better get going now that they have a game plan.

"What are we waiting for?" Lucy asked.

"Nice." Gray said. "This mess just got a whole lot easier."

"I'm all fired up now." Natsu said.

"It's not destroying a city, but I'm always up for a challenging fight." Rizzo said grinning.

She and Natsu exchanged a high-five while ready to go kick the ass of the last remaining member of the Oración Seis.

"Yeah! We're coming for ya, sleepyhead!" Natsu said.

"Come on," Happy said. "I know you can do better than that."

"Alright, how about Sir Snores-a-Lot?" Natsu asked.

Rizzo snorted in amusement at that one, and guessed it was a pretty decent name to give that Midnight guy.

 _'Only one of the sixth prayers remain on the battlefield.'_ Richard started speaking again. _'Every ounce of my trust and confidence belongs to you, my friends. Defeat Midnight and stop Nirvana once and for all, oh yeah! I wish you luck, my faithful comrades!'_

It then sounded as if the connection was lost, so Rizzo guessed that meant Richard fainted or no longer had the power to hold the telepathic connection.

"Sir Richard!" Jura said in worry.

"Don't worry, big guy." Rizzo said patting his arm. "I'm sure Richard's fine. But he gave us a job to do, so let's do it and stop this thing like he wants."

Jura nodded his head in agreement before all of them rushed towards the steps, so to start heading downwards. After getting to the bottom of the royal throne, they went inside to find more stairs that lead deeper inside. They started going down them, and soon they saw two large double doors at the bottom.

"He should be through there!" Gray said pointing.

"Let's do this thing!" Natsu said as he reached the doors.

He tried to kick and punch them open a few times, but they didn't budge an inch. So he tried to open them up by the handles instead.

"Alright, Freak, time for a dirt nap!" Natsu said as the doors started to open.

As the doors opened a bit wider, a bright light blinded everyone, and Rizzo felt herself fill with dread.

"Everybody, get down!" Jura ordered.

"Rizzo!" Gray called out as he quickly tackled her to the ground to cover his body with hers.

Her eyes widened as there was an explosion with everything going white around them.

* * *

"Hey, you guys, everyone okay?"

Rizzo groaned when Natsu's voice cut through her darkened mind. She forced her eyes open to see Gray practically on top of her as he started to come back to consciousness as well.

"Keep your voice down, will ya?" Gray asked. "I'm trying to sleep."

"Aye." Happy added.

"Well, stop trying and move." Rizzo whined. "You're crushing me."

Gray apologized while rolling off of her onto the ground underneath them, so to lay on his back. Rizzo laid there as well wondering how they ended up like this when they were supposed to be smart enough to see through such traps.

"Are we really this stupid?" Lucy asked. "We're in Fairy Tail. I can't accept we fell for that trap so easily."

She then tried to sit up, but managed to hit her head on a rocklike ceiling above, which had her grunting in pain. Rizzo sat up as well, but more carefully after seeing what happened to Lucy.

"Well, we're also dumb enough to get buried alive." Gray said as he pushed himself off the ground partially while mindful of his head.

"If that's the case, where's Jura?" Lucy asked.

"Good question." Rizzo said.

Natsu said nothing, but he did start hitting the rock ceiling above them, so to try and get out. It took a few tries, but he finally busted through. Lucy was able to stand up in the hole Natsu made as Gray punched out a hole big enough for him Rizzo and Happy to stand up through. When Rizzo did stand up, her eyes widened when seeing what was in front of them. In front of them was Jura, and it was obvious he had tried to protect them from the explosion.

"No!" Gray called out.

Rizzo put her hand over her mouth while looking at the wounds on Jura's body due to him trying to protect them. He had also obviously used a lot of magic energy because he put up many rocks to shield them then had incased them in a rock dome.

"Are you okay?" Happy asked worriedly.

"He risked his life to protect us." Lucy said.

Rizzo was grateful to him, but she never wanted to see a friend hurt. The rocks he had formed in split seconds disappeared into magic particles as he let out a painful sigh.

"Pops, hang in there!" Natsu said.

"Come on, Jura, you can pull through!" Rizzo said.

Jura just slowly turned his head, so to glance back at the four Fairy Tail mages and Happy one last time.

"The strength and courage you possess…your guild is a lucky one." Jura said. "It brings me great relief to know you're still alive."

He then started falling backwards as they all watched in horror as their comrade hit the ground.

"Pops, no!" Gray said.

"Don't go like this." Lucy begged.

"Please, don't die!" Happy cried.

"You have to stay strong and keep going!" Rizzo said as tears entered her eyes.

"Jura!" Natsu shouted.

* * *

Rizzo knelt by Jura's side as did Gray, Happy, and Lucy. It seemed he was still alive, but Rizzo wasn't sure for how much longer. They needed Wendy at this moment. However, they had no idea where she ran off to.

"Oh man, he looks bad." Lucy said.

Rizzo was sure that was the understatement of the year, but it wasn't like much else could be said at a time like this.

"Hang in there, Pops." Gray said. "We'll get help for ya!"

Yeah, but Rizzo didn't know from where. Wendy ran off, and they had no idea where Erza was on this thing. Not like she could help wounded anyway. Sanjū knew about medical herbs and such, but she wasn't here either nor were their herbs nor did herbs stand a chance of helping Jura's current condition.

"What are we gonna do?" Happy asked.

Rizzo had no idea, but they had to think of something fast or they might lose Jura. Natsu growled feeling anger boiling up inside of him. He was going to beat the crud whoever it was that led them down here.

"Ridiculous."

Rizzo stiffened along with the others when this new and unfamiliar voice reached their ears.

"Brain, is such a fool." The voice continued. "He used the rest of his power to lay his trap, but yet only one of you fell in its snare."

Gray stood up looking around for the voice as Rizzo stood as well. She wasn't in the mood to deal with another baddy at the moment. However, if this guy was looking for a fight, she'd give him one and make sure to take out all her frustrations on him as well.

"Who are you?!" Gray demanded.

"Over there!" Happy called.

Everyone quickly looked to where Happy was pointing to see someone in the doorway of the building.

"He was a pitiful leader." This figure said. "A disgrace to the six demons he was supposed to lead."

Rizzo frowned getting a bad feeling in her gut as she wondered just who this guy was. Rizzo and the others then blinked in surprise as the figure came forward to reveal…it was a staff. The staff Brain had been using to be exact.

"But our goal has not fallen out of reach." The staff said. "As long as Midnight stands we will be victorious."

The staff floated closer to all of them, and Rizzo stood at the ready if she had to fight at any moment. She knew this thing was just a stick with a skull on top, but after everything that's happened, she won't be caught unprepared.

"Since he's busy at the moment there's nothing keeping me from disposing of you myself." The staff said.

Rizzo narrowed her eyes wondering what kind of power this staff could have.

"THAT CANE'S TALKING TO ME?!" Happy exclaimed.

His exclamation cut through the thick tension in the air like a newly sharpened blade.

"As a talking cat, I wouldn't think you'd find that all surprising." Lucy said.

Happy blinked at her words before dropping the freaked out expression he had had on his face moments ago.

"I guess." Happy said.

The staff then started this creepy typical bad guy laughter as he started to rise in the air above the group. Rizzo frowned finding the sound of his laughter annoying.

"That's crazy." Gray said. "It's that staff that Brain was carrying around."

"Okay, I'm freaked out now." Lucy, who finally stood up, said.

Rizzo wasn't at all. In fact, the more laughter she had to hear from this thing the more her feeling of annoyance rose. It seemed Natsu felt the same way since he grabbed the staff before he started hitting it against the ground.

"Would you knock off the creeping laughing?!" Natsu demanded. "I've already got a splitting headache!"

He continued yelling at the thing that was crying out in pain every time it hit the ground.

"Hey, don't go grabbing that thing!" Lucy said. "There's no telling where it's been."

That was true, but if hitting it across the ground stopped the creepy laughter then Rizzo was all for Natsu continuing to beat it up.

"Stop this city right now, ya piece of rotting driftwood!" Natsu demanded.

He stopped hitting it on the ground for a moment, and it surprisingly bent very flexibly to get in Natsu's face.

"How dare you insult my family legacy?!" The staff shouted. "I come from a long line of proud staves, so show some respect!"

It then composed itself as it leaned back with its eyes glowing along with the ball in its mouth.

"Before you is the venerated eighth member of the Oración Seis." The Staff said. "Emerged from his slumber to destroy you al—!"

It didn't finish its threat since Natsu started hitting it across the ground again rather hard.

"I heard just about enough out of you!" Natsu said.

The staff demanded to be released, but Natsu didn't plan to be doing that anytime soon. The staff deserved to be beat up. By the way he was running his mouth made it like he was begging to be knocked around a bit.

"Hold on," Lucy said. "I thought there were only six members of the Oración Seis and their leader Brain!"

"Well, you're right for a change, Lucy!" Happy said. "The word "seis" in Oración Seis means six! And Oración can translate to demons in some languages as in there's only six demons within in the guild with Brain not counting since he is the "demons'" leader. So you're right it doesn't make any sense."

Lucy frowned over at Happy as he acted all innocently as if he hadn't just insulted her.

"I know." Lucy said. "And don't think I didn't catch you slipping in that "for a change comment", ya fleabag."

"Who cares?" Gray asked. "Whatever the number of members there might be? A cane is talking about kicking our butts."

"Look on the bright side," Happy said. "It can't really kick our butts since it has no feet."

"That might be so, but he still threatened us." Rizzo said. "So I say we force information out of him on how to _really_ stop Nirvana then snap him in half like a twig. Maybe even use him as firewood later."

Lucy sweat-dropped thinking Rizzo's plan leaned a bit towards the term overkill. The staff then managed to get away from Natsu who was not happy.

"Uncivilized Neanderthal." He insulted Natsu.

He then flew away from the group a bit to look out at the hole made by the explosion earlier.

"It won't be long until their wretched guild is in sights." The staff said. "Then we can finally begin to cleanse this world of refuse!"

Rizzo stiffened with wide eyes when she immediately realized what the staff was implying.

"You mean we're already that close to Cait Shelter?" Lucy asked with wide eyes.

"Indeed we are!" The staff said as it whirled around. "Once their stamped out, we can truly begin our crusade of darkness!"

It started laughing manically again, and Rizzo narrowed her eyes wondering how they could possibly stop Nirvana before they reached Cait Shelter.

"Why are you all so insistent on going after Cait Shelter first?" Rizzo asked.

"That's a good question." The staff said. "I suppose I can tell you. Do you know of the Nirvits?"

Rizzo frowned wondering what the Nirvits had to do with the Oración Seis targeting Cait Shelter.

"Yes, they're the people who built Nirvana 400 years ago." Rizzo said. "At least that's according to what Richard told us."

"That is correct." The staff said. "They are the ones who built Nirvana, but they grew so afraid of its power they sealed it away. So afraid in fact that they swore to keep watch over the burial site. Their descendants still watch over it till this day. Do you know who these descendants are, girl?"

Rizzo's brows furrowed, but it soon all clicked. Her eyes widened while now understanding why the Oración Seis were after Cait Shelter.

"Members of the Cait Shelter guild." Rizzo said.

Her friends all gasped in surprised as they looked between her and the staff with wide eyes.

"Correct again!" The staff said. "Aren't you smart? Yes, the descendants of the Nirvits created the guild Cait Shelter, and have continued their duty of watching over Nirvana. Obviously they failed in keeping it protected. Not very strong, are they?"

"Yet they pose a threat to you because they most likely know how to seal Nirvana away again." Rizzo guessed.

"Well, you just keep surprising me." The staff said. "You are once again correct."

Well, Rizzo wasn't an idiot, but it wasn't like it was that hard to guess. With the correct information anyone would put two and two together.

"They are the only people in existence who have the power to seal Nirvana once more." The staff said. "Therefore the Nirvit bloodline must end."

Rizzo stood there with wide eyes while knowing things just hit another level of bad. Rizzo couldn't believe she was thinking this, but she was really hoping that Sanjū found Erza soon…because they needed her help.

"Nirvana won't be stopped." The staff said. "Our target is getting closer. Cait Shelter."


	55. The Voices of Friendship

Sanjū huffed as she stood on top of a building taking a small break. She's been searching for what seemed like endless hours for Erza, but has yet to find the redhead. Nirvana was a large place, and Sanjū was only covered about half of what lied upon the surface.

"I have to find Erza." Sanjū said. "Rizzo gave me that task, and I can't let her down. I won't be useless during this mission."

Sanjū grit her teeth then had her wings appear on her back. She flew back up into the air while determined to find her redheaded guildmate. Erza could be hurt, or she could be the only one left with enough power to take down Nirvana. Suddenly she heard a bell toll, and she frowned realizing it was midnight. It sounded as if the sound was coming from a certain area. Maybe Erza was there. With that thought in mind, Sanjū started heading towards where the sound was coming.

Sanjū forced herself to speed up as she flew through the air. She flapped her wings as hard as she good, so to cover more distance as quickly as possible. As the bell was tolling for the seventh time, Sanjū spotted Erza down below. She was standing in front of one member of the Oración Seis, who was known as Midnight, and there was someone fallen behind him. Sanjū looked closely seeing that Erza seemed to be in some kind of turmoil as she curled up looking pained. Sanjū then saw that Midnight seemed to be casting some kind of illusionary magic.

"Erza!" Sanjū called out. "Erza, can you hear me?! Snap out of it, Erza!"

Sanjū flew down towards Erza hoping that maybe prodding the redhead would snap her from whatever illusion she was trapped in. It didn't seem she needed to try and prod Erza, however, since the redhead suddenly moved. She rushed forward slashing at Midnight who gasped in surprise. Midnight fell to his knees as he looked back at Erza in shock.

"Yes, Sanjū, I hear you." Erza said softly.

Sanjū smiled glad to see Erza was alright. She flew down to the redhead while hugging her. The pink feline had been worried since she hasn't seen Erza since she was poisoned by Cobra's snake. She had deduced that the redhead was alright if Lucy was no longer by her side, but it was nice to see her up and kicking butt like she usually does even if Sanjū doesn't like violence. Erza lightly chuckled while hugging Sanjū in return.

"My illusion failed me." Midnight said. "She saw right through it."

Erza then turned towards Midnight while still holding Sanjū in her arms as Midnight continued to stare up at the sky.

"Another weakness would be not knowing that I'm immune to visual magic, and that I have comrades who will come to help bring me back from the nightmares when I need them." Erza said.

Midnight just reached up towards the sky as the other man continued to stare in awe at what Erza had done.

"No, I've lost." Midnight cried. "But I'm the strongest one. I'm the ultimate member of the Oración Seis. Even stronger than my father. No one can touch me. I'm supposed to be the greatest mage that's ever lived."

"Someone who can mock the suffering the others so callously has a long way to go to achieve greatness." Erza said.

Sanjū looked at the crying Midnight while unable to stop the feeling of pity bubbling up in her chest at the sight of his tears. As Midnight looked up at the sky he remembered his prayer…his prayer to find a peaceful place to sleep while listening to the lovely humming tone that came during the moonlight hours.

-FLASHBACK-

 _Midnight laid curled up in his cell shaking in fear as he listened to the noise and chaos happening outside. He just wanted to sleep, but those scary noises outside were keeping him awake._

" _It's okay." A soft voice with an accent said. "Just close your eyes, but remember I'm right here."_

 _Midnight looked up into the gentle gaze of his cellmate as her silvery-white hair framed her delicate face. When another explosion happened, Midnight flinched again as he put his hands on top of his head. His eyes widened when he felt his head being carefully placed in his companion's lap._

" _It's alright." She said again. "Just close your eyes. I'll stay with you."_

 _She then started humming as she tenderly pet his head, which he found incredibly soothing. This sweet humming voice brought him a bit of peace in this hell they lived in. He just wished…no he prayed that someday he could find a nice quiet place to be lulled to sleep by this beautiful humming voice._

-END OF FLASHBACK-

"Hecate." Midnight murmured before falling unconscious.

Sanjū wondered who this Hecate was, and wondered if she was of some importance it Midnight.

"If you truly desire greatness, you must first know what makes you weak." Erza said. "But more importantly, live with an open heart."

Erza then put her full attention on Sanjū as the pink feline remained in her arms.

"Sanjū, do you know how the others are?" Erza asked.

"Well, I haven't seen them in a while." Sanjū answered honestly. "Rizzo asked me to come find you when we were first hurrying up Nirvana's leg to get to the top. That was right as the sun was setting."

Erza lightly frowned while hoping that her friends were alright wherever they are.

* * *

Rizzo stood off to the side watching as Gray and Natsu tried to fight the staff. The boys said they could handle it, which is why she was standing out of the way with Happy and Lucy. However, it seemed they were having difficulty dealing with the thing. In fact, Natsu was sent rolling across the ground just now.

"Hey, Lucy, Rizzo, do you see Natsu rolling across the ground over there?!" Happy asked.

"Actually I'm afraid that's not an extremely rare sight on these missions." Lucy said.

Rizzo just kept watching as her best friend and boyfriend were getting beaten by a staff of all things. Natsu recovered while managing to grab it. However, it continued to beat them up. Things got worse when Natsu and Gray started fighting due to their disagreement on how to handle the staff. The staff even got a few jabs in as well.

"We all knew this was coming." Happy said.

Rizzo just sighed while a bit embarrassed to see two members of her guild getting shown up by a staff. Said staff suddenly stopped messing with Natsu and Gray to look over towards Lucy and Rizzo with a creepy stare.

"Aw, I always get the creepy stares." Lucy said.

Rizzo pat Lucy on the shoulder while understanding the blonde's pain. It seemed the creeps swarmed around the pinkette as well.

"Oh no, your ego is showing!" Happy warned.

"Shut-up, Cat!" Lucy snapped.

Happy just continued smiling as Lucy looked sadly in front of her while cupping her face.

"Once again my cuteness is a burden." Lucy said. "Oh, poor me."

"The stress is getting to Lucy, guys!" Happy warned Natsu and Gray. "She's finally gone completely insane."

"Well, at least she doesn't have people wanting her virginity!" Rizzo said. "Seriously, first Silky dude wants my "white lily flower", then Moonlight wants to "eat" me, and I swear is this staff says anything perverted or disturbing I'm going to crack it's skull right open!"

She would do it too. She'd brash the skull right open by holding it down the stomping her foot on top of it.

"Ah, I thought there were two real women here, but they're just little girls." The staff said.

"Say what?!" Rizzo and Lucy asked in unison.

Gray and Natsu, who both decided to stop fighting each other, turned on the staff while rushing forward.

"Let's go!" Gray said.

"Oh yeah!" Natsu agreed.

However, their charge wasn't successful since the staff knocked them both backwards. Rizzo frowned wondering if that thing was really all that powerful. It then zapped the two of them to send them both to their knees.

"Oh man, that staff thing isn't playing around." Happy said.

Lucy and Rizzo nodded in agreement as the staff finally stopped zapping Gray and Natsu.

"Oh, poor babies." The staff said. "You may be young, but you've got a lot to learn if you want to beat me. Who cares how young you are? So if you wanna go flaunt your toned limber bodies around like this then fine, but this what happens."

Rizzo, Lucy, and Happy all sweat-dropped as they looked towards the staff that was looking away at the moment.

"Looks like someone has some serious age issues around here." Lucy said.

"Aye." Happy agreed.

"I don't see why he's so hung up on age." Rizzo said. "I'm sure he's looked the same for the last a hundred years. And a hundred years from now he'll probably still look like a skull stuck on a stick."

Lucy and Happy nodded in agreement while really not getting the deal with this staff. The staff then looked towards the group with a frown on its face.

"Now what?" Natsu asked.

"The true hurts, doesn't it?" Lucy asked.

"I don't think that's it." Happy said.

The staff then started having a little freak out that had Rizzo frowning. What was up with it now?

"Oh no…This cannot be." It muttered. "They all have fallen. I can't believe it. The six demons and Brain have been defeated."

Rizzo perked up when hearing that. Midnight was taken out? She grinned having a pretty good idea who took him down. The crystal ball in the staff's mouth fell out to shatter on the ground as its mouth hung open in fright.

"The horror! It's emanate…the great one is coming!" It fretted.

Okay, now Rizzo was starting to get a little bit worried, and she was pretty sure the others were as well.

"What's the big deal?" Natsu asked.

"Who's coming?" Lucy asked.

"I bet whoever this great one is it's not gonna be so great for us." Happy said.

Rizzo had the exact same feeling. However, if someone else did come to join the party, she'd fight no matter what.

"So who are you babbling about?" Gray asked.

The staff just kept shaking, and oddly enough he started to sweat bullets as well, which Rizzo found completely weird.

"He's getting super juicy." Happy said.

"That's sweat, ya dope!" Lucy reminded him.

"It's Brain." The staff said.

Rizzo frowned in confusion as she and the others looked back at the staff who seemed to be sweating even more.

"What?" Gray asked.

"The old bald bruiser already put that creep on the ground." Natsu pointed out.

"I'm aware of that, but what you don't is that there's another personality lurking inside him." The staff said. "You've seen the outer one—Brain—the name for the cold knowledge seeking persona at the surface. But there is hidden face that craves only destruction. They call him…Zero."

Rizzo didn't like the sound of this Zero guy at all. He sounded like a bastard…a scary bastard actually.

"Brain was bad enough for me." Lucy said.

"Zero's worse?" Happy asked.

"He possesses incredible power paired with an unquenchable thirst for destruction." The staff said. "But Brain was able to seal him away using six magic keys."

Rizzo instantly knew what those magic keys had to be, which meant defeating the Oración Seis helped yet apparently awakened an even greater evil. They really were cursed with some rotten luck sometimes.

"And those are the Oración Seis." Gray said putting things together.

"Correct." The staff said. "Bound together using body link magic. But once those six demons fall Zero will once again be free to roam the land. Annihilating everything with the misfortune to stand in his path."

Yeah, this guy sounded like some serious bad news, and now they would have to deal with him.

"That sounds like a challenge to me." Natsu said.

Just after those words left his mouth there was an explosion from behind the staff that sent dust up into the air. Brain, or rather Zero, walked out through the dust, and Rizzo could already feel a change within him. The staff quickly started bowing to the man while giving him a big welcome and calling him Master Zero. If his own ally was scared of him like this then Zero really must be a scary guy.

"Master Zero?" Lucy asked.

"Things have taken quite an interesting turn, haven't they, Klodoa?" Zero asked. "Even Midnight fell in battle."

Well, at least Rizzo had a name for the staff now. It was getting kind of old referring to the thing as the staff constantly.

"Please, sir, I beg you to grant me forgiveness!" Klodoa begged.

"You misunderstand me." Zero said. "I'm not displeased. On the contrary, it's been far too long. This feeling I have, this flesh, this power I've longed for it. It's time for me to begin the task for which I was summoned."

"Yes, sir!" Klodoa said.

He flew out of the way as Zero rid himself of the cloak he had been wearing. Zero let out a huge spike of magical energy that had a green glowing light moving around him. As he was powering up, a new shirt covered his torso before the glowing stopped.

"You scum," Zero began. "You've done an admirable job at destroying my guild, but as its _true_ master I am bound by my obligation to take my revenge."

"No way." Lucy said. "He's the true leader of the Oración Seis?"

"Afraid so." Happy said.

He and Lucy shook in fear as they looked upon Zero while their three friends stood in front of them ready to fight if they had to.

"His power is making the ground shake." Lucy said.

That was true. Zero started to glow once again as the very space around him shook with power.

"So are you fired up and ready to go, Natsu?" Gray asked.

"The guy's got some crazy magical power going on." Natsu said. "I can't wait to take him down. You ready to rock and roll, Rizzo?"

"I'm always ready to get rocking and a rolling." Rizzo replied. "Let's get this fight started."

Zero just smirked at the four mages and little cat in front of him while ready to fight just as much as Rizzo and the boys seemed to be. Zero then looked towards Jura who was still unconscious on the ground.

"Hmm, that's it." Zero said. "I'll be begin with the bald one who harmed this body while Brain was in charge of it. Him first!"

He fired a blast of magic at Jura, so Gray moved swiftly to put himself between Jura and the attack. Gray formed an ice shield in a split second, which had Rizzo relaxing. That had been a close one.

"You'd really attack someone who isn't able to move?!" Gray demanded. "You're a coward."

"Nonsense." Zero said as he continued on with the attack. "Spare me your foolish ideals."

Zero up-ed the power on his attack, which had Gray's ice shield starting to crack under the pressure. It soon shattered with smoke and dusting being created when Zero's attack hit his targets.

"Gray!" Rizzo cried out as he went flying with Jura.

"You guys." Natsu said looking worried.

"Oh no!" Lucy exclaimed.

Rizzo then looked back to Zero who had a large grin on his face as he remained standing where he was. He hadn't moved one foot, and with one blast he took down Gray.

"I take great pleasure in destroying many things that do no move." Zero said. "Why should that man be an exception?"

Rizzo just growled before she quickly called forth her violin. She was about to play, but Zero appeared in front of her, which had her gasping in shock. He placed his finger on her forehead, and sent her flying with a burst of magic sent from his fingertip.

"Rizzo!" Natsu shouted.

Rizzo hit the ground while starting to feel everything going blurry right before her very eyes. She laid there wondering if this is how it would end before things went completely dark.

* * *

 _'Rizzo, can you hear me? It's me…Hibiki.'_

Rizzo felt herself start to awaken when she heard Hibiki's voice entering her mind. As she started to wake, she felt a plan being formed in her mind. Destroy…all seven lacrima at once…in sync in eighteen minutes time. This plan…it was given to her by Hibiki and his archive magic.

' _I know you can't be down for the count.'_ Hibiki continued. _'I know one tussle isn't going to keep you down when your friends need you. I've known how strong you are since the day we met, and I know your love and devotion to your comrades makes you even stronger. Use that strength to get up…use that strength to keep fighting.'_

Rizzo felt her hand twitch as she tried to get her body to move. She needed to move now…for her friends. She heard her other friends within her mind as they were encouraging she and her friends to get up, so to continue fighting. She finally managed to get her hands to clench into fists as the others started to rouse as well. Rizzo forced herself onto her knees as her body shook in pain, but that pain wasn't important. She had to get up…she had to move…she had to help those she cares about.

 _'Can you hear our voices?'_ Hibiki asked all of them. _'If you can, please, respond.'_

"Yeah, we hear you." Natsu said.

Rizzo could practically feel the relief from their friends through the telepathic link when Natsu sounded in.

"Destroy…all seven lacrima…at one time." Gray said through pants.

"So who's fighting Zero?" Lucy asked. "Because we'd like another crack at him, right, Rizzo, boys?"

"He better hope he never sees me again." Rizzo said as she put a grin on her face. "I'll show him not to mess with us."

"Eighteen minutes left." Happy said. "We've gotta hurry. We owe it to Carla and Wendy to protect their guild!"

Rizzo nodded in agreement while ready to give that one last push to end all of this once and for all.

 _'Guys, my telepathy's about to cut out.'_ Hibiki warned. _'A while ago I uploaded a map to each of your minds. I numbered the lacrima, so you can find them. Everybody choose a number, okay? Then split up—"_

Hibiki was cut off suddenly, which had Rizzo a little worried. However, she had to trust he and the others would be alright. Right now she had a lacrima to worry about.

"I'll take one." Natsu said.

"Two." Gray declared.

"I guess I'll take three." Lucy said. "Please, don't let Zero be there."

Rizzo knew Lucy didn't have to worry about Zero. She knew for a fact that Natsu chose lacrima one because Zero was there.

"Then four is mine." Rizzo said.

She then reached out towards her guitar case, and once she touched it, it snapped open to call back her violin, which wasn't in very good shape. However, the violin didn't fly back to the guitar case as it usually would have. Rizzo frowned while looking to see that her guitar case was damaged. This meant she couldn't call forth any instruments, and her violin was too damaged to use. She said nothing though as the others divided up the rest of the lacrima.

' _Then I shall take number five.'_ Ichiya said. _'I can tell it's close to me thanks to the smell of its perfume.'_

' _You mean because you see it on the map?'_ Erza asked.

' _My honey, why do you insist on making a fool out of me?!'_ Ichiya asked.

' _I can take number six.'_ Erza said while ignoring Ichiya's question.

Rizzo almost felt bad for the guy. He had a thing for Erza, but the redhead was so brutal towards him.

"Erza, guess you're feeling better." Natsu said.

' _Yeah.'_ Erza said. _'It's all thanks to you guys.'_

Rizzo frowned with concern bubbling up within her as she stood up onto her two feet.

"Erza, did Sanjū finally find you?" Rizzo asked.

' _I'm here with her now.'_ Sanjū replied. _'It took me a while to find her, but I finally did.'_

Rizzo smiled glad to hear that the pink feline was alright. Rizzo had been getting kind of worry about her.

' _That leaves me with—'_

Rizzo tilted her head in confusion when hearing a new voice that sounded vaguely familiar. Who was that?

"Whose voice did I hear just now? Is there someone there with you?" Natsu asked.

Rizzo exchanged a glance with Natsu who was equally as confused, but felt as if he knew that voice as well as Erza assigned a number to the mystery person. Suddenly it felt as if the connection was completely cut in Rizzo's mind, which had her frowning.

"What happened?" Natsu asked.

"We lost our connection." Gray answered.

"That means we've lost Hibiki." Lucy said.

Rizzo grit her teeth together hoping he had just fallen unconscious. Hibiki and the others couldn't die after coming so far.

"Okay, Guys, it looks like we've got the seven people we need." Happy said. "Let's go! And if you run into Zero take that jerk down, cause we're going to be too busy destroying those lacrima."

Everyone nodded their heads while preparing to leave to head to the lacrima they chose. However, before Rizzo left she reached out to grab Natsu's shoulder. He glanced back at her as she leveled him with a look.

"I know you better than anyone Natsu, so I know exactly why you chose lacrima number one." Rizzo said under her breath so the others wouldn't hear.

Natsu said nothing though he wasn't surprised at all that Rizzo figured it out so easily why he chose number one.

"All I have to say is to give him hell." Rizzo said grinning. "And make sure not to forget about that lacrima while you're having all that fun kicking Zero's ass."

Natsu grinned in return before sharing a high-five with Rizzo. She wasn't worried about him at all. She knew Zero was no match for Natsu when he was all fired up. Rizzo then turned away from the others while putting her useless guitar case on her back. She left the broken violin off to the side since it was just as useless as the guitar case.

"See you all when this is over." She said as she raised her hand to wave to the others.

She gave Gray a quick peck on the lips then ran off as best as she good in her weakened state. She had no time to waste, so she had to push through the pain to reach her lacrima. It took her a few minutes, but she made it to the passageway that led to the lacrima. She had slowed down considerably by the time she reached it due to her wounds taking their toll on her.

"Damn, I've come this far." Rizzo said. "Can't stop now. Just…have to go…a bit slower."

Rizzo started walking down the long tunnel towards where lacrima four was waiting on her.

"Here let me help."

Rizzo turned her head seeing Raoul had reappeared. He gently took her arm then put it around his shoulders. She thanked him as he helped her start heading down the hallway again.

"With you guitar case broken you'll have to use another means to destroy the lacrima." Raoul said. "Are you sure it was the right thing not to tell your friends?"

"What would telling them do?" Rizzo asked. "We needed seven mages, which means I have to do something. Besides, training with you has made it possible for me to use castor style magic. It still hurts a bit since my body isn't used to not channeling magic through an object. But I can still manage it, and a bit of pain isn't going to stop me."

Raoul nodded his head while not surprised at all that Rizzo would push herself through any pain to help her friends. It was just kind of person she is. And it's her love and devotion towards her friends that makes him the most proud of her. Yes, seeing she's such a talented and powerful mage made him proud as well, but those things meant nothing without her love and devotion.

"I wish I could be of more help." Raoul said. "But in this incorporeal form I can't use even a fraction of the magic I once possessed. All I can do is pass down my guidance and my knowledge."

"Which is enough." Rizzo said.

Raoul looked to her with wide eyes as she looked at him with a smile on her tired face.

"Your guidance and knowledge is enough." Rizzo repeated. "Because with it you guide me onto a path to become a better and stronger person. With the knowledge and training you've given me I will destroy this lacrima and help my friends."

Raoul was stunned silent for a moment, but then he felt his own lips turn up into a smile.

"I have complete faith in you, little one." Raoul said. "Let's get you to this lacrima, so you can show me how far your training has taken you."

Rizzo nodded her head with determination burning in her eyes. They continued on down the hallway and after three more minutes they made it to an opened chamber where a lacrima was waiting. Raoul helped Rizzo down onto the bottom of the dip in the room then stepped back to allow her get ready to attack. Rizzo took off her guitar case before setting it down onto the ground. She took a calming breath while slowly starting to build up her magical energy.

There was still time before she had to attack with everyone else. However, it would take her time for her to gather up all the magical energy she needed. She closed her eyes as the magic energy started to swirl around her. It made her clothes and hair move lightly as if caught in a light breeze. Raoul sat up above while watching as Rizzo collected the magic she needed for this attack. She started to glow a pale green, and Raoul could swear that he heard musical notes lightly playing in the air.

"Three minutes." Rizzo said as she opened her eyes.

In three minutes, they would all fire onto the lacrima in unison, and put a stop to Nirvana. As she stood there waiting, Rizzo thought about all her friends.

"Everyone let's do this together." Rizzo said. "With our strength and determination we will win."


	56. A Bittersweet Ending?

Rizzo continued to stand in front of the lacrima as her magic continued to build up her power. Now it was just a few more seconds. The magic started collecting around her hand, and colorful musical notes gathered up around her hand to swirl around out in front of her. Raoul leaned forward in interest when seeing her sound magic had a few abnormalities just like his own when he used to use it.

"Alright, it's time." Rizzo said then took in a deep breath.

A blast of magic energy exploded around her with pale green light shooting up like a beam around Rizzo.

"Sound Wave!" Rizzo shouted.

She whirled around shooting out her hands to send a blast of sound magic right at the lacrima. It shattered when the attack hit it, and Rizzo smiled in relief when seeing the attack worked.

"Yes!" Rizzo cheered.

"Good job, little one." Raoul said as he clapped.

Nirvana then shook violently as the ground started crumbling underneath her. Rizzo frowned getting a really bad feeling.

"I have a feeling we should start running for our lives." Rizzo said.

"That's probably a good idea." Raoul said.

Rizzo grabbed her guitar case then hurried climbed out of the dip in the room with Raoul's help. They ran through the collapsing tunnel while trying to avoid the falling chunks of stone.

"If I live through this, I'm going to go find Zero and beat him up again!" Rizzo said.

"Again?" Raoul asked.

"Yes, again." Rizzo said. "Natsu's probably already kicked that guy's ass, so once I get a hold of him that'd be the second time he gets his ass kicked."

Raoul chuckled while amused to see that Rizzo was so confident that Natsu beat Zero. She obviously had no doubt in her mind.

"Hey, I see an opening there!" Rizzo said.

Raoul looked a head seeing that Rizzo was right. They ran right towards that opening then jumped right out. They were up in the air for a few seconds before starting to fall down towards ground. Rizzo frowned pretty sure this was going to hurt. However, a blur suddenly zipped towards her while catching her in the air. She gasped before looking back to see a familiar pink feline.

"Sanjū!" Rizzo said smiling.

Sanjū smiled at Rizzo in return while pulling up a bit, so they wouldn't crash into the trees.

"Well, if you're okay, I think it's time I bow out for now." Raoul, who was still falling, said as he grinned. "See you next time."

He disappeared from sight as Sanjū started flying down towards the ground at a slower pace.

"Thanks for coming to get me." Rizzo said.

"I'll always come to get you if you need me." Sanjū said. "I'm sorry I didn't come for you sooner. I had to make sure Erza got out of there alright."

Rizzo nodded her head in understanding as the two of them were getting closer to the ground below. Rizzo saw Gray standing with most of the others except for Natsu and Sher.

"Hey, guys!" Rizzo called as Sanjū finally placed her on the ground.

"Rizzo!" Lucy and Happy said while smiling.

Rizzo smiled at them in return then walked over to them as Sanjū rested on her shoulder. Gray brought her into a hug when she reached the group, and she hugged him back while happy to see he was okay.

"We were getting worried about you." Gray said. "Now we just have to find Natsu and Sher."

Rizzo frowned in concern while pulling back as she glanced around looking for either of the two people still missing.

"Hey, don't look so worried." Gray said. "Natsu's probably lost in the Woodsea knowing that Flame-for-Brains. And Sher's a tough chick, so I'm sure she's around here somewhere as well."

Rizzo really hoped so. She didn't want either of them to be injured out in the Woodsea, or stuck somewhere on Nirvana. Wendy called out for Natsu, but received no reply. Happy started calling for him next when suddenly the ground under him shifted. Rizzo along with the others started in surprise as Richard came popping out of the ground while holding Natsu and…Jellal?! Rizzo's eyes widened when seeing the blue haired man tucked in Richard's arms along with Natsu. So he was that voice she had heard earlier.

"Love drives us to save our friends, oh yeah!" Richard said.

Natsu, who was just confused as to why a member of the Oración Seis was helping him, blinked as everyone else was relieved to see him.

"There he is." Gray said. "Always with the dramatic entrance."

Wendy was so relieved to see the two of them okay that she started running towards Natsu as Richard put him down. Rizzo would have went over to him as well, but she was too busy eying Jellal as she wondered what the hell he was doing there. And why the hell Erza wasn't trying to take off his head at the very sight of him. Rizzo's eyes went back to Natsu and Wendy as the latter nearly tackled Natsu as she hugged him.

"Natsu!" She cheered. "You kept your promise. You're the greatest. I can't thank you enough."

Natsu was a bit surprised at first by the hug, but soon grinned broadly down at Wendy.

"If it wasn't for you, Cait Shelter would have been wiped out." Wendy said as she let go of Natsu.

"Well, there ain't no way I could have done it on my own." Natsu said then faced the others. "Thanks, you guys."

Rizzo just grinned as she crossed her arms over her chest. It wasn't like she did much. It was all of their teamwork that really made the difference.

"You saved my guild." Wendy said as she looked at the group.

"No, we saved your guild." Natsu corrected.

"Yeah, Wendy, we couldn't have done it without your help." Rizzo said as she winked at the girl.

Wendy blushed a bit at the praise as she glanced down at the ground in an embarrassed manner.

"I didn't do much." Wendy said.

"Ah, come on, you destroyed a lacrima too." Natsu said.

"You're right." Wendy said smiling.

Natsu and Wendy then shared a high-five, which had everyone smiling at the two of them.

"Now, I'm glad things are finally over." Jura said. "However, I am getting worried about Sher. Sir Richard, did you see her?"

"I am afraid I did not." Richard said. "When I finally awoke, I had went in search for Sher, but I could not find her nor Moonlight at where I had last sensed them. Perhaps she got off of Nirvana with her own power, but has yet to make it to us."

Jura frowned with concern in his eyes as he hoped that was the case. He just hoped Sher turned up soon because he didn't want to tell Sherry that her cousin was missing.

"Now while we wait for Sher to arrive, I want to know why the hell Jellal is here." Rizzo said as she pointed towards the man leaning against some stone behind the group.

Lucy and Gray jumped in surprise when Rizzo said Jellal before they looked over at said man.

"That's really him?!" Gray asked. "You kidding me?!"

Rizzo shook her head as she narrowed her eyes at the bluenette as he kept his gaze down to the ground.

"Oh no, not him again!" Lucy cried.

"He's changed." Erza said. "He's not the same man we dealt with before."

"He's completely lost his memory." Wendy said.

Rizzo just continued frowning before she walked over to Erza who looked at her.

"Do you forgive him, Erza?" Rizzo asked.

"Not…completely." Erza said. "He still has a lot to make up for, but I know he will do it, so I trust him."

Rizzo stared at the redhead for a long silent moment as Gray and Lucy spoke to Wendy about Jellal. Rizzo then glanced to Sanjū, and the pink feline could already see where this is going, so she hopped down onto the ground to stand with Happy.

"Fine." Rizzo said. "However, I have to get one thing out of the way before I can even think about giving him that chance to redeem himself."

Erza nodded her head in understanding then watched as Rizzo walked towards Jellal. Everyone else got quiet as she went up to the man as well. Jellal looked up at the pinkette as she reached him.

"I hear you lost your memories." Rizzo said.

"Yes." Jellal said. "Do…Do I know you?"

"Not personally." Rizzo said. "I just had to apologize to you and the rest of the Magic Council before, and you hurt a member of my family. And she might be willing to forgive you, but I can't even think about doing that until I think you've gotten punishment for what you did."

Jellal didn't look surprised nor did he shrink away. He stood up straight while turning to face Rizzo completely.

"Do what you must." Jellal said. "I understand I have a lot to atone for, and if you have to beat me up, I will accept this punishment."

It was still and silent for a moment before in a flash Rizzo socked Jellal in the face, which made him stumble back into the wall.

"Woo, nice right hook." Gray complimented.

Jellal felt the ache in his jaw though didn't complain as he waited for the next blow.

"Well, okay, punishment over." Rizzo said.

Jellal looked at Rizzo with wide eyes as she turned around to face her back towards him. Erza grinned as she looked at Jellal's surprised expression.

"That's it?" Jellal asked.

"Well, yeah." Rizzo said. "You've obviously beat yourself up about your past sins a lot even if you can't remember them, and Erza believes you can change. If she's willing to give you the chance then you must be a good person underneath. But I couldn't let you get a pass without at least giving you one punch to the face for hurting a member of my family. Besides, I don't really like Erza, so I'm not going to waste my time beating up someone who messed with her. Just consider yourself cleared in my book, and spend this second chance wisely."

Jellal blinked still a bit stunned at what just happened. He really didn't know how to truly expression how grateful he felt.

"I see." Jellal said. "Thank-you…"

He trailed off since he didn't know her name, or rather he couldn't remember her name.

"Rizzo Sweeney." Rizzo said. "Try not to forget that name again, okay, Pal?"

"I won't." Jellal promised.

Rizzo nodded her head then walked back over the others as Erza walked over towards Jellal.

"Anyway maybe we should start looking for Sher." Rizzo said. "I know she's tough, but I can't help but worry."

"Yes, I feel the same." Jura said.

"Do you think we should go search for her?" Wendy asked while also looking concerned. "I really hope she's alright."

Rizzo silently pat Wendy on top the head to give to give the little girl some comfort as her other hand rested on her hip. She too really hoped Sher was alright.

"My handsome face!"

Rizzo turned to look at Ichiya, who was still in his muscle form, as he stood uncomfortably while seemingly pressed against something.

"There a problem, meat head?" Gray asked.

"I wanted to go make a letter of the alphabet, but I ran into an invisible wall." Ichiya said.

Rizzo grimaced really wishing Ichiya would keep those kind of things to himself. She then blinked when Wendy moved out from under her hand to crouch on the ground.

"Look, there's weird writing on the ground." Wendy said.

Rizzo looked down at the ground to see the writing, which looked very familiar to her. She frowned knowing exactly what this writing us.

"No, it can't be." Jura said as he touched the invisible wall.

"Oh, yes, I think it is." Rizzo said. "An enchantment…much like the ones Freed uses."

Gray frowned because he really hated those enchantments. He's forgiven Freed and the rest of the Thunder Legion for the incident during the Harvest Festival, but he still really hated damn enchantments.

"Man, I've really got to pee you guys." Ichiya said.

Everyone ignored him as they wondered who the hell put them in this enchantment.

"Who would do such a thing?" Carla asked.

"And how come we didn't notice them cast it?" Happy asked.

That was a very good question considering that casting enchantments was meant to take a long time. Rizzo would think one of them would have noticed someone casting one.

"If I had to guess I'd say it's Freed's work." Gray said.

"But I highly doubt Freed came all the way out there to trap us of all people." Sanjū pointed out. "Besides, doesn't this feel stronger than his usual work?"

"You're right it does." Gray said.

Yes, Rizzo has been stuck in one of Freed's enchantments before, so she can tell this one is very different. He locked her up in one after that time she hit him by accident during one of the guild's usual brawls. And the only reason she hit him was because she was thrown into him by Elfman.

"Then how are we going to get out?" Lucy asked. "Use Rizzo's guitar case to get us back to Magnolia?"

"Sorry, but my case was too damaged during the fight against Zero." Rizzo said as she pointed at the case on her back with her thumb. "It's no longer connected to the door leading to my room in Fairy Hills."

Lucy frowned guessing that was out of the question, and that they were really stuck.

"Okay, who did this?!" Natsu demanded. "Show yourselves!"

Rizzo and the others soon heard footsteps, and her eyes widened when they were quickly surrounded by Rune Knights. Great, she has to deal with these guys again. She can't stand these guys.

"Who are all these people?" Wendy asked.

Ichiya just begged to be let go, so he can pee, but Rizzo decided to just brush him off.

"There's no need to panic." One of the Knights, who was obviously in charge, said as he stepped forward. "We mean you no harm. Sorry about this, but we were forced to do something to restrain you."

Rizzo scoffed while sure they just liked restraining mages from Fairy Tail. The Council did have some serious beef against them.

"Who the heck are you?" Happy asked.

"I am the Captain of the New Magic Council Fourth Custody Enforcement Unit—Lahar." He said. "And this is my army."

Rizzo rolled her eyes while wishing these guys would just buzz of because she isn't in the mood to deal with them. She ached all over, and she just wanted to get some sleep.

"What?!" Natsu asked in surprise.

"There's a new Magic Council?" Gray asked.

"Sure, didn't take them very long." Lucy said.

Well, Yajima had warned them all about a new Magic Council that was in the works.

"It is my duty to uphold the law and preserve justice throughout the land." Lahar said. "So evil doers must be arrested."

"Did you rehearse that little speech, or was that just something the council shoved down your throat, Lahar?"

Everyone gasped before turning to see Sher, who might look a little worse for wear but was still alive, walking out of some bushes with Moonlight and Midnight thrown over her shoulders.

"Sher, you're alright." Jura said while looking relieved.

"Yes, sorry, if I worried you, sir." Sher said. "When I awoke, I felt Nirvana shaking violently. I knew I needed to get off as soon as possible, but I couldn't leave Moonlight laying their unconscious. Then I was worried for the rest of you, so I decided to sweep through as much of Nirvana as I could before it became too dangerous. I came across Midnight and Cobra along the way, and I couldn't just leave them there either. So I used what little magic I could muster to get us out of there. I left Cobra a few yards away in the Woodsea with his pet snake since I couldn't carry all of them, and that serpent kept trying to take a snap at me."

Jura smiled at Sher just glad to know she was alright. He also wasn't surprised she helped their enemy because Sher was a good person deep down and couldn't leave behind the wounded even if they were her enemy. Sher then turned her eyes onto Lahar with a frown forming on her face. Lahar stiffened a bit as he looked at the woman as she walked forward before dumping Midnight and Moonlight, who were both unconscious, at his feet.

"Here." She said. "Go ahead and arrest them. But once again all the hard work was done by guild mages, and the Rune Knights are just picking up the trash."

Lahar frowned while adjusting the glasses perched on his nose. Sher's friends blinked as they looked between Sher and Lahar. Well, they seemed to know each other, didn't they?

"Now, how about letting my friends go, huh?" Sher asked. "It's been a rough twenty-four hours, and I'm sure they'd like to rest just as much as me."

"Hmph, I will release your friends once I get all the criminals we have been sent to collect." Lahar said.

Sher's frown deepened while really not wanting to give up Richard since he helped them so much.

"Now, handover the member of the Oración Seis codenamed Hot-Eye." Lahar said.

Rizzo looked up towards Richard wishing they hadn't run into the Rune Knights. She didn't want him to get locked away after everything he's done to help them.

"No, never!" Jura said.

The Rune Knights prepared to fight if they must as Jura stepped forward. Sher tensed up as well while ready to start battling the Rune Knights if Jura wished it of her. Sher didn't want to hurt any of them since she was once a Rune Knight herself. Some of them she even recognized, but her loyalties lie with her guild and her friends, so she'd fight the Rune Knights if she had to.

"It's alright." Richard said as he stepped forward. "I'll surrender."

Sher relaxed her posture when Richard said that as Jura turned around to look at him in shock.

"Richard, why?" Jura asked.

"I cannot fully embrace a life of virtue when my past transgressions continue to haunt me." Richard said. "This is my chance to atone for my sins. It's best that I have a clean slate when I find my brother that way I will have nothing to hide. Don't you agree?"

Jura was silent for a moment before glancing at Sher. She nodded her head to show that she agreed with Richard. Jura let out a soft sigh before smiling as he looked back to Richard.

"Indeed." Jura said. "May I continue the search for your brother in your stead?"

"You'd do that for me?" Richard asked with wide eyes.

"I would be honored." Jura said. "I just need his name."

Rizzo and her friends smiled glad to see that at least Richard could be arrested with the knowledge that someone would still search for his brother.

"His name is Wally." Richard said. "Wall Buchanan."

Rizzo blinked sure that she knew that name from somewhere. She was almost positive she did.

"He's your brother?" Erza asked in shock.

Rizzo's eyes then widened in realization as the others from Fairy Tail—except Sanjū since she never met the guy—realized who he was talking about. An image of the man even popped up in all their minds.

"THE BLOCKHEAD?!" Natsu, Rizzo, Gray, Lucy, and Happy all exclaimed at once.

Rizzo stood there a bit flabbergasted, but she guessed there was somewhat of a family resemblance, right? Well, one brother was all boxy and the other brother was geometrical. Did that count as family resemblance?

"I miss him dearly." Richard said. "He was a good kid. In fact he was the best little brother a guy could ask for."

Rizzo smiled knowing how important siblings could be. None of hers are related by blood, but none of that was important. What's important are the bonds shared between them, and Rizzo could see through Richard that the bond he held with his brother is strong.

"My brother and I struggled to survive after losing our parents." Richard explained. "It was a trying time. We worked diligently while hoping to grow vegetables in our merger garden. Unfortunately, when it came time for the harvest, we were left disappointed."

Richard paused with a soft smile spreading across his face as he remembered those days with his brother.

"Even though many years have passed since that day, I can still remember the taste of that potato." Richard said.

Jura smiled up at Richard while glad to see such a happy expression on his face as he thought of his brother.

"I know your brother, Richard." Erza said.

Jura and Richard whirled around to look at Erza in surprise as the redhead walked forward.

"You do?" Jura asked.

"Yes, he's an old friend of mine." Erza said. "He's happily traveling the continent right now."

Richard looked at Erza with eyes that questioningly begged to know that she was certain of her brother's current state. Erza smiled as she nodded her head, which brought tears to Richard's eyes. The tears started rolling down his cheeks rapidly as he felt great relief and joy.

"All these years I kept telling myself that if I just stayed positive a miracle would happen, and low and behold it has." Richard said as he sunk to his knees. "Thank-you. Thank-you."

He kept repeating his gratitude as he cried into his hands, and Rizzo smiled happy he could receive such wonderful news before having to go with the Rune Knights. Maybe knowing that Wally is out living his life happily will bring him solace in prison. Once he calmed down, he was handcuffed then led over to the prison cart waiting for him.

"I feel kind of bad for him, ya know." Lucy said.

"Me too." Happy said.

"I guess it can't be helped." Gray said.

"It must have been difficult, but I think he made the right decision." Carla said.

"I agree with you, Carla." Rizzo said. "And at least he knows his brother is alright, and that all his years of hoping and praying weren't in vain."

Natsu smiled as he silently agreeing with his fellow pinkette as they watched Richard being placed into the cart. Midnight and Moonlight were carried in after him, so that meant they were no longer Sher's problem. She'd leave it to the Rune Knights to collect Cobra while they're at it since they're so good at cleaning up after people.

"Come on," Ichiya said reminding everyone of his presence. "If you don't undo the enchantment, I'm going to wet myself."

"You are so disgusting!" Lucy snapped.

Rizzo sighed while sure that was an extreme understatement. Disgusting didn't even fully cover describing Ichiya.

"Sorry, but I'm afraid that simply isn't an option at this time." Lahar said, which had the others looking at him in confusion. "Not until we've captured our true objective. A fiend who infiltrated and destroyed the Magic Council, and fired the Etherion Cannon."

Sher stiffened as she whirled around to face her comrades. Her eyes widened when seeing that Jellal really was standing amongst her friends. What was he doing here?

"A man more villainous than the Oración Seis." Lahar said as he adjusted his glasses. "Truly black of heart. I'm referring to you, Jellal. Let's go. Know if you resist we have explicit orders to kill you."

The Rune Knights prepared for a fight as Sher continued to stare at Jellal. She hadn't been there when he fired the Etherion Blast, or had his partner in crime destroy the Magic Council. However, there were people she cared about that had gotten hurt because of him. Some of the Rune Knights from her former unit even lost their lives as they tried to ensure that the councilmen and women made it out of there alive.

"Leave him alone!" Wendy said.

"You're making a mistake, man." Natsu said.

Rizzo kept quiet while giving no protests as she looked towards Erza who was standing there with absolute shock on her face.

"Jellal Fernandez is a criminal." Lahar said. "Society is in danger as long as he roams free. He must be brought to justice!"


	57. A Strong Step Forward with New Friends

Rizzo watched silently along with the others as Jellal was put in handcuffs by the Rune Knights.

"Jellal Fernandez, you are hereby arrested for crimes against the kingdom." Lahar said.

Jellal said nothing while quite ready to accept his punishment, so that he may pay for his sins.

"No, please don't take him away!" Wendy begged. "It's not fair! He doesn't even know what he's done. All his memories have been completely erased."

"Ignorance of one's crimes is no defense." Lahar said. "Pinal Code, Section 13 states this explicitly."

Sher bowed her head knowing that was exactly right. Just because he forgot his actions doesn't mean those crimes he committed mean nothing. She felt so torn. She wanted to stay loyal to her friends, who obviously wanted to save Jellal, but this man caused pain to others who she considered her friends.

"Sher, can't you do anything?" Lucy asked.

"Honestly…I don't want to even if I could call in some favors." Sher confessed. "A few good men I knew from my days as a Rune Knight died when Jellal Fernandez and Ultear Milkovich wreaked havoc on the Magic Council. They died as they were trying to make sure the councilmen and women made it out alive. I might not be a Rune Knight anymore, but they were my friends. One of them had even been my mentor. I'm sorry…but I cannot forgive Jellal for what he's done…therefore I will not try to stop his arrest. I'm sorry."

"No, don't be." Jellal said. "And I know saying sorry won't be enough, but I give my deepest apologies for the pain my actions caused you."

Sher said nothing as she looked down to the ground unable to meet her friends' gazes. They weren't judgmental. In fact, they were accepting yet saddened, which was harder to face than judgment. Lahar looked at Sher while knowing she was feeling so many mixed emotions. Despite having their differences, he still cared about her…they had been close once as they were in the same unit before she resigned when they worked for the first Magic Council, which is why he'll wrap this up quickly.

"You may remove the barrier now." Lahar said to one of the knights.

He nodded his head while going to do just that, so to release Sher's friends.

"Hold on." Wendy said.

"It's alright." Jellal said. "I will not resist arrest."

Sher frowned wondering if this man was really prepared for what was to come. Did he have any idea what kind of sentence he could be charged with?

"Please, forgive me." Jellal said. "I wish that I could remember you. I'm sorry I cannot, truly."

"When she was lost and alone, you found her and saved her life." Carla said as she stepped forward.

"Did I?" Jellal asked. "I may not know the harm I inflicted upon you and countless others, but at least I know at some point I helped one person."

Rizzo glanced at Erza to see the redhead struggling with all of this. Yet Erza said nothing.

"Erza, I won't forget your kindness." Jellal called out to her.

He started being led away, and even though Erza was obviously wanting to do something she remained in spot. Rizzo frowned at her wondering if she was just going to stand there. Had she lost the ability to walk…to talk?

"Do you have any more parting words?" Lahar asked him.

"No." Jellal replied.

"You'll get a life sentence…that is if you're lucky." Lahar said.

Yes, Sher knew that a death sentence was a definite possibility for Jellal for everything he's done.

"In any case you won't see any of these people again." Lahar said as Jellal was being led away again.

Rizzo remained silent still as she looked at Erza. She didn't even blink when Natsu started attacking as he tried to save Jellal. Soon the others, except for Sanjū who remained at Rizzo's side, got involved with the Rune Knights quickly moving in the restrain them, but Rizzo still didn't move as she looked at Erza.

"Are you really just going to stand there?" Rizzo asked. "What's wrong, Erza? Suddenly lose your voice and your ability to move?"

Erza turned towards Rizzo with wide eyes as the pinkette narrowed her eyes at Erza.

"Your friends and your guildmates are fighting to get Jellal back, and it isn't for their sake or just his." Rizzo said. "It's for yours and yet you just stand here…frozen. Won't you do anything? If you chose to fight, I will fight with you, Erza. But I will not fight for you when you clearly have the strength to fight as well. Now make a decision, Erza. Will you fight the Rune Knights and bring punishment on all of us? Which I will accept because as a team we fight together and take punishment together. Or will you let him go to fully atone for his sins as he clearly wishes?"

Erza stared at Rizzo for a bit longer as their friends continued to fight the Rune Knights to get Jellal back.

"Arrest them all for aiding a fugitive and obstructing the law!" Lahar ordered.

Even more Rune Knights ran forward, but were washed away by a wave of water. Lahar turned with wide eyes as Sher stepped forward with anger burning in her eyes.

"I will allow you to arrest Jellal Fernandez for his crimes, Lahar." Sher said. "However, I will not let you arrest my friends just because their sense of feelings move them to help a friend. So take back that bullshit command, or I'll be forced to wipe you all out."

Lahar growled in frustration while not believing that Sher was really standing up to the Rune Knights when she had once been one. He remained silent not taking back his order, so the Rune Knights kept attacking. Sher fought them off to keep them off of her friends, which added to the chaotic situation. Yet while all this was happening, Rizzo and Erza did not move. As the chaos continued, Erza thought about Rizzo's words as Rizzo continued to look at her with questioning eyes. Erza then looked down at the ground as she took a deep breath. She knew what had to be done here.

"That's enough!" Erza, who swept her arm out to the front, called out getting everyone to freeze. "Stop this at once."

Her friends, except for Rizzo, looked at Erza in surprise as Rizzo nodded her head when seeing Erza made her decision.

"I apologize for this disturbance." Erza continued. "It's gone too far. I'm the one to blame. Now, _please_ …take him away."

The others were even more shocked to hear Erza's decision, but Jellal smiled while glad no one would get in trouble along with him.

"But why?!" Natsu demanded.

"Sit down!" Erza ordered.

"Yes, ma'am!" Natsu said obediently.

Natsu sat down immediately while hoping not to anger Erza any more than she already was. Lahar frowned though he nodded for the Rune Knights to continue taking Jellal away. He went with them willingly, but paused when a memory came to mind.

"I remember." Jellal said.

Erza looked up at him with slightly widened eyes as she wondered what he had remembered.

"It was the color of your hair." Jellal said.

Erza stiffened as he said that, but he paused no longer as he stepped inside the carriage. Soon the Rune Knights moved out while taking Jellal and three members of the Oración Seis with him. Rizzo watched them go then glanced at Erza who was obviously fighting off tears. Sher looked at her as well while feeling bad for not trying to stop Jellal's arrest while the others tried so hard, so to spare Erza from this pain.

"I'll make a few calls." Sher said getting everyone's attentions. "I'm friends with some pretty high up people in the Magic Council. I'll speak with them, and have them try to get Jellal Fernandez the lightest sentence the council will be willing to give. He might still be locked away for life, but he'll get to keep his life. That's the only solace I can offer."

Erza looked at Sher with wide eyes while knowing that couldn't be easy for her considering that Jellal's past sins had brought her pain.

"Thank-you." Erza said.

* * *

Rizzo sat with the others as the sun was starting to rise slowly into the sky. They had been silent for a while now since they were all lost in their own thoughts.

"Hey, you guys, does anyone happen to know where Erza went?" Happy asked as he finally broke the silence.

"She just needs to be left alone for a little white." Lucy said.

"You're right." Happy said.

Rizzo let out a sigh as she put her hands behind her head, so to look up at the sky as it was turning crimson due to the rising sun.

"Rizzo, can I…ask you something?" Lucy asked.

Rizzo glanced over at Lucy as the blonde was looking at her with a curious look in her eyes.

"You didn't fight with the rest of us." Lucy said. "I'm not judging you, but…I was wondering why you didn't try to get Jellal back. And what you said to Erza…did you talk her out of saving Jellal?"

Everyone else looked towards Rizzo as she looked back up at the crimson sky above.

"I didn't talk her out of anything." Rizzo said. "I simply told her to stop standing there silently as the rest of you fought to save Jellal for her sake. I told her to choose a path, and that I would accept her decision whatever it was. If she had chosen to fight, I would have fought alongside her, but I would not fight as she stood back doing nothing because the Erza I know doesn't let others fight for her when she has the strength in her body to do it herself."

It was silent for a moment as everyone stared at the pinkette who didn't take her eyes off the sky.

"You know, you seem to really understand Erza." Lucy said. "In the Tower of Heaven, you seemed to know exactly what to say to her even if it may have seemed harsh. And earlier you knew what to do again. It takes someone who cares about someone else a lot to understand them that much."

Rizzo scoffed with a small frown on her face because she couldn't stand it when people said she cared for Erza of all people.

"Not really." Rizzo said. "She's my rival, so knowing how she thinks and how she is just comes with working for so long to get strong enough to beat her. Besides, I can't have a rival who's too weak to let others fight for her because beating her wouldn't mean shit if that was the case, so I had to knock some sense into her. I don't give a damn about Erza or her wellbeing, so get your facts straight."

Lucy just lightly chuckled while knowing no matter how many times Rizzo said that that she really did care for Erza. It was so obvious. Gray and Natsu grinned as well as Wendy silently snuck away to go check on the redhead.

"You're such a softy." Sanjū said chuckling.

"Tch, whatever." Rizzo said.

* * *

Rizzo tilted her head as she looked down at the cloths she had on. She wore a pale green sleeveless top that went around her breast then fell down to mid-torso in the back and on the sides, but in the front had a split that started below her breast, which showed off her torso. It had yellow textiles going along the top and bottom that almost looked like yellow scales. Then she had on yellow sleeves that were unattached from the main shirt, and were tied to her arms with green ribbons. Then she had on a pale blue skirt that had yellow textiles on the bottom in three layers, and the bottom layer stopped mid-thigh. She then had a white scarf wrapped around her waist, and on her feet were gladiator like sandals.

While the colors and style was pretty it totally wasn't her usual rocker style. However, she couldn't pop back into her room using her guitar case since it was busted. She would have to get it repaired…and to do that she'd have to go back to…Acacia Town where it had been made. She needed to replace her violin anyway, and believe it or not the only place to get magic musical instruments and equipment was in her hometown. At least the best stuff. There were places that had knockoffs, but one would pay twice as much for that knockoff then it'd break on them within a week.

Rizzo wasn't sure though if she could go back to her hometown. The last time she was there, not counting since she didn't step foot into the actual town., she stayed on the outskirts, and only went into the forest and mountain caves. Even after all the craziness with Devil's Lament, she didn't look back. She and the others just waited at an inn in another town as her brothers had collected what things they had in the tunnels. So technically she hasn't been back to Acacia Town since the incident, so she was a bit apprehensive about going back.

"Oooo~, this is adorable." Lucy said.

Lucy's voice snapped Rizzo out of her own thoughts as the pinkette turned to see Lucy as she looked down at her own outfit.

"Yeah, yeah, you look cute and all, but you're not nearly as sexy as me or my cousin." Sherry said.

She gestured to Sher as the older Blendy woman stood to the side looking a bit uncomfortable in the clothes she was wearing. She had on a low-cut shirt that stopped just below her breast, and had long flowing sleeves that almost looked like water when she moved. Going around her neck and arms was a pale lavender scarf that was draped over her. She then had on a darker blue skirt with the textile pattern that gave the skirt a wave like look, and it stopped above her knees. There was a pale lavender scarf wrapped around Sher's waist, and she had on white stockings that went up to knees, and on her feet were simple sandals. And finally in her hair was a little blue flower clipped to the right side of her head.

"Everyone in the village is a member of the guild." Wendy explained. "Cait Shelter's known for its pretty textiles and clothes."

Sanjū, who was just borrowing an outfit from Carla, had to agree that the clothes from Cait Shelter were indeed cute. However, she still preferred kimonos and other eastern styled clothing.

"They may be pretty, and no offense…but I feel ridiculous." Sher said. "And extremely uncomfortable."

Sherry giggled behind her hand knowing that Sher was never comfortable in anything involving a skirt or dress. Even growing up, Sher would get uncomfortable if put into skirts and dresses, which is why when she was able to pick her own clothes that she never bought either of those things or anything else really feminine.

"Well, I think you look very pretty." Wendy said smiling.

"Thanks, Wendy." Sher said though still looked as if she felt out of place.

Rizzo pat her shoulder in a consoling manner as Lucy turned to look at Wendy.

"So are these like traditional Nirvit styles?" Lucy asked.

"I never really thought about that before." Wendy confessed. "But I guess that would make the most sense, huh?"

Well, the Nirvits and their descendants can keep their clothes. Rizzo much preferred leather and tightfitting clothes to this loose, cotton outfit she's wearing now. It was cute and all…just rockers aren't meant to be wearing stuff like this.

"I can't believe you had absolutely no idea everyone in this guild but you is a descendant of the Nirvit." Sherry said.

"Well, yeah, I'm the only one who joined after it was formed." Wendy pointed out.

Rizzo still can't believe that she's never heard of this guild until the day they were all put together as Allied Forces. One would think a guild that's been around supposedly as long as this one that someone would know about it.

"Come try this on, Erza." Lucy said to the redhead who's been silent all this time. "I know how you love a costume change."

Erza raised her head a bit to look at Lucy as Rizzo glanced over at her from where she was standing with Sher and Sanjū.

"Yes, I suppose." Erza said.

When seeing how upset she still was, Lucy looked down feeling her mood drop a bit as well. Rizzo sighed guessing it'd be a while before Erza's mood was back to normal.

"And I'm guessing you don't know when Cait Shelter joined the league of guilds along with others, do you?" Sherry asked Wendy. "I don't wanna be rude, but I never even heard of your guild before all of us were thrown together. I know every guild can't be as popular as Sher's and mine but still."

Sher never even heard of Cait Shelter, and it had been part of her job as a Rune Knight to know the name of every legal guild no matter how small.

"Come to think of it, I hadn't either." Lucy said.

"Same here." Rizzo said as she raised her hand partially.

"Oh, I don't know." Wendy said. "Wow, I didn't realize we were so obscure."

She twiddled with her fingers almost feeling a bit ashamed at the fact that no one knew of them until now. Was her guild really that small?

"This is all very interesting, but everyone is waiting on us." Carla reminded them.

"Oh, yeah," Rizzo said. "Guess we can't keep them waiting."

The other girls agreed, and after getting Erza to finally change her outfit, the girls left to join the guys outside where the Cait Shelter members were gathering as well.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting." Wendy said, which grabbed all the boys' attentions.

They turned around to face the girls, and Gray's eyes widened a bit as he looked Rizzo over. It wasn't her usual look, but she looked pretty cute at the moment. He grinned at her when she looked up at him, which brought a smile to her face as well.

"What?" She asked while still smiling. "Do I look ridiculous?"

"Quite the opposite." Gray assured her. "You look pretty cute in those clothes."

Rizzo felt her blush the tiniest amount, but it wasn't as bad as she used to blush, so she'll count that as progress.

"Sherry, where's Sher?" Jura asked when seeing the older Blendy woman wasn't with her cousin.

Sherry blinked before turning around to see Sher peeking out from the tent, but not moving any farther.

"Oh, Sher, you don't look bad, so quit hiding." Sherry said as she reached out to grab her cousin's hand.

It took quite a bit of tugging, but soon Sherry had pulled Sher out of the tent and into the open where the others could see her.

"Dammit, Sherry." Sher cursed. "Can't I just go put on my other clothes?"

"No because they're dirty and torn." Sherry said. "Now quit being a baby. You look great."

Sher frowned at being called a baby, bust she guessed that Sherry was right…she is acting like one. Sher took a deep breath then stood up straight as everyone continued to look at her. Lyon felt himself blushing a bit as he looked at Sher with wide eyes. He's never seen her in a skirt or showing so much skin. She actually looked very feminine at the moment…and very beautiful. His heart beat funnily in his chest as he continued to stare.

"Hey, Ice Boy, will your quit your gawking?" Sher asked Lyon as she frowned at him. "You're weirding me out."

"So-sorry." Lyon said as he looked away. "You…you look very, uh, nice, so I guess I couldn't help but stare."

"Tch, whatever." Sher said as she looked away from him as well.

Despite showing annoyance, Sher had a blush on her face as well though she tried to ignore it. Jura looked at his two guildmates in amusement as they kept their gazes away from each other.

"They're in love~" Happy teased as he snickered behind his paw.

He then hid behind Sanjū when Sher looked down to glare at the little blue furball. Sanjū shook her head at Happy before everyone turned to the leader of the Cait Shelter guild when he cleared his throat.

"Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, not to mention Wendy and Carla." He began. "I commend your efforts in not only defeating the Oración Seis, but saving our village from Nirvana's wrath. Speaking as a representative of our regional guild league, I, Roubaul, offer my deepest gratitude. Thank-you. Nobura."

He gave a brief bow to the guilds involved in the alliance as Rizzo smiled. It was nice to be thanked for what they did, and they even destroyed something, which was seen as good. She doesn't get enough moments like that.

"We are in your debt." Roubaul said.

"We were happy to help you, Master Roubaul!" Ichiya said as he slid forward. "It was a hard won victory…against a ferocious foe, but from the deepest, darkest parts of despair light shined down. It was the bright and warming glow of true friendship! And we followed it all the way to victory!"

Rizzo sighed while not completely surprised Ichiya cut in. And of course, he had to pose like a weirdo as he spoke.

"Well said, Master." The Trimens said as they clapped.

Sanjū shook her head at all four of them while wondering why Rizzo and she were friends with them, and sadly this isn't the first time Sanjū has contemplated her and Rizzo's friendship with the Trimens and Ichiya.

"The bright and warming glow is probably from the spotlight he's hogging." Gray deadpanned as he put his arm around Rizzo's shoulders.

"No joke." Lucy said. "And by the way did he ever fight anyone?"

"No, he didn't." Rizzo said. "However, he did destroy a lacrima, so I suppose we can left him have his moment."

Lucy and Gray frowned not sure they wanted to give the little troll his moment. He was just a weirdo.

"I suppose it's over now." Sherry said.

"Yeah, so now we can get home." Sher said. "I could sleep for a week."

"I don't think Sherria will give you even a day." Lyon said chuckling.

Sher sighed knowing that was most likely true, but she couldn't help but smile as she thought about her little sister. It'd be nice to see her again soon.

"You two should know that I'm proud of you." Jura said as he put his arms around Lyon and Sherry.

"Thank-you, sir." Lyon said.

He then blinked as Sher lightly elbowed him in the side to get his attention. He looked over at her as she grinned.

"Yeah, you did good work out there." Sher said. "I believe that means I can bump you up from grunt level to official Lamia Scale mage status."

Lyon smiled while happy to hear that, and it meant the world to him to get Sher's approval. He's been working hard for it ever since the Lamia Scale emblem was put on his chest.

"Hey, we deserve a victory party!" Natsu said.

"Aye, sir!" Happy added.

Rizzo lightly chuckled at her guildmates as Ichiya started using a carrot like a microphone.

"Yes, yes, yes, it's time!" Ichiya said.

"Yes, it's time~" The Trimens agreed.

"To get down!" Ichiya declared.

"To get down!~" The Trimens parroted.

"And party." Ichiya said.

He and the Trimens then started dancing up and down in a weird manner while repeating "oh, yes!", which had Sher frowning at them. Had they no decency?

"Party sounds great!" Gray, who lost his shirt, said.

"Please, keep your clothes on." Lucy begged.

Lyon then appeared beside Gray as he chuckled, and Lucy's eyes widened even more when seeing he was shirtless too.

"You too, buddy!" Lucy snapped.

"Gray, if you strip completely, we're going to have a problem, understand?" Rizzo asked as she frowned.

"Lyon, put your shirt back on this instant!" Sher ordered. "Where are your manners?! Don't act so indecent in front of a Guild Master!"

Sherry laughed behind her hand as Lyon jumped in fright while scrambling to find his shirt. Wendy laughed while getting caught up in all the excitement.

"So is the Cait Shelter guild up for getting now?" Ichiya asked then rejoined in on the dancing.

Sanjū shook her head at everyone as Gray, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy joined the boys from Blue Pegasus in their odd little dance.

"Oh, yes!" Wendy said as she jumped up as well.

However, she didn't do so again when sensing the somber mood of her guildmates. In fact, everyone else picked up on it, and stopped their antics at once.

"I'm truly sorry." Roubaul said. "I neglected my duty to tell you about the Nirvit people. Please, accept my sincere apology."

"Well, it's not like that's going to stop us from partying." Happy said.

"But we'll listen to whatever you might have to say, right?" Natsu asked.

"Aye, sir." Happy said in a more formal manner.

Rizzo lightly snorted while not sure Natsu and Happy would last through Roubaul's explanation of the Nirvits. When they wanted to party, they usually liked getting right to it. She usually did to, but she was actually very curious of these ancient people who had built Nirvana in hopes of stopping the war from 400 years ago.

"It's alright, Master." Wendy said. "You don't have to tell us if you don't want to."

"It is important." Roubaul insisted. "I ask that everyone please listen very closely to the tale that I am about to tell."

Rizzo placed her hands on her hips as everyone else quietened down to listen to Roubaul.

"First, let me clear the air about something." He said. "The truth is we are not descendants of the Nirvit people. Indeed we are the Nirvits themselves. And many years ago—400 to be exact—Nirvana created. Fashioned by my hands."

Rizzo's eyes widened along with everyone else when Roubaul said those words. He was the one…but how was he even still alive?

"By you?" Lyon asked.

"I don't believe it." Lucy said.

"400 years ago?" Happy asked.

Natsu just stood there with a dumbfounded expression on his face while not knowing what to say, and he really wasn't the only one. Everyone was very astonished to hear this.

"I thought if my dream of Nirvana was made a reality, I could end the ghastly wars tearing the world apart." Roubaul explained. "I would do so by reversing the morality of those whose minds were set on the destruction of others. We made our home there, and we took great joy in what we had accomplished through peace. We were a shining beacon of light in a once shadowy world."

Rizzo lightly frowned while getting the feeling that a "but" or "however" was about to come.

"However, despite our best intentions we could not change the fact for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." Roubaul said. "Nirvana had brought light to what was once a terrible darkness not by chasing it away, but by absorbing is so to speak."

Rizzo was now sure this is where he told them where this weapon meant for good caused pain to others. It's just like the Pied Piper. Created for good…and it did some good, but eventually innocent people were hurt in the end.

"The world yearns for balance and order." Roubaul continued. "The light serves no purpose without the darkness and vice versa. The light is born from darkness and the darkness is born from light. The two are forever intertwined."

"Yeah, that's exactly how it played out for us." Gray said.

Yeah, Sherry went all dark-side, which hadn't been fun in Rizzo's opinion at all. Then Richard, who had been known as Hot-Eye, became good, which needed up being a good thing.

"All the world's evil taken from those whose hearts were once consumed with it was transferred to the peace loving Nirvit." Roubaul said.

"It was?" Wendy asked.

"It was a nightmare." Roubaul said. "Engulfed in rage and hatred we slaughtered each other until no one was left standing."

Rizzo's eyes widened in shock. She knew something bad happened because of Nirvana, but hearing an entire tribe of people killed each other because of the influence of Nirvana was almost frightening.

"That's quite not true." Roubaul said. "For I am the only survivor."

It was silent for a long moment as Roubaul's words sunk into everyone's mind. The only survivor? If that was true, Rizzo couldn't help but wonder who those people Roubaul were.

"Then again in this particular situation the word survivor is a little misleading." Roubaul said. "In truth my body ceased to function many years ago. What you see before you know is a projection of the man I once was. As punishment for my sins, I, this powerless spirit, has stood as sentinel over my creation for 400 years. Keeping my weary eyes open for the one who could at last destroy Nirvana, and sign it to the pages of history. And now my post can be vacated because that person has been found."

Roubaul looked at the allied forces with a smile on his face. It showed how happy and tired he was at the same time.

"No, why didn't you tell me?" Wendy asked.

Roubaul seemed to glow for a moment, and once the shimmering light left his body, members of the Cait Shelter guild started disappearing. Rizzo watched them go while already figuring out that they hadn't been real. As Roubaul said, he had been the last of the Nirvits, which had confused Rizzo at first since he had been surrounded by people…not to mention he had said "we are the Nirvits themselves". Now Rizzo can see that these people two were just projections, but unlike Roubaul they weren't true apparitions like himself. They were illusions.

"What's happening?!" Wendy asked. "Don't go!"

"You can't just leave us!" Carla said.

As Wendy started calling the names of her guildmates, Rizzo was all too well reminded of that faithful day that Treble Chambers fell. Rizzo looked down at the ground seeing this story was much like the one of the Pied Piper. A man creates a magical item in hopes of making the world a better place, but in doing so he also brings great danger to himself and those around him. This creation leaves sorrow and pain on the man and the ones closest to him.

Then even after so much time has passed this creation still causes pain to the ones who have some kind of direct connection to it. And at some point there was a slaughter, and even if there were many years in between…in the end a little girl is left alone with only one companion at her side. There were some differences, but it was almost like Wendy was the Rizzo of six years ago. Losing everyone she loves all in one single day except for one friend.

"Everyone's disappearing right in front of our eyes." Hibiki said.

Wendy cried once more for her friends not to leave her, which had Rizzo flinching at the desperation in her tone. Gray looked at Rizzo in worry as she clutched her right up so tightly that he was afraid she'd leave a bruise. Sanjū looked up at Rizzo softly while knowing exactly what the pinkette was thinking about.

"I've deceived you, Wendy." Roubaul said. "For that I am deeply sorry. All your fellow guild members were specters. They were nothing but illusions."

"Are you kidding me?!" Natsu asked.

"Illusions with their own personalities?" Lyon asked.

"That takes powerful creation magic." Jura pointed out.

Sher nodded in agreement. She has never met anyone living or non-living that could pull off something like that. Roubaul might have been dead for many years, but he was obviously a powerful mage.

"For many years I lived in this deserted village alone." Roubaul said. "Always keeping a watchful eye on Nirvana. Until one day when a boy came to me with a companion needing help."

Wendy's eyes widened knowing exactly what Roubaul was talking about. She knew exactly who that little boy was.

"His eyes burned with such intensity and sincerity that I simply had no choice but to take the little girl in." Roubaul said. "I had resigned myself to a solitary existence, but there she was."

Roubaul then explained that to make Wendy happy he had lied to her by telling her she was in guild. And what he had done had everyone stunned silent.

"I filled the village with apparitions, so she wouldn't be alone." He explained.

"So you created an entire guild just for Wendy." Lucy said with wide eyes.

"No one I care for is a real person?!" Wendy asked. "How could you do something so cruel to me, Master?!"

"Don't fret, my dear." Roubaul said. "Calm down. Neither you nor Carla need those imaginary friends."

He then pointed towards the Allied Forces as they stood just a few feet behind Wendy and Carla.

"You're surrounded by real friends who care for her." He said as he started to disappear as well. "A bright future awaits you. Embrace it with open arms."

"MASTER!" Wendy cried.

She started running forward towards Roubaul , but he had already become sparkling magical particles that circled around the Allied Forces.

"To each and everyone one of you I owe my deepest gratitude. I know I can leave Wendy and Carla in your hands." Were his parting words.

Rizzo felt tears enter her own eyes as Wendy continued to sob due to the loss of those she loved.

"Master!" She screamed up at the sky.

Rizzo stood there for a moment watching her cry along with everyone else, but she soon felt her feet moving her forward. Her friends looked at her in shock as she dropped down in front of Wendy who she pulled into her arms.

"I know." Rizzo said as her own tears rolled down her cheeks. "What's it like to think you've lost everyone you love in one day…in front of your own very eyes. It feels as if someone has reached into your chest and ripped out your heart. It's a pain that many can't quite comprehend."

Wendy paused in her sobbing to listen to Rizzo as everyone else watched the two silently.

"You feel as if going on will be too painful." Rizzo said. "You feel like tomorrow will never truly come when the people you love won't be there to share it with you. All you want is to give up because you ask yourself what's the point of living when you're alone? But, Wendy, I'm going to tell you something that I too had to come to realize. And that is you're not completely alone. Like myself, you have a furry feline companion alongside you who has suffered the same loss."

Wendy stiffened before slowly pulling away from Rizzo, so to turn and look at Carla. Carla's eyes were wide and filled with tears as well as Sanjū stood beside her with a paw on her shoulder in comfort.

"You still have Carla at your side much like I still had Sanjū six years ago during the fall of Treble Chambers." Rizzo said. "And as long as you have that one friend you can move forward, and you'll find there are many other people in the world there to be your friends…to be your family."

Rizzo looked at her Fairy Tail family as her tears continued to roll down her cheeks.

"They will never replace your first family, but they will make the pain lessen bit by bit." Rizzo said. "They will bring you joy…they will bring you comfort…and they will give you strength. All you must do is take that first step forward, and even when you feel like taking another step is too painful remember Carla is at your side to give you strength just as much as you are here to give her strength."

Wendy looked back to Rizzo as the tears started to slowly stop flowing from her eyes.

"And, Wendy, you've already made new friends." Rizzo said. "I am your friend as are the others here with us, and I promise that as long as we are here we will help you move forward. I promise to help you move forward, so please, come with us to Fairy Tail."

Wendy sniffled then threw herself at Rizzo to let out her remaining cries. Rizzo held her tightly while tucking Wendy underneath her chin, so to hold her as close as possible to give her comfort. As Rizzo held her, she mentally swore that Wendy would find a family within Fairy Tail just like many children have before her.


	58. Returning to Acacia Town

Coco: Hey, guys, well, this chapter marks another end to another arc :D And I hope you're ready for the Edolas Arc since it's coming up.

Also, there's a character added into this chapter that I based of a certain someone from Soul Eater. If you've watched the anime, I'm sure you can guess who. Another thing is that this character will be introduced into my Fairy Tail Zero story, which I've posted, so go check that out, please.

* * *

Rizzo sat on the boat carrying her and her guildmates home silently as she was looking over her guitar case. The front of it didn't want to close right, and the back had a huge hole in it, which broke the connection to her guitar case and her room. A simple patch job wasn't going to be enough to fix this thing.

"Hey, Rizzo, if your case was broken when Zero first attacked us, how did you destroy that lacrima?" Happy asked.

Rizzo blinked looking up from her guitar case as Happy and Sanjū both stood in front of her.

"Ya know, I was wondering that too." Lucy said.

"Sorry, I can't tell." Rizzo said. "I have been sworn to secrecy by Master Raoul, so if you want to know, go to him to see if he'll spill the beans."

Lucy and Happy both whined about wanting to know, and how mean it was of Rizzo to not tell them, which had her chuckling.

"Do you know anything, Sanjū?" Happy asked.

Happy and Lucy both turned to the pink feline who had a composed expression on her face.

"No." Sanjū said as she looked away.

"You answered too quickly, which means you have to know something!" Happy accused.

Sanjū just ignored Happy as she suddenly produced some tea out of nowhere as she sat off to the side on a tatami mat that appeared out of nowhere as well.

"Hey, don't ignore me!" Happy whined.

Gray laughed in amusement as Happy continued pestering Sanjū for answers, but Sanjū just continued drinking her tea silently. Everyone then turned their attention onto Natsu as he ran around the ship happily while not feeling sick due to Wendy's sky magic.

"Haha! Look out, vehicles! Natsu's gonna ride you hard!" Natsu declared.

Rizzo smiled at Natsu while glad to see him enjoying the ride home instead of looking ready to barf.

"Careful!" Wendy warned. "The Troia spell doesn't last forever!"

Natsu just continued running around happily as if Wendy hadn't spoken, but the poor guy was suddenly floored as his motion sickness returned tenfold.

"No, cast that spell again!" Natsu begged. "Hurry!"

"I'm sorry I can't." Wendy said. "It only works a couple of times."

"Guess it's back to barf bags." Gray said.

Rizzo looked at Natsu sympathetically as everyone else found amusement in his weakened state.

"When we get back to Fairy Tail, I'll show you all the snuggling spots perfect for kitties." Happy said to Carla.

Sanjū sweat-dropped wondering if Happy would quit flirting with Carla anytime soon.

"I'm joining your guild to stay close to Wendy." Carla said. "Not because I have any interest in you!"

Happy wasn't deterred as he continued to smile at the white feline who turned her back to him. As Natsu continued groaning, Rizzo got up knowing what was about to come.

"We're joining Fairy Tail!" Wendy said as Rizzo grabbed the back of Natsu's shirt to lift him up. "I'm so excited."

Rizzo then put Natsu halfway over the railing as he lost his breakfast quite quickly.

"Nice save." Lucy said. "At least now the deck won't have to be swabbed."

Gray snorted though tried to cover up his amusement when Rizzo gave him a look.

"Thanks, Rizz." Natsu said weakly.

Rizzo pat his back while wondering how the others' trips back to their own guilds were going. She then smiled as she remembered everyone's goodbyes to each other.

-FLASHBACK-

 _"I'm going to miss you guys." Rizzo said as she hugged Hibiki, and ignored Ichiya who was saying something about his nostrils._

 _Gray frowned at the sight of Rizzo hugging that playboy, but he knew she thought of Hibiki as a friend, so he kept his mouth shut. Hibiki chuckled as he hugged Rizzo back as well._

 _"We'll miss you as well, Nee-chan." Eve said as Rizzo let go of Hibiki. "Be sure to visit us sometime!"_

 _"You bet!" Rizzo said._

 _She hugged him next while so glad to have spent time with him and the other Trimens even if they spent most of the time having to fight a dark guild and save the kingdom from darkness._

 _"When you do visit us, be sure to be ready for the best night Blue Pegasus has to offer." Hibiki said._

 _"Give my warmest regards to Master Makarov." Jura said._

 _Erza nodded her head to assure Jura they would as the bald man smiled widely._

 _"Oh and, Gray, fix that stripping habit." Lyon said._

 _"Like you have any room to talk, ya bonehead!" Gray snapped._

 _Sher just sighed as she shoved Lyon's shirt into his face before she turned to Rizzo. The two grinned at each other before exchanging a fist bump._

 _"We'll have to team up together again sometime." Sher said. "We sure did good work, and it was an honor fighting alongside you."_

 _"Well, working with you might not be as destructive as me teaming up with Natsu, but I'd like another Sher-Rizzo team up." Rizzo said. "Just name a time and place."_

 _Sher nodded her head as Lyon and Gray paled a bit. They hadn't seen the two work together, but they had a feeling that they wouldn't want to go against the girls if they teamed up. In fact, they wouldn't even want to watch the two girls fight alongside each other. They'd feel sorry for whoever they were fighting._

 _"Question." Lucy cut in. "What do we do about those two?"_

 _She pointed to Sherry and Ren as they were staring at each other with blushes on their cheeks._

 _"Aren't you running off with your little friends?" Sherry asked._

 _"Yeah, and just so you know I'm not going to miss you." Ren said._

 _"Sherry." Lyon said sounding shocked as Eve called out, "Ren!"_

 _Rizzo smiled sure the two were totally crushing at each other at the moment, which she found amusing…and cute._

 _"They're so in love!" Happy teased._

 _"Give it a rest, Happy." Sanjū said sighing._

-END OF FLASHBACK-

It was a bit sad leaving her friends whether they were knew or old, but she was happy to be heading up. She missed her guildmates and their antics.

* * *

"Long story short, Wendy and Carla are Fairy Tail's newest members, so you better treat them well." Erza said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all." Wendy said as she bowed her head.

Soon the entire guild was up on their feet and gushing about how adorable Wendy was. Rizzo smiled glad to see she was getting such a warm welcoming. Rizzo then gasped when she was lifted off the ground into a big hug courtesy of Jaser.

"You're back!" Jaser said happily as he hugged her. "We were starting to get worried."

Rizzo laughed while accepting the hug even if she couldn't hug him back since her arms were pinned to her sides.

"Hmph, I believe you were the only one worried." Craylee said as he walked up with Sven and Breccan.

"Welcome home~" Sven said with a warm and happy smile.

"You look more or less in one piece." Breccan said as he looked at the bandages on Rizzo's body.

Rizzo smiled at all her brothers as Jaser finally put her back down onto her feet. Once he had set her down, he picked up Sanjū to place on his shoulder. He pat her on the head, which had her smiling as she leaned into his touch.

"Yeah, the mission was a bit harder than I thought it'd be, but it's complete, so that's all that matters." Rizzo said. "So how did your missions go?"

Craylee just frowned silently as he looked away, which had Rizzo worried at what might have happened. However, before she could ask if he was okay, her hands were grabbed by a certain water woman.

"Rizzo-chan!" Juvia said as she shook Rizzo's hands up and down. "Juvia is so happy to see you!"

Rizzo smiled at Juvia as the water woman gushed about missing her and how they needed to have another girls' day. Rizzo nodded along with what Juvia was saying, and as her brothers looked at her they noticed…something was a bit different about their little sister. Breccan was about to ask, but Wendy's voice seemed to cut through all the chatter right then and there.

"Actually, I'm a Sky Dragon Slayer."

Once those words left the young girl's mouth, everything went completely silent. Almost everyone in the guild turned to look at the bluenette with wide and surprised eyes. Wendy looked at everyone with concerned eyes as she wondered if she did something wrong.

"That's awesome!" Wakaba and Macao exclaimed in unison.

Wendy's eyes widened as everyone started responding positively and happily to the knowledge of her being a Sky Dragon Slayer.

"We have another Dragon Slayer!" Everyone said together.

"Just like Natsu, Jaser, and Gajeel!" Reedus said.

"I've never heard of a guild with three Dragon Slayers let alone four!" Wakaba commented. "We're going to be even more unstoppable now!"

"Welcome to the family. Happy to have you aboard." Nab said.

Wendy smiled brightly while already feeling like she really apart of the Fairy Tail family. She then blinked when Jaser, who still had Sanjū on his shoulder, crouched down in front of her.

"It's nice to meet you, Wendy." Jaser said. "I'm Jaser, and I'm a Dragon Slayer too."

"Really?" Wendy asked.

"Yeah, my Dragon's name is Sabbia the Sand Dragon, so that of course makes me a Sand Dragon Slayer." Jaser said.

Wendy's smile widened even more while happy to meet one of the guild's other Dragon Slayers.

"Alright, everyone, listen up!" Makarov shouted above the noise. "Let's welcome our new members the way only Fairy Tail can!"

Everyone gave a loud cheer in agreement to that. Of course, it didn't take much to get the members of Fairy Tail to agree to a party.

"Now eat, drink, and make merry!" Makarov ordered.

Soon everything went chaotic, which had Craylee sighing in annoyance. Why was he stuck with such rowdy guildmates? However, despite his annoyance he found his lips turning up into a tiny yet genuine smile. Well, he guesses he wouldn't have them any other way. Besides, he's stuck with them, which was something he could live with even if they are a bunch of nuts. Juvia looked at Craylee with a smile of her own on her face when seeing he seemed to be happy.

"Gees, these guys." Breccan said as he chuckled. "There's never a moment of peace here."

"Nope!" Sven agreed as he laughed.

"Well, that's just how our guild is." Rizzo said.

She smiled at all her friends and family though didn't feel much like partying herself. She then glanced at her guitar case, which she had set on the table while knowing she'd have to address the issue of it being broken soon enough.

* * *

Rizzo sat in the guildhall the next day while looking at Craylee as he inspected the whole in her guitar case. Her other brothers were gathered around as well as the five of them sat at a table together. Well technically six since Sanjū was sitting on the table while drinking tea and eating sushi as usual.

"I can patch this up for sure, but it wouldn't regain its magical property." Craylee said. "You know what you have to do."

He sat the case down while pushing it across the table towards Rizzo. She sighed knowing it was a long shot asking Craylee to fix her case. She guesses she can't keep putting it off. She has to go back. She wouldn't feel right just sending it through the mail to Acacia Town. Besides, the guitar could become more damaged if she just sends it through the mail. She also needs to get a new violin, and even though she usually gets her instruments through the mail she might as well get the new one in person since she has to head there anyway.

"You have to go visit the old man." Craylee said.

Rizzo sighed once more while knowing he was right. She had to go see the best magic instrument maker in all of Fiore.

"This bites." Rizzo said with a frown.

"Is something wrong, Rizzo?"

Rizzo turned her head seeing Wendy standing there with a worried expression on her face. Carla was at her side while looking up towards Rizzo with a curious look on her face.

"It's just my guitar case is broken, and until it's fixed I can't go on jobs." Rizzo said. "And to get it fixed I have to go to a place I've been avoiding like the plague for the last six years."

Wendy tilted her head wondering why Rizzo would be avoiding a place for six years.

"But it can't be helped, so I guess I better get going." Rizzo said as she stood, but she then thought of something. "Oh, Wendy, I've been meaning to ask if you're settling in well."

"Oh yes!" Wendy said nodding as she smiled brightly. "Everyone has been really welcoming, and I already feel at home."

Rizzo smiled glad to hear that. She then pat Wendy on top the head, which had Wendy giggling.

"And have you decided to start looking for a job?" Rizzo said.

"Well, we were, but there's just so many." Wendy said with a slightly troubled expression on her face.

Rizzo nodded her head in understanding. When she had went to pick her first job she had been quite overwhelmed by the number of jobs to take.

"Maybe you shouldn't take a job on your own just yet." Rizzo said. "Maybe you could ask one of the older mages if they wouldn't mind you tagging along, or see if a team needs any help. I think my brothers were planning on taking on jobs. Maybe they won't mind you and Carla joining them."

Rizzo pointed to her brothers, and Wendy looked at them curiously yet also a tad shyly. Three out of four of them gave her warm smiles (and I bet you can guess who didn't smile XD), which put her a bit at ease. She took a deep breath knowing she had to build up her courage, so after taking her breath she stepped forward.

"Do any of you need help?" Wendy said. "I may be pretty small and green, but I promise to do my very best."

"I would let you tag along with me, Wendy." Breccan said sincerely. "But, Master has me going on an S-class level quest today. And even if it's allowed for you to tag along, I don't think taking an S-class straight from the get go is a good idea."

Wendy nodded in understanding, and Carla quite agreed with Breccan. Wendy was much too young to go on an S-class quest.

"I don't even know if I'm going on a quest today to be honest." Craylee said. "But if I do another time, you can come with if you want."

"Really?" Wendy asked. "Thank-you!"

Craylee nodded his head then pardoned himself from the table. He didn't get far from it before he was practically jumped by Juvia. Rizzo and her other brothers laughed in amusement as Juvia started dragging Craylee off, and since he heard their laughter he turned his head to glare at them.

"Is that…Craylee's girlfriend?" Wendy asked curiously.

"No, but she's trying to get the two of them together." Breccan said. "I'm sure he'll crack eventually."

"I think he's already starting to crack." Rizzo said smiling. "Look, he hasn't pulled away from her, or tried to yet."

She pointed to the pair who were leaving the guildhall to see that Craylee was allowing Juvia to keep a hold of his arm. Wendy blinked then smiled thinking Craylee and Juvia would actually make a cute couple.

"Well, that leaves two of you." Carla said while bringing Wendy back to the task at hand.

"You can join me on a job, Wendy, Carla." Jaser said grinning. "I haven't picked one yet, but I'm sure with your help we'll pick the perfect job for your first time."

"Thank-you so much!" Wendy said as she smiled brightly.

Jaser just chuckled as he got up from the table. He ruffled Wendy on top the head as Sanjū left the table to clamber onto his shoulder.

"We Dragon Slayers have to stick together, so whenever you feel like teaming up with someone on a job just come ask me." Jaser said.

"Okay!" Wendy said with her smile getting even bigger.

"There room for one more person on this little team?"

Rizzo and the others turned their heads seeing Cana standing there with a barrel of booze tucked under her arm.

"Hey, Cana." Rizzo greeted then looked to Wendy. "Wendy, I don't know if you've been formally introduced, but this is Cana Alberona. Out of the younger generation of mages she's been here in Fairy Tail the longest. Cana, this is Wendy Marvell."

Cana and Wendy exchanged handshakes as Carla eyed the barrel tucked under Cana's arm unhappily.

"Cana also happens to be dating Jaser." Rizzo added.

"Oh, then of course you should come along." Wendy said smiling.

"Thanks, kid." Cana said. "So let's go get ourselves a job. I need to get some more jewel, so to pay this month's rent."

The three—technically five if you count Carla and Sanjū—went to the request board to get a job for Wendy's first time taking on a request.

"I should probably get going as well." Breccan said as he stood up.

He then went over to Rizzo to pull her into a one-armed side hug, which she returned.

"I know it'll be hard returning home." He whispered into her ear. "But you don't have to do it alone."

He glanced over at the bar pointedly, and Rizzo followed his gaze to see he was looking at Gray.

"The two of you are together, which means letting Gray know about how your feeling isn't bad." Breccan said as he looked back at Rizzo. "When you're with someone like you are him, you can show them a more vulnerable side because you won't be judge. And there's no reason to be embarrassed by needing someone at your side for this."

He said no more as he gave her a brotherly kiss on top her head. He then left to do his own thing as Rizzo stood there for a moment.

"He isn't wrong~" Sven said in a singsong voice.

Rizzo glanced back at her eldest brother as he was flipping through the Children's Storybook.

"You're going to go to the place you've been avoiding six years because you've feared the horrible memories you have there." Sven said. "You're going to need someone with you to take those first few steps and to keep you strong. And while you're there I suggest trying to remember the good times and share them, so that you finally let go of that bit of pain you've been clinging to all this time. I don't know what happened while you were gone, but I can see some of the pain has been wedged lose. Now it's time to let go of the rest completely."

Rizzo stared at Sven for a long moment before letting a soft chuckle leave her lips.

"When did you get so wise?" Rizzo asked.

The serious look on Sven's face was replaced with a sunny smile as he looked up from his book to glance over at her.

"Silly Rizzy, didn't you know older brothers were supposed to be all wise and smart?" He asked with a boyish giggle leaving his mouth. "And I am the eldest! That makes me super wise!"

"Riiight." Rizzo drawled. "Just go back to munching on candy and acting cute."

Sven pouted at her for her almost condescending tone, which had her chuckling. She pat him on top the head then put her guitar case on her back. She then took a deep breath as she turned towards Gray. She walked towards him as he was having some booze with Elfman. However, she paused right beside Natsu's and Happy's table as they were stuffing their faces. That's right she has to pay for their lunch for this whole month.

"Oh, hey, Rizzo!" Natsu said. "After we're done eating let's get down to training!"

"Actually, Natsu, I can't train until I get my guitar case fixed." Rizzo said.

Natsu pouted because he had really been looking forward to training today. He and Happy had come up with some really new intense training exercises.

"When I get back from Acacia Town, we can do the double amount of training, okay?" Rizzo suggested.

"Alright! Sounds like a plan, right, little buddy?" Natsu asked Happy.

"Aye, sir!" Happy said.

Rizzo found herself lightly smiling when seeing how pumped they were, but she was sure the smile didn't fully reach her eyes. She then pulled out a wad of jewel to place on the table.

"This is for lunch for the next few days." Rizzo said. "Try not to use it all in one day."

Natsu, who had his mouth full, nodded his head as he and Happy continued eating. Rizzo pat him on top the head then continued over to the bar where Gray was.

"Hey, Gray." Rizzo said getting his attention.

"Hey." He said grinning at her.

He brought her in to place a kiss on her forehead, which brought her a bit more comfort. When Gray pulled back he saw a bothered expression on Rizzo's face.

"Is something wrong?" He asked.

"Actually I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you." Rizzo said as she twiddled with her fingers.

He nodded his head while starting to feel a bit concerned when seeing how troubled she was. Gray paid for his drink then told Elfman he'd see him later. He then took Rizzo's hand, so to lead her out of the guildhall since he thought she might feel more comfortable to talk without some many people around.

"So what's this favor?" Gray asked.

"Well, I have to return to Acacia Town to get my guitar case repaired." Rizzo said. "I can't go on jobs until it is or even train. And well…I don't want to go back alone."

Gray came to a stop while turning to look at Rizzo who came to a stop as well as she looked down at the ground.

"I've been avoiding it for so long because of bad things that had happened there." Rizzo said. "The Pied Piper incident doesn't count since I never actually set foot in town. I was just beyond the official town boarders. I…I just don't know if I can go there alone."

Gray was silent for a moment before he gently cupped Rizzo's chin, so to tilt her head up.

"Of course, I'll come with you." Gray said. "I'd be a pretty shitty boyfriend if I made you go through something that makes you uncomfortable by yourself. I'll stay by your side the entire time, I promise."

Then as if to seal the promise he gave her a soft kiss on the lips that made Rizzo feel much better already.

"Thank-you, Gray." She said when he pulled back.

* * *

Rizzo sat silently in the carriage with Gray as she gripped his hand tightly. They were getting closer to Acacia Town now, and she wasn't so sure about her decision of coming here. She should have just sent the case through the mail.

"Hey, it's okay." Gray said when seeing her worried expression. "You can do this, and I'll be with you every step of the way."

Rizzo slowly nodded her head then leaned it against his shoulder. He set his cheek on top of her head while putting his free arm around her. A few minutes later they were pulling up to the town entrance, which Rizzo hasn't seen since she looked back at it six years ago as a carriage took her out of the town to take her to the next where she was then put on a train to be taken to Magnolia. Laxus had met her at the station to then show her to Fairy Tail.

Rizzo stayed quiet as the carriage went through the entrance, which was a small tunnel carved out of the mountainside. Once they made it to the end, everything opened up to reveal Acacia Town. The carriage came to a stop, so Gray opened the door before stepping out. He held out his hand to Rizzo, and she almost timidly took it before stepping out of the carriage with his help. She looked around seeing the town hasn't really changed since she left.

She let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding as Gray got got out his money to pay the driver. After paying the guy, Gray joined Rizzo at her side to look around himself. He hadn't really paid that much attention to the town the first time around since he had been so focused on getting to Rizzo, and Sven had led them pretty quickly to it. Now that he can look at it he can see it's a really beautiful place.

It seemed like a quaint little town, but it was so vibrant and full of life. People were bustling about going about their business. Gray could hear music being played from various places. He could smell various things that all had his mouth watering. There were so many different flowers blooming around to give color to this lively place. Rizzo almost felt like crying as she looked around her hometown to see it all was as beautiful as the last time she saw it.

"This place is amazing." Gray said.

"Yeah." Rizzo agreed.

Gray looked at Rizzo to see her eyes watering, so he reached out to grasp her hand to give it a comforting squeeze.

"Rizzo?"

Rizzo and Gray turned their heads seeing an elderly woman standing there with her eyes widening.

"Little Rizzo Sweeney, is that you?" The woman asked as she stepped forward.

"Joan-san." Rizzo said as tears started to leak from her eyes.

The woman let out a cry of joy before hurrying towards Rizzo to give her a big hug.

"Oh, Rizzo, you've come home." Joan said. "You're home!"

Her cry of joy and Rizzo's name leaving her lips had many other townspeople turning in their direction.

"Rizzo?"

"Did she say Rizzo?"

"Bless my stars, it really is Rizzo."

Many townspeople started gathering around to greet Rizzo tearfully back home, and when seeing so many familiar faces Rizzo cried even more. But not in sadness, but in joy when seeing so many people who cared for her after so long. Gray stood back smiling when he saw the elated expression on Rizzo's face.

"Everyone, I'm so happy to see you." Rizzo said. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry it took me so long to come home."

Everyone just smiled at Rizzo as they continued to give her warm and happy greetings.

"Rizzo, who's this young man?" Joan asked as she looked at Gray.

Everyone soon turned to look at Gray, which had him feeling just a bit self-conscious. He almost felt like the boyfriend meeting the girl's father for the first time. Except he was facing an entire town. Rizzo moved to his side to loop her arm with his.

"Joan-san, everyone, this is Gray." Rizzo said. "He's a member of my guild and my boyfriend."

It was silent for a moment as the townspeople stared at Gray closely as if they were all sizing him up. They all then smiled brightly while giving a cheer.

"She's brought a boy home!" They cheered.

"I never saw this day coming." Joan said as she sobbed. "I never thought I'd live to see the day that Rizzo came how with a boy! I'm so happy."

"What's that supposed to mean, Joan-san?!" Rizzo demanded. "Why is everyone always so shocked when I say I have a boyfriend?!"

All the townspeople just laughed as Gray grinned at Rizzo who was pouting with her arms crossed over her chest. He was good to see that things were going better than he thought they would. He knew this was just the beginning, which meant that this happy atmosphere could change, and he'd stay beside her even then.

* * *

"So this is it?" Gray asked.

Rizzo nodded her head as she looked up at the music shop in front of them. After finally getting detangled from everyone at the front entrance, the two had finally made it here.

"Yeah." Rizzo said. "And I should warn you that the old man that owns the place is a wacko, so be prepared to dodge a walking cane and run at a moment's notice."

Gray sweat-dropped wondering what kind of nutjob owned this store. Rizzo took a deep breath before opening the door.

"Hey, old man, it's me Rizzo!" She called out as she stepped forward.

Gray followed her in seeing many musical instruments around along with equipment. Was all this stuff handmade? If so then this guy must have a lot of time on his hands, or have a lot of help.

"Old man!" Rizzo called again. "You here?"

"FOOL!"

Rizzo jumped along with Gray as the sound of a cane cracking against a surface entered the air. Rizzo grimaced looking like she was going to hate the next few minutes of her life as Gray blinked in confusion. He heard the cane crack, but saw no one. He was even more confused when a little ladder was leaned against the back of the counter.

"I still do not understand why you and those insufferable brothers of yours insist on calling me old man for I am not a man nor can I age, which means I cannot be old." The voice continued as the ladder moved to show someone was climbing up it.

Gray's eyes widened exponentially as a little brown rabbit stepped up onto the counter. He had a top hat on top his head, which had his long ears pushed downwards, and around the hat was a red ribbon. He then had on a white dress shirt under a black vest with light gray pinstripes, and over the best was a black suit jacket that looked as if it was made of silk. Pinned to his right left breast pocket was a small faux red rose, and in his right paw was a wooden cane.

"What's with the rabbit?" Gray asked.

"Fool!" The rabbit said.

Gray the cried out as the little thing hit him over the head with the cane in his hand.

"Do not speak so rudely." The rabbit said. "You are standing in the presence of greatness. For I am Baron Clyde von Butterscotch! I was the loyal companion of Lady Tatia Sweeney née Cumberbatch who was the second Guild Master of Treble Chambers and the wife to the late first master. Not only that, but I am the finest magical instrument manufacturer in the kingdom!"

Gray found himself frowning at the pompous rabbit while wondering how it was even walking and talking like a person. Of course, there's three felines in his guild that are the same. However, Clyde looked more like stuffed animal than a living rabbit.

"Tatia, my great-great grandmother, used a special kind of magic kind of like Bickslow's seith magic." Rizzo said. "Except it only worked on certain inanimate objects, and really there's actually more to her dollhouse magic."

"Indeed." Clyde said. "Lady Tatia was so strong that even after her passing the magic she stored within me has kept me going. And while that county bumpkin Raoul was alive, I studied his technique in creating instruments with magical properties, so to teach later generations of the Sweeney to do so as well. However, this one—"

Rizzo cried out as Clyde hit her on top her head with his cane rather sharply. She's sure she'll be feeling that even tomorrow.

"Has no talent whatsoever in creating magical instruments." Clyde said. "Her father, grandfather, great-grandfather, great-great uncle, and great-great grandfather were all very talented in creating magical instruments. She's just a rotten egg."

Rizzo frowned at Clyde as she rubbed her aching head. Another reason why she didn't want to return was because of this jerk.

"I might not be able to make magical instruments, but I have mastered more of them than anyone else in my family." Rizzo pointed out.

"Fool!" Clyde snapped.

He hit her again, which had her whining. Why did he hit her for this time? Seriously, what did she do?

"Do you think mastering more instruments than music mages past makes you better?" Clyde questioned.

"Well, no, but you make it sound like I'm worthless just because I can't make an instrument." Rizzo said.

"That's because you are!" Clyde said. "Knowing how to play an instrument means nothing unless you know how ones fits together as harmoniously as it is played."

Rizzo just frowned while wishing Clyde's personality had changed over the years. How can anyone be so pompous for over a hundred years? She shook her head deciding to move on to the reason why she came here.

"Can you just fix my guitar case?" Rizzo said. "And do you have any violins I can buy?"

"Hmm, you mean you visit after six years, and it's because you need to replace things you've broken?!" Clyde asked. "You little fool!"

He waved his cane about, which had Rizzo ducking down to her knees while covering her head with her hands.

"I'm sorry!" Rizzo said. "Please, don't hit me again!"

Gray watched on as Clyde scolded Rizzo who kept saying she was sorry repeatedly. He shook his head not sure what to make of the sight of his girlfriend apologizing to a stuffed rabbit.

"You are no better than that country bumpkin!" Clyde stated.

—

Raoul, who had decided to explore Acacia Town after being gone for so long, suddenly sneezed loudly. He frowned as he straightened up.

"Clyde." He grumbled.

* * *

After having to deal with Clyde for over an hour, Rizzo and Gray practically sprinted out of the music shop with her new cloth guitar case, which had already sucked up her new violin to take it to her room. Rizzo actually liked her new guitar case since it wasn't completely bulky, but it had the appearance of having a guitar inside, so it wasn't floppy either.

"Thank-you, Gray, for coming with me." Rizzo said as they walked down the street hand-in-hand. "And I'm sorry you had to deal with Clyde."

"Don't mention it." He said grinning. "But I think I won't be able to look at a rabbit the same way again."

Rizzo laughed behind her hand, which had Gray's grin widening. It was good to see her happy especially when she had been so worried about coming here. However, Rizzo slowly came to a stop, and when Gray glanced back at her, he saw her mood had shifted.

"Rizzo?" He prompted.

"Ya know, even though I finally came back…I don't think I'm completely ready to go back to my childhood home…or go to the cemetery yet." Rizzo said. "I don't want to be a coward…but I just don't know if I can…"

Tears started to build up in her eyes, so Gray quickly pulled her into his arms. She pressed her cheek against his chest, which was unsurprisingly bare, as she tried to seek out his warmth for comfort.

"You don't have to go to either of those places right now, Rizzo." Gray said. "You don't have to force yourself. You've already taken big steps already just by coming here. We can try to tackle those last two hurtles another day, and I promise to stand right beside you every step of the way then like I did today, I promise."

Rizzo sniffled while nodding her head. Knowing Gray will stay beside her always even during the hard times brought her great comfort.

"I love you, Gray." Rizzo said as she pulled back to look up at him.

Gray smiled while reaching out to gently and softly brush her bangs out of her face.

"I love you too." He said.

He kissed her softly right there in the middle of the street while not caring who saw. As they continued kissing, Rizzo was glad she had come back to her hometown. It had been good for her, and next time she came back she would be ready to get over those two hurtles because Gray would be with her.


	59. Sven's Tale: The Man in a Child's Body

On another peaceful and sunny day in Magnolia, Sven stood in front of the request board in the guild. He had on a white tunic like shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Over the shirt was a black vest that was buttoned in the middle. He then had on jean pants with a colorful belt holding them up around his waist. On his feet were brown loafers and on top his head a gray newsboy hat.

"Hmm, Breccan and Jaser are still away on their own missions." Sven said as he looked up at the mission board. "Craylee left this morning with Juvia on a mission, and Rizzo is out training with Natsu and Happy. Now I have to find something for me to do."

Sven knew that he and his brothers agreed to start going on missions solo or with other members of the guild, so to get some "separation". It wasn't that they were getting tired of each other's company. Sven was the one who even suggested it after seeing the connections his brothers were building with other people of the guild after they had went on their first missions apart from each other. It was just that it was only the four of them for six whole years. They grew into a tight knit group, and Sven was realizing that even part of the guild that they had been keeping a wall between themselves and others. However, his three younger brothers were starting to open up.

Jaser shared his uncertain memories of his past and dreams of Rajasthan with Cana who he's in a steady relationship with now. Breccan was able to trust Mirajane with the knowledge of his shadowy past and the nightmares that haunt him even now. Then Craylee let Juvia see his vulnerable side…the side of a scarred young man who had his heart hidden away from most of the world. Sven didn't want to hold them back from opening up even further, which is why he encouraged them to go on even more missions separated from each other. Then he didn't want to latch onto Rizzo because she had her own life here in the guild.

Sven might act like a carefree little boy, and he might let his siblings treat him like the youngest…but in truth he is the eldest, which comes with responsibility. He has to look out for his siblings, and encourage them to do things in their best interests. Which meant that even if it is a bit lonely, he'll continue pushing them towards making bonds with everyone.

Hell, maybe he'll be able to make new bonds himself through doing this. He has connected a bit to the Thunder Legion, mostly Freed, which slightly scared him, ever since the incident during the Harvest Festival. However, there's always that thin wall that keeps him from fully bonding with them especially Freed.

"But first I need a new mission." Sven said. "What to take?"

Sven was reading the different job requests when one caught his eyes near the top. He tilted his head reading it.

"Mysterious deaths and odd disturbances in a small town." Sven said. "Wolf attacks, granny went cannibal, stepmother beats stepdaughter…traces of magic left behind."

Sven frowned having a feeling what was causing all of this. Looks like he found the mission he was looking for. Now, if he would only reach it. Why'd it have to be at the top of the board? Sven tried to stand on his tiptoes to grab it, but he didn't even touch the edge of the paper. He was about to jump for it when another hand grabbed it. He turned his head seeing Bickslow, who was holding the paper, Evergreen, and Freed standing there.

"This the one you want, little guy?" Bickslow asked as he held out the paper to Sven.

"Yes, thank-you." Sven said as he took it.

Bickslow just grinned as he ruffled Sven's head albeit a bit roughly. Sven didn't mind all that much since Jaser has done the same many times. In fact, Sven smiled up at Bickslow despite the fact that his hat was askew and his hair was a wreck now.

"Are you and your brothers going on a mission together, Sven?" Evergreen asked.

"No, just me." Sven said. "My brothers and I are still a team, but after it just being us for six years we want to try and bond with others or try it on our own. We can't only depend on each other or just Rizzo. We have to break the habit. And I guess I just feel like I haven't tried hard enough to do so even if I do spend time with all of you."

Freed looked towards Sven as he smiled softly. Freed could see that Sven really wanted to make more bonds with others just as he had said to Freed during their battle during the Harvest Festival. Freed feels as if Sven and he have made a bond even if Sven feels like he hasn't tried hard enough to make strong bonds. And Freed certainly wouldn't protest to making his bond with Sven stronger.

"Well, then why don't we join you?" Evergreen asked as she winked. "A mission with the Thunder Legion is always fun."

"Yeah, it'll be a real party!" Bickslow said while laughing manically.

"Party! Party!" His babies echoed.

"Really?" Sven asked with his smile becoming bigger. "You guys want to come too?"

Freed blushed when that large happy smile was directed towards him before he cleared his throat.

"I don't see why not." Freed said. "You've already started making bonds with us, so we'd be the obvious choice of going on this mission with you. That way we can fortify our bonds."

Freed then stiffened when Sven took his hand as he smiled brightly up at the green-haired man.

"You're right, Freed!" Sven said. "So let's do this together, okay?"

"A-alright." Freed said as his cheeks turned pink.

He wanted to curse at himself for blushing, and for letting his heart thump so loudly in his chest just due to a single touch from this man stuck in a child's body.

"Now let's tell the Master we're taking this mission!" Sven said.

He took off running towards where Makarov sat on the bar while pulling Freed along. Evergreen giggled behind her fan at how cute it was to watch Freed get a bit flustered due to a little blonde childlike mage. Bickslow just snickered as he and Evergreen went to join their friends in front of Makarov.

"Master, the Thunder Legion and I would like to take this mission, please!" Sven said as he held up the flyer.

Makarov looked over the flyer to see which one the young blonde had taken from the board.

"Ah, that one, huh?" Makarov asked. "Hmm, well, it's good you're not doing it alone, my boy. Not even I know what could be causing all of this. It will be good to have your guildmates backing you up."

"Actually, Master, I know exactly what's causing this." Sven said.

Makarov and the Thunder Legion looked at the blonde in surprise. How did he know?

"It's fairytales." Sven said.

"Fairytales?" Evergreen asked.

"The Grimm Brothers' Fairytales to be exact." Sven said. "Someone must have found the brothers' book. The book is a magical item, and whoever has it in their possession can bring the fairytales written inside to life."

Makarov cupped his chin thoughtfully while vaguely remembering that he had heard of this the Grimm Brothers' magical book of fairytales before.

"Aren't fairytales supposed to be happy and joyful?" Evergreen asked. "According to the flyer some people have died. Then an old woman suddenly wants to cook up kids."

"Not all fairytales are happy." Sven said as he looked towards Evergreen. "In fact, many of the original fairytales were full of violence and deaths. They're like the darker side of children fables and fairytales. The Grimm Brothers wrote these fairytales, or rather went around collecting the stories from different countries and from even around our kingdom."

Evergreen shuddered wondering what kind of twisted people these Grimm Brothers were. It had to take someone nutty to go around collecting such twisted fairytales for children.

"How do you know so much on this book by the Grimm Brothers?" Freed asked curiously.

"Because the book was brought into existence by the Children's Storybook." Sven said while holding up said book.

Makarov and the Thunder Legion stiffened when Sven said this. The blonde looked at the book in his hands with an expression on his face that was unreadable. He then put the book back into the new holster that Craylee had made for him. It allowed the book to hang from his belt, but the holster didn't have a front, which allowed Sven to quickly flip open his book even if he doesn't have the time to unhook it from the holster, so to write in it.

"The Children's Storybook was actually used to create many objects back around the time it was first created." Sven said. "All of the objects were children based since they were created by this book meant for children. One of the Grimm Brothers had once been an owner of the Children's Storybook. He and his brother wanted to originally use the Storybook to put their collection of fairytales inside in hopes of bringing them to life."

Sven knew this because the Children's Storybook logged this information into its back pages were it logs all the works it's ever done or things it's created.

"However, the laws of the Storybook forbids killing of a living being, and the fairytales they had collected had a lot of deaths within the pages, so they used the Storybook to create their own book that could bring life to the twisted fairytales." Sven explained. "At one time their stories took on lives on their own in the real world and wreaked havoc as they always wished. However, that changed when the brothers died. The fairytales vanished along with the Grimm Brothers' book."

Sven has wondered for years where the book had vanished to. In fact, many of the items created by the Children's Storybook has been lost. Sven has collected a few over the years when he wasn't training with his brothers to put back into the Children's Storybook, so they could no longer create chaos in the world. He now planned to collect the Grimm Brothers' book to seal it away back into the Storybook.

"So, the book has resurfaced." Freed said. "I wonder who its new master is."

"I haven't a clue." Sven said.

He knew there was a high possibility of it being a child. Even though the book can be used by anyone, anything made from the Children's Storybook tended to attract children. It was like the objects had this aura around it that caught children's attention. And this "aura" had the smell of candy, which is something kids can't resist. Sven knows this because when he was looking for a few objects from the book he had found the object by following the scent of candy.

This object also has this feeling to it that makes a child want to use it…to "play" with it. Sven feels that pull as well even though he's actually an adult. Just another reason why being in the child of a body can be a hindrance. However, Sven is able to resist the pull more than a child would due to actually being an adult despite his childlike appearance.

"Well, let's go find out!" Bickslow said. "Sounds like it'll be fun!"

"Fun! Fun!" His dolls echoed.

Evergreen smiled having the same thought. It all did sound like it'd be interesting.

"Very well." Makarov said chuckling. "I trust the four of you will be successful on this mission, so I guess I don't need to say good luck."

"Yeah, Master, we'll take care of this for sure!" Sven said as he gave a thumbs up. "These fairytales won't be causing much more chaos for long with actual fairies on the job!"

* * *

"We're here!" Sven said happily as he jumped off the train.

Evergreen and Bickslow laughed in amusement at Sven's enthusiasm as the Thunder Legion followed after him.

"It was weird riding a train." Sven said as he looked around.

"What do you mean?" Freed asked.

"Usually I get around with my brothers on something I created using the Children's Storybook." Sven explained. "It's so Jaser's motion sickness won't bother him."

Evergreen and Freed exchanged a glance wondering how riding on a train or a conjured creature made a difference when it came to motion sickness. They supposed it was similar how Happy could carry Natsu around without him getting sick. Dragon Slayers are so weird.

"Now, let's go talk to the old guy who put in the request!" Sven said as he skipped away.

Evergreen was sure that referring to the mayor as the old guy really wouldn't go well with him. Bickslow just laughed as the three members of the Thunder Legion followed after Sven. As they went through the town, they got a few curious glances from the people there. The Thunder Legion also looked around curiously while noticing that this town seemed a bit odd. There was an old man taking hay…and turning it into gold by putting it through a spinning wheel. A frog with a princely crown on top its head was with a beautiful maiden who was carrying it in her arms.

And they could have sworn they saw three pigs bickering with piles of hay, sticks, and bricks piled behind them. Then there was a little girl with a red hood getting sweets and other baked goods from a bakery. A witchy like woman was tending to a garden while casting shifty glances around her as if she expected someone to come and steal her vegetables. Then in the window of a shoe shop they saw little people making the shoes with extreme craftsmanship. They also so a young beautiful girl in tattered clothes singing to songbirds as they helped her with chores.

"Uh, Sven, I think there's something up with this town." Evergreen said.

Sven sighed nodding his head because he had noticed all of these things as well.

"The Grimm Brothers' Fairytales have taken complete hold of this town." Sven said. "The townspeople are taking on the roles of the characters in the stories."

"You mean all these people are actually the residents of this town?" Freed asked as he looked around some more.

He spotted a castle near the middle of the town, which had his eyes widening a bit in surprise.

"Yes." Sven said. "The magic that brings the stories to life have to have hosts so to speak. Even that castle you see there had to take the place of another building, or it wouldn't be there."

"So…the characters from the book have to latch onto a human host to play out in the real world." Evergreen guessed. "And buildings must have their own hosts too?"

Sven nodded his head then pointed over to the three pigs that were still bickering.

"Those pigs aren't really pigs." Sven said. "They're three men, who were probably builders before this all happened, and now they're playing the Three Little Pigs from the story. If they're around then the Big Bad Wolf can't be far behind. However, I think he'll first target will be Little Red over there."

He pointed to the girl with a red hood as she finished purchasing her goodies from the bakery.

"I thought the wolf attacks already happened, which should mean these two stories should have already happened." Freed said.

"They did, but the story will just reset, so to speak, with new characters if the last ones died." Sven said.

Evergreen grew a bit sick when hearing that. So this town was stuck in fairytale story hell? And the stories were just going to keep repeating until it ran out of human hosts?

"That's messed up." Bickslow said.

"Messed up." One doll repeated.

"Very messed up!" Another doll added.

Sven hummed in agreement while supposing that speaking with the mayor might be hard. If he's caught up in the magic, he might not even remember putting in the request for help in the first place. Not to mention that the longer they're here the higher the chance of them being affected by the magic here.

"We should split up here." Sven said. "Two of us tail Little Red to protect her from the wolf. Then the other two will go to the castle to speak with the _king_. Hopefully he'll remember requesting help. If not we _might_ have to lock him up until all this over because he might not take kindly to four mages running around his "kingdom"."

"If you need the king locked away in the end, Freed would probably the best to go see him." Evergreen said. "And you should go too since you know more about what's going on. Bickslow and I can handle one wolf."

Bickslow grinned giving a manic laugh in his form of agreement with Evergreen's statement. He's sure he'll have fun playing in this world of Fairytales.

"Sounds like a plan." Sven said smiling though he then became serious. "However, keep in mind that the wolf is a townsperson as well. Try to knock him out without hurting him too much. Also we need to work quickly. If we stay here too long, the magic will start taking us over as well. First it'll put us into roles and then soon we'll become the characters without truly remembering who we are or why we're here?"

The Thunder Legion nodded their heads in understanding. Evergreen and Bickslow then left to tail after Little Red Riding Hood as she started going down a path into the wood. Sven and Freed watched them leave for a moment before starting to head towards the castle.

"How long do you think it will take before we start to feel the effects of the magic here?" Freed asked.

"I will feel it first because children are always the first to feel its affects." Sven said. "I'm not a child on the inside, but my body is of one, so the magic will go after me first. So once I am affected, I'd say you and the others would have a half hour at most before the fairytales start to take hold of you. There's no telling what kind of roles we'll take because we don't yet know which ones are not taken."

Freed nodded his head while a bit worried for Sven since he'll be affected first by the magic. Does that mean Sven would lose himself first out of all of them as well? He and Freed made it to the castle where two guards were standing outside the door.

"Excuse me." Sven said. "I'm—"

"Prince Philip, you're back!" One guard said.

Sven and Freed blinked in confusion as the two guards looked at Sven with smiles. Sven then mentally frowned as he wondered if the fairytales had already picked his role. If his place in this story was already being established, the magic here was stronger than he previously believed. That means the book has been in use much longer than he calculated

"Um, Sven." Freed said.

Sven looked towards Freed wondering what was wrong. However, he soon realized what was wrong when he noticed that he wasn't having to look up at Freed. They were both at eye level. Well, almost since Sven is a bit taller. Sven looked down at himself seeing that he had reverted to his adult form, and that he was wearing a princely getup. Was this the fairytales' doing?

"This isn't good." Sven said. "It's much stronger than I thought it was."

Freed frowned in concern while wondering what they needed to do now that Sven was already pulled into the story.

"Your father and brothers have been wondering where you are!" The second guard said. "Did you go out to hunt in the forest again, my prince?"

"Uh, yes." Sven said. "And now I've returned…after finding this man wondering through forest. He said he was lost and needing aid, so I brought him here."

Freed looked at Sven wondering why he was playing along with all of this. Was it because it was the only way to get inside? The two guards then looked towards Freed.

"Prince Philip, I know it's not my place, but you know that our kingdom is currently being threatened by evil." The first guard said. "The King most likely won't wish for a stranger to be in the castle."

Sven put his arm around Freed's shoulder to pull him a bit closer, which had Freed blushing a bit.

"Don't worry." Sven said grinning. "I can vouch that this man is of no threat to the kingdom. I would never wish to bring harm to our land. I just could not leave this man to wander in the forest during such dark times."

"Oh, Prince, your kindheartedness moves us." The second guard said as he dabbed at his eye. "And if you trust this man then so do we. Please, pass dear guest of Prince Philip."

"Yes, thank-you." Freed said guessing he should have to play along as well.

The guards nodded then moved, so that Sven and Freed could be on their way. Once they were past the guards, Sven stepped away from Freed. He let out a sigh with a pensive look on his face.

"Damn, this is worse than I thought." Sven said once they were out of earshot. "Either the book's magic has had time to grow, or whoever is using it is watching us and making things speed along. If so this person is making us act out Briar Rose (Sleeping Beauty)."

Sven really didn't like the thought of someone watching them because that meant that splitting up was a horrible idea.

"How do you know?" Freed asked.

"Prince Philip was the name of the prince who fell in love with Princess Aurora and kissed her awake from her deathlike slumber." Sven explained. "Well, he fell in love with her after he found her in the tall tower after going to brave the thick thorn hedges that surrounded the kingdom."

Freed nodded his head while glad Sven was here since he knew so much about the stories. That and…well, Freed didn't mind spending more time with his fellow script mage. And this time…they're alone. Freed blushed a bit at his thoughts before mentally shaking his head. He couldn't be thinking like that. This was a job, and he had to focus on it.

"However, I also believe that the stories were a bit warped." Sven said. "The guards mentioned me having brothers. Prince Philip in the story had no siblings. I believe that the princes from the other stories have gathered here, and to adapt to having so many princes in one spot the fairytales' magic made it where all the princes are related. Also the one who uses the book can warp the stories at will if they wish to have more control over what happens, but they can't completely change the stories."

Freed wondered what kind of person could be behind all of this. Were they man or woman? Young or old? And what was their purpose for all of this? What did they gain from causing all of this?

"Philip, my boy!"

Sven and Freed came to a halt before turning around to see a robust man in his late forties heading their way. By the crown on top his head and the finely made clothes he wore, the two men guessed he was the King.

"You have once again caused me worry." The man continued as he reached Sven and Freed. "Why must you be so free-spirited and run off even during such dark times? You're almost as bad as your older brother Sebastian. He too is out and about while he should be here inside the safety of the castle walls. Do you wish to disappear like your older brother Magnus?"

Sven mentally hit himself to try and job is memory as he tried to remember who Princes Sebastian and Magnus were. Sebastian was the prince from Rapunzel…at least Sven was kind of sure he was. And Magnus…the Frog-Prince perhaps.

"Perhaps Sebastian found himself a young maiden, Father, which keeps him out at all hours of the day and night." Sven said. "And I'm sure as long as we stay positive that Magnus will return."

If Sebastian wasn't here, Sven would bet two months' worth of rent that he was either with Rapunzel or climbing up her golden hair right this very second. Then Magnus was with that girl carrying a frog earlier, and as long as she does as he wishes, Magnus will return with her to marry once he's back to normal.

"If only he found himself a girl." The King said. "I wish all my sons found themselves suitable partners like I found your mother. Dimitri (Prince Charming) is dead set on finding that maiden from last night at the ball, but all he has to go on his a single golden slipper."

Sven just lightly laughed while not sure what else to do. The King then seemed to notice Freed finally, and when he turned his eyes on him, Freed stood up a bit straighter.

"Oh, yes, Father, this is—"

"Oh my word!" The King interrupted. "Philip, you have done it!"

Sven frowned in confusion as he looked at Freed to see if the green-haired man had any clue as to what was going on. However, before Sven could get words out, his eyes widened when seeing that Freed was now in some princely getup.

"You've found Princess Aurora!" The King continued. "Your betrothed!"

Freed's eyes widened before he looked down at himself to see that his clothes had changed yet he didn't have any womanly features. Sven just blinked as the name the King called Freed wrung in his head repeatedly. Aurora? Sven looked towards Freed to he still looked like a male.

"Excuse us, Father." Sven said then grabbed Freed's arm. "We shall be right back."

Sven dragged Freed around the corner then up an empty curving staircase out of sight.

"Sorry about this." Sven said.

Freed blinked in confusion before he gasped when Sven ripped open his coat then quickly opened his shirt. Freed blushed as Sven stared intently at his chest. He even reached out to touch Freed's lean chest with a look of puzzlement in his eyes. His light touches had Freed blushing even more.

"Doesn't look like you've grown any breasts." Sven said as he pulled back his hand. "Are things still the same down there?"

He glanced down at Freed's crotch area then back at Freed who was nodding vigorously. Sven frowned in a perplexed manner as he let go of Freed who quickly put his clothes back properly. His face was feeling extremely hot, and he was sure he was beet red. Sven didn't seem to notice though since he was too busy thinking about why the King called Freed as Princess Aurora, when he was obviously a male. Was there no women around to fill that position? Or was the one pulling the strings doing this to mess with them?

"Philip, where did you go, my boy?" They heard the King call. "Already run off with your fair maiden? Can you not wait until your wedding?"

As the King laughed at his own joke, Sven just frowned wondering what they were going to do now because he wasn't so sure.

"Damn." Sven said.

* * *

"When I get my hands on this guy, it won't end pretty for him." Sven said as he paced in his "royal chambers" with Freed watching him.

The King had instructed for the two of them to be placed in here as a royal feast was happening, and for now Sven would stay here as he tried to think of their next move.

"Does he think this is funny?" He asked himself.

Freed lightly frowned knowing that Sven was upset about Freed playing the romantic interest for Prince Philip, which was the role Sven was playing. In fact, the King mentioned the two of them, meaning the characters their playing, were betrothed since birth. Freed didn't see how that worked since they're both men. Of course the King kept referring to Freed as a woman.

"What do you suppose we do?" Freed asked. "Must we really play out the roles?"

"To a certain extent, yes." Sven said. "If the people who have already been enveloped into their roles see us not acting like two betrothed, they'll think something is wrong, which might interfere with our search for the mastermind behind all of this."

Sven didn't like this one bit. He was also getting worried with how much he's been in his adult form. He looked down at his hand while wondering what would happen once the spell was broken. Would he feel pain? Or would he return to his child form without feeling anything? Freed looked to the side then glanced at Sven with curiosity bubbling up inside of him. He knew it probably wasn't the time, but he needed to ask something.

"Sven, if we have to play out these roles, does that mean we will have to kiss as well?" Freed asked.

Sven stiffened as he had his back turned to Freed who was watching him curiously.

"Hopefully it won't come to that." Sven said.

Freed felt a bit disappointed that Sven was practically praying they wouldn't kiss.

"Right." Freed said. "I suppose kissing a man wouldn't be something you'd want to do since you prefer women."

Sven was silent for a moment before he turned towards Freed who looked uncharacteristically nervous and uncomfortable. Sven then sighed as he sat down on the bed in the room.

"Actually, I only use my boyish charm on women because I want everyone to believe I prefer them." Sven said. "It's one of the main reasons I act like such a kid when I look like…well, a kid."

Freed looked at Sven with wide eyes as the blonde man ran his hand through his blonde locks.

"Don't get me wrong, I find most women to be attractive." Sven said. "But, in truth, I go either way."

He shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant manner though Freed could see a slight tightness in his jaw to show he's a bit uncomfortable.

"I've never seen you flirt with men before." Freed said.

"That's because I try to convince myself and every other else that I'm a man with only eyes for women as I try to convince them I'm cute little boy and happy with it." Sven said. "I try to push away the attraction I sometimes feel towards men, which is why I tend to only spend time with male company when it's my brothers since there's no way I'd ever be attracted to them since they're family. You being the exception. I guess that means you're special. And I guess Bickslow I hang out with Bickslow too, but you're different."

Freed blushed a bit when Sven said that, but he cleared his throat since he had more questions.

"Why do you do that?" Freed asked. "Are you ashamed of being attracted to men?"

"No," Sven said. "It's just my first crush was of the male variety, and he shoved a hard truth in my face. I didn't know someone who was as young as I had been at the time could feel so heartbroken, but I was proven wrong. He broke my heart, and ever since then I started to steer clear of most men in general. Don't really know why, but it just seemed like the best choice at the time."

Freed frowned wondering what this guy could have said to hurt Sven so much that he shies away from his feeling of attraction towards men.

"What did he say?" Freed said.

Sven frowned looking a bit uncomfortable, and Freed hoped he didn't push too far by asking.

"He reminded me that I cannot have a life beyond childhood." Sven said. "I can't fall in love because I'll never look old enough to find someone to give me the chance to fall in love with, which means I'll never find a true significant other. That means I'll never marry. I physically can never have children because the magic of the Storybook forbids it because a child isn't meant to have children. This body of a child prevents me from seemingly aging, which means I'm stuck in a never ending childhood, which means certain things in life will never be an option for me. And finding someone and maybe having a family someday is one of the most important things in my opinion that I can't have."

Freed sat there with wide eyes as he looked at Sven who had grim grin on his face. The look in his eyes had a morbidly amused shine to them. As if he found this horrible "truth" to be amusing just as much as it was hurtful. Freed hated seeing Sven this way. He wasn't meant to look like this. Freed preferred to see him smiling.

"That isn't true." Freed said. "What that person said to you is wrong."

Sven looked at Freed curiously as Freed looked him dead in the eye from where he sat.

"You can have a life outside of childhood." Freed said. "You can fall in love. You just have to find the right person. I know there's someone out there who can look past your usual outward appearance. That person will love you no matter how you look even if you can't have children."

"Oh yeah?" Sven asked. "How do you know that?"

Freed opened his mouth to tell Sven that he's been developing feelings for him ever since that fateful day they battled. However, the words died in his throat. He mentally shook his head then looked back at Sven.

"Because there has to be someone out there for someone like you." Freed said. "If someone would sit down and get to know you, they'd see just what a good and talented person you are like I have. And it's what's on the inside that's important."

Sven blinked once then twice as Freed's words sunk into his mind. The green-haired man sounded so sincere when he said that. Before Sven could say anything, there was a knock on the door that had him glancing over at the door. Freed frowned wishing they hadn't been interrupted. Now he doesn't know if what he said helped Sven.

"Yes?" Sven called out.

"Prince Philip, I'm sorry to disturb you and the princess, but there are two people asking for you." A guard called through the door. "Shall I let them in?"

Sven tilted his head wondering if it could be Bickslow and Evergreen at the door. He hoped so since he was worrying about what might have happened to them.

"Yes, send them in." Sven said.

He stood up from the bed as the door opened with Bickslow and Evergreen stepping inside. However their appearances were slightly changed. They were both two little kids wearing cute little matching outfits.

"Good to see you both in one piece." Sven said.

"We might be in one piece, but look at us!" Evergreen snapped. "Who the hell are we supposed to be?! And what happened to you?!"

She gestured to Sven's tall form, and he gave the brief explanation that he was actually in his true form. It had surprised Evergreen and Bickslow to see Sven actually had an adult form. They heard from Freed that he did, but it made it more real now that they could see it.

"Well, what happened before this transformation happened to the two of you?" Sven asked.

Evergreen just huffed obviously not wanting to explain everything that happened.

"We managed to take care of the wolf, and tie him up where he couldn't hurt anyone else." Bickslow explained.

"Tied him up." One of his babies said.

"We sure did!" Another one added.

Well, at least something went right. Sven was glad to hear Little Red was saved in the end.

"And then suddenly we shrunk and ended up like this." Bickslow continued. "We got lost in the words afterwards, and for some reason I had bread in my pocket."

Bickslow held up half a loaf of bread that had obviously been picked quite a bit. Sven tilted his head already having a feeling what two roles Evergreen and Bickslow were put into.

"Ever got the bright idea of leaving behind breadcrumbs to show where we've been, so not to go in circles." Bickslow said. "While looking around we came across a house made of candy."

Sven was now 100% sure what tale Evergreen and Bickslow had to partake in. It was pretty obviously already. He had just wanted a bit more information before he cut in.

"And let me guess, you suddenly because hungry and started eating the house." Sven said. "You were caught by an old lady, and instead of getting mad at you, she invited you both in. She kept trying to feed you to fatten you up. She then tried to put you into an oven, and you both somehow managed to get away. Just please tell me you didn't throw the woman into the oven."

"No, my babies blasted her to knock her out." Bickslow said.

Well, it was good to hear that granny wasn't dead, but if they don't act quickly, another pair of kids might be her next victims.

"And how did you know what happened?" Evergreen asked. "Do you know the story?"

"Yes, it's the tale of Hansel and Gretel." Sven said. "Two kids are left in the forest by their father. They try to get back home while leaving breadcrumbs behind to mark where they've been, but the animals eat up all the breadcrumbs, which makes the two children become even more lost. Eventually they come upon this house made of candy. The two were very hungry, so they ate from the house, and were caught by this elderly woman. She invited them inside, and kept feeding them until she thought they were plump enough. She tried to cook them, but in the end she was the one put in the oven."

Evergreen shuddered really wanting to know what was up with the Grimm brothers' fairytales. Did every single one of their stories have some kind of death?

"What's up with these stories?" Bickslow asked.

Sven just gestured for them to take a seat first, so they moved over to the sitting area that Freed was already sitting at. They sat down in one chair since it was big enough for their two small forms to share.

"Well, these tales—most of them anyway—were actually bedtime stories that parents told their kids to teach them lessons." Sven explained as he walked across the room to join them.

The Thunder Legion looked at Sven curiously as he sat down in the chair beside Freed.

"Little Red gets her granny and herself eaten after speaking to the wolf on her way to granny's house, and her mother had warned her not to talk to strangers before she started on her way." Sven said. "Lesson to be learned is not to speak with strangers."

Evergreen sure there was an easier way to teach that lesson other than tell a gory story to a child.

"But that isn't important right now." Sven said. "Things are worse than we thought. The mayor has completely accepted his royal as king, and probably doesn't even remember ever being a mayor. There are multiple stories being played out as we speak as well. This means the book is at much more powerful level that I thought. We need to find the one using it, and I believe he or she is in this castle. Which means we split up to find it. However, someone has to stay with the princess over here at all times."

He pointed towards Freed, and Freed's friends turned towards him to look at him silently for a moment. Bickslow then started laughing loudly as his tongue stuck out.

"You're a princess?!" Bickslow asked as he continued laughing.

Freed frowned at Bickslow as the older man, who was well…younger at the moment, continued to laugh.

"How come he got the role of a princess while I was stuck in the body of a child?!" Evergreen asked while frowning as well.

"I don't know how come." Sven said. "But he needs to be watched the entire time. If he goes off on his own, he might end up pricking his finger on a spindle of a spinning wheel, and fall into a death like slumber that last a hundred years or until true love's kiss wakes him."

And Sven was sure the latter wouldn't work. Sven was given the role of Princess Aurora's love interest, but Sven and Freed weren't like Aurora and Philip. They aren't book characters, and things in real life never end like they door in fairytales.

"I can watch over the damsel in distress." Bickslow offered in between his laughter.

"I'm not a damsel in distress." Freed said.

"That's exactly what you are." Sven said. "That's the role you were given, and until we end all of this you will remain a damsel in distress."

Freed frowned because he still didn't seem himself as a damsel. He could still fight and use his magic.

"Now, I believe we should stay as the pairs we are." Sven said. "I think someone might question why a kid is walking with the betrothed of one of their princes. If anyone asks why the two of you are still here just tell them Prince Philip has given you permission to stay in the castle."

"Right." Evergreen and Bickslow said nodding.

"Alright then let's get going." Sven said. "If we work fast enough, we should end this without incident."

* * *

"How the hell did this happen?!" Sven asked himself as he pulled at his hair.

He glanced over at Freed, who was currently laying on a bed in a death like sleep, while trying to think about the last few hours. He turned his back for one second, and the green-haired had disappeared. When Sven finally found him, he was in this state.

"You should really take better care of your damsel, mein freund." A young accented voice said.

Sven worked around seeing a young boy sitting in a rocking chair with the book they've been looking for in his lap.

"You're the one behind this?" Sven asked.

"Ja." The boy said nodding. "Jacob Grimm at your service."

Sven's eyes widened as the boy, who identified himself as Jacob Grimm, grinned.

"Jacob Grimm?" Sven asked. "As in the Grimm brother that signed a contract with—"

"The Children's Storybook, ja." Jacob said as he nodded. "And you are its newest _owner_ …Sven Toblerone, ja?"

Sven nodded his head while wondering how Jacob knew his name. Sven knew he was because there was a list of past owners written in the Children's Storybook.

"Have you ever checked any of those objects you've repossessed for the book?" Jacob asked then flipped the book in his lap to the last page to show a list of names. "They have lists on them as well, and a new name is added to them whenever a new child makes a contract with the Children's Storybook. When I was aware of a new owner, I started building up enough magic power to take on an incorporeal form, so I can meet you, Sven."

Sven frowned wondering how Jacob managed to do that. Actually he wanted to know why Jacob wanted to meet him.

"I want you to destroy this book." Jacob said as he closed the book in his lap.

"Huh?" Was Sven's smart reply.

Jacob chuckled finding amusement in Sven's dumbfounded expression as the blonde blinked at him. Sven then shook head to snap himself out of his stupor.

"Objects of the Children's Storybook can't be destroyed." Sven said. "Only returned to the Storybook from which they were created from."

"Wrong." Jacob said. "There is a way to destroy them. You just haven't tried hard enough."

Sven frowned wondering what there was to try that he hasn't already. He tried lighting one of fire after dipping it in kerosene, and it didn't do a thing.

"Why do you even wanteyour creation destroyed?" Sven asked.

"You know what's to come of you when it comes time for you to die, do you not?" Jacob asked.

Sven's frown deepened because he knew what would happen when he finally turned old enough to die, or if he was to be killed.

"I get sucked into the Storybook." Sven said. "And I will have to remain there until someone else picks up the book, and makes a new contract."

"Ja." Jacob said. "What most people don't know is that the Children's Storybook is more of a curse item than a general magical item. The contract, all the rules…and even after all that you get locked away within the pages. Well, it's different for those of us who have created an object such as my fairytale book. We get trapped to objects we've created, and even after a new contractor comes along of the Children's Storybook we remain attached to those objects. See why I want it destroyed now?"

Sven nodded his head while now understanding. Jacob wanted to move on from this world, and be free of his own creation.

"If I destroy the book, will my friend be returned to normal?" Sven asked.

"Actually, you have to wake your friend for the book to be destroyed." Jacob said.

Sven frowned in confusion once more while not understanding where Jacob was going this.

"Each object created has its own rules on how it can be destroyed." Jacob said. "For example, the object Child's Play (Derples, you'll know what this is XD) can only be destroyed by playing the End Game and beating the current owner. To destroy my book an ending from one of my stories must be played out by two consensual people who have acted their roles without the influence of the book."

Sven's eyes widened as he realized what Jacob was trying to tell him. Jacob grinned nodding his head when he saw that Sven finally understood. Sven looked to the sleeping Freed then back to Jacob who looked as if he might start laughing.

"You mean this guy pricked his finger willingly?!" Sven demanded.

"Ja." Jacob said nodding. "After I explained the situation, he agreed. Actually, he agreed rather quickly after I told him he would get a kiss from you."

Jacob shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant manner as Sven's eye started to twitch.

"And you picked Freed to play the princess because?" Sven asked. "Actually, why the hell didn't you just come out in the first place and tell me what you wanted?! Why cause all this chaos?!"

"It's my last run, kid." Jacob said. "Had to make it entertaining."

Sven's eye started to twitch even more as he debated whether it was wrong to coldcock an apparition in the face with a book.

"Now go on." Jacob said. "Kiss your damsel, so I can rest in peace."

"And after I kiss him, everything will return to as it was and the book will be destroyed?" Sven asked.

"Ja." Jacob said nodding.

Sven frowned took a deep breath then turned to face the still sleeping Freed. Sven moved over to the bed, sat on the edge, and then leaned towards Freed. Sven brushed his hair back, but paused to look over his shoulder.

"If you're messing with me, I will hit you after this." Sven warned.

Jacob just snickered while turning his head to give the "couple" their privacy. Sven sighed before turning back to Freed. He stared down into Freed's peaceful expression as his thumb absently brushed across his soft cheek. He took a deep breath then leaned in to press his lips against Freed's soft lips. Sven closed his eyes while praying this worked.

As he kissed Freed, the green-haired man started to stir. His eyes fluttered open when he felt pressure on his lips. His eyes widened as he saw Sven, who still had his eyes closed, kissing him. Freed shifted a bit as he couldn't believe Sven was actually kissing him. Sven immediately felt Freed move, so he pulled back from him.

"If you do something stupid like get yourself put into a death like slumber again, you won't be getting a kiss." Sven said. "You'll be getting a knuckle sandwich."

Freed just blushed darkly as Sven turned towards Jacob. However, the spirit was gone, and the book was burning in the chair. Sven felt his body shift, so he looked down seeing he was back to normal.

"Man, I wanted to at least get one punch in~" Sven whined as he went back to acting like a kid, so to play his usual role.

Freed just stared up at Sven as his cheeks continued to burn red. It seemed just one little kiss has gotten him to fall even more for Sven Toblerone.


	60. Pool Cleaning and Peep Holes

Coco: Okay, for those of you have already read chapter sixty, I replaced it with this chapter, which is based of the first Fairy Tail OVA titled: Welcome to Fairy Hills. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, and I hope you have just as much fun reading it.

* * *

As the sun shined over Magnolia, Rizzo was in a secluded location in the forest just outside the town. She was in a meditative sitting position as she tried to clear her mind of everything and just focus on her breathing and the magic around her. She was taking in deep breaths before letting them out slowly and calmly. Raoul was sitting across from her in a similar position. He had her start meditating at the beginning of every training session and at the ending of each session recently since he knew it would help her improve greatly. They happened to be ending another training session right at that very moment. Raoul decided on an early morning session today, and had told Rizzo she could use the rest of the day to relax if she wished.

She has been pushing herself these last few days. Ever since she and Gray returned from Acacia Town she hasn't been to the guildhall much. Only training with himself or with Natsu and Happy. He's all for getting stronger, but he doesn't want her to push herself too much. Raoul let out another breath before opening one eye to see how Rizzo was doing. As he watched her, he saw her body absorbing the ethernano that was naturally in the air. Meditating was a way for humans to absorb ethernano, which led to the first mages in their world many years ago.

Nowadays children were already born with enough ethernano to have magic power without meditation. However, meditating even when born with magic power leads to becoming stronger. Raoul had long ago learned about this second reserve of magic within a human body, and he learned about it by unlocking it himself. He unlocked it by taking in more ethernano through mediation. Taking in more ethernano had filled both of his magic reserves so to speak until the second reserve "popped" open, which allowed him to access the power.

He's hoping the same method would work for Rizzo. He also believes that if she can absorb enough magic power to unlock the second reserve that it'll will make learning this new style of music magic much easier for her. She's already made great strides forward, and he had complete faith that a few more months of this kind of training will have her mastering what he's teaching her. Then he knows she will take it much farther like she already has with the music magic she knows now.

"Alright." He said deciding to end the training session. "We're done for today."

Rizzo let out her last breath before opening her eyes as she nodded her head. She always felt so calm after mediation.

"See you tomorrow afternoon, Granddaddy Raoul?" Rizzo asked as she stood.

"Of course." Raoul said as he grinned. "Now go enjoy your day off."

"Alright." Rizzo said as she smiled. "See you tomorrow. Love you, Granddaddy Raoul!"

She leaned down to kiss his cheek before she started running down the path that led back towards the town. Raoul watched her go as he stood up as well. He smiled while so happy to get to help Rizzo grow as a mage. It almost made him feel like he's finally getting to be a father after being robbed of the role a hundred years ago. Little did he know that Rizzo felt like she finally had a relationship with a father figure like the one she had had lost when her father died. As Rizzo kept running down the path, she wondered what her friends were up to today.

* * *

A bit later at the guildhall, Lucy was standing in front of the request board while wondering if she could find a job for her to do. Preferably something easy that she could do on her own. She knew that Natsu and Gray were on pool cleaning duty today, which they hadn't gotten around to yet. Rizzo's been spending the last few days training, so Lucy doubted the pinkette would be making an appearance today. Then Erza said something about taking a day to relax.

That meant Lucy was on her own unless she wanted to team up with someone else, but the guildhall was actually rather empty today. Most of the girls were MIA, and the boys were supposed to be outback helping with the pool cleaning. However, they were still in the guildhall goofing off, which didn't surprise Lucy. She was sure Mirajane would get them to start working on the pool clean up soon enough though. As Lucy was looking, an odd looking request caught her eye.

"Female applicants only?" She asked. "Help needed to search for something? Now reward will be given. What's this about?"

She looked to Nab as she asked this, and the tall man looked down to the request she was pointing at.

"It's probably just a prank." He said. "It happens from time to time when one of the kids in the neighborhood post one for fun. There isn't the usual boarder framing this request, right?"

Lucy looked at the request a bit closer seeing it really did look a lot different compared to the others.

"But if it really were meant to be a prank, wouldn't it be a lot better to just scribble some ridiculous amount as a reward for a greater affect?" Lucy asked.

It made sense to her. If it was a prank, the prankster would want someone to take the job, right? If there's no reward the less likely someone would take the request seriously.

"You mean someone letting some guy get his hopes up over the job and then laugh at him in the end?" Nab asked. "You're real heartless, Lucy."

Lucy sweat-dropped not understanding why she was considered heartless when she made a simple observation.

"I'm quite sure that was a general observation." Lucy said.

"Well, I don't have any record this request at all, which is a cause for concern." Mirajane said as she walked up with the request record book. "Whoever it is didn't leave a name, but there's an address, isn't there?"

Lucy blinked before looking to the bottom of the paper to see "Come to Fairy Hills" was written down there. What was Fairy Hills? Wait, wasn't that where Rizzo lived with Erza?

"This place is…" Lucy trailed off.

"The girl's dormitory." Mirajane said. "Fairy Hills. Would you be so kind as to check it out for me, Lucy?"

"I'll get right on it." Lucy said nodding.

She pulled the request off the board before hurrying out the door of the guildhall with Plue, who she summoned, right behind. As she was leaving, Mirajane closed her book before turning to the boys in the guildhall.

"Alright, boys, it's time to start cleaning the pool." Mirajane said. "We can't be letting it get dirty. So, please, get to it, okay?~"

Many of the guys grumbled in complaint though knew better than to say no to the She-Devil, so they all started leaving the guildhall so to get ready to clean the pool.

* * *

A few minutes later, almost every guy from the guild was in swimming trunks and in the pool, which had been drained of water, so they could clean it.

"Come on," Wakaba, who was just sitting around, called out. "Let's put more effort into cleaning!"

Craylee who was wearing a simple pair of black swimming trunks, frowned up at Wakaba thinking he should practice what he preaches. Natsu just scoffed as he stood in the pool with a broom in his hand as the others were cleaning with their own brooms.

"Tch, this is such a pain." Natsu complained. "This pool is too damn big."

Sven, who was wearing a pair of lemon-colored trunks, didn't really seem to mind. In fact, he was smiling away as he seemed to almost skate across the pool with brushes, which he had attached using the handles, on the bottom of his feet. He had even slicked up the brushes with soap, so he could glide across the pool surface better.

"It's not so bad, Natsu." Sven said as he slid on by the pinkette. "I'm having fun~"

"Yeah, well, not all of us can skate around like you are!" Natsu said. "This just bites. It's so boring."

Jaser, who was wearing gold-colored swimming trunks and a scarf around his head, had to agree with Natsu there. Pool cleaning wasn't all that fun, but Jaser would do it since he wanted to help however he can.

"Don't complain." Wakaba said. "It's because of this pool that we get to see our Fairy Tail girls in their bathing suits for once."

"Not all of us only thinking about women, old pervert." Craylee said. "And if you like having the pool so much, you should clean too. Sitting on your ass while the rest of us work is unprofessional."

That and Craylee wanted everything to be perfect and spotless almost as if a professional pool cleaners did the job, and Wakaba was slowing down the process.

"Alright, alright, calm down." Breccan, who was wearing a violet pair of trunks, said as he pat Craylee on the shoulder. "Let's just get the job done, and enjoy spending time together as guildmates."

Craylee frowned rather sure he had a million different things he'd rather do then be stuck with all these people at once while having to do a menial task. However, he could complete this task as any professional would then return to his sewing far away from these guys as possible.

"And it's not like we get to do this everyday!" Bickslow, who used his seith magic to possess a few cleaning items, added. "So let's have some fun while we can!"

"Besides, it's not a bad thing to keep a place clean." Freed pointed out.

He was then distracted as Sven went gliding by with a large smile on his face. Freed blushed thinking the sunlight just sparkled around Sven making him look even more beautiful. Bickslow snickered at his teammate who had completely forgotten about pool cleaning, and was completely focused on a certain blonde.

"Alright then let's get down to it!" Gray, who was in his birthday suit, said as he fist pumped.

"Seriously?" Natsu asked frowning as he looked away from Gray. "At least put something on, man."

Gray blinked before looking down to see he was in the nude. He gasped in surprise while sure if Rizzo were to see him like this that she'd bash his head in with her guitar. He quickly ran off to find his swimming trunks as Elfman joined the guys down in the pool.

"Takes a real man to work in the buff." Elfman said.

"If you start stripping, Elfman, we'll have some problems." Craylee said then moved the sewing needle between his lips with the tip of his tongue to the other corner of his mouth. "One streaker is all we need in this guild."

There were murmurs of agreement as the other guys returned to their work on cleaning the pool.

"Hey, what happened to Macao?" Wakaba asked.

"No clue." Jaser said shrugging. "But Happy isn't here either, and Sanjū seems to have run off too."

The pink feline had been hanging around Jaser this morning, but now she and Happy weren't anywhere to be seen.

"They escaped!" Natsu gasped.

"Let's just get back to work, okay?" Breccan suggested. "Lots of work to do."

"Aye, sir!" Many of the men said.

* * *

Rizzo lightly hummed to herself as she worked on tuning her new violin in her room. After the training early this morning, she decided to spend the rest of the day relaxing since Raoul did give her the rest of the day off, and even suggested relaxing. It'd be the first real day she's decided to spend the day doing whatever the hell she wanted without straining herself.

Tomorrow morning she was supposed to train with Natsu and Happy, which would start their annual training up to the time for the trial announcement. Then she had to leave her afternoons to training with Raoul, so she might as well let herself be well rested for then because Happy was rather brutal during training, and training with Raoul took a lot of her energy. She also had to work in taking jobs here and there, so there was no telling when she'd get another day like this. She really didn't have any plans for the day anyway, so for now she'd just continue working on her new violin.

Sanjū was off doing something on her own, which made Rizzo's room seem extra quiet. Of course, Sanjū wasn't a loud roommate to begin with. When Rizzo thought she had the violin tuned as she wished, she put it in place to test it. She started playing it with a soft tune entering the air. However, as she was playing a little messenger bird flew in through her opened window, which had her pause in playing.

"Miss Rizzo, here's a message from Miss Mirajane for you." It said.

Rizzo, who set her violin down to take the message, blinked trying to think of a reason why Mirajane would be messaging her. She mentally shrugged before she thanked the bird for bringing her the message. It nodded then went off as Rizzo opened the message with a small hologram of Mirajane appearing.

"Rizzo, I knew that you would forget, so I sent this message to you." Mirajane said as she smiled. "I just wanted to remind you that you promised to help supervise in today's pool cleaning. You know how the boys are, so I need an extra set of eyes on them."

"Oh right." Rizzo said. "I forgot all about that. Well, I guess it can't be helped. I guess relaxing by a pool is a good way spending my day of leisure too."

Rizzo set down the message then stood up from her seat. She stretched her limbs then went to her closet to grab her bathing suit. She stripped down from her sweats and underwear before changing into a neon green bikini that had the Fairy Tail emblem on the right breast in pink. She put on a pair of jean shorts over her bottoms then a thin pullover over her top. After slipping on her flip flops, she grabbed her small bag that she usually keeps packed for beach days, so it had her sunscreen, her magic headphones, which were the older model known as sound pod, sunglasses, and a few other things she might need.

"Alright, I guess I better get going." Rizzo said. "If those boys are left alone for too long, who knows what they might do."

Of course, she isn't much better, and she's kind of surprised Mirajane asked her of all people to supervise something. The second Natsu pulls her into something things will probably get even more chaotic than they would have been without her there. She shrugged her shoulders guessing things couldn't be changed now. She went over to her room, and stepped out just as Sanjū and Happy were leading Carla and Wendy through the hall.

"Oh, hey." Rizzo said when she saw them. "You moving in today, Wendy, Carla?"

"Uh-huh." Wendy said nodding. "I didn't know you lived here, Rizzo."

"Yeah, I've lived here for six years." Rizzo said. "It's a nice place to live, so I'm sure you'll both feel right at home. I'd stay and chat, but I need to get going. Apparently I'm the pool cleaning supervisor today."

Rizzo waved goodbye to them then started heading down towards the front door. When she made it to the bottom she saw Lucy and Erza…wearing sexy kitty outfits.

"E-eh, Rizzo!" Lucy stuttered.

"Lucy is here to get a tour of the dorms." Erza said while smiling.

"And wearing those outfits is part of taking the tour?" Rizzo asked with a quirked brow.

Lucy just blushed in embarrassment as she wrapped her arms around herself. Why did she have to end up in situations like this? No wonder people think she's into cosplay and other kinky things.

"Would you like to join us?" Erza said.

Rizzo gave Erza an "are you kidding me?" look, and Lucy was sure an insult was about to leave Rizzo's mouth to be directed at Erza.

"Like I'd want to be seen with you dressed like that." Rizzo said bluntly to Erza. "With Lucy it's expected—"

"Hey!" Lucy cried indignantly.

"So I've accepted it." Rizzo continued as if Lucy didn't try to interrupt. "However, I don't like spending time with you when you're dressed normally, Erza. So no way am I joining you on your tour while you look like that. Besides, I can't. I promised to help Mira today."

Lucy blinked wondering what Mirajane needed Rizzo's help with today. Mirajane didn't mention being overly busy earlier when she asked Lucy to check out the mystery request.

"Have fun on your tour." Rizzo said. "I ask that you don't go into my room, Erza. Lucy has already seen it, and last time you were in there you nearly knocked over my most important instrument display case."

Erza looked down almost seeming ashamed as Rizzo fixed the redhead with a stern look.

"How did she manage to do that?" Lucy asked.

"Well, it was more like she was testing out a new armor in her own room, and blew a hole right into my room." Rizzo said as she frowned. "It broke a few of the artworks that I've collected, but luckily I was able to catch my guitar display case before it was knocked over."

Lucy's eyes widened knowing that if Rizzo's guitar had been destroyed in any way that she would have went to kick Erza's ass for what she had done. Of course, Erza wouldn't go down easy, so it'd start a war, which would eventually leave Magnolia to ruin. Lucy's so happy things didn't end like that.

"Yes, and I'm still so sorry for that." Erza said. "You may hit me again for my penitence."

Lucy jumped in shock when Erza said "again" because that mean Rizzo did get a hit in already. Lucy looked nervously at the pinkette wondering if she'd take Erza up on the offer.

"Tch, I don't have time to waste with you." Rizzo said to Erza. "I need to get going. See you later, Lucy."

Rizzo waved to Lucy as the blonde gave a sigh of relief that Rizzo decided not to hit Erza. Rizzo left the Fairy Hills dorms while heading down the path that led to the guildhall. She hummed to herself while looking up at the sky.

"It's such a nice day." She said as she continued down the path. "Perfect for lounging down by the pool. Too bad the boys don't get that option."

* * *

Rizzo arrived to the pool to see the boys weren't cleaning the pool as they were supposed to be. It was more like they were relaxing. On one side the boys were relaxing in water being warmed by Natsu's magic. The other side was completely frozen over by Gray, and the only one who seemed to be enjoying it was Bickslow. And Sven who was suddenly wearing track suit, scarf, and skates, and using it more like an ice rink than a pool. The blonde was giggling away as he skated around.

Craylee was on the frozen side as well, but sitting out on the edge with a frown on his face. He really wanted to get back to work on cleaning the pool. Breccan was sitting on the side of the pool with the warm water, and he was sitting on the edge with his feet in the water. He was smoking, of course, as he looked up at the sky. Jaser was having fun in the warmed water as well as he floated on his back. He didn't like water if it interfered with his sand in anyway, but he always seemed to enjoy hot springs or any warmed water.

"It's burning up, isn't it?" Natsu asked. "It's a pool you've never experienced before, isn't it?"

"It's a nice idea you had." Warren said as he relaxed.

"Hot springs are for real men!" Elfman said.

Rizzo frowned at them since they seemed like they were having a lot of fun. Fun she wanted to join in, but couldn't since she was supposed to make them work. She then turned to look at the side that was frozen over.

"Gees, you guys are a bunch of idiots." Gray said. "Pools are meant to be cold like this!"

Max cried that it was too cold as Freed lightly kicked the ice with his foot as he frowned.

"This can't even be called a pool anymore." Freed said. "It's plain ice."

"This is great!" Bickslow said as he laughed manically.

Sven laughed as he nodded in agreement. He hasn't had fun like this in so long, and it was nice to be able to relax and goof off.

"So much fun~ Even better than before when I was using those brushes on the pool surface!" Sven said as he skated around on the ice. "And spin!"

He did a jump and spin in the air before sticking the landing, which had Breccan, Jaser, and Craylee holding up three perfect tens on scorecards that seemed to come out of nowhere. Freed watched Sven in awe at how graceful he was on the ice as much as he had been skating on those brushes as the tiny blonde performed more spins and twirls. Rizzo wondered how pool cleaning came to this, and even if she wanted to join in since it looked like they were having fun, she had to restrain herself. She told Mirajane yesterday that she'd supervise the boys and keep them on task. That means she can't join in on the fun even if she wants to…really badly.

"Whatever happened cleaning the pool?" Alzach asked as he and Gajeel walked up.

"That's what I want to know." Rizzo said.

"Oh, Rizzo, you're here too!" Natsu said as he grinned.

He waved to her, which had her waving at him in return. Gray smiled at her while glad to see her. When he's tried to spend time with her the last few days, she was always off doing training.

"Come on in and join us, Rizzy!" Jaser called out. "It feels great."

Sven nodded in agreement while continuing with his ice skating routine, which had Gajeel shaking his head.

"They're all crazy." Gajeel scoffed.

"It's a good thing, isn't it?" Mirajane said.

Rizzo looked towards the older woman who was laying out on one of the pool chairs on her stomach. She was obviously trying to catch some sun.

"You should consider taking a breather too." Mirajane said.

Rizzo blinked in confusion since she came her under the impression that actual work would be done.

"But I thought you wanted me here, so to make sure they work." Rizzo said.

"Actually, I've noticed how much you've been pushing yourself." Mirajane said. "Ever since the Pied Piper incident, in between jobs you tend to train as much as possible. And ever since you got back from your trip to Acacia, we have barely seen you since you've been training nearly nonstop. I actually just wanted to get you here to relax since we're all getting a bit worried about you."

Rizzo blinked guessing that all her training wasn't going unnoticed. She didn't know she was worrying anyone though. She hadn't meant to.

"Sorry." Rizzo said. "I didn't mean to worry anyone."

Mirajane just smiled before patting the pool chair beside her in a way of giving invitation. Rizzo smiled as well while guessing she really would be getting a relaxing day by the pool. She kicked off her flip flops and set down her bag before she pulled off her shorts and pullover. She went to sit down, but she was suddenly lifted up off her feet by two strong arms. She gasped in surprise while putting her arms around the person who picked her up.

"Gray!" She exclaimed when seeing it was him who picked her up.

"Don't sit around." Gray said as he grinned mischievously. "Come join us in the water."

Rizzo's eyes just widened knowing what was coming next, and before she could cry out in protest, she was tossed into the water. As she went under, some of the guys laughed while the others were sure Gray was going to pay for that severely when Rizzo popped back up. Rizzo came back to the surface while coughing a bit to get the water out of her mouth.

"Gray," She growled. "Did you not learn from Akane not to toss me into the water?"

Gray, who had been grinning, dropped the grin while turning very pale when seeing the glare in Rizzo's eyes.

"Gajeel, do me a favor and push him in." Rizzo said.

Gajeel just nonchalantly shot out his arm to shove Gray forward. Gray gasped waving his arms around to try and maintain balance, but he fell right in. When he was able to get above the surface, he shook out his hair to rid it of water. He then gulped when feeling the dark aura behind him. He slowly turned around seeing Rizzo there.

"Now, come on, Rizzo, it was all in good fun." Gray said as he held up his hands nervously.

"And what I'm about to do next is going to be lots of fun for me." Rizzo said as she grinned darkly.

Gray cried out as Rizzo grabbed ahold of him before shoving him under the water. The others laughed in amusement as Gray tried to fight back to the surface while yelling at Rizzo who yelled right back.

"Gees, it's hard to remember they're actually a couple sometimes." Alzach said as he sweat-dropped.

Mirajane just giggled behind her hand as Natsu was cheering on Rizzo who was winning the little water fight between her and Gray. In reality, it looked like Rizzo was just trying to drown her boyfriend as he fought to keep his head above water.

"Rizzy is as lively as ever." Jaser said laughing.

"Was she always that violent as a kid?" Breccan asked.

"Are you kidding?" Craylee asked with a scoff. "Remember the time she punched one of the local boys in the face just because he disagreed with her on something that was so trivial that I can't even remember what it was about."

Sven laughed remembering that day. That poor boy had run off to his mother crying as Rizzo was calling him a sissy for running away. Natsu was about to tell Rizzo to put Gray in a headlock when something shiny at the bottom of the pool caught his eye.

"What's with this hole?" Natsu asked.

Rizzo paused in trying to drown Gray, which had the ice mage sighing in relief. She then let him go to swim over to Natsu, so to see what he was checking out. She looked down at the hole as Gray and Elfman gathered around as well.

"There's a piece of glass over it." Gray said.

Rizzo's eyes widened as she realized what exactly that hole was, and why it was there.

"It's a peep hole!" She said while wrapping her arms around her as she suddenly started feeling uncomfortable. "Some creep is watching us?!"

Gray put his arm around Rizzo to pull her close, and she tucked herself against him as if that'd hide her from view of whoever could be watching at the moment. No one might be watching at all at that very moment, but she felt safer with Gray holding her. And it was so nice of him to considering she had been trying to drown him only seconds ago.

"Real men shouldn't be peeping on people!" Elfman said looking outraged.

The other guys gathered around to see what they were fussing over, and Craylee frowned thinking whoever did such a thing had to be a major pervert. He blinked before turning his eyes on Wakaba and Macao.

"Why are you looking at us like that, kid?!" They demanded in unison.

Breccan shook his head wondering if Craylee purposely tries to tick off the two older mages. The three of them have had many interactions. Whether it was Wakaba and Macao commenting on Craylee's soulless personality, or Craylee being a smartass towards them or insulting them in some way.

"There's even a room below it." Max said.

"What would we be peeping at?" Natsu asked.

Rizzo looked at dear innocent Natsu while reaching out to pat his head. At least, he wasn't a pervert. He didn't go creeping on people, which is another reason why he's her best friend.

"The girls in the bathing suits, of course!" Wakaba said.

"So you did do it." Craylee deadpanned.

"I never said that!" Wakaba retorted.

Breccan apologized for Craylee's accusation as he sweat-dropped. Jaser and Sven, who was back in his swim trunks, both laughed as Craylee just blinked not caring at all if he made Wakaba feel insulted.

"This is crazy." Gajeel said.

* * *

Rizzo looked around the small room under the pool with a frown on her face. What kind of pervert came down here to watch the ladies when they're in the pool? She's only been in the pool once, which was today, and she probably won't ever get inside it again after finding out there was a peep hole.

"So this is what a peeping room is like." Freed commented.

Sven blinked as he looked around the room. It was rather plain. There wasn't even anything to sit on. And it was so dark...it was almost depressing. Sven was certain this room needed some color.

"It's creepy." Rizzo whined as she clung to Gray's arm.

She almost felt insecure knowing that someone could have been spying on her.

"It's unforgivable!" Elfman roared.

"That's right it is!" Rizzo agreed.

Gray looked at her seeing she was really bothered by all this, so he gently took his arm away from her before he took her hand in his hand, which she squeezed tightly.

"Well, who's the culprit?" Bickslow asked.

"The pervert who seems to know how to work the peep hole very well." Craylee said.

He pointed towards Wakaba who was "testing" out the peep hole with way too much enthusiasm in Craylee's opinion.

"Amazing!" Wakaba said. "You can see loads of stuff from different angles!"

Craylee gave his guildmates a "ya see?" expression as he quirked his brow, and some of them were starting to think he might be right.

"This is stupid." Natsu said. "Tch, I guess it's about time we start the pool cleaning for real."

He walked past Macao and Alzach as the two of them had grins and blushes on their faces.

"It's totally not stupid, right?" Macao asked as he lightly elbowed Alzach who had a nosebleed.

"Y-yeah." Alzach agreed.

Jaser blinked wondering what everyone was getting so worked up about. What was so great about peeping at women in bathing suits? Wasn't it more fun to be in the pool with them, so everyone could enjoy spending time together as friends?

"Try to control yourselves, will ya?" Breccan asked as he sighed.

He put a cigarette between his lips then lit it up as he tried to think of who put this secret peeping room under the pool.

"Ooo! Someone just entered the pool!" Wakaba said.

Rizzo frowned thinking it was Mirajane since she was the only one they left up there. Wakaba didn't get to peep long since Natsu shoved him out of the way to take a look. Rizzo sighed guessing that Natsu's teenage hormones made it impossible for him not to take a little peek.

"Don't look if you have no interest, man." Gray said looking exasperated.

"Let me peek too!" Bickslow said.

Freed sighed at his teammate wondering if he'd really stoop to peeping on women. Of course, Freed supposed he'd do the same if a certain someone was in the pool. The green-haired man blushed while glancing over towards Sven as the blonde was trying to brighten up the room by drawing on the walls with chalk, which just happened to be lying around. He was making all sorts of drawing that were actually rather good, and Freed smiled thinking Sven was cute as he let out his artist side by drawing all over the stone walls like a child would do.

"They're such weirdos." Gajeel said.

Even though he said that he went over towards the peep hole as Natsu continued looking out.

"Perverts." Rizzo said as she shook her head. "Gray, you wouldn't look through that thing would you?"

"Well, maybe if I knew you were in the pool." Gray teased.

"Gray!" Rizzo exclaimed as she blushed.

She pulled away her hand to shove him a bit, and he laughed in amusement as Rizzo continued to blush. He's never going to get tired of seeing her blush of that he was certain. They're little moment was cut short as Natsu suddenly screamed as if he was in pain.

"Natsu, what's wrong?!" Rizzo asked in concern.

She was about to head over towards her friend, but he suddenly jerked back spewing fire from his mouth as he covered his eyes.

"My eyes!" Natsu cried out as everyone scrambled away from the fire.

Gray grabbed Rizzo while turning her away from the fire by putting his back towards it.

"Stop it, Natsu!" Freed said.

"Don't set off your flames in a place like this!" Bickslow snapped.

Craylee sighed in annoyance as he and his brothers hid behind the cloth, which had he had sewn with fireproof thread that he had pulled out for protection. Sven fanned his face with his hand as a bit of sweat traveled down his body. It was so hot in the room now due to Natsu's flames.

"Natsu, try to calm down!" Breccan called out. "It's dangerous for you to be breathing fire in here."

As everyone else was feeling sweaty from the heat Natsu's fire caused, Jaser was standing there not really affected since he was born into such a warm climate before moving to Fiore.

"I saw something I wasn't supposed to see!" Natsu cried.

Gray finally just growled getting tired of Natsu's flames shooting out, so he forcibly shut Natsu's mouth while shoving him down.

"Natsu, what did you see that was so bad?" Rizzo asked. "Is there a monster in the pool or something?"

Despite not wanting to be a peeper, Rizzo's curiosity compelled her to look through the peep hole. What she saw had her eyes widening as her brain screamed out in pain from being scarred for life as the image she was seeing was being burned into her brain.

"My eyes!" She screamed as she jerked backwards.

"Ah, Rizzo!" Gray exclaimed in concern.

He went to check on his girlfriend as she backed up into the wall before sliding down to huddle on the floor. He pulled Rizzo into his arms while wondering what she saw that had her acting like this.

"What did you see that caused you pain?!" Gray asked.

Rizzo just continued covering her eyes as tears leaked out of them. Gray frowned then went to see what had Rizzo crying. He looked through the peep hole, and his eyes widened at the sight in front of him.

"Ah, my eyes!" He cried out.

He pulled back letting out a blast of ice that started to mix with Natsu's fire magic, which the pinkette started spewing out again as that image remained in his mind. Everyone was trying to dodge their attacks while wondering what had the two boys and Rizzo freaking out.

"Seriously, what is it?" Gajeel asked then took a look for himself, which he quickly regretted when seeing Makarov nude in the pool. "My…eyes…"

Iron started shutting over his eyes to shield them, but the damage had already been done. Soon the entire room exploded due to Natsu and Gray's attacks mixing. Rizzo cried out as she was sent flying up into the air along with the guys. She went to crash down with all of them, but her fall was broken by Elfman who managed to catch her as he hit the ground under her.

"Ah, thanks, Elfman." Rizzo said as she laid across him with her eyes spinning due to how dizzy she felt.

"No problem." Elfman said. "I'm just looking out for a pal."

He then passed out, and Rizzo let out a weary sigh as Makarov was getting a scolding from Mirajane.

"So much for relaxing." Rizzo said.

* * *

"I'm going to be so sore tomorrow." Rizzo complained as she walked towards Fairy Hills.

She was supposed to rest today, so she'd be prepared to start the first official day of S-Class Trial Training with Natsu and Happy. Now she'd start the day off feeling sore all over. She rolled her shoulders as she finally made it to the top of the hill where the dorm building was. She let out a sigh of relief while so happy to be home. Now her room was only one set of stairs away. Once she makes it to her room, she'd take a very long relaxing bath then hit the sack.

"Ack, Lucy, you're clothes have disappeared too!" Rizzo heard Erza exclaim from the side of the house.

Rizzo frowned wondering if she really wanted to check to see what was going on, or just head to her room. There was the chance she'd get dragged into another problem if she looked to see what was happening on the side of the building. When she heard Lucy scream, she let out an aggravated sigh knowing she couldn't just walk away since she was curious to know what was happening. She walked around the side of the house with her eyes widening when she saw Lucy standing there in the nude as Erza was holding a small jewelry box tucked under her arm.

"Maybe the clothes were from heaven too." Erza said, which just confused Rizzo.

"I feel seriously over-exposed right now!" Lucy cried.

"Why do I always return back home to see the weirdest things?" Rizzo asked.

Lucy gasped whirling around to see Rizzo standing there with an exasperated look on her face.

"R-Rizzo!" Lucy stuttered. "It's not what it looks like!"

Rizzo just shook her head not wanting to know the details since she was sure it'd give her a headache.

"Oh, Rizzo, welcome home." Erza greeted calmly as she smiled. "Here, I have something for you."

Rizzo frowned hoping whatever Erza wanted to give her wasn't weird in anyway. Erza opened up the box before pulling out a simple gold bracelet to hold out to Rizzo. The pinkette blinked in confusion before reaching out to take the offered gift.

"Sadly you didn't get as much time with Grandma Hilda as most of here at Fairy Hills since she was in that fatal accident a few days after your arrival." Erza said. "But she thought of you as one of her dear ones just as much as she thought of the rest of us even if she didn't have a jewel to give to you. Do you remember that day, Rizzo ?"

Rizzo lightly frowned though this time in a nostalgic manner as she nodded her head. She remembers Hilda and that day the old woman had jewels for all the girls. However, she had come up two jewels short. There had been a miscalculation on how many jewels she had to give out, and Hilda hadn't been prepared for Rizzo who had arrived rather suddenly. Levy, who was a sweetheart even back then, tried to give Rizzo her jewel, but Rizzo insisted she keep it since Levy had been there much longer than Rizzo. Rizzo had said as a newbie she shouldn't expect to get a present so soon, and brushed it all off with a smile. Erza had done something similar, so none of the girls would feel awkward about receiving their gifts.

"I'm sure she would like you to have that." Erza said as she continued to smile at Rizzo. "After all, didn't she tell us the Cat Princess would someday bring us real jewels once we were grown up?"

Rizzo blinked not quite sure what all happened, but she could almost feel like this bracelet was from Hilda.

"Yeah." Rizzo said eventually. "She did."

Lucy despite being nude still smiled when seeing a small smile pulling across Rizzo's face. The pinkette supposed this day didn't end on such a sour note after all.


	61. The Stongest Man in Fairy Tail

**EXTREMELY IMPORTANT PLEASE READ!**

Coco: Hey, guys I just wanted to let you know that I went back, and **replaced chapter sixty** with the first OVA of the Fairy Tail series XD I just thought I'd add another chapter before the official start of the Edolas arc. And I love that OVA so much, and I had fun writing it. And I hope you guys love reading it just as much. So this new chapter isn't new XD It's one you've already read if you've read The Strongest Man in Fairy Tail chapter. But you need to go back to chapter sixty since it's completely different, okay? XD

* * *

A week passed in the Fairy Tail guild, and things were going as they usually did. Everyone was either hanging around the guild or going out on jobs as Rizzo walked into the guildhall that day. She had on a strapless pink top that showed a bit of cleavage. On her arms were tight fitting neon green arm warmers, and they started at her wrists before going up past her elbow almost to her shoulders. Then she had on black jean shorts that stopped mid-high and had white tights sticking out of them. Neon green suspenders were attached to the shorts, but she had them hanging down instead of on properly. On her feet were black boots that went up to her knees.

Rizzo silently went over to one of the tables while waving to people who called out to her in greeting. She sat down then quickly pulled out a scorebook along with ink and quill from the bag she was carrying with her along with her guitar case. After opening the book, she picked up writing where she left off. The book was rather thick that one would think many compositions were inside. However, this was not true. It was one large composition that Rizzo has been working on for years. It was a composition that was a dedication to her guildmates, which is why it was entitled Fairy Tail's Song, or the Song of Fairy Tail.

Rizzo started working on it only a few months after joining the guild when she realized she could and would make a home amongst the people here. She's put a lot of work into it to make it as special as possible, and it's something she never sees as completely finishing since she'll always onto it when a new member joins the guild. Each of her guildmates had music staves dedicated to them, and some were paired up to make movements that had their own titles.

"Hey, Rizzo, what are you working on?" Wendy asked as she walked up with Carla.

"Oh, just working on some musical compositions." Rizzo said.

Wendy's eyes sparkled curiously as she sat down beside Rizzo as Carla sat on the table with a cup of tea in her paws.

"You write your own music?" Wendy asked.

"Yeah, every song I play on my instruments is something written by me." Rizzo said. "Well, except for the songs written for guitar by my grandfather and father that were passed down to me, so I had something to play while learning music magic."

Wendy "whoa-ed" thinking that was so cool. She could never do anything like that.

"You are quite talented, Rizzo." Carla commented.

Rizzo thanked Carla as she finished up writing notes on the measure she had been working on. She smiled at her work glad to have finished yet another movement.

"Is there a story behind the music you're composing?" Wendy asked.

"Well, I guess if it had any kind of story to it, you could say it's the story of Fairy Tail." Rizzo said as her smile turned fond.

"Of Fairy Tail?" Wendy asked.

Rizzo nodded her head as she set down her quill while letting the ink of the page dry.

"This composition is a dedication to this guild." Rizzo explained. "A dedication to my family. Each movement, each measure, each note is to express my love for the members of this guild. Every member has their own staff line, and group together into movements. The magic used is mimicked from everyone else's magic in the guild."

Wendy looked even more interested as she looked down at the notes on the page. She couldn't read it, of course, but it all seemed to chaotic yet flowing all at once.

"I know it looks like mayhem on paper." Rizzo said chuckling. "But I worked really hard on making sure everything sounds as harmonious as possible when played together. I'm sure you've noticed that the people here are chaotic, but when it comes to pull together we work together well in harmony."

"Will I be added to the score?" Wendy asked.

"You and Carla both." Rizzo said. "I just have to add you in, and when that happens you'll touch the book starting were your first measure is, which will let the book memorize your magic."

Wendy smiled widely while very excited for the moment it'll be her turn to be added to the music. Carla even seemed interested though she remained silent while sipping on her tea.

"Can I look at it?" Wendy asked.

"Sure." Rizzo said as she pushed the book towards Wendy.

Wendy looked down at the pages seeing that Rizzo had even written little side notes on the edge of the pages, and made sure to mark were a movement ended. The new movements had new titles, and some of them she could guess who they were for.

"So, I'll be added to the movement of the Dragon Rumble?" Wendy asked.

"Mm-hmm." Rizzo said nodding. "All our Dragon Slayers are part of this movement."

Wendy nodded her head then looked down to see that four staff lines were already filled in with one blank spot underneath it.

"Rizzo, is there another Dragon Slayer in the guild?" Wendy asked as she looked up. "I thought Wakaba said I'd make the fourth."

Rizzo's happy expression dimmed a bit, which had Wendy worrying that she might have asked something wrong.

"Laxus isn't a member of the guild anymore." Rizzo said. "He was exiled, but he'll always be family to me, so I couldn't bring myself to take his part out of the composition."

Rizzo did move it though when she heard Laxus was a Dragon Slayer even if it was through the use of lacrima. The magic scorebook allowed her to move things around as she likes, so it hadn't been hard to do so.

"Oh, I'm sorry for asking." Wendy said.

"It's alright." Rizzo said as she smiled at Wendy. "You didn't know. Over the years we've lost members, but I've kept them in the scorebook. It wouldn't feel right to me to remove them."

As she was saying this, her eyes moved to the movement she had made for the Strauss Siblings. Lisanna's part was still there, but it had no magic property since Rizzo hadn't finished Lisanna's part until…after the accident.

"When we came over earlier what were you working on?" Wendy asked. "Were you adding someone else in?"

"Oh, I was finally finishing up Lucy's part." Rizzo said. "What's funny is that it used to take me forever to finish a movement, but over the years I've gotten faster at it. I'm also already halfway through with adding in my brothers, Gajeel, and Juvia. I'll get started on yours and Carla's soon."

Wendy wished she could write music like Rizzo. It seemed like a lot of fun, and it seemed to make Rizzo very happy.

"Oh, hey, girls."

The three looked up seeing Lucy walking towards them, which worked out for Rizzo since she needed to add Lucy's magic to the scorebook.

"Hey, Lu, come here for a sec." Rizzo said.

Lucy blinked in confusion though went to stand beside Wendy who sat on the edge of the seat. Rizzo reached out to take Lucy's hand, and even if Lucy was still confused, she didn't fight Rizzo. Rizzo had Lucy stick up her pointer finger before pressing it to the beginning of Lucy's movement. Lucy, Wendy, and Carla gasped in surprise as the book lit up due to Lucy's touch, and the notes on the page glowed in various colors as a soft tune played in the air.

"Whoa, what was that?" Lucy asked as Rizzo let go of her hand.

"I just added you to the composition." Rizzo said.

Lucy looked like she wanted to ask more, but had a feeling she'd only get more confused, so she didn't. Instead she decided to address Wendy and Carla.

"Gotta say you two are looking right at home at Fairy Tail." Lucy commented.

"Yeah." Wendy said nodding.

"Actually we live in the girl only dorm." Carla said.

Rizzo remembers the day they moved in. Happy and Sanjū both had been showing them around, and for some reason Lucy was going around in a sexy kitty outfit as Erza was showing her around (If you haven't watched the OVA you won't get the reference XD). Rizzo hadn't really stayed around the dorms that day, and had went to help Mirajane "supervise" the pool clean up the boys were doing. Really Rizzo just laid around on the beach chairs while listening to music via her magical music headphones.

"How come you don't live there too, Lucy?" Wendy asked. "It's really nice and cozy."

"Yeah, well I didn't find out about it until after I got my place." Lucy explained. "Besides the rent there is like 100 thousand jewel a month. My apartment is way more affordable, and I'm broke."

Lucy hung her head as she said this, which had Carla and Wendy laughing a bit awkwardly.

"I still don't see how Rizzo affords to live there." Lucy asked. "Have you seen her room yet?"

Wendy and Carla took their heads before glancing at the pinkette as she was closing up her scorebook.

"She's knocked down walls to put together four rooms." Lucy said. "So, that means she has to 400 thousand jewel a month. At least that's what she would have to pay, but she added an extension to her bathroom, so another 50 thousand was added on. So in total she pays 450 thousand jewel a month."

Wendy and Carla looked at Rizzo in shock but she just blinked. She needed the extra room for all her instruments, and as for the bathroom she just wanted a nice spacious tub to relax in after hard jobs or training without having to share it with the other girls.

"I'm surprised they didn't add another 20 thousand jewel for that large walk in closet." Lucy said seriously.

"Actually, the current landlord tried, but I talked him out of it." Rizzo said as she grinned.

"Gees, I should just move in with you." Lucy said. "Natsu and Happy can just have my apartment. They already make themselves at home already."

Rizzo lightly chuckled while knowing that Natsu wasn't shy about helping himself to someone else's home. Before Lucy came to Magnolia, Natsu used to let himself into Rizzo's dorm to sleep on her bed and use her tub to get washed up in. Suddenly the doors to the guild were slammed open as Max and Warren rushed inside.

"Big news!" Max and Warren exclaimed at once.

As soon as Rizzo heard the bells, she knew exactly what the big news was without the need for Max and Warren to continue. She grinned with excitement bubbling up inside her. Breccan and his brothers all blinked in confusion wondering what this big news was as the bells tolled. Sanjū, who was drinking her tea, lightly sighed though she was smiling.

"So he's back, is he?" She asked.

The four brothers looked at Sanjū in confusion as she took another sip from her tea.

"What's up?" Lucy asked.

"Sounds like bells." Wendy and Carla said in unison.

Rizzo stood up as everyone else started to express their happiness. Lucy, Carla, Wendy, Juvia, and Rizzo's brothers were just confused as they watched everyone get excited.

"Gildarts is back!" Almost everyone in the guild cheered.

Everyone started celebrating as they started cheering and making merry, which had Rizzo laughing. She jumped over the seat as Lucy still wondered what was going on.

"Gildarts?" Lucy asked. "Who's that? Are they in the guild? I don't think I've ever heard of them before."

"He's the strongest mage in Fairy Tail." Mirajane explained.

"Whoa are you serious?!" Lucy asked. "I thought Erza was top dog around here."

Rizzo scoffed shaking her head. Erza wasn't half the mage as Gildarts. That guy was on a level all of his own.

"All modesty aside, I don't even hold a candle to him." Erza said as she smiled.

"I bet this guy is the king of breaking stuff then." Lucy said.

"Well, let's put it this way," Rizzo began. "It takes Natsu and me together to demolish three towns. Well, Gildarts could demolish three towns then some without any help at all."

Lucy's eyes nearly popped out of her head in shock when Rizzo said that. This guy had to be super strong to be able to do that. Rizzo and Natsu alone were strong, but this guy was apparently two times stronger than the two of them paired up! Lucy was actually starting to get a bit scared now.

"Well, it's good he's back, but I don't understand why everyone is going totally nuts." Lucy said as she turned to face the chaos.

Everyone was most gathered in the center of the guildhall to celebrate, and some people were even getting tossed up into the air.

"Look how happy they all are." Wendy said.

"They're certainly more out of control than usual." Carla said.

Rizzo just laughed while not blaming everyone for being so excited. Rizzo spent nearly three years knowing Gildarts before he took off for his mission. So she was missing him just as much as everyone else, and was just as excited to see him.

"It's only natural everyone's excited." Mirajane said. "He's been gone for quite a while. Three years in fact."

"And now he's back." Rizzo said as she hit her fist into her open palm. "Natsu's going to want to brawl for sure, and the Master told us we could only team up against Gildarts."

Lucy's eyes widened once more as she felt a bit of fear travel down her spine. Makarov let Rizzo and Natsu, who are known town demolishers when put together, fight as a team against this guy who can demolish multiple towns on his own? Wasn't that dangerous? Or was the guy so strong that the Master knew he could contain Rizzo and Natsu's attacks in a fight?

"And he just keeps getting cooler." Rizzo added as she grinned. "I can't believe he finished _that_ kind of job in three years."

Lucy and Wendy looked confused now when Rizzo said that. What could she possibly mean?

"What's she talking about?" Lucy asked. "What kind of job did he take that kept him away for three years?"

"Well, we have regular jobs and S-class quests." Mirajane said. "Above those are SS-class quests, and above those are jobs called decade quests."

Lucy was shocked once more as she looked at Mirajane with wide eyes. She's never heard of a job like that before.

"Decade quests?" Lucy asked.

"They're jobs that no one has been able to complete in less than ten years." Erza explained. "Thus the name decade quest. Actually Gildarts took on an even higher level job than that. A century quest."

Rizzo nodded her head while getting even more eager to see the old man after all this time.

"You've got to be kidding." Lucy said. "Who in their right mind would take on a job that lasts a hundred years?!"

"Him." Erza said.

Rizzo then could hear the townspeople preparing for the Magnolia Gildarts shift, which meant he was getting even closer. He'd be here in just a few minutes. Rizzo wondered where Natsu was. If they wanted to get in a fight, he needed to get here.

"I'm all for festive, but this is just ridiculous." Carla said.

"They sure are excited." Wendy commented.

"What the heck is a Magnolia Gildarts shift anyway?" Lucy asked.

"Step outside and see for yourself." Erza said.

As the girls and Carla stepped outside as the ground started to shake. Everyone quietened down a bit as they gathered around the door to await Gildarts. Rizzo and Gray stood together with the latter putting his arm around the prior.

"I'm so happy." Rizzo said as she smiled brightly. "It's always good to have one of our own coming home."

Gray nodded in agreement as he grinned towards the door just as a tall looming figure stepped inside. It was silent as everyone smiled at Gildarts as the light shined on him. He looked around seeming confused before letting out a sigh. Just then Natsu skid to a halt beside Rizzo to loop his arm with hers, so to pull her forward.

"Come on, ya old geezer!" Natsu said. "Let's throw down! Rizzo and me against you like old times!"

"And don't think we'll hold back just cause you're getting even older, ya geezer!" Rizzo added.

"That's no way to treat a man!" Elfman exclaimed.

Gildarts either didn't hear them or decided to ignore them as he continued to look around. Mirajane finally stepped forward to address him.

"Welcome home." Mirajane said.

Gildarts finally stopped looking around to look down at Mirajane as Lucy looked at him curiously.

"He's the most powerful guy in the guild?" She asked no one in particular.

"Uh, I'm sorry to bother you, Miss, but I'm looking for a guild that used to be around these parts known as Fairy Tail." Gildarts said.

"This is it." Mirajane said. "Remember me? Mirajane."

She pointed to herself as Gildarts's eyes widened in disbelief. She didn't look at all like the girl from three years ago.

"Huh? Mira?" Gildarts asked. "Wow, you sure have grown up a lot, little girl. And did you change some stuff around the hall too?"

"He didn't notice that from outside?" Lucy asked.

"Hey, I'm back too!"

Everyone blinked when hearing a voice from behind Gildarts. Freed, Evergreen, and Bickslow all stiffened with their eyes widening because they knew that voice. Suddenly Amarante popped up over Gildarts's shoulder from where she was holding onto his back. Breccan's eyes widened when seeing that the teal-haired woman had made it home finally.

"Amara!" The Thunder Legion exclaimed.

Amarante smiled while waving to everyone who seemed surprised to see her back also. Rizzo felt herself smiling as she looked at Gildarts and Amarante. Today was a good day. Not only did Gildarts come back, but so did Amarante.

"Oh, almost forgot you were back there." Gildarts said as Amarante hopped off his back.

"What were you doing back there?" Breccan asked curiously.

"Oh, well, I kept getting lost on my way back to the guildhall." Amarante confessed. "And by stroke of luck, I ran into Gildarts. We were walking together back, but I kept getting sidetracked and getting lost again. So Gildarts told me to hop onto his back, so I couldn't wander off anymore."

She laughed sheepishly while scratching the back of her head as her guildmates sweat-dropped. Yeah, still the same Amarante. Said woman then gasped when she was tackled to the ground by the Thunder Legion.

"Amara, welcome home!" they cried.

They all hugged her tightly with tears running down their faces. Everyone laughed at the happy reunion as Amarante tried to get free since she couldn't breathe.

"Today is turning out to be great!" Natsu said. "We've got two S-class mages back, so it's time to brawl. Ready, Rizz?"

"You bet, Natsu!" Rizzo said winking.

Gildarts turned to look at them when hearing their voices, and he grinned since he easily recognized them.

"Natsu, Rizzo." He said. "Hey, you two. I recognize the two of you for sure."

Natsu jumped into the air while pulling back his fist, and Rizzo was right behind him. Lucy blinked wondering if they weren't going to use magic since Rizzo didn't even have her guitar case.

"Good to see ya!" Natsu said. "Now let's party!"

He went to take swing at Gildarts, but the older man caught Natsu in his arm. Gildarts spun him around then effortlessly tossed him up into the ceiling, which cracked due to the impact. Gildarts then caught Rizzo's foot in one hand when she had tried to aim a kick at his face. Rizzo didn't even have time to say "uh-oh" before Gildarts tossed her into a pillar, which nearly snapped in half due to the impact.

"Not now, kiddies." Gildarts said.

Rizzo shook her head to get her bearings back a bit before she grinned towards Gildarts.

"Still so cool." Rizzo said then fell to the ground.

Lucy's mouth nearly became unhinged in shock, but almost everyone else was used to it that they didn't even blink. Gray moved over to help Rizzo up off the ground. She had to lean into him since she was still seeing stars, so he put his arm around her waist while pulling one of her arms over his shoulders.

"Oh yeah!" Natsu said as he recovered. "He's still so awesome."

"Same tough guy we've always known." Gray said grinning.

"Genuine old fashioned man's man." Elfman said.

Gildarts then looked around noticing there were many faces he didn't recognize not even the slightest bit. He looked to Lucy and Wendy who were looking at him with wide eyes to Carla who seemed to be trying to figure him out. He then looked over at Juvia and Craylee, whose right eyebrow was quirked, as the water woman was holding onto his arm. Gildarts glanced at Breccan as the young man was lighting a new cigarette. His eyes traveled down to Sven as the blonde stood beside Levy. Then he finally looked to Jaser as the young Rajasthan was sitting on top of a table.

"I see a couple of new faces around here too." Gildarts said. "A lot's happened while I was gone."

Rizzo, who fully recovered, popped back in front of him as she was grinning widely.

"Yeah, you've missed a whole bunch since you left, Gildarts!" Rizzo said. "We have more members in our family now! First, the blonde over there is Lucy! Then the little bluenette is Wendy and her feline friend is Carla! Next there's Juvia, which is that bluenette over there. She joined after leaving Phantom, and she joined with Gajeel who isn't here at the moment. The guy she's holding onto is Craylee!"

Gildarts's eyes widened when Rizzo said Craylee because he remembers the pinkette telling him that one of her brothers was named that.

"Craylee?" Gildarts asked.

"Yeah!" Rizzo said as she grinned even more. "It's a long story I can tell you later, but all my brothers are alright and here in Fairy Tail! My oldest brother Sven is right there beside Levy, and Breccan who's second oldest is the man smoking. Then Jaser is the guy sitting on the table over there."

Rizzo pointed to each other brothers in turn, and they all gave some kind of wave.

"Well, it's nice to meet all of you." Gildarts said. "After I rest for a bit, we'll have to get to know each other."

He said this to all the new members Rizzo had mentioned, and some of them nodded in agreement. Rizzo then hugged Gildarts in her typical welcome home manner, and he chuckled as he pat her on top of the head.

"Welcome home, Gildarts." Rizzo said.

"Thanks, kid." He said as Rizzo let go.

She nodded her head then looked over towards Amarante who was still being hugged by the Thunder Legion. Looks like Rizzo will have to wait a while before giving Amarante her welcome home hug. Actually the older woman might not want one after all the hugs she's getting now.

"Gildarts." Makarov called out.

Gildarts turned towards the tiny, elderly man as he was sitting on top the bar as usual.

"Oh, Master." Gildarts said as he walked over to Makarov. "You're looking well."

"How'd the job go?" Makarov asked.

It was silent for a moment before Gildarts just started laughing. Rizzo blinked in confusion along with many of the others as Gildarts continued laughing. He stopped though when Makarov sighed.

"No good." Gildarts said. "Way too much for me."

Rizzo and everyone else, who knew Gildarts well, gapped at the man in absolute shock. Many murmured in disbelief since they've never known the man to fail a quest before ever.

"I can't believe he just gave up like this." Gray said.

"There has to be a pretty good reason." Rizzo said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Of course, she didn't think any less of Gildarts for not completing his mission. He managed to come back alive, which had to be an impressive accomplishment all on its own.

"I guess it takes a big man to admit defeat." Elfman said.

Rizzo nodded in agreement as she placed her hands on her hips. She was just glad that not only one but two of their Fairy Tail family were back. Now if only Laxus could return everything would be normal again. Well, Laxus and Lisanna, but there's no chance that the latter would ever be seen here again. Rizzo sighed now starting to feel depressed.

"I see." Makarov said. "The job was too tough."

"Forgive me for bringing shame to the guild." Gildarts said.

"No, you've only brought yourself back in one piece." Makarov said. "That's no small feat in itself. As far as I know you're the only one to make the journey home alive."

Looks like Rizzo was right about her little speculation. She grinned guessing once again Gildarts managed to pull off something incredibly awesome.

"Thanks, Boss." Gildarts said as he started walking off. "Now I've got to get home and start to actually feel alive. Rest my weary bones. Oh, and, Natsu, stop by later. I've brought something back for you."

He gave an almost ominous chuckle as he continued to walk towards the wall when the door was in a completely different direction.

"Well, I'm out of here, you guys." He said.

He walked right into the wall with it breaking easily due to his crash magic. He continued on going as if nothing happened as many started freaking out.

"You could use the front door, ya know!" Warren called after him.

Breccan tilted his head while noticing that Gildarts's crash magic sent of vibrations similar to Breccan's vibration magic. The violet-haired man wondered if the two magic branched off from a similar source.

"Haha, wonder what the old man's got for me." Natsu said as he held up his orange glowing fist. "I'm fired up just thinking about it!"

He punched the wall making another large hole in it that had nearly everyone screaming in shock at what he had done.

"One wall breaker around here is enough!" Max shouted.

"Oh, my goodness." Mirajane said.

Natsu ignored Max as he started marching towards the direction of Gildarts's home.

"Come on, Happy, we're out of here too!" Natsu called over his shoulder.

Rizzo shook her head though was smiling as she watched Natsu march off. He always put on the macho act whenever Gildarts was around.

"He seems interesting." Breccan said as he and her brothers gathered around her.

"He seems just like the rest of these annoying, destructive delinquents." Craylee said.

Rizzo sweat-dropped sure that Craylee has demolished a few things on jobs before. And if anyone looked like a delinquent it was him. He was dressed in a punk-tailor fashion after all. Not to mention he had a look on his face that wasn't exactly friendly.

"I'd like to try and fight him myself one day." Jaser said grinning.

"Well, you better try as soon as you can since he tends to stay away for long periods of time, and usually he doesn't stick around for long." Rizzo said. "In a few days, he'll grab a job and be gone."

"Whoa, and I thought Breccan stayed busy." Sven said.

Rizzo nodded as she wondered how long the old man would stick around this time. It'd be nice if he stayed long enough for the trials. She grinned sure he'd make them interesting, and if she was chosen, she wouldn't let him slow her down or keep her from going to the top.


	62. Rainy Days

Rizzo gave a soft sigh as she walked down the streets of Magnolia as the sun shined brightly overhead. She wore a tightfitting sleeveless neon green top that had a collar that gently hugged around her neck, and actually went down to cover her entire torso unlike most of her shirts. It was under a pink leather jacket that had a high popped up collar, and it had a fairly large neon green Fairy Tail emblem on the back. She then had on white leather pants that were tucked into black combat boots. On her hands were white fingerless gloves, and finally she had on a black belt around her waist that had a guitar styled belt buckle.

"Something on your mind?" Gray, who was walking with her, asked. "That's like the third time you've sighed since I met you at the girls' dorms this morning."

Rizzo glanced at her boyfriend as he took her hand into his. He had a slightly worried look in his eyes, so to give him some reassurance she smiled.

"Well, it's just this training I'm doing with Master Raoul is proving to be more difficult than I thought it'd be." Rizzo said. "Every time I think I've made progress I end up somehow taking two steps back."

Just the other day she was able to form a guitar out of her magic, and got it to play a few notes. However, when she tried again it shattered in her face.

"I don't know exactly what you're doing, but I know you can master it." Gray said. "You're too stubborn to give up."

"Ya know, I don't think I should take that as a compliment." Rizzo said as she pouted at him. "I mean, how can being called stubborn be a good thing?"

Gray gave a small laugh as he and Rizzo continued walking down the street towards Fairy Tail. Sanjū was already there since she had left earlier this morning from Rizzo's room.

"I'm just saying I know you won't give up ever, so it's only a matter of time before you master it." Gray said as he grinned.

Rizzo smiled at Gray in return then gave him a playful peck on the lips. Showing more affection in public was starting to become easier since the two were more comfortable about their relationship. Now, they didn't go beyond simple pecks, hugs, and handholding since there was a line between accepted PDA and unaccepted PDA. They didn't want to be like those couples that make out in the middle of a restaurant or anything else like that.

"Hey, isn't that Gajeel?" Gray asked suddenly.

Rizzo blinked curiously then came to a stop along with Gray to see that he really had spotted Gajeel.

"What's he doing walking around alleyways?" Rizzo asked.

Gray shrugged his shoulders having no idea. They watched him for a few more seconds to try and see what he was up to. When he picked up a cat, Rizzo kind of got an idea as to what he was doing.

"I think he's trying to find himself a little feline companion." Rizzo said as she sweat-dropped.

"Oh, you mean like the rest of our Dragon Slayers?" Gray asked as he was also sweat-dropping.

Rizzo nodded her head as they watched Gajeel set that feline down with clear rejection in his eyes.

"Let's just get going before he sees us." Gray suggested.

Rizzo didn't have any objections to that, so she continued walking down the street with Gray. As they were walking, Rizzo saw some storm clouds in the distance.

"Looks like we'll being some rain soon." She commented.

"Yeah." Gray agreed. "A whole lot of it too."

Rizzo didn't mind getting some rain. In fact, she loved rain. Ever since she was a little girl she loved listening to the rain even if it was storming. However, while she loved the rain a certain brother of hers despised it.

"Craylee isn't going to be happy at all." Rizzo said.

"Oh yeah," Gray said. "He doesn't like the rain, does he?"

"Let's just say the rain reminds of him of not so fond memories." Rizzo explained.

Gray nodded while leaving it at that since he could tell it was a sensitive subject.

"Jaser doesn't like it much either." Rizzo said chuckling. "Water makes his sand clump up, which makes it hard for him to use his magic in the rain."

"But with wet sand he can make stuff out of it." Gray said.

"Well, yeah, but when it gets wet and clumps it slows down his attacks." Rizzo said. "And most of Jaser's attacks rely on his magic moving swiftly along with him."

Gray guessed that was true. Jaser was a muscular guy. Not like Elfman or anything, but he still had a muscular figure, which showed he had to have some kind of brute strength. However, Gray's noticed that Jaser relies way more on his speed than his strength.

"Then Sven can't use his magic if the Children's Storybook becomes too wet." Rizzo said. "So I guess most of my brothers aren't fans of water. Can't believe I'm just now noticing this."

Gray snorted in amusement as Rizzo took on a thoughtful look. She knows her brothers so well yet forgot to notice that three out of four weren't the biggest fans of water/rain in general.

"Maybe we should hurry towards the guild before we get caught up in the rain, okay?" Gray said.

Rizzo nodded her head. She might like the rain, but getting soaked wasn't something she liked. In a few minutes time, she and Gray arrived to the guild seeing everyone was as energetic as usual. Wasn't even noon, and some people we're already hammered and acting like fools.

"Well, it's not a new sight, but it'd be nice if they tried to hold off on the boozes when it's just noon." Gray said with a sigh.

Rizzo snorted sure that'd never be happening in a million years. Gray and Rizzo went to find a table to sit at while not really planning to take a job today. Rizzo looked around the guildhall seeing what everyone was up to. Sanjū was sitting on top a table drinking tea as usual. She was wearing pale green kimono that had a yellow bloom design pattern. Around her waist was a yellow ribbon that was tied into a bow in the back. On her bottom paws she wore black stockings with sandals. And finally there was a yellow flower clip in front of her right ear that had green beads hanging from it.

Lucy was sitting with Wendy and Carla, and a table away was a sleeping Natsu and an awake Happy who was wrapping up a fish into a bow that was obviously for a certain white feline. However, when Happy went over to Carla the feline brushed him off as usual. Rizzo watched as Carla walked off with Happy rushing after her. Wendy followed not long after the both of them.

"I wonder why Carla hates Happy so much." Rizzo said to Gray.

"No clue." Gray said. "She doesn't seem to like Sanjū all that much either. Or rather they don't really like each other."

Rizzo hummed in agreement while glancing over at Sanjū as the pink feline was frowning after Carla as she was leaving the guild. Sanjū didn't seem to like Carla since she treats Happy badly, and for some reason Carla doesn't like her in return.

"Maybe it's a territorial thing." Gray suggested.

"Sanjū doesn't get territorial." Rizzo said. "Well, she can get protective of her guildmates. And she and Happy are close. They were raised together after all, so I don't think she likes seeing how badly Carla treats Happy."

"I wonder what Carla's problem is then." Gray said.

Rizzo shrugged her shoulders then went back to looking around the guildhall to see what everyone else was up to. Jaser, who was chatting away with Wakaba and Macao, and Cana were beside each other as Cana was chugging away at a mug of booze. Craylee was sitting at a table with Juvia while sketching away on his sketchpad of what was probably new outfit ideas with Juvia watching him with a love-struck gaze. Rizzo saw Craylee glance over at the bluenette move than once with his gaze soft and lips twitching up a bit into a smile. Looked like Juvia was really cracking Craylee's shield.

Levy was reading, which was normal with Jet and Droy ogling her as usual, and Sven was sitting across from her while reading another book with a look of concentration on his face. Across from the guildhall, Freed was watching Sven with a troubled yet longing look in his eyes. Rizzo's noticed that ever since Sven and the Thunder Legion returned from their mission that things were different between Sven and Freed. She just didn't know exactly what yet. Then Breccan was over at the bar having a drink with Gildarts, who was getting to know him, as Mirajane served them.

"Want to get something to eat?" Gray asked. "I could really chow."

"I'm not all that hungry." Rizzo said then grinned. "But I'll probably just end up picking off your plate if you get something."

Gray snorted not all that surprised. Rizzo seemed to enjoy sharing food rather than getting her own. He remembers that Rizzo and Natsu would just order a meal then share it when they were all still little. Rizzo then looked up as thunder rumbled from outside. While looking through the windows, she could see that the rain hit and it hit hard.

"Looks like we got here just in time." Rizzo said.

"Yeah, I would have hated to get caught up in that." Gray said. "And knowing you, you'd probably catch a cold. You never do well in cold or wet or snowy weather."

Rizzo pouted at Gray wondering why he had to point that out. She hated that she had a weakness to cold temperature in general. He grinned at her in return as he put his arm behind her to rest on the seat. He decided he'd wait on getting something to eat. He'd just enjoy sitting here with Rizzo for now. Of course, spending time with just his girl was ruined when Natsu, who was half-asleep, plopped down in the chair at the end of the table. Gray frowned at Natsu as the pinkette kept snoring while slipping into a deeper sleep.

"I guess Natsu is more worn out from training than I had thought." Rizzo said. "Happy is a bit of a slave driver when it comes to training."

Rizzo had been really sore when she got up this morning for early training with Raoul after having to deal with Happy's training regimen from yesterday. Gray just rolled his eyes at Natsu while tempted to tip Natsu's seat back to send the Dragon Slayer into the floor. However, he knew Rizzo would most likely bonk him over the head, so he resisted the temptation. He just sighed while bringing Rizzo in closer to him while resting his head on top of hers by pressing his cheek to the top of her head.

"Hey, mind if we join you?" Lucy asked as she walked up with Plue in her arms.

Cana and Jaser were with her as well, and it seemed Cana switched out her mug of booze for a barrel.

"Have a seat." Rizzo said smiling.

Lucy sat at the seat of the table directly behind the one Gray and Rizzo were sitting at. Cana and Jaser weren't shy about sitting on top of the table to get comfortable. Cana leaned into Jaser while holding onto her barrel like it was a teddy bear. Craylee and Juvia ended up migrating over to their group as well since Juvia, who wanted to chat with Rizzo, dragged Craylee, who just sighed, along. Soon Sanjū joined the group as well as she was enjoying some onigiri (rice balls). She liked sushi, but it was nice to switch it up every once and a while.

"Gees, this day is way too depressing." Elfman said as he sat down with them. "Not even real men can be cheery on days like this."

Sanjū just silently pushed some of her onigiri towards him as if a way to cheer him up, which had Jaser and Rizzo smiling at how nice Sanjū was for her guildmates.

"Thanks, Sanjū." Elfman said grinning. "Real men love onigiri. Is the center umeboshi (pickled plum)?"

"It's the best kind of filling for onigiri." Sanjū said as she nodded.

Elfman's grin grew before he started eating the onigiri. It did make him feel a bit better. The group all chatted together, and Rizzo smiled as she enjoyed her time with her guildmates. However, the thunder rumbling loudly outside caught the group's attention, and had them looking out the windows at the dreary atmosphere. Craylee frowned at the rain as he rolled his sewing needle between his lips. Juvia looked at him worriedly when seeing his mood dim a bit.

"Gees, we're going to be stuck here awhile." Lucy said.

"Yep," Cana agreed.

She then blinked when Jaser pulled her closer. She glanced back at him as he rested his cheek on her shoulder.

"I don't like cold, wet weather." He said pouting. "My body isn't built for it. I need warmth."

"Amen to that, brother." Rizzo said as she snuggled closer to Gray's body. "Rain I can handle, but the cold not so much."

Gray snorted a bit before looking away when Rizzo frowned up at him or rather pouted up at him.

"You're both such babies." Cana said though she was smiling.

She reached back to pat Jaser on top the head, and he smiled while nuzzling the side of Cana's neck with his face, so to get more warmth.

"Juvia hopes you don't think I caused this." Juvia said.

"We know." Craylee said as he absently reached out to give her shoulder a comforting squeeze. "Besides—"

"You're not the one annoying everyone." Gray finished what Craylee was just about to say.

The redhead nodded in agreement before he and Gray turned to look at Natsu who was snoring away. Rizzo lightly chuckled glad one of them wasn't affected by this dreary weather. Or perhaps it was all the rain that was making Natsu sleep instead of all the training from yesterday.

"Kid saws logs like the best of them." Elfman said. "Impressive."

Sanjū shook her head while wondering how Natsu could sleep like that. She'd never be able to fall asleep while sitting straight up. Gray grinned as he stood up from his seat, which had Rizzo frowning when the extra warmth went away.

"I think I just figured out how I'm going to pass the time." Gray said as he grinned.

Rizzo's frowned deepened as she wondered what Gray had in mind. She sure didn't like how he was grinning mischievously towards her best friend.

"Someone have a marker?" Gray asked.

Rizzo's eyes widened just an inch when she realized exactly what Gray had in mind.

"Gray," she began in warning.

"Come on." Gray said. "Let me have a bit of fun here."

His reply was a bonk to the head with a guitar, and a stern look that told him no.

"Behave." Rizzo said sternly.

Gray frowned thoughtfully as he wondered if drawing on Natsu's face was worth another bonk to the head. He grinned deciding it was.

* * *

"I can't believe you still went and drew on Natsu's face." Rizzo said as she frowned at her boyfriend.

Gray grinned at his handy work while ignoring the sore feeling on top his head. Lucy shook her head while looking at Natsu's new cat whiskers.

"I thought someone with your talent would go with something more creative than cat whiskers." Lucy said honestly.

"Alright then." Gray said as he leaned back in to draw on Natsu's face. "If it's fine art you want."

Once he was done adding panda eyes to Natsu's face, Rizzo sighed then took the marker away from Gray after she thought she indulged in his fun long enough.

"How can he sleep through that?!" Lucy demanded.

"Pun-pun." Plue added.

Natsu then snapped awake, which had Lucy jumping back in shock as he jumped to his feet.

"Ready to brawl!" Natsu said as he jumped up onto his feet. "I'll take everyone on!"

"Wow, shocker." Lucy said sarcastically. "I should have known it'd be food or fighting."

Natsu looked at Lucy in a confused manner as Rizzo was still frowning at Gray who was still grinning. Behind them Elfman was shouting at Jet ad Droy, but since it was a usual thing most people ignored it.

"Look." Lucy said to Natsu while holding up a mirror.

Natsu gasped grabbing the mirror to pull closer to his face, so to get a better look. He growled in annoyance as his entire body was engulfed in flames.

"Alright, who's the moron dumb enough to draw on my face?!" Natsu demanded.

"Any minute now his tiny brain will remember the one man daring enough to do it." Lucy said.

As soon as the words left her mouth, Natsu gasped in realization. Rizzo sighed for the umpteenth time today as Natsu and Gray bumped heads. She remembers a time when she used to jump into the arguments with them, but she guesses those days are done considering she's dating Gray now. Doesn't mean she can't hit him anymore, but arguing with him like she used to seems kind of pointless now, so she'll leave Natsu and Gray to the head butting for now on (Yeah, we'll see how long that lasts XD).

"You're not going to stop them?" Lucy asked Rizzo.

"Nah, let them get rid of their pent up energy." Rizzo said.

Lucy nodded her head supposing that was actually a good idea. Though she's a bit surprised Rizzo isn't jumping into the fray. As the two girls were watching Natsu and Gray fight, Craylee was sitting at the table behind them trying to ignoring the two loudmouths brawling as Juvia watched him worriedly when noticing how quiet he was being. It wasn't his usual quiet, which had her concerned.

"Craylee-sama," Juvia began to get his attention. "Are you alright?"

Craylee gave a small sigh before pinching the bridge of his nose as if he had a small headache.

"Just tired." Craylee said. "And this weather isn't helping."

"Juvia wishes I could take away the rain for Craylee-sama as you did for me." Juvia said as she hung her head.

Craylee blinked as he looked at her crescent fallen expression, which had him frowning. He didn't like seeing her sad, which was odd since the only person who ever made him feel like this was Rizzo. He cares about his brothers, of course, but Rizzo was the only one who pulled out these kind of emotions from him. Yet he didn't feel towards Juvia like he did towards Rizzo. Whatever the hell he was feeling towards Juvia was nothing like the brotherly feelings he had towards Rizzo, which just confused him. All he knew for certain was that he didn't want Juvia sad.

"Don't worry about it." Craylee said. "We can't control mother nature, so there's no reason for you to feel guilty about the rain."

Juvia's eyes widened when Craylee said that before she smiled truly happy that he is starting to show a more tender side towards her. Craylee kept his eyes off Juvia as he tried to ignore the warming in his cheeks due to her smiling at him. At the table across from them Jaser was still wrapped around Cana for warmth as she was guzzling down more booze. Once she was done, she set down the barrel with a satisfied smile on her face.

"Rainy days are best spent cuddling with your boyfriend." Cana said as Mirajane was walking by.

She pat Jaser, who was actually lightly dozing, on top his head once again.

"Cana, be sure to leave some of that alcohol for the other customers okay?" Mirajane asked.

Cana blinked before glancing back to see Mirajane had a coat on with an umbrella in hand.

"Hold on," Cana said. "You're actually going out into that typhoon? What for?"

"Oh, paying a visit to the church." Mirajane said.

As she was heading towards the door, Breccan watched her from across the bar with an unreadable expression.

"So, Breccan," Gildarts, who was sharing a few drinks with the younger man, began. "I hear Master made you an S-Class mage as soon as you joined Fairy Tail."

Breccan turned his attention back onto Gildarts as Mirajane was trying to get Elfman to hurry along, so they could both leave for the church.

"Yes." Breccan said. "The Master was very kind in giving me that title. He said it was because of my unofficial status as the sixth master of Treble Chambers. I just hope I live up to the faith the Master must have in me to give me S-class without testing me."

Gildarts chuckled seeing Breccan was truly worried about disappointing Makarov in anyway since he didn't wish to bring shame to Makarov or the guild.

"I'm sure you're going to be fine, Kid." Gildarts said. "Master Makarov wouldn't have given you the S-class title if he wasn't sure you couldn't handle it."

Breccan nodded feeling a bit more reassured. He would just keep doing to the best of his ability everyday, so not to bring shame to the guild. Breccan then blinked when he felt something flying towards him. He leaned to the side as a blur whizzed in between him and Gildarts. He looked seeing Amarante had been the culprit.

"There a reason for that?" He asked.

"I'm bored." Amarante said.

Gildarts chuckled then took a drink from his mug as Breccan gave Amarante a patient look that he tends to give his siblings when they get a bit rowdy.

"Well, I'm not looking for a fight." Breccan said. "You can go and join Natsu and Gray's fight if you're that bored."

He pointed over his shoulder towards the two brawling boys, and Amarante frowned because fighting them wouldn't be fun since she'd win for sure. However, Breccan wasn't moving anytime soon. As Amarante tried to antagonize him into a fight, Rizzo leaned against the bar on the far end away from her brother as Levy and Lucy sat there with Cana who was on top of the bar now. They moved over here since Natsu's and Gray's fighting made it nearly impossible to remain where they had been. It had got even worse when Jaser got in on the action.

"Looks like I won't be getting much reading done with those three going at it." Sven, who was standing beside Rizzo, said with a small laugh.

Rizzo looked down at her oldest brother wondering what would keep him from reading. Was the fight distracting him? That was odd since Sven usually had no trouble concentrating on reading even if he was reading in a loud chaotic place. The only reason it should be bothering him is if he was already having trouble concentrating in the first place.

"I think I'm going to try and read over there." Sven said as he pointed to a table on the far other side of the guild. "Thanks for letting me borrow this book again, Levy-san~"

Sven said as he smiled at Levy. She smiled at him in return while telling him he was welcome. He skipped away as Rizzo hopped up on the bar to sit on top of it. She leaned against Cana's back, and the slightly older woman leaned back against Rizzo with their heads touching.

"Hey, girlie." Cana said to Rizzo. "Something bothering you? You've been kind of quiet today, and you haven't even looked interested in joining in on the guys' fight like you usually do."

Rizzo let out a soft sigh. She couldn't really explain it. She felt okay…just tired she supposed. Or rather she wasn't interested in fighting.

"I'm fine." Rizzo said. "I guess I'm just tired today."

Cana hummed in acknowledgement, but was still a bit worried about the pinkette. She has been training a lot more than usual, and even though Mirajane had her slow down a bit Rizzo still spent a lot time up in the forest training with that incorporeal ancestor of hers or training with Natsu. She was probably pushing herself too hard, and her body is starting to feel it.

"Hey," Lucy began getting the girls' attention. "Do you know why Mirajane and Elfman would suddenly visit a church in this weather?"

"Nope." Levy said. "No clue."

Rizzo frowned knowing exactly why Elfman and Mirajane were going to visit the church. The pinkette sighed as she watched the two siblings finally step out of the safety of the guildhall to start the long wet trek to the church.

"The anniversary of Lisanna's death is coming up." Cana explained.

"I've heard that name." Lucy said.

"Lisanna is…was Mirajane and Elfman's sister." Rizzo said.

When Rizzo said that, Lucy remembered Mirajane once telling Lucy about Lisanna once.

"Yeah," Levy said. "And well, they all went on a job two years ago, and she didn't make it back. Now that I think about it, every time the anniversary comes around they tend to spend a lot of time at the church."

"Wow, I had no idea." Lucy said.

Lucy then glanced at Rizzo, and even if she couldn't see the pinkette's face she had a feeling Rizzo was wearing a sadden expression at the moment.

"I never really noticed it before, but you kind of remind me of her, Lucy." Cana commented.

"That's cool." Lucy said unsure of what else to say.

"It's because she's so close to Natsu." Levy teased.

Speaking of Natsu, all four girls looked over to where he and Gray were fighting. How much longer we're they going to keep at it? Just then they stopped brawling to glare at each other while taking in deep breaths. Gray sighed finally having enough of the fighting, so he started walking away.

"Man, how much pent up energy do you have?" Gray asked as he rubbed his sore cheek.

The only reply he got was a snore from Natsu who had fallen asleep leaning against a post.

"He's passed out already?!" Gray demanded.

"Aw, I had forgotten Natsu had a special little girlfriend." Lucy said.

Rizzo didn't comment though she knew while Lisanna had a big crush on Natsu that the pinkette hadn't fully understood any of the white-haired girl's not so subtle hints. Sure, he blushed when she mentioned husband and wife, but in the end Natsu didn't crush on Lisanna as much as people thought he did. He was close friends with Lisanna like he is with Rizzo.

"Hey."

Rizzo blinked before looking up to see Gray in front of her. He had a concerned look in his eyes as he reached out towards her. She turned towards him while letting him gently pull her down off the counter.

"You okay?" He asked as he held her.

She nodded her head silently while leaning into him since it felt nice to be this close to him. Gray lightly frowned wondering if she was being honestly with him. He didn't push it though as he tightened his arms around her.

"Want to get something to eat now?" Gray asked. "I'm sure getting some food into you will put some pep into your step."

Rizzo lightly chuckled before nodding her head. She supposed getting something to eat would be alright. Gray was about to order them something to eat, but then…there was suddenly… _nothing_ …


	63. Entering Edolas

Sanjū stood on the sand like ground underneath her paws with her eyes wide. There was…nothing. It was all gone. The guildhall…the town…its people…and her family were all gone.

"Rizzo…Jaser." Sanjū said as tears started to enter her eyes. "Happy…everyone…where did you go?"

She couldn't have lost all of them so suddenly without any warning. This couldn't be happening to her again. She couldn't lose anymore people.

"Where is everyone?" She asked as the tears rolled down her cheeks. "Rizzo! Jaser! Happy! Everyone!"

She heard footsteps behind her, which had her whirling around to see a man who looked exactly like…

"Jellal!" Sanjū said as she backed away.

"No, Sanjū, it's alright." The man said as he knelt down. "I am Msytogan of Fairy Tail. I know I bare a stunning resemblance to this world's Jellal, but I can assure you that I'm not him."

This world? Sanjū frowned wondering what Msytogan meant by that. She wasn't sure, but…if he's really Msytogan she knew she could trust him because he's a mage of Fairy Tail…her family.

"Where is everyone?" Sanjū asked as the tears continued to flow.

Msytogan looked at the pink feline softly when seeing how scared she was for the others. He reached out to pat her head to give her some comfort.

"Don't worry." He said. "We'll look for any survivors, and then we will work on a way to save the others."

What did he mean by survivors? Sanjū mentally shook herself deciding she didn't wish to ask. He said they could save the others, so that's what she would focus on.

"Come." He said. "We don't have much time to waste."

Msytogan picked her up to cradle her against his chest with one arm as his other hand held one of his staves.

"Could there be anyone left?" Sanjū asked.

"I believe so." Msytogan said as he walked on. "Once we find them, we will send them to the world Edolas where the others were taken. Actually I already found Lucy and sent her to Edolas."

"Edolas?" Sanjū asked. "What is this place?"

She's never heard of it before. It definitely wasn't a place in Fiore. Actually, she wasn't sure there was any country in the world called Edolas.

"Edolas is another world that's much different from here." Msytogan explained as they looked for any sign of their guildmates. "Yet you will find it full of people who look very much like the people in this world. What I mean is that everyone here in Earth Land has a counterpart in Edolas. Well, everyone but you, Happy, Carla, and other felines like you."

Sanjū was even more confused now. What made them so special that they were different than the others?

"Your kind aren't natives of this world." Msytogan continued. "Your homeland is actually Edolas. However, six years ago an anima that was smaller than the one that took our friends opened up in the sky, and many eggs had fallen here to Earth Land."

Sanjū couldn't believe what she was hearing. She's…from another world entirely?

"I'm sorry to say I don't know the exact reason you were sent here." Msytogan said. "All I know is that it was the anima that sent you here with many other unhatched Exceed children."

"Anima?" Sanjū asked. "Exceed?"

"The anima is a powerful spell created by the king in Edolas." Msytogan explained. "It is used to pull magic from this world into Edolas by converting the magic into a large lacrima because unlike in Earth Land, Edolas has a very limited magic supply. However, pulling magic from this world into Edolas leaves behind places like this."

Sanjū looked around starting to understand a bit. So this anima absorbed Magnolia due to the high concentration of magic here. That means her friends were absorb into a giant lacrima just so the people in Edolas can have magic. It churned her stomach to know the people there were alright harvesting other people's lives just so they could have magic.

"I had been trying to close the other anima around the world to prevent this sort of occurrence from happening." Msytogan said. "However, this one was much too large for me to close, which is why I could not save our friends. For that I am sorry."

"No." Sanjū said. "You needn't apologize. If you tried your hardest that's all that matters. Besides, you said we could get them back. I'll try my hardest to help you!"

Sanjū looked at Msytogan with determination in her eyes, which had the bluenette smiling at her. He might not have interacted with his guildmates much over the years, but he has watched them from time to time. He knew very well that Sanjū had a big heart, and would do anything to help even if it meant having to walk down a path she had vowed not to tread.

"Yes, I know." Msytogan said. "And once we find some of the others I can send you and them to Edolas. Unfortunately, I must remain here to make preparations."

"I understand." Sanjū said as she nodded her head. "I figure you are the Edolas Jellal, which is why you know so much. And knowing this and that you are a member of Fairy Tail means I trust you and your judgement. Just tell me what needs to be done. Even if I have to go to Edolas alone while you remain here to do what needs to be done, I won't hesitate to do as you tell me to do."

She would save her friends. She wouldn't lose anyone else from her family. She trained alongside Rizzo all these years, and it seemed it was time for her to use what she's learned. Even if she has to break her vow of peace, she won't hesitate to do that as well.

"You have a strong heart, Sanjū." Msytogan said. "Which is why I'm sure I can trust you to keep them on track."

Sanjū blinked in confusion before turning to follow Msytogan's line of sight to see Jaser and Gajeel a few feet away while looking around in confusion. Her eyes watered up again when seeing Jaser and Gajeel.

"Jaser! Gajeel!" Sanjū called out as she flew right out of Msytogan's hold.

The two Dragon Slayers looked around seeing Sanjū flying right towards them with Msytogan following behind at a slower pace. Jaser's face lit up as held open his arms to Sanjū.

"Sanjū, you're okay!" He said. "I was worried about ya!"

Sanjū flew right into his chest to hug him, and he hugged her back while pressing his cheek against the top of her head. Gajeel frowned in annoyance at the sight of the two hugging as Msytogan stopped in front of them.

"It's good to see the two of you are alright." Msytogan said. "It means we have a higher chance of success."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Gajeel asked. "Actually who the hell are you?"

Gajeel then grunted with a frown on his face as Sanjū jumped onto his shoulder.

"This is Msytogan." Sanjū said as she hugged Gajeel's shoulder. "And I'm so happy you're safe too, Gajeel!"

Jaser smiled at the Iron Dragon Slayer as he blushed a bit in embarrassment when Sanjū rubbed her cheek against his affectionately. He did want a little kitty-cat friend, but Sanjū wasn't his, so it was weird that she was affectionate him.

"Yeah, yeah." Gajeel said. "Now get off will ya?"

Sanjū did as he wished by hopping back to Jaser's should to hang off of it as she usually does. Jaser reached back to pat her head while so glad his little buddy was alright.

"Now, Msytogan, you care to explain what the hell is going on?" Gajeel asked the bluenette.

"Of course." Msytogan said.

Msytogan first explained about Edolas, the anima, and how their friends were pulled into Edolas by the anima to be converted into magical energy for them. He had even given a brief explanation over how Sanjū was actually from there before being sent here six years ago via an anima portal. Jaser and Gajeel stood there with wide eyes while not believing what they were hearing. They've never heard of anything that crazy.

"Is there any way to save our friends?" Jaser asked while not even worried about hearing Sanjū was from another world.

She's his friend no matter what. Whether she comes from this world or another, she will always be his friend, so there was no reason to sweat that detail of her being from Edolas instead of here.

"Yes." Msytogan said as he nodded. "You see, in Edolas, Dragon Slayer magic is capable of many things it isn't able to do here. One of the abilities is to revert our friends back to normal."

"You mean only our Dragon Slayers can turn the others from the lacrima back to normal?" Sanjū asked.

Msytogan nodded his head in confirmation. If that was so then Natsu and Wendy sure would be a great help right now. Actually Laxus would be too, but there's no telling where he is.

"So what?" Gajeel asked. "You saying we have to go to this Edolas place to save all those losers? Gees, they are all such a pain sometimes."

"How do we get there?" Jaser asked.

"I will send you all there." Msytogan said then pulled out a bottle of pills. "However, first you must eat one of these x-balls. If you don't, you won't be able to use your magic in Edolas because humans are not born with magic there because magic is an extremely limited source as I've already explained."

Msytogan tossed the pill bottle to the Dragon Slayers, and Jaser caught it first. He opened the bottle before getting a pill out to pop in his mouth. He then handed the bottle to Gajeel who also took a pill.

"Will I need one?" Sanjū asked.

"No." Msytogan said. "Your kind are the only creatures from Edolas that are born with magic in their veins. You will be able to use your magic just fine."

Sanjū nodded in understanding as Gajeel was holding out the pill bottle towards Msytogan.

"No, you should keep it." Msytogan said. "If you manage to revert some of our friends back to normal before I am able to finish here, you will need to give them one of those pills each, so that they may use their magic in Edolas. Sadly, I cannot give you much more information. However, I am sure you will succeed in your task. Now go because we haven't the time to waste."

Before anything else could be said, Msytogan held out his staff in front of him, which in turn sent Sanjū, Jaser, and Gajeel flying up towards the large whole in the storm clouds above.

"What the hell?!" Gajeel demanded.

Sanjū just held out tightly to Jaser as they were swallowed up into the whole in the sky. She hoped everyone was alright.

* * *

At the royal palace in Edolas, there was a tall, lean feline like creature that stood on two legs. He stood at over six feet and had soft white fur. His eyes were a turquoise color and hard a sharp glint to them. His ears were long and pointed with the tips of it appearing even longer due to the fur sticking up off it. His tail was long and fluffy, and brushed against the ground as it moved back and forth. He wore a tradition pale teal kimono with darker teal accents with a fish like design around the sleeves. Around his waist was a blue sash that held a katana in a beautiful lacquered sheath.

His ears twitched suddenly as he tilted his head up to look up at the sky. What was that? He sensed a change in the air. Something has changed, and it wasn't the large lacrima full of magic that made the air seem to shift. He frowned wondering what happened. This shift and new scent in the air had a slightly familiar feel to it. He didn't know exactly what it was, but it had to be important if his strong senses picked it up.

"Shironeko-sensei."

The feline turned his head seeing a large, broad-shouldered panther like cat walking towards him.

"Ah, Lily-kun, good day." Shironeko greeted the younger Exceed.

Lily, who was also known as Panther Lily the Royal Army Captain of the 1st Magic War Division, bowed his head respectfully to his mentor. Shironeko was once the instructor of the Extalia Army, and had once personally took Lily under his wing. However, six years ago after losing his unhatched child and his wife who died of a broken heart, he left Extalia to travel around Edolas until on a faithful day that mentor and student were reunited. Lily brought Shironeko here, and the older Exceed soon took up post training the human army much as he had once done for the Exceed army of Extalia.

"Sensei, are you well today?" Lily asked. "You seem distracted."

Shironeko lightly chuckled as he tucked his hands into the sleeves on his kimono.

"You know me well, my student." Shironeko said then sighed. "I supposed I am a bit troubled. Something triggered my senses."

Lily's eyes widened a bit as Shironeko looked back out towards the vast sky of Edolas. Lily knew the power his master had. Shironeko has always had senses that was more than the normal warrior. Shironeko could feel a disturbance within their land that was hundreds of miles away. However, he only seemed to pay attention to these disturbances if his instincts told him the disturbances would bring great change or danger.

"Do you suppose danger is coming to our kingdom?" Lily asked.

"Honestly, I do not know." Shironeko. "Something about the scent that came to me through the air seemed familiar to me yet I don't believe I have smelled it before. All I know is that it came from the opening in the anima."

Lily hummed thinking that maybe some of the people or creatures that were pulled through to this world to become lacrima had caught his master's attention.

"Well that does not matter now." Shironeko said. "Have you come to me with need of something? You seem troubled today as well."

Lily held back a sigh as he thought about what was bothering him all day today. He mentally decided to say nothing to Shironeko about his troubles since he did not wish to bother the older Exceed.

"No, Sensei." Lily said. "I was only on my way to a meeting when I came across you."

Shironeko nodded his head when his ears twitched again. He turned his head seeing three more captains of the royal army walking this way. It seemed they were all heading towards this meeting as well.

"Shironeko-sensei." Erza Nightwalker greeted respectfully.

"Mhmm, Sensei." Sugar Boy greeted as well as he dipped his head.

"Hey, what's up, Shironeko-sensei?" Hughes asked.

"Children." Shironeko replied as he dipped his head. "And as to your question, Hughes-kun, the sky is up if that is what you are asking."

Hughes laughed always getting a kick out of the answers Shironeko gave him when he asked him "what's up?". The Exceed never seemed to understand that Hughes was actually asking him how he was.

"Is this a little get together I didn't know about?"

The group turned around as another person walked forward. The man had short, spikey dark-violet hair and silver eyes. He had a pale complexion and a tall, muscular physique. He wore a white turtleneck shirt under a white trench coat with a white hood that was pulled over his head, and tightfitting white pants with white dress shoes on his feet. He had a large hammer attacked to his back with the strap to its holster going diagonally across his chest.

"Breccan, you've finally come back, man." Hughes said. "Where've you been?"

"Nowhere of importance." Breccan said then looked towards Shironeko. "Sensei."

He bowed his head respectfully into the tall feline as Shironeko's tail swished behind him.

"Welcome back, Breccan-kun." Shironeko replied. "Now, I believe you all are needed somewhere. Best to be on your way, and not let this old feline hold you up. I will just go rest my weary bones for the day."

"Sensei, you are not old." Lily said earnestly. "You are still in your prime."

Shironeko lightly chuckled as he reached out to pat Lily on the shoulder in kind manner.

"That is nice of you to say, my dear student." Shironeko said. "But I have long left my prime. Now, run along. We can enjoy tea and sushi later as we catch up."

"Yes, Sensei." Lily said respectfully as he bowed his head.

Lily started walking away from his master to continue towards his destination. The other captains bowed to Shironeko as well before they followed after Lily. Shironeko watched them leave before he turned his head back in the direction the disturbance tripped his senses. It had moved, and was moving closer.

"Who are you?" Shironeko murmured to himself.

* * *

Sanjū, who had a small cloak around her, stood in between Jaser and Gajeel, who were both cloaked as well, as they stood up on a rocky outcrop that looked down into a small village. It appeared to be made of clay and mud, and if Sanjū was being honest, which she is then she'd point out that the place looked very poor.

"It's so round." Jaser said as he tilted his head.

Sanjū shook her head at her companion as he was eyeing the village in fascination. He was always easily impressed or captivated by some of the most trivial things.

"Should have known they'd be carted off to some sort of crazy place like this." Gajeel said. "Yeah, just my luck."

Sanjū sighed before she unfurled her wings, so she can float right in front the two Dragon Slayers.

"Complaining won't be of any help to us, so let's go down there to see if we can get any information." Sanjū pointed out. "We have no time to waste."

"Gees, you're a bossy feline, ain't ya?" Gajeel asked.

"At least she'll keep us on track." Jaser said with a laugh.

Gajeel rolled his eyes at his fellow Dragon Slayer before the three of them started heading towards the town. When they got close enough, Sanjū put away her wings to walk across the ground, so not to draw too much attention. They started walking through the streets to look for really anything that could help them, but this place was so unfamiliar that none of them knew exactly what they could go.

"Now what?" Gajeel asked as they came to a stop for a moment. "Where are we supposed to go from here?"

"As I said we need to start gathering information." Sanjū said. "Now let's just go out there to start asking around."

She pointed towards the street where there were more people walking about than in the narrow passageway they were standing in.

"Alright, ask questions it is." Jaser said as he grinned. "Simple enough."

Gajeel, who pulled down his hood, guessed there really weren't any other options since they were so unfamiliar with the place.

"Fine." He said then walked out onto the street to a group of people. "Yo, can I ask ya something?"

The group of people just frowned at Gajeel before one of them started walking away silently.

"Hey, get back here!" He called.

The man ignored him, and when Gajeel turned towards the others they walked away as well without a word.

"Man, the people here in Edolas make the jerks I have to deal with back home seem like a bunch of angels." Gajeel said.

"Maybe it was that scary face of yours that had them running." Sanju, who kept her hood up, suggested.

"Shut-it, Cat!" Gajeel snapped.

He then turned to glare at Jaser, who also had his hood down, as the Sand Dragon Slayer was lightly laughing in amusement.

"You find that funny, huh?" Gajeel asked. "Why don't you give it a try, pretty boy?!"

"Sure, I'll try!" Jaser said as he grinned broadly.

He looked around before spotting a group of people not far from them. He walked towards them with a friendly smile on his face.

"Excuse me, but can I ask you a few questions?" He asked.

The people glared at Jaser as if he had insulted them before turning their backs to him as they walked away. He blinked wondering what he did wrong.

"See?" Gajeel said. "The people here are just plain rude."

Jaser scratched the back of his head as he turned back towards Gajeel and Sanjū. The pink feline frowned thoughtfully as she wondered what had the people here shying away from Jaser and Gajeel. The three of them then heard snickering, so they turned their heads seeing three suspicious characters.

"One thing's the same no matter where you go." Gajeel said as he snickered. "There are always some clowns who can be convinced to help ya. Come on, Sandman. We have some goons to talk to."

Jaser nodded his head then followed Gajeel over towards the suspicious characters. Sanjū sighed while knowing Gajeel was already prepared to resort to violence. While any other time she would try to suggest a different course of action, she remained silent as she followed the two Dragon Slayers. They didn't have the time to mess around, so for now she would let Gajeel and Jaser do it their way. Later she will repent for this action through extremely long hours of mediation.

"You looking to start something with us, punks?" The guy in the middle asked.

"Step off, ya lousy horseflies." The big one added.

"You've got a lot to learn about insults, pal." Gajeel said.

"My brother could say worse in his sleep." Jaser added.

It was true too. When Jaser used to share a bed with Craylee when they were little, Jaser used to wake up in the middle of the night, and as soon as he shifted Craylee would insult him even though the redhead was still sound asleep. And Craylee had said some pretty mean things.

"Ah, cut the crap." The middle man said. "We ain't got the time for a lecture."

"You don't like horsefly then how's maggot?" The fatso asked.

The three men then laughed as if the big guy had said something funny. However, Sanjū heard nothing close to humorous that even warranted a chuckle.

"It wasn't that funny." Gajeel said.

He then head-butted the guy in the middle in the nose, which sent him falling backwards. The two other guys tried to attack after that, but Jaser had the two of them falling to their knees in the blink of an eye after he punched them both in the gut. Of course, he held back a bit because he didn't wish to knock them out since they had questions for the three guys. As the two Jaser knocked down held their stomachs, the other guy managed to get to his feet, so Gajeel grabbed the front of his shirt.

"Listen, a giant lacrima should have popped up around here somewhere recently, and you're going to tell us where to find it." Gajeel said then pulled the guy even closer. "Start talking!"

"I-I don't know where it is!" The man said.

The man then flinched back as much as he could as Jaser leaned forward with his eyes hard. His pupils had turned into slits, and the gold in his eyes burned brighter, which reminded the man of the eyes of a monster. Jaser was tired of playing around. He's kept his cool so far, but his friends and family were in trouble. His brothers, his little sister, Cana, and the rest of the guild needed saving as soon as possible. He wasn't going to let this punks hold them up, so if he had to hurt them even more he would.

"Oh really?" Jaser asked. "If your memory needs to be jogged, we can help you with that."

The man shuddered really not wanting to piss Jaser off anymore than he already appeared to be. Sanjū frowned seeing the dragon within Jaser was awake, which meant no one should get in his way.

"Please, don't hit me!" He begged as his friends stood up. "We really don't know, I swear! Right, fellas?"

They nodded their heads quickly as they held their aching stomachs while resisting the urge to throw up. Gajeel growled in frustration before looking at Jaser to see if the Sand Dragon Slayer thought the men were hiding anything at all. Jaser shook his head, so Gajeel let the man's shirt go albeit unhappily.

"Alright fine." Gajeel said. "I guess we'll ask someone else. You're off the hook. Now go get lost."

The three men blinked seeming confused as they dropped their tense postures.

"What's with you, Gajeel?" The middle guy asked. "How in the heck did you get so strong all of a sudden? I mean, I expect it from Jaser, but you've never been able to fight like that. And, Jaser, you seem more beastly than usual."

Jaser and Gajeel exchanged a glance of confusion as Sanjū stepped forward in interest. These men must be talking about the Edolas counterparts of Jaser and Gajeel. Jaser then frowned wondering if he was really that "beastly". Sure, he can get kind of intense when he's angry, but he isn't that bad, right?

"What are you talking about?" Jaser asked as he tilted his head. "My bro here has always been strong."

"Don't be calling me bro!" Gajeel snapped. "We're not brothers!"

"Aw, Gajeel, of course we're brothers!" Jaser said while pouting. "We're Dragon Slayers, so that makes us brothers!"

"No, it doesn't!" Gajeel said.

Jaser whined about Gajeel being unfriendly, which had Sanjū sighing and shaking her head. Now wasn't the time for this. The three men continued watching the two Dragon Slayers as Gajeel yelled at Jaser, who was hugging Gajeel in hopes of cheering him up, to stop hugging him.

"Now this is even freakier." The fatso said. "Why is Jaser acting like that wimp Craylee?"

Jaser paled when the man said, and the big man jumped in surprise when Jaser grabbed a hold of him.

"Don't call him that!" Jaser said while casting a worried glance over his shoulder. "If Craylee hears you, he'll crush your skulls under his best pair of boots and then leave your bodies for the scavengers to eat. Don't think he'll hesitate."

"He's got that right." Gajeel said. "That bastard Craylee is a merciless demon."

Sanjū had to nod in agreement to that one. If Craylee was here right now, these guys would be dead. However, she had a feeling these men weren't talking about their Craylee from their world.

"If I could cut in." Sanjū said as she stepped forward, which gained the men's attention. "Gajeel, Jaser, I believe these men are talking about your Edolas counterparts. As in the men who look like you, but act differently."

The two blinked then remembered that Msytogan had told them about the whole Edolas counterpart thing.

"Oh, you're probably right." Gajeel said.

"I wonder if our counterparts will be of any help." Jaser said.

The three men that Gajeel and Jaser beat up frowned in confusion as they exchanged glances with each other.

"Tell me, what does the Gajeel and Jaser here do for a living?" Gajeel asked.

The three men looked even more confused as they looked between the two Dragon Slayers.

"I see you're confused." Sanjū said getting the men to glance down at her. "Let me explain a bit, these two men here aren't the Gajeel and Jaser you know. They just happen to look a lot alike."

"You joking?" The middle man asked. "Your pals look exactly like these guys."

"Come on, just answer the question." Jaser said. "If you don't, I'll get angry, and you don't want that."

The men flinched back really not wanting to be hit again.

"They're both freelance journalists and they have reputations of being way too nosy." The middle man said. "Gajeel usually writes down the information as Jaser makes sure to get it out of people who don't want to give up the info."

Sanjū frowned guessing these counterparts were very different to Gajeel and Jaser. Jaser doesn't go around bullying people for information, and Gajeel isn't one to be nosy because most of the time he doesn't give a damn about other people's personal business.

"Journalists?" Gajeel and Jaser asked in unison.

"Yeah, those guys have written a bunch of magazines and newspaper articles ragging on the king." The middle man said.

"They're real busybodies, so no one can stand them." The big guy said.

"Well, that explains why nobody will give us the time of day here." Gajeel said smirking then looked at Jaser. "Our counterparts are freelance journalists. We better get the scoop on them."

Jaser nodded his head in agreement while very interested in meeting his Edolas counterpart. It could prove to be very interesting. Besides, it'd be cool to do a whole mirror routine with him!

"Hmm, what a good idea." Sanjū said. "Very well, we shall search for your Edolas counterparts. You three, please, tell us where these Gajeel and Jaser characters spend most of their time."

"You're a bossy little thing, aren't ya?" The middle man asked.

"That's what I said." Gajeel said.

Sanjū frowned starting to feel irritated. If only Rizzo was here. She'd get these guys to start talking with one glare. Sanjū grit her teeth together knowing that Rizzo wasn't here, and wouldn't be by her side again unless she got Rizzo back with Jaser and Gajeel's help. And Sanjū knew she couldn't remain polite or speak softly if she wanted answers.

"Just answer the question!" Sanjū snapped, which had them jumping. "I will not waste time with you! Now will you answer, or will I have to resort to roughing you up?!"

The three men hugged each other knowing Sanjū was really small, but her tone had them scared. Gajeel and Jaser were looking at Sanjū with wide eyes since they've never heard her raise her voice at anyone let alone threaten them.

"No, ma'am, sorry!" The middle man said. "Of course, we'll answer you!"

Sanjū nodded her head in satisfaction while glad they were moving things along. She would help get the others back because…she's a mage of Fairy Tail.


	64. Familiar Faces in the Bar

Sanjū frowned looking out the window of the motel room they managed to get. It was actually due to Sanjū that they got the room. The owner of the motel was turning down the money Gajeel had with him when all the craziness happened in their world. Apparently the currency was different here. They were going to have to camp outside, but the second Sanjū pulled down her hood the owner started apologizing and bowing to her. He had begged for forgiveness then gave the three of them his best room.

"Ya know, I wonder why that guy downstairs freaked out at the sight of your cat." Gajeel said to Jaser, who finished his shower, as the Sand Dragon Slayer was stepping out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist.

"I don't know." Jaser said. "It's not like Sanjū is threatening."

Sanjū then hissed in surprise as she was suddenly picked up by her tail by Gajeel who was sitting in one of the chairs. The Iron Dragon Slayer held her upside down at eye level to look at her.

"You got that right." Gajeel said. "She's basically a pink fluff ball."

"Put me down!" Sanjū said as she flailed her arms about. "My tail is my pride and joy! You're bending it!"

Gajeel rolled his eyes then dropped Sanjū, but before she could hit the floor, Jaser managed to catch her. She huffed in annoyance at Gajeel as she jumped down from Jaser's arms. She sat down on the other chair in the room while trying to smooth out the fur on her tail. She always loved her tail because she never met another feline with a tail quite like hers.

"You mind being a bit gentler with her?" Jaser asked frowning. "Her tail has always been sensitive."

"Yeah, yeah." Gajeel said as he stood. "I'm going to take a shower then get some shut eye. We have to start early tomorrow to try and find the Edolas versions of us."

"Right." Jaser said.

Gajeel left to the bathroom as Sanjū jumped down from the chair to head over to one of the large beds in the room. There were actually three of them. The owner really did have to give them one of the best rooms considering how large and spacious it was. As she was crawling into the bed she chose, Jaser quickly dropped his towel before grabbing his boxers and pants to change into. He then looked over to Sanjū to see the worried expression on her face as she stared forward.

"Hey." He said as he walked towards her.

She looked up at him as he crouched down by her bed while reaching out to pet her head.

"Don't look so worried." He said. "We'll get everyone back home safe and sound, I promise."

Sanjū sniffled while reaching up to hug Jaser's wrist as she nuzzled her face against his hand. He smiled at her softly as he brushed his thumb against her furry cheek, so to get her comfort.

"I miss Rizzo." Sanjū said as a few tears leaked down her cheeks.

"I know." Jaser said. "But soon we'll have her back. Along with Sven, Breccan, Craylee, and the rest of our family. Even if we have to take on all of Edolas, we'll get them back because don't forget that we're not alone. Gajeel is here with us, and somewhere in this world is Lucy. Then there's Msytogan working hard in Earth Land, and he said he thought Natsu, Wendy, Happy, and Carla were here. We have our friends all working hard to get back the others, so there's no way we can lose."

Sanjū sniffled again, but nodded her head knowing that was true. As long as Fairy Tail pulled together, there was nothing that could beat them.

"Now, let's tuck you in." Jaser said. "We have another big day of searching tomorrow."

Sanjū nodded again then let go of Jaser's hand. She moved to the center of her bed to get under the covers. Jaser stood up while making sure she was tucked in.

"Sweet dreams." Jaser said while smiling kindly down at her.

He pet her head one last time then went over to his own bed. As he was settling down for bed, Sanjū turned over on her side to curl up on the bed. She closed her eyes while hoping they made some kind of stride that brought them closer to finding their friends tomorrow.

* * *

FAIRY TAIL GUILDHALL, YEAR X779

Sanjū sat on top the one of the tables in the guildhall with Happy as the blue feline was cheering on Natsu and Rizzo. The two youths were currently in the middle of a brawl with many of the younger members of the guild, and causing a ruckus as always.

"Come on, Sanjū, cheer with me!" Happy said as he threw his tiny paws up into the air.

"I don't cheer for violence." Sanjū said as she frowned. "I don't want them to be fighting."

Happy tilted his head to the side as he looked at his fellow feline as she looked at the fighting with distain.

"But don't you want to cheer Rizzo on, so she does as best as she can?" Happy asked. "I cheer on Natsu, so he knows I have his back, which makes him fight even better!"

"Rizzo doesn't need me to cheer her on." Sanjū said confidently. "She knows that even if I don't cheer that I have her back in the very end, which is all that matters. Besides, Rizzo is winning this foolish brawl, so she needs no further encouragement."

Sanjū pointed towards her pink-haired companion as Rizzo took down Max then easily knocked down Jet and Droy without a problem.

"Whoa!" Happy exclaimed. "Awesome!"

"And with Natsu at her side, she's even more unstoppable." Sanjū added.

Happy and Sanjū watched on as Natsu and Rizzo fought back to back as they fought against Gray and a few other members of the guild. They weren't going down easy that was for sure.

"Yeah, you get em, Natsu, Rizzo!" Happy cheered. "Show them the power of the pinkettes!"

As Happy continued cheering, Sanjū shook her head as she continued to watched the brawling. Her guild was a rowdy bunch that's for sure.

"Really I don't understand what makes beating up on the weaker so much fun." Sanjū said. "For as long as I live I swear I will not bring harm to another living being. Well, I suppose there would be exception to this vow."

Sanjū would only break the vow if it was to protect what is precious to her. As she was thinking this, she looked to the brawling fools in the middle of the guild and to the people watching them in amusement. Her guildmates…she would break this vow without hesitation if it meant protecting them.

EDOLAS, PRESENT DAY

Sanjū, who had her hood back over her head, rested on Jaser's shoulder as the Sand Dragon Slayer walked with Gajeel down the street. So far they haven't found the Edolas Gajeel or Edolas Jaser. However, they were told the two men frequented bars and small restaurants where they could get the best leads due to the gossiping amongst the patrons, so they've been checking most of them. Sanjū's ears suddenly twitched as her senses seemed to flare a bit. Someone was talking…Actually there was a lot of talking, but this voice seemed to stick out to her as if it was important. She looked around before her eyes landed on a bar.

"There." She said to Gajeel and Jaser. "I have a feeling we will find what we need in there."

"Oh yeah?" Gajeel asked. "And this a gut feeling or something?"

"I suppose you could call it that." Sanjū replied. "I just get these feelings some times. Like my senses pick up on things…like changes in the air, or new scents in a territory I frequent. And my instincts tell me usually whether if these feelings I get are good or bad."

Sanjū has had those kind of senses since she was young, but she's never had any real control over them. They just flare up randomly sometimes. If she would use them all the time, she was sure they would be of great help, but she just doesn't know how to use them whenever she wants.

"That's good enough for me." Jaser said. "Besides, it can't hurt to check it out."

"Tch, ain't that the truth." Gajeel said. "Well, let's go inside. I could use a drink anyway."

Jaser nodded before he followed Gajeel into the bar Sanjū had pointed out. Once they stepped inside, Sanjū heard that voice again, and it was added with a few more. As she was trying to pinpoint the voice, the two men went up to the bar where they sat down next to two men wearing suits. As they were sitting down, they picked up a conversation happening behind them amongst a few locals. And Sanjū recognized one of the voices from the one that caught her attention from outside the bar.

"I mean, where did they harvest all that power from?" One man was asking. "And alien world?"

"I hope they know what they're doing out there." Another man said. "Messing with magic power like that can be trouble."

Sanjū hopped off Jaser's shoulders to glance at the three men speaking as Gajeel and Jaser exchanged a glance. It seemed they found some people who would be able to give them the information they needed.

"Careful," The third man cautioned. "Looks to me like you're questioning the methods of our great king."

"No, that's not what I meant at all!" The second man insisted. "I'm loyal!"

"Relax." The first man said. "Don't worry. Everything will work out in the end. Just leave it to his majesty and everyone will be sitting pretty."

Suddenly Jaser and Gajeel stood up quickly from the table to turn around to speak with those men, and Sanjū instantly noticed how eager the two men in suits turned to the men quickly as well. She tilted her head getting an familiar vibe off the two men in suits.

"Interesting conversation." Gajeel and the suited man wearing a hat said in unison. "You three gentlemen/punks mind sharing wit /telling me that in greater detail?"

"It'd be a big help." Jaser said in unison with the other man in a suit.

The four men blinked before exchanging glances with each other. Sanjū hummed while instantly knowing who the men in suits were.

"It seems we've finally found them." Sanjū said. "Edolas Gajeel and Edolas Jaser."

The four men turned to look at Sanjū as she placed her paws on her hips as her tail swished behind her. As she looked at the Edolas men, she could obviously see the resemblance they had to the Earth Land Gajeel and Jaser. However, Edolas Gajeel seemed more refined, and Edolas Jaser…well, he gave of a vibe that actually reminded Sanjū of Craylee. The frown on his face was almost an exact copy. Not to mention Edolas Jaser didn't have the slightly messy look to his appearance like Earth Land Jaser. His hair was even slicked back, and there wasn't anything out of place on his suit.

"Who are you people? And why does that guy have my face?" Edolas Jaser asked as he pointed at Jaser.

"Now, now, Jaser, let's not be too pushy." Edolas Gajeel said.

Edolas Jaser scoffed since Edolas Gajeel was always pushy, so he had no room to scold him.

"That's right." Sanjū said. "There's no need for that. We will tell you everything in exchange for information that we need. I assure you this story we have to share will be the biggest one the two of you have ever heard."

Edolas Jaser and Edolas Gajeel exchanged a glance as Jaser was staring at his counterpart with wide eyes. Gajeel just had a frown on his face as he looked at his counterpart with a narrow eyed gaze. Edolas Gajeel then cleared his throat as he looked back towards Sanjū.

"Well, you have intrigued us." Edolas Gajeel said. "Let's sit and talk over drinks."

* * *

As Sanjū sat in Jaser's lap drinking tea, Edolas Gajeel continued writing in his notepad with Edolas Jaser at his side. The natives of Earth Land had finished telling their story of what happened to their friends and how they came to this world in search of them. Of course, there was no guarantee that the two Edolas natives would believe them.

"So to summarize, you three were sent here to this world by one Msytogan-san with nothing but a simple explanation and the shirts on your backs." Edolas Gajeel said.

"That could sum up my entire life up until this point." Gajeel said.

"Really?" Jaser asked. "You had a rough life, bro."

"Like you're one to talk!" Gajeel snapped. "You had a pretty sucky life too from what I heard! And I said stop calling me bro!"

Jaser leaned away from Gajeel who had been leaning in as he was yelling at the Sand Dragon Slayer.

"Oh calm down." Sanjū said as she sighed. "Here have some tea to calm your nerves."

She pushed the other cup of green tea towards Gajeel, and he took it while grumbling about annoying Rajasthans, which had Jaser pouting.

"Anyway," Sanjū began. "We find getting used to your world a tad difficult."

Edolas Gajeel nodded in understanding as he started writing once more in the little black book he carried. Edolas Jaser remained silent as he chewed on a toothpick in between his lips.

"This has got to be the most bizarre story of our career." Edolas Gajeel said.

"And we have heard some crazy things in our lives." Edolas Jaser said finally speaking.

"Well, duh." Gajeel said. "How often do you meet yourselves in a bar?"

Edolas Gajeel seemed surprised by Gajeel's simple statement of things as Edolas Jaser frowned. He didn't know what it was, but this other version of his partner grated on his nerves.

"I must say your simple perspective is certainly refreshing." Edolas Gajeel said.

" _Simple_ being the key world." Edolas Jaser quipped.

"You got something to say to me, pal?!" Gajeel demanded as he glared at Edolas Jaser.

"Sorry, I didn't know you were hard of hearing." Edolas Jaser said with a shit-eating grin (remind you of anybody? XD).

Sanjū sighed shaking her head as Jaser tilted his head at his counterpart. Something about how Edolas Jaser reminded him of someone, but he couldn't think of who exactly. As Gajeel was looking for a fight, Edolas Gajeel told Edolas Jaser to try and be more polite, which prompted a scoff from Edolas Jaser.

"Gajeel, calm down." Sanjū said once more. "Losing your temper is helping no one."

Gajeel grumbled getting annoyed with all of this. Having to put up with a bossy feline, an airheaded Dragon Slayer, and a guy who's like that bastard Craylee was really starting to wear his patience down thin. And to top it all off they still haven't rescued their guildmates. Gajeel then took a deep breath, so to calm his nerves. He looked back to his Edolas counterpart as Edolas Gajeel was pocketing his tiny notebook.

"Seems you've both made quite the names for yourselves as muckrakers around here." Gajeel commented as Edolas Jaser and Edolas Gajeel sat down across from Jaser and Gajeel.

"Call us what you want." Edolas Jaser said. "We are professionals nonetheless and as professionals we do our jobs to the best of our abilities."

Edolas Gajeel nodded in agreement as Sanjū absently wondered if the Edolas Craylee was more like Jaser just as much as Edolas Jaser was just like Earth Land Craylee. Jaser frowned in concentration as he continued trying to find who his counterpart reminded him of. It was someone close to him he was certain. But who?

"Indeed." Edolas Gajeel said. "Investigative reporting is our lives true calling, and as my associate said we do it as best as we can. Seeking out truth and enlightening the masses."

"Truth ain't an easy pill." Gajeel said. "Bet you've got some haters. In fact, there are a bunch of losers munching dirt cause they thought we were the two of you."

Edolas Gajeel and Edolas Jaser blinked while wondering who Gajeel was talking about. They had many people who disliked them, and tried to fight with them often. Edolas Gajeel never brawled, but Edolas Jaser wasn't afraid to put people in their places.

"While I thank you for taking care of such annoyances for us, I apologize for the inconvenience." Edolas Gajeel said.

"I don't." Edolas Jaser retorted. "Obviously these three are alright, so I see no need for an apology."

"Yeah, don't worry about it, Edolas Gajeel." Jaser said grinning. "It wasn't hard to deal with them. They were a bunch of wusses."

He lightly laughed while not bothered at all from dealing with those three punks from earlier. It wasn't like it hurt him and Gajeel or even Sanjū. Gajeel nodded in agreement then downed the rest of his drink.

"I still wish to offer apology." Edolas Gajeel insisted. "Truth be known, we have become thorns in the sides of powerful organizations. Our articles have caused numerous problems for the king and the government over the years. Yeah, as long as I can put pen to pad I will write the truth."

"And I will be there making sure no one interferes with our professional work." Edolas Jaser said.

"You know when I heard about this place, I thought it'd be completely different from my world." Gajeel said as he grinned at his counterpart.

Gajeel and Edolas Gajeel stood from their seats, and Gajeel even put his arm around Edolas Gajeel's shoulders, which had Edolas Jaser rolling his eyes.

"But Me/You and You/I are almost exactly alike." He and Edolas Gajeel said in unison.

"They're getting along." Jaser said grinning then looked at his counterpart. "You wanna be friends with me and Sanjū?"

Jaser held up Sanjū who frowned a bit at being manhandled. However, since it was Jaser she would allow it. She knew he liked showing her to people and holding her.

"No." Edolas Jaser said. "Because I don't need friends. I barely like having acquaintances."

Jaser blinked while almost pretty sure now that he knew who Edolas Jaser reminded him of.

"You know, I've finally realized you're a lot like one of my brothers." Jaser said.

"Oh, Jaser, are you really just figuring this out?" Sanjū asked with a small sigh.

Jaser looked down at Sanjū in confusion as he wondered if she had already figured it out. Gajeel shook his head at Jaser as Edolas Gajeel chuckled in amusement.

"This is why I don't have friends." Edolas Jaser said. "People are idiots."

"Ah, come on, Jaser." Edolas Gajeel said. "We both know that you and I are friends."

"Fine." Edolas Jaser relented. "I suppose I can call you friend, but I have no one else."

"What about Cana-san of Fairy Tail?" Edolas Gajeel asked. "Don't think you've managed to go to all those secret visits to her without me knowing."

Edolas Jaser glared at his partner while wishing he hadn't brought up the woman he has been seeing for the last few months.

"You're dating Edolas Cana?" Jaser asked as he grinned. "That's funny because I'm dating the Cana from our world."

Sanjū tilted her head wondering if this meant Jaser and Cana were meant to be since the Edolas Jaser and Edolas Cana were attracted together as well despite leading different lives.

"Let's just get out of here." Gajeel said. "It's getting a bit stuffy, don't ya think?"

"Actually, yes, I was." Edolas Gajeel said.

Edolas Jaser just stood up while paying for their drinks before the four men and Sanjū, who was still in Jaser's arms, left the bar. As they walked down the street, Edolas Gajeel and Gajeel bonded as Edolas Jaser was trying to ignore his counterpart.

"So…can I ask you a few things?" Jaser asked as he put Sanjū on top his head, so to free his hands.

Edolas Jaser sighed while glancing at Jaser as the Sand Dragon Slayer was looking right at him.

"If you must." Edolas Jaser said.

"Well, ya see, in my world I have some adoptive siblings." Jaser asked. "What about you?"

"No." Edolas Jaser replied simply. "I was an only child growing up, and usually stayed on my own until my Gajeel came to me with an idea to expose the truth of our kingdom to the people."

Jaser frowned wondering how lonely his counterpart must have been without siblings. Jaser knew that he wouldn't be the same person he was today if he never met Rizzo and his brothers and eventually Sanjū.

"These siblings of yours," Edolas Jaser began. "What are their names?"

"Well, there's my younger brother Craylee." Jaser said.

"Craylee?" Edolas Jaser asked frowning. "You're brothers with that man? I don't know exactly how your Craylee is in your world, but the one here is a washed up tailor who doesn't have a brain."

Well, at least Edolas Craylee and Earth Land Craylee had one thing in common.

"Actually, my brother Craylee is a lot like you." Jaser said grinning. "You have my face, but his attitude for sure."

Jaser chuckled as if he was amused by it all as Edolas Jaser frowned thinking his counterpart was much like the Edolas Craylee.

"Then there's my eldest brother Sven." Jaser continued.

"There's a man named Sven Talbert who owns a bookstore in this town." Edolas Jaser said. "He's a tall, willowy man who has no personality at all, so he's boring."

"That's nothing like our Sven." Sanjū said. "Our Sven is full of life and has a lot of personality."

Edolas Jaser just couldn't picture a Sven who acted like that after dealing with boring Edolas Sven for years.

"Gees, I wonder how Edolas Breccan and Edolas Rizzo are." Jaser said as he laughed.

Edolas Jaser came to a complete stop with Edolas Gajeel pausing mid-step as well, which had Gajeel looking at him curiously.

"Did you say Breccan and Rizzo?" Edolas Gajeel asked as he turned towards Jaser.

Jaser blinked before slowly nodding his head. Gajeel and Sanjū exchanged a glance wondering what was up.

"Well, I don't about your Breccan and Rizzo, but here they're rather important people." Edolas Gajeel said. "Breccan Moon is the co-captain of Royal Army 2nd Magic War Division. He was the only captain, but gave most of the control of the second division to Erza Nightwalker because he tends to work in the background. He's an assassin and has killed many of the mages here in Edolas."

Jaser's eyes widened as he stood there in shock. Sanjū and Gajeel were rather surprised to hear this as well. The Edolas Breccan killed mages?

"He's ruthless and rumor has it that he enjoys bringing pain to others." Edolas Jaser added. "No one lives once he sets his eyes on them, and the only reason we've heard anything about this guy is through the men in his division. They're terrified of the man, but the king favors him out of all his captains."

Gajeel was sure the king favored Edolas Breccan because he was so ruthless. Edolas Breccan probably did whatever was ordered even if it was morally wrong due to his ruthlessness, which had the king liking him so much.

"And what of Rizzo?" Sanjū asked.

"She's the king's daughter," Edolas Gajeel said. "Well, his adopted daughter. After his son's disappearance the king adopted the daughter of a noble family after the tragic fire that killed everyone in the family except her. She is known as Princess Rizzo of Edolas."

Mouths dropped open in shock as the Earth Land natives stared at Edolas Jaser and Edolas Gajeel.

"Rizzo is a princess?!" Jaser asked rather loudly.

Gajeel hushed him while forcibly closing Jaser's mouth with his hand. Jaser continued trying to talk, but it came out muffled due to the hand over his mouth. Sanjū shook her head trying to come over her shock. She had not be expecting that one. Once Jaser stopped trying to talk through Gajeel's hand, Gajeel removed it from Jaser's mouth.

"Yes, and she's actually a rather kind young lady." Edolas Gajeel said. "She goes to the poorer parts of the kingdom to try and give hope, and cheer up the people there. However, she's rather easily manipulated, so the king has her believing all sorts of outlandish lies. The poor girl doesn't know how many people from the poorer towns hate the kingdom and that the king has robbed them of magic."

This Edolas Rizzo was nothing like the Rizzo from Earth Land. Rizzo wouldn't let anyone manipulate her, and she would fight against the kingdom for the rights of the people.

"I know this is a different Rizzo we're talking about, but I can't picture that sassy pink-haired punk as a sweet little delicate princess." Gajeel said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"My little sis is nothing close to a delicate princess." Jaser said as he held his aching head.

All this surprising information was making his head hurt big time. It was so hard to think of someone, who looked like Breccan, acting like a ruthless assassin. Then trying to picture a girl, who looked like Rizzo, acting like a pretty princess who was all girly nearly made him sick.

"Really?" Edolas Gajeel asked. "What's your Rizzo like?"

"She's a proud mage of Fairy Tail." Sanjū said. "And she likes to pick fights, and likes to be challenged. She doesn't let anyone tell her what to do, and she fights against anything she believes to be morally wrong. She is strong and brave, and loved by nearly everyone who has had the chance to get to know her. And she loves everyone dear to her just as much as they love her. That isn't even half of who she is, but we would be here all day if I told you everything that is Rizzo Sweeney."

Jaser glanced up at Sanjū, who was still on top his head, with a smile on his face. Gajeel even grinned as he light out a short chuckle. It's obvious that Sanjū loves Rizzo very much, and that Sanjū knew her the most out of everyone. Edolas Jaser and Edolas Gajeel exchanged a glance while seeing that this Earth Land Rizzo was very different from Edolas Rizzo.

However, they did share a few common characteristics. Edolas Rizzo cared for people deeply as well, and all who got the chance to meet her cared for her just as much. They were sure if the princess knew what her adoptive father was doing that she would stand up to him, and fight for the people.

"When we get her and everyone else back, you will get to meet her." Sanjū said. "Now we need to get back on task."

"Right, right." Gajeel said.

"Whatever you say." Jaser said as he chuckled.

Sanjū nodded her head then jumped down to the ground to start walking down the street with the four men followed. She peeked around the side of street corner to look at some guards.

"Are you looking for someone beside your friends caught in the lacrima?" Edolas Jaser asked.

"Yeah, some pals of ours are here too." Gajeel said as he glanced around the street corner as well. "Honestly, they're a bunch of morons, but they've got it where it counts. And will be causing trouble soon. When they do—"

"Yes, we will let you know the moment they strike." Edolas Gajeel said.

"We've got contacts everywhere." Edolas Jaser said as he twirled the toothpick in his mouth. "The king can't even scratch his ass without us knowing about it."

"Not exactly how I would put it, but that is the gist of it." Edolas Gajeel agreed.

"We're counting on you guys." Jaser said grinning. "We'll just chill and lie low until you guys can give us some kind of word."

Sanjū nodded while appreciating the help the two men of Edolas were giving them.

"Well until then." Edolas Gajeel said as he tipped his hat.

"Don't keep us waiting." Gajeel said.

"Yeah, we'd like to get to the action part of this mission as soon as possible." Jaser added as he chuckled.

Sanjū resisted to roll her eyes at her two impatient comrades before she stepped forward to bow to Edolas Jaser and Edolas Gajeel.

"Thank-you so much for your help." Sanjū said. "We are very grateful."

"Don't worry about it, Sanjū-san." Edolas Gajeel said as he dipped his head towards her. "Please stay safe."

Edolas Jaser and Edolas Gajeel left the three Earth Landers behind as they walked away to start casting out their information nets in hopes of finding something. Sanjū watched them go before turning to follow after Gajeel and Jaser.

"Don't worry, everyone." She whispered. "We'll be together again soon, I promise."


	65. Time to Crack that Lacrima!

Later that day,Jaser and Gajeel peeked around the side of a building to look at the large lacrima in the middle of the courtyard in front of the palace. Many people were gathered around it, and they were cheering loudly. It was almost like a celebration. Sanjū, who was on top of Jaser's head to get a good look, frowned while worried for her friends trapped inside the lacrima. Suddenly the cheering became louder at an elderly man stepped up onto the high podium. Behind him had to be the Edolas Rizzo.

She looked exactly like their Rizzo except her hair was long, and put into an elegant bun. She wore no leather or neon colors or fishnet tights. Instead she had on a princess-like, off-the-shoulder-sleeved dress that was a pale blue color, and fell down to her feet. On top her head was a golden tiara that had blue sapphires in it, and she had matching sapphire earrings in her ears. The Edolas Rizzo smiled kindly out at the crowd while waving to everyone, which had the cheers getting even loudly. The man in front of her, who had to be the king, raised his hands as he looked out at the crowd. When he lowered his hands, the cheering quietened a bit.

"Children of Edolas," He began. "It brings great joy to my heart to tell you that our anima program has produced enough magic power to last another decade!"

Jaser frowned as the people gave a cheer when hearing that. Didn't they know where this lacrima came from? Where the magic power that they plan to use came from? It made him sick that the king could use it while knowing by doing so that he's killing innocent people.

"Let us rejoice together." The king said. "Let us sing and dance. Let laughter roar through our sacred kingdom!"

Everyone gave a loud cheer as Edolas Rizzo laughed and clapped her hands while she smiled down at the people. Sanjū's frown deepened while barely being able to handle someone with her Rizzo's face seeming so happy while their friends are in danger as they remain trapped in the lacrima.

"The power within this lacrima belongs to all loyal subjects of our fair homeland." The king continued. "Today we hold our futures in our hands to ensure its prosperity into tomorrow and beyond! Therefore we must swear to protect this gift from heaven with our very lives!"

The crowd cheered even louder if possible as tears ran down the people's faces.

"My dear children, today I shall make a most solemn pledge to you as your benevolent ruler," He began then shoved his staff into the lacrima. "I will bring you more power. So much more than you can possibly imagine!"

Jaser and Sanju just watched on with wide eyes as small chunks from the lacrima fell to the ground due to the king's staff being jabbed into the side of it. The pieces fell to the ground to shatter into even smaller pieces. Jaser growled feeling his anger over take him.

"That bastard." Jaser snarled as he stepped forward.

Gajeel quickly grabbed Jaser to pull him back before he could do anything stupid. Sanjū just sat on top Jaser's head with tears in her eyes as she hoped that chunk of lacrima falling off the large piece didn't hurt her friends.

"Calm down, White Sand." Gajeel said to Jaser who he had to continue holding back.

Jaser just growled again as his pupils turned into slits. He was angry now, and the second he gets his hands on the king, the old man will wish he never laid eyes on their guildhall or their town.

"I know you're angry." Gajeel said to Jaser. "I am too, but we have to keep our cool. If we do something now we might put the others in even more danger, or we'll be captured then be unable to save them in the end."

Jaser continued to shake in anger, but he didn't try to get out of Gajeel's hold any longer.

"We'll get them back." Gajeel said. "We just have to wait to figure out our next move. Now let's go before we attract too much attention to ourselves."

Jaser frowned really wanting to spring into action now. However, he could wait…for now. He reached up to grab Sanjū, so to tuck her against his chest. Having her close would keep him calm. Besides, she needed the comfort.

"Don't worry, Sanjū." Jaser said as he and Gajeel started walking away. "We will get them back. We won't let them become magic for these people to use."

* * *

The next day, Sanjū was standing on top a building with Jaser and Gajeel. They looked down at the crowd, which was much larger than the other day. It was almost time for the lacrima to be turned into magic for the people of Edolas, and as the seconds ticked by, Sanjū became more worried.

"When are we going to move in?" Jaser asked frowning. "We don't have much time left to wait."

"I know that, idiot." Gajeel said. "But if we go in their slinging magic, those innocent people will get hurt."

Jaser knew that was true, but their friends' lives were on the line. He didn't want to hurt any innocent people. That was the very last thing he'd ever want to do. It's just time was ticking, and if they waited too long, they'd run out of time. That means they wouldn't have any people left to save. They had their guildmates and the townspeople of Magnolia counting on them. Jaser then blinked.

"Wait, since when did you care about innocent people getting hurt, Gajeel?" Jaser asked curiously.

"Shut-up!" Gajeel snapped. "You saying I'm just some jerk who enjoys hurting people?!"

"Well, no." Jaser said as he blinked.

"But you did brutally hurt members of our guild then go rampaging through out town looking for Lucy." Sanjū said. "I believe innocent people were hurt during that attack. Then you beat up on Lucy for fun from what I hear."

Gajeel frowned at Sanjū and Jaser, who was nodding along with what Sanjū was saying, in annoyance. He had some really sucky guildmates.

"But don't worry." Sanjū continued, which had him blinking.

"We forgive you." She and Jaser said in unison as they smiled.

"Shut-up, ya morons!" Gajeel snapped. "I didn't ask for your damn forgiveness, so shove it!"

As Jaser just laughed in amusement at Gajeel's outburst, Sanjū cleared her throat to get back to the business at hand.

"Moving on, we need to find a weakness amongst the guards' ranks." Sanjū said. "If we can do that maybe we can create a diversion or something that will have the other guards moving to that side, which will free up a space for us to attack."

She wished she had more of a solid plan, but with the innocent people in the way there would always be the chance of someone getting hurt. Sanjū then blinked when spotting two familiar faces in the crowd.

"Look there." Sanjū said pointing.

Gajeel and Jaser glanced down at her before looking to where she was pointing. Down below was Edolas Gajeel and Edolas Jaser. Edolas Gajeel looked up with a grin on his face as his eyes landed right on them.

"Looks like our new friends are working hard to get the information we need." Sanjū said.

"Yeah." Jaser agreed. "I just hope they find information soon, so we can save everyone."

Sanjū nodded her head in agreement as she walked along the side of the edge of the building they were on. She was getting antsy, which didn't happen very often. Of course, being here has made her feel many things she tends not to back at home. Or rather makes her feel things she tends to suppress at home.

"Hey, looks like something has started." Gajeel said.

Sanjū looked down below again with Jaser doing the same. Suddenly the crowd was parting as guards carrying drums started marching down towards the large lacrima chunk. Men, who had clothes covering their faces and carrying staves, followed after them as the crowd started getting excited.

"It appears the ceremony is starting." Sanjū said.

Jaser grit his teeth together because they really were cutting it close by waiting around up on top this building. They needed to start thinking of a plan fast.

"They're getting closer." Jaser said as his hands clenched into fists.

"Hey, look." Gajeel said.

Jaser looked down seeing their counterparts were both subtly pointing west of the lacrima.

"I see." Gajeel said as he grinned. "Well, here goes nothing."

"It's about time." Jaser said. "Let's move."

* * *

Gajeel and Jaser moved through the crowd trying to get as close to the lacrima as possible. Sanjū was holding onto Jaser's shoulder as she looked around for a weak point amongst the guards. The drums continued to sound as the cheering continued. When the drums came to a stop, the other men with staves pointed them at the lacrima, which started to glow.

"We don't have time to keep holding back." Jaser growled as his body shook in barely suppressed rage. "Our friends…our friends are in danger."

Gajeel placed his hand on Jaser's should to keep him from doing something stupid. They could barely move in this crowd, so there was no way they could try something from here. Suddenly something was fired into the sky, but the two Dragon Slayers and Sanjū planned to ignore them since they hadn't the time to admire fireworks.

"What the—?" One of the guards near them murmured. "No one said anything about fireworks."

When those words left his mouth, the two Fairy Tail mages and one feline looked up into the air seeing a large "N" floating there. Soon the letters "O", "R", "T", and "H" followed after.

"The north." Gajeel said.

"Seems like we know what we have to do now." Jaser said.

"Yes, and we must act quickly." Sanjū added.

Gajeel nodded in agreement knowing they were right. They couldn't waste another second.

"Soldiers!" Gajeel shouted in a commanding tone. "That must be some kind of warning. We must protect the lacrima! I suspect there is someone suspicious on the north side of the plaza."

Sanjū prayed the soldiers took the bait before it was all too late. It seemed luck was on their side since another soldier started giving orders to move half the troops to the north as the rest remained here to move people back to safety. As the people were backing away, Jaser and Gajeel remained in place as Sanjū jumped down from Jaser's shoulder.

"Alright, it's about time for us to make our move." Gajeel said.

"And there's no innocent people we have to worry about." Jaser added. "We can go wild if we want."

Gajeel grinned knowing that was true. It was their time to save their friends, and now nothing was in the way except a few pesky guards.

"Here it goes." Gajeel said.

"Didn't you three hear me?" the guard asked. "I said move back."

The three just whirled around while throwing their cloaks off of themselves in a grand revealing. Jaser and Gajeel rushed forward as Sanjū unfurled her wings, so to take off into the air, which had many people screaming in fright at the sight of her.

"That Msytogan maybe one freaky weirdo, but we've got no other choice but to trust him right now." Gajeel said.

"Well, I'm not worried." Jaser said. "Because he's a member of our Fairy Tail family. Now, let's just worry getting the rest of our family back. I'll clear a path! Sand Dragon: Cyclone!"

Jaser did the pinwheel motion with his arms to send a bunch of sand towards the guards. They went flying backwards, which allowed Gajeel to keep running forward.

"Ain't no stopping me!" Gajeel said as he jumped into the air. "Iron Dragon: Iron Sword!"

His hand turned into a sword, which he brought down onto the lacrima to put a large crack in it. As the rest of the lacrima started to crack and glow, Gajeel jumped back. His eyes widened as he watched what was happening. Jaser paused in fighting back the guards to look at the lacrima with wide eyes as well.

"What is this?" Sanjū asked from the air as she looked down at the glowing lacrima.

The glowing nearly made it impossible to keep looking straight at the lacrima, so Sanjū covered her eyes. When the light started dimming a bit, she dropped her paw from her eyes to see three forms taking shape below. Her eyes widened when three familiar people sat up from the ground. She felt tears enter her eyes as she looked down at Rizzo, Gray, and Erza.

"You've got to be kidding me." Gajeel said. "It was just the three of them."

Jaser just smiled when seeing at least his little sister was alright. It was such a relief.

"Alright, you're free, so look alive!" Gajeel snapped at them.

The three Fairy Tail mages stood up from the ground completely as their bodies stopped glowing. Rizzo blinked while looking around in confusion.

"I was worried they fried your brains." Gajeel said.

Rizzo turned her eyes on Gajeel while seeing that Jaser was standing right behind Gajeel with a large grin plastered on his face.

"Gajeel, Jaser." Erza said.

"RIZZO!"

Rizzo gasped in surprise as Sanjū flew right into her bosom to hug her in relief.

"S-Sanjū." Rizzo said while putting her arms around Sanjū. "What's wrong?"

The pink feline only cried as she continued to hug the pinkette tightly as if her life depended on it. Gray frowned even more confused as he looked at all the men who looked like guards.

"What's going on?" Gray asked.

"We can talk later." Gajeel said. "Right now we've got to get out of here."

The guards then chose that moment to attack, which had Gray moving in front of Rizzo. She didn't put up a fight this time since she was busy holding the still crying Sanjū. Gray got in the stance to use his magic, but when nothing happened, his eyes widened.

"My magic isn't working!" He said.

"What?!" Rizzo and Erza asked in shock.

"I said I'd explain everything later," Gajeel, who was munching on some iron, said. "Now let's go, Sandman. Time for some double Dragon Slayer breath attack."

Jaser, who had uncorked a small gourd to drink the sand inside, grinned as he finished his little snack. He tossed the gourd over his shoulder then took a deep breath at the same time as Gajeel.

"Iron Dragon:/Sand Dragon: Roar!" they shouted.

Their iron and sand breath attacks mixed together to hit the oncoming soldiers, which cleared a path for all six of them.

"Run!" Sanjū, who managed to pull herself together, ordered. "And don't stop!"

Rizzo ran forward with Gray and Erza right behind her as Jaser and Gajeel continued to cause a ruckus with their Dragon Slayer magic.

"I expect a full explanation very soon!" Rizzo snapped as she continued running.

* * *

After finally ditching those guys from the royal army, the members of the Earth Land Fairy Tail gathered together at an empty street corner. Rizzo was still holding Sanjū as she leaned into Gray's side with his arm around her shoulders.

"How come you two were able to use magic?" Gray asked the two Dragon Slayers.

Gajeel and Jaser grinned as Gajeel pulled out the pill bottle that Msytogan gave them before sending them to Edolas.

"I'll tell you once you take one of these." Gajeel said.

"What is it?" Gray asked.

"If you're trying something, I will hurt you, Gajeel." Rizzo said as she frowned.

Gajeel rolled his eyes at Rizzo while still not believing any version of her can be a polite princess.

"Enough already." Erza said. "Just tell us what happened."

"Gees, Erza, there's no reason to raise your voice." Jaser said pouting. "We're only helping."

"Look what you did, Erza." Rizzo said frowning at the redhead. "You made Jaser sad."

Erza immediately apologized because she hadn't meant to hurt anyone's feelings. She just wanted to know where everyone else was and where they are.

"The three of you had been turned into a giant lacrima." Edolas Gajeel said as he and Edolas Jaser, who both had their heads down, joined the group.

"And we helped save all of you, so you should be thanking us." Edolas Jaser added.

Jaser grinned at Edolas Jaser, but he didn't get a grin in return. Actually Edolas Jaser literally ignored him, which had Jaser pouting. Why was almost everyone so mean to him?

"Told ya it'd be easy." Gajeel said to his counterpart.

"Indeed, but I'd expect no less from Earth Land Jaser and Earth Land me." Edolas Gajeel said then flicked his hat up to reveal his face. "I knew you were the right men for the job."

Edolas Jaser just scoffed as he raised his head to show his face as well. Rizzo, Erza, and Gray looked shocked as they looked between their Gajeel and Jaser to the Edolas Gajeel and Edolas Jaser. Rizzo was completely confused as to what was going on.

"This is insane!" Gray said.

"There's two Gajeels?!" Erza asked.

"And a double dose of Jaser!" Rizzo added as she pointed at Edolas Jaser.

He frowned at her while not appreciating the fact that he was being looked at like a sideshow. The two Gajeels grinned as Gajeel put his arm around Edolas Gajeel's shoulders.

"Although we look a lot alike, we're actually quite different." Edolas Gajeel said as he smiled. "Edolas Gajeel at your service, and this is my associate Edolas Jaser."

"And I am not at your service." Edolas Jaser said. "Helping as much as we already have has been annoying enough."

Rizzo's mouth dropped open in even more shock when her kind and friendly brother's lookalike acted like her usually sarcastic and smartass brother. She wasn't sure if she could handle this.

"I gotta say these guys have been a big help." Gajeel said to his guildmates. "Crazy how much he looks like me. We're like twins!"

Gajeel grinned thinking that was so cool, but Rizzo was more weirded out than feeling awed.

"Never mind that!" Erza said. "What do you mean we were turned into a giant lacrima?!"

"Yeah, forget about your weirdo twin!" Rizzo added. "Start talking, buddy!"

Gajeel and Edolas Gajeel blinked at their demanding tones as Edolas Jaser frowned thinking both women were being loud and annoying.

"Guess the girls aren't impressed." Gajeel said.

"I doubt many chicks would be impressed by two of that ugly mug." Gray said grinning.

Gajeel and Edolas Gajeel both frowned while feeling very insulted at the moment. Sanjū shook her head wishing everyone would just focus.

"All of you focus!" Sanjū said sternly. "We still need to save the rest of our guild and the people of Magnolia."

"Yes, ma'am, we're sorry." Jaser and Edolas Gajeel said.

Gajeel rolled his eyes getting extremely tired of Sanjū bossing him around even if the pink furball made good calls.

"Sanjū, what is going on?" Rizzo asked. "And where's Natsu, Lucy, and Happy?"

"I don't know exactly." Sanju said honestly. "However, I do know they are somewhere here in Edolas along with Wendy and Carla. The rest of our guildmates were turned into a lacrima like the three of you."

Rizzo, Gray, and Erza looked at Sanjū with wide eyes as Rizzo continued to hold Sanjū in her arms.

"What?" Erza asked.

"Yes, it may sound crazy, but all the Earth Land Fairy Tail mages were turned into a lacrima." Edolas Gajeel said. "The king wants to get his hands on your magic power."

Rizzo frowned already feeling the need to kick this king's teeth in even though she knows very little about him.

"The one in the plaza was so big we thought everyone in your guild was inside it." Edolas Jaser said.

"Obviously we made a big mistake." Jaser added. "Because it was just the two of you and little Rizzy."

He smiled at his sister while still so glad that she was safe and sound again. If she had gotten hurt in anyway, he would have buried the king in a mountain of sand and left him for dead.

"Gees, how big is the main lacrima?" Gajeel asked.

"You know, now that you mention it, I did happen to notice that the lacrima had a jagged surface as if though it had somehow been cut off a much larger one." Edolas Gajeel said.

That was all good to know, but it did them little good in Rizzo's opinion since they had no idea where this larger lacrima was.

"So many questions I'm not sure where to start." Gray said then pointed at the bottle in Gajeel's hand. "First, what's that stuff you're forcing on us?"

"The pills are called x-balls." Gajeel said. "You won't be able to use your magic here in Edolas unless you take one of them."

He passed a pill each to Rizzo, Erza, and Gray, so they could take one for themselves.

"That's what we heard at least." Gajeel added.

Rizzo looked at the pill silently for a moment before looking up at Gajeel and Jaser.

"And who told you this?" Rizzo asked.

"It was Msytogan." Jaser said with a grin.

His guildmates looked at him feeling a bit surprised to hear that. Their reclusive guildmate was the one who gave them these pills?

"Yeah, it's what that Mystogan guy said when he gave them to us." Gajeel explained.

Jaser nodded in confirmation, and since Rizzo knew these pills was from a guildmate, she felt less hesitant to take one.

"You saw Msytogan?" Erza asked surprised.

"Yes." Sanjū said nodding as she jumped from Rizzo's arms to stand in front of her friends. "And he explained much to us. Now take those pills. As you are, I will tell you everything what he told us."

Rizzo nodded her head then popped the pill into her mouth to swallow. Gray and Erza did the exact same as Sanjū quickly tried to explain everything to her three guildmates. As she explained the most important details, her guildmates seemed to become more surprised.

"Gees, our guild gets in the worst kind of trouble." Rizzo said once Sanjū finished explaining.

"Yes, but we can't stand around to discuss our horrible case of rotten luck." Erza said. "We must find this giant lacrima."

"Yes, I am aware." Sanjū said. "Which is why we must separate from here."

The five Earth Land Fairy Tail mages looked down to the pink Exceed as she looked up at them.

"There are two areas we must check." Sanjū said. "The rest of the city capital and the castle itself. Now, I will remain here with Jaser and Gajeel as we search the city. You three will go search the royal city. I don't know why…but my instincts tell me that our friends might already be there, which means both our search teams will have Dragon Slayers."

"Yes, that seems to be the best plan of action." Erza said as she nodded.

Rizzo knelt down in front of Sanjū with a solemn expression on her face. Sanjū looked back at her with a matching solemn expression.

"Sanjū, do you plan to fight?" Rizzo asked.

"I will if I must." Sanjū said. "I know when I was very young I swore never to cause harm to another living being. However, I said there would always be one exception to that rule, and that is if hurting another is to protect someone I care about then I will fight without hesitation in my heart."

Rizzo grinned as she nodded her head. She held her fist out to Sanjū, and Sanjū smiled as she bumped her paw against Rizzo's fist.

"Then let's go show these people of Edolas not to mess with mages of Fairy Tail." Rizzo said.

"Right." Sanjū said. "Let's all go forth and save our friends!"

* * *

As Gajeel and Jaser we're causing noise and fighting off army men down below, Sanjū flew above as she kept her eyes peeled for the lacrima. They had to save their friends as soon as possible, which means they have to work fast.

"Any signs of it, Sanjū?!" Jaser called up to her.

He then slugged a guard in the face to send him falling to the ground unconscious.

"Not yet!" Sanjū called back. "But I will keep searching."

Sanjū flew up a bit higher, but stayed close enough in case Jaser or Gajeel needed help. Jaser and Gajeel kept fighting off the men of the royal army with grins on their faces. They knew they needed to help their friends, but that didn't mean they couldn't have fun while doing it.

"Gajeel! Jaser! Sanjū!"

Sanjū whirled around as did the two Dragon Slayers below when they heard the familiar voice call out to them. Sanjū felt herself smile when seeing Happy flying towards them.

"Happy!" She cried out in joy.

"Hey, Cat, good to see ya!" Gajeel said sincerely.

"Happy, so glad you're in one piece." Jaser added as he grinned.

Happy didn't give back the same pleasant greetings as he stopped to float above the royal army and the two Dragon Slayers.

"I know where they're keeping the lacrima that the others are trapped in, so I'm going to take you there!" Happy said. "Sanjū, grab Jaser!"

"Right!" Sanjū said without stopping to think about asking questions.

She swooped down to lift Jaser up into the air, which was a tad difficult since he definitely wasn't as light as Rizzo. Happy picked up Gajeel as well, which didn't please the Iron Dragon Slayer one bit.

"Wait a second!" Gajeel said. "Get your paws off me!"

Happy ignored Gajeel's complaints as he and Sanjū soared higher up into the sky.

"Did you have to do anything special to change Gray, Erza, and Rizzo came to normal?" Happy asked.

Gajeel stopped struggling as a grin pulled across his face. He held up his fist proudly as he and Jaser were carried even higher by their furry guildmates.

"Just smashed it with Dragon Slayer magic." Gajeel said.

"Ah really?!" Happy asked. "How'd you know that would work?"

"Well, Msytogan told us, so we followed his instruction." Jaser explained.

Happy was glad they knew what to do because that meant they could save their friends. He and Sanjū flew up even higher, and soon Sanjū spotted the large lacrima floating in the sky. So the rest of their friends were above them this entire time.

"So is Msytogan somewhere in Edolas right now?" Happy asked as they got closer to the lacrima.

"I don't know!" Gajeel said.

"He wasn't when we last saw him." Sanjū said. "But that isn't important right now. What we need to focus on is this lacrima."

As soon as she said that, they arrived to the large blue lacrima. The two flying felines set the Dragon Slayers down on the chunk of rock the lacrima was on.

"Man, it's huge." Gajeel said.

"It's even bigger than I imagined." Happy said.

Sanjū knew it'd be big due to housing their guildmates and the people of Magnolia, but she never thought it'd be this large.

"Of course it is." Gajeel said as he raised his fist. "Talk about a high maintenance guild."

"Yeah." Jaser agreed as he chuckled. "I guess we better get started, or we'll be stuck here all day."

The two Dragon Slayers' stomachs then grumbled in unison, which had Gajeel frowning in annoyance as Jaser pouted.

"I expect all the iron I can get when we get back." Gajeel said.

"And I sure hope I can eat my weight and then some in sand." Jaser added as he cracked his knuckles. "All this work has us starving."

Gajeel nodded in agreement as he stretched his arm back knowing a lot more work was to come.

"You can have as much iron as you want." Happy said to Gajeel.

"And I'll personally buy you all the sand your stomach can hold." Sanjū promised Jaser.

With that motivation in mind the two Dragon slayers prepared to attack the lacrima. However, once again things weren't going to be easy for them as they were suddenly attacked from above. They were sent flying forward, but Jaser managed to catch Sanjū in one hand as he used the other to dig into the rock beneath him to slow down to a stop. He looked up at the sky as did his companions to see two tall felines.

One had a sword that had to be a good fifteen feet long or more, and the other was floating calmly in the sky with his hand on the hilt of the sword on his hip. Something about the second one seemed very familiar to Sanjū. It was his scent that seemed so familiar…It actually smelled nice, which had her frowning as the rest of her friends were ready for a fight.

"That cat's got a major sword." Gajeel said.

"Not you again!" Happy said to the first cat.

Gajeel jumped back onto his feet as Jaser set Sanjū down beside Happy. They were in for a fight now, and he had to make sure his hands were free for combat.

"The royal army's first magic warfare unit captain!" The panther-like cat said. "Known as Panther Lily, and this is my master Shironeko!"

Shironeko remained silent as he looked down at the four Earth Land Fairy Tailers. However, Sanjū felt as if he was looking more directly at her than her friends.

"Our current operation is dependent on this lacrima." Lily said. "Make one more move, and you're dead!"

He flew in to attack, which had Jaser and Gajeel stiffening while preparing to counteract.

"Those wings!" Happy said. "Does that mean they're Exceeds too?!"

"Stand out of the way." Gajeel said. "Sandman, take care of the lacrima as I deal with this guy!"

Jaser nodded his head then rushed towards the lacrima as Gajeel engaged Lily in combat. However, before he could get to close, he had to dodge backwards before he could be sliced in half. He landed on his feet while snapping his eyes up to Shironeko as he was holding out his sword.

"I do not wish to take the life of someone so young." Shironeko said. "Whether you believe me or not, I do not like violence. However, for the good of the kingdom I will use force to stop you if you continue trying to foil our operation."

Sanjū frowned looking at their two opponents as Happy went flying due to the attack caused by Lily. It seemed they ran into a real pickle. She sure hoped Rizzo and the others were having better luck than them at the moment.

* * *

Rizzo ran with Gray, Natsu, and Lucy as they searched the castle for the king. Once she found this guy, she was going to kick his damn teeth in.

"Any idea where this jerk of a king may be hiding?" Natsu asked.

"Well, seeing that he's a king and all I'd guess he's in some high and mighty place." Gray said.

Rizzo sighed because that didn't really help them. They are in castle after all, which meant everything was pretty much high and mighty. Natsu didn't seem to like that answer either since he butted heads with Gray in aggravation.

"I was asking ya for specifics, Frostbite!" Natsu said.

"How should I know?!" Gray demanded. "Like I've ever set foot in this castle before. Cut me some slack, would ya?"

"Cut it out, you guys." Lucy said.

The boys ignored her of course, but it wasn't like she really cared since she was soon stuck in her own thoughts. Rizzo was looking thoughtfully as well as she looked towards the wall in front of her. She hasn't been in this castle long, but it seemed all upside down to her. Like, Lucy had been held up above in the dungeons when dungeons tend to be underneath castles. At least that's what Rizzo thought. It's not like she's been in many castles before. Lucy seemed to be having the same thoughts, or at least that's what her mumbling suggested.

"What are you blabbering about over there, Lucy?" Natsu, who finally stopped fighting with Gray, asked.

"I know this castle's layout is weird." Gray said. "But is it really that crazy?"

"Afraid so." Lucy said as she sighed. "In fact, it's so crazy I wouldn't be surprised they were hiding an amusement park in here somewhere."

Rizzo was actually thinking the same, but she doubted that was true. She shook her head then opened the two large double doors to their rights.

"Let's stop standing here speculating." Rizzo said. "We won't find anyone if we remain still."

She then ran inside with the others following after her. The doors slammed shut behind them when Lucy followed in last, and made things rather dark. The hall they ran down was just barely lit with lacrima crystals, but it was enough light for them to see.

"Hey, Rizzo, you should probably know something." Natsu said as the group kept running.

Rizzo looked at Natsu curiously as he was looking back at her with a serious expression on his face.

"In this world you're a freaking princess!" Natsu exclaimed as his serious expression changed to a comical one.

Rizzo nearly tripped and fell on her face in shock as Gray's eyes widened. He hadn't been expecting to hear that.

"Say what?!" Rizzo asked.

"Yeah, the Edolas Rizzo is the princess of Edolas." Lucy said. "From what we've heard Edolas Rizzo is a very kind-hearted, gentle princess. However, she is too trusting, and believes whatever the king tells her, so she has no idea of what real evil the king is up to."

"Gees, the Edolas Rizzo is pathetic." Rizzo said as she frowned. "If we run into her, I'm going to smack some sense into her. No one with my face is going to let anyone control her."

Rizzo really, really wouldn't let the Edolas Rizzo keep believing the lies of the king. Rizzo would make sure Edolas Rizzo would toughen up before they left here.

"Hey, I see more light up ahead." Gray said getting everyone to focus back on their task.

Rizzo looked forward seeing the light as well. Rizzo ran forward faster with Natsu and Gray right beside her. When they made it to the large entry way into the room they came to a skidding halt with their eyes widening when seeing the amusement part in front of them.

"There is one!" The three of them exclaimed.

Lucy frowned in confusion at their odd behavior as she finally caught up to them.

"What's the big deal?" Lucy asked as she looked at them.

Rizzo grabbed her chin to turn her towards what they were looking at, and Lucy's eyes widened when she finally saw what had them shocked. There really was a damn amusement part in this castle!

"Whoa, I was just kidding!" Lucy said.

Rizzo shook her head really not understanding this king. However, a lot of that stuff did look like fun.

"What the?!" Natsu muttered. "This king is a total nutjob!"

Natsu then made this really weird face as he stared at the large volcano in the park.

"You don't have the right to call anybody else a nutjob with that kind of look on your face." Gray deadpanned.

Natsu didn't seem to hear him, which had Gray rolling his eyes. The four Earth Land Fairy Tailers then walked forward to get a better look at the place. Suddenly the carousel beside them lit up and started moving, which had them standing at the ready for a fight just in case. As the horses went by, a man wearing pink armor and who was practically sparkling started going by.

"Mhmm, I just love carousels." He said.

He laughed as he went around the ride again. Rizzo frowned wondering who this weirdo was.

"They're so much fun." He said as he came back around. "You wanna give it a try? Mhmm?"

Rizzo heard something coming towards them as the ground shook a bit. She turned her head seeing it was a large ship, which had her knocking Lucy down out of the way. The two hit the floor with Rizzo and Lucy holding onto each other as Gray tried to cover the both of them as best as he good. Natsu was on his own as he scrambled back to get out of the way. As the ship was moving backwards, a man with purple hair and white tipped bangs could be seen from the front.

"Who knew unlimited magic power could be such a blast?" He asked. "It really sucks to know we're running out of it for good."

Rizzo just frowned as she stood up with her friends. If these guys were looking for a fight, she'd give it to them without a problem.

"Just the thought of it makes me mad." The man continued. "Real mad."

"Mhmm, our kingdom is going to obtain everlasting magic power." The other guy said. "And we're willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen."

"I hate to admit it, but we're desperate." Boat boy said as he held up a glowing wand. "So if anyone gets in our way, we have to cut them down!"

"Enough talking. Really, Sugar Boy, Hughes, when you are sent to annihilate a foe you do so without making idle chitchat."

Rizzo froze at the familiar sounding voice before turning her head to see Breccan standing there. Or at least someone who looked like him.

"Right." Hughes said. "Sorry, Breccan."

"Mhmm, we shall get right to it." Sugar Boy added.

"Good." The Edolas Breccan said. "Now say your prayers, Earth Landers, because you're about to meet your maker."


	66. Fight In a Amusement Park

Rizzo frowned at the Edolas Breccan while feeling quite angry that someone with Breccan's face could be ready to fight members of Fairy Tail. And that cold look in Edolas Breccan's eyes made her sick. She was going to kick this guy's ass herself.

"Mhmm, will you be good animals, and go back to your cages without a fight?" Sugar Boy asked.

"Dude, you don't give the cattle a choice." Hughes said. "You just make them do whatever you want."

"You two can go suck it!" Rizzo snapped. "I don't do what people tell me, ya hear?!"

If they thought Rizzo and her friends would just do as they were told, they're more stupid than they look. She'd show them she's nothing like her Edolas counterpart.

"Man, I know she isn't our Princess Rizzo, but hearing someone with her face and her voice sound so defiant and crude bugs me." Hughes said.

"Mhmm, yes, it's quite disturbing." Sugar Boy added.

"I'll show you disturbing once I shove my foot up your asses!" Rizzo threatened.

She then had to dodge to the side when she felt an attack aimed at her head. Her friends called out to her in worry as she flipped in the air before landing on her feet. She glared forward seeing it was the Edolas Breccan who attacked her.

"Rizzo!" Her friends called out again.

Rizzo waved them off when they looked as if they were going to run her to give her aid. She didn't want any help. This fight would be hers.

"I must agree with my associates that hearing you speak with our princess's voice and face is disturbing." Edolas Breccan said as he walked forward. "Which is why I'm going to silence you, so you may never speak again. Then make sure at the end of this fight that your body is so mangled that no one will be ready to identify you."

Rizzo grit her teeth together while not standing to hear Breccan's voice say such horrible things. It wasn't right. Gray was gritting this teeth together as well as he glared coldly at Edolas Breccan.

"You can try." Rizzo said. "But I'll be the winner of this fight because I'm not letting someone like you who wears my brother's face walk around saying such vile things with his voice. Besides, you and your friends messed with Fairy Tail, which will prove to be a fatal mistake for you."

Edolas Breccan narrowed his eyes at Rizzo then tossed his coat to the side before spinning the hammer around in his hand as if it weighed nothing.

"You talk big, girly, but we already took yours and your friends' magical powers away, so we don't have to handle with care, which means we can go all out to destroy the four of you." Hughes said. "If Code: E.T.D pans out like the old man hopes that means you eyesores just become a waste of space, and if there's one thing we that excel at it's clearing out the clutter. Hope you're ready to meet your maker!"

Hughes then attacked Rizzo's friends with the large boat he was on, but Rizzo didn't even blink as she kept her eyes on Edolas Breccan.

"That's a rather cold look in your eyes." Edolas Breccan said. "Aren't you the least bit worried about your friends?"

"No." Rizzo said. "Because I know they're alright."

Edolas Breccan looked at Rizzo skeptically since there was no way her friends should have been able to escape that attack alive.

"Where'd that ice come from?" Hughes asked as the smoke cleared.

Rizzo grinned knowing that Gray must have put up an ice shield just in the nick of time. Edolas Breccan frowned while glancing back to see the ice shield in front of Rizzo's companions.

"So these Earth Land freaks use magic like Exceeds do?" Hughes asked.

"Pretty much." Rizzo said with a shrug. "However, some of us are holder type mages, but our magic items are fueled by the very magic within us not through lacrima."

Hughes frowned because he hadn't known the rumors he heard were so true. He had thought it was just all tall tells.

"I thought their item less magic was nothing but rumors, mhmm." Sugar Boy said. "It's truly breathtaking to behold."

Natsu then caught on fire, which had Hughes looking at him with wide eyes. As Natsu started attacking Hughes, Lucy and Gray started sinking into the ground.

"Crap." Rizzo said when she saw them sinking down farther. "I'm coming, guys!"

Rizzo ran forward without hesitation, and she jumped over Edolas Breccan who didn't try to stop her since he wanted to try and read her movements. While still in the air, Rizzo spun over while reaching down to grab onto Lucy's wrists.

"Rizzo!" Lucy exclaimed.

Using the momentum of her fall back towards the ground and her own strength Rizzo jerked Lucy right out of the sinking floor.

"Thank-you so much, Rizzo!" Lucy said.

Rizzo nodded her head then heard screaming from above, so she looked up seeing Natsu being strapped down in a rollercoaster ride.

"Natsu isn't looking so hot." Gray said as he continued sinking. "Rizzo, you or Lucy need to get up there."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Lucy asked.

"Not we." Rizzo said. "You. I have a fight to get back to, so you have to go up there to help Natsu."

"And how am I supposed to get up there?" Lucy asked.

She immediately regretted asking since Rizzo smirked while keeping a firm hold on Lucy's wrists.

"I'll get you up there." Rizzo assured her.

Rizzo took a deep breath then started spinning around rapidly, which had Lucy yelping in fear. Once Rizzo picked up enough speed she tossed Lucy high up into the air while heading right towards the rollercoasters. She landed on the one above Natsu as the pinkette was groaning in pain.

"Nice throw." Gray said.

"Thanks." Rizzo replied.

She then grunted in pain when she was hit right in the gut by Edolas Breccan's hammer. She went sailing through the air as Gray called out her name in worry. Rizzo managed to flip herself in the air to land on her feet, and even though she skid across the ground she remained on her feet in a crouched position. She frowned at Edolas Breccan as he was walking towards her.

"I'm fine." Rizzo said to Gray. "You just worry about the guy wearing the funny pink armor."

Gray frowned wanting to help her, but he knew that she could handle herself. He then used his ice make magic to get him out of the floor. As he was doing that, Rizzo had to dodge another attack from Edolas Breccan. She watched as his hammer hit the ground, and as it did the floor seemed to rumble with vibrations before a large crack opened in the floor. Rizzo frowned guessing this version of her brother used similar magic.

"Looks like I've got my work cut out for me." Rizzo said.

"It doesn't matter how much you try to win this fight." Edolas Breccan said. "I will kill you soon enough. No mage who has faced me has lived to see the next day."

"Sorry, but I'm not just some mage." Rizzo said. "I am a mage of Fairy Tail, and mages of Fairy Tail are known for doing the impossible."

Edolas Breccan smirked finding this woman's cockiness amusing. Rizzo snapped her fingers with guitar case snapping off her back to float behind her. Edolas Breccan took a stance to prepare for her attack. Rizzo held out her hand expectantly, but after a few seconds nothing happened.

"What the hell?" Rizzo asked. "Where's my guitar? Come on!"

Nothing happened again, and a second later Edolas Breccan struck her, which sent her flying up into the air. Rizzo cried out in pain while feeling pain in her ribs as some snapped. Rizzo hit the ground in between Gray and Sugar Boy.

"Rizzo!" Gray called out.

"My…my instruments they won't come to me." Rizzo said as she started pushing herself off the floor. "They won't answer my call."

Gray's eyes widened then had to act quickly when an attack was sent right for Rizzo. He snatched her up in one arm then used his ice to block the attack from Edolas Breccan as he jumped back. Gray landed a few feet away while gently setting Rizzo as he crouched down beside her.

"Why won't my instruments come to me?" Rizzo said. "I can use me magic. I can feel it, but they won't come through the case."

Gray frowned not sure, but then his eyes widened when he realized something.

"Fairy Hills is inside the giant lacrima." Gray said. "That means your instruments aren't even in their usual physical form."

Rizzo mentally cursed realizing that Gray was right. Her instruments couldn't come to her when they called because they weren't even in instrument form at the moment.

"Dammit." Rizzo cursed aloud.

"Don't worry." Gray said as he stood. "I can fight them. Just stay behind me."

Gray got into a fighting stance to fight Edolas Breccan and Sugar Boy as they were closing in on them. Rizzo grit her teeth as she lifted her head up to glare at Edolas Breccan. She wanted to bust his face in, and rearrange it since she couldn't let someone, who looked exactly like her second eldest brother, walk around being the exact opposite of her Breccan. Besides, she doesn't hide behind anyone.

"No." Rizzo said as she stood up.

Gray looked at her in confusion as Rizzo stepped forward with a determined look in her eyes.

"I'm not completely useless without my instruments." Rizzo said. "And I don't need protecting from my boyfriend. The fight with the jerk with the hammer is mine, so worry about your own battle."

Gray opened his mouth to protest, but Rizzo ran forward to engage Edolas Breccan in battle. Edolas Breccan took a swing at her with his hammer. However, Rizzo dodged then grabbed the end of his hammer while spinning around to put her foot in his face. He went flying backwards as she landed on her feet on the ground.

"If I have to fight him with no magic at all, I will do so." Rizzo said as she cracked her knuckles.

"Are you crazy?!" Gray demanded. "There's no way you can beat him without magic!"

"I can do whatever the hell I want!" Rizzo snapped. "I am the woman who will beat Erza Scarlet who is also known as Titiana Queen of the Fairies. I am the woman who will take the spot of Fairy Tail's number one female mage. If I plan to ever reach those goals, I can't back down from a battle even if I can't use magic. So leave this to me."

Gray frowned still wanting to protest, but the look in Rizzo's eyes was so resolute. It would be insulting to her if he continued insisting that she should let him protect her.

"Fine." Gray said. "But you better come back to me in at least one piece."

Rizzo grinned as she glanced back at Gray who still had a bit of worry in his eyes.

"I promise." Rizzo said. "But you should really worry about yourself, Frosty."

Gray snorted with some of the tension in his body relaxing as he felt his lips turn up into a grin. Rizzo then cracked her neck as she rolled her shoulders.

"Now let's get this fight started for real." Rizzo said as she stepped towards Edolas Breccan as he was standing up.

He wiped the blood from his bottom lip as he smirked. It looked like this fight would be interesting even if his opponent had no magic to use. He would enjoy this fight.

"Hmm, you have resolve if nothing else." Edolas Breccan said. "You have earned my respect. Therefore I will treat this fight seriously. Now, I am Breccan Moon the Royal Army Co-Captain of the 2nd Warfare Division."

"And I am Rizzo Sweeney of the Earth Land Fairy Tail." Rizzo replied.

Rizzo got into a stance to fight, and Edolas Breccan continued smirking as he held his hammer out in front of him.

"I'm ready for you." Edolas Breccan said. "You'll fall just like all my other opponents before long."

"I'm not like all the other people you've faced." Rizzo said. "So you should prepare to have a stain on that perfect record of yours."

* * *

Sanjū, who was carrying Jaser, dodged in the air as Shironeko tried once more to cut them down. Not far from them Happy was carrying Gajeel who was blocking and throwing attacks at Lily. Sanjū frowned having the feeling tat the more time they spend fighting these large Exceeds the more their friends were in trouble. She had to snap out of her worrying for a moment as she dodged Shironeko was more. Shironeko tried to slice down at them from up above, but Jaser used his dragon slayer magic to block Shironeko's blade.

"Hmm, your sand is much stronger than it appears." Shironeko said as Sanjū flew back a few feet to fly beside Happy when Gajeel finished pushing back Lily once more.

"That's because it's the sand of a dragon." Jaser said.

He was confident no blade could easily cut through his sand if he compacted it hard enough like Sabbia had once taught him.

"Impressive for a giant furball." Gajeel said to Lily.

"So this is the type of magic Earth Landers use." Lily said as he frowned at Gajeel and Jaser. "Interesting."

Gajeel just continued grinning while feeling excitement pumping through his veins.

"Figures I'd have to come to another world to find a challenge." Gajeel said. "Let's kick it up a notch and see who can draw the first blood."

Sanjū frowned because they weren't here to see who could hurt whom first. They needed to stop playing around to actually try and save their guildmates.

"I don't think I'll be able to carry you for very long." Happy said. "You're a lot heavier than Natsu! Then again I haven't dropped big old Lucy yet."

"Are you sure you should saying something like that out loud?" Gajeel asked grinning. "What do you think she'd do if she heard ya?"

"Sorry, Lucy, just kidding!" Happy apologized.

Sanjū growled having enough of this fooling around because it was helping no one.

"Both of you quit goofing off!" Sanjū ordered. "We haven't the time for this foolishness! We have to hurry and defeat our foes, so we can save our guildmates!"

Happy immediately apologized while scared of Sanjū when she's angry. He's never seen her truly angry like she is now, but she sure was scaring him. Gajeel just frowned as he rolled his eyes. It wasn't like the lacrima would be going anywhere anytime soon. So why not have some fun?

"Sanjū, what's wrong?" Jaser asked. "Something has you on edge."

"It's hard to explain, but my senses are telling me danger is much closer than we realize." Sanjū said. "As if being here puts us in danger of something that will be coming, and that means our friends are in danger just floating here stuck as a lacrima."

Lily stiffened with his eyes widening as he looked down at the young pink Exceed in utter shock. She had the same powers as his sensei?! Shironeko just kept an unreadable expression on his face as he looked at Sanjū as well.

"Really?" Happy asked. "That doesn't sound good."

Gajeel frowned knowing it didn't sound good, but he was sure Sanjū was just being paranoid. She was so worried about everyone that she had to be just thinking she feels things that she really can't. Unlike Gajeel, Jaser was worried when Sanjū said this. If she was right then their friends really were in danger, and the four of them had very little time to get them out of danger.

"Tch, set me down." Gajeel said to Happy.

"You sure?" Happy asked.

"I doesn't feel right having Salamander's cat haul be around." Gajeel said. "Til I find my own flying cat I'll skip aerial brawling, and work my magic on good old dirt."

"Whatever you say." Happy said.

He started lowering Gajeel down onto the dirt surrounding the lacrima as Sanjū was setting down Jaser as well. Once they were on the ground, Lily's sword grew once more to at least twenty feet tall or so.

"Gotta give the guy props for carrying that giant thing everywhere." Gajeel said.

"No kidding." Happy said.

He then went to explain how the measurement of the sword was, which had Gajeel snapping at him in annoyance as Jaser laughing.

"Focus!" Sanjū snapped.

Jaser and Happy apologized while hanging their heads as Sanjū tail bristled behind her in annoyance. Shironeko attacked then, which had Sanjū quickly swooping in to save Happy from getting hit as Jaser and Gajeel jumped back.

"Thanks, Sanjū." Happy said as Sanjū set him down.

Sanjū nodded her head as they turned to look up Shironeko and Lily as the two continued to float above them.

"You children should listen to the young pink feline." Shironeko said. "If you continue to get sidetracked in battle, you will lose your lives."

Shironeko looked down at them with his eyes cold, which had Happy gulping in fright.

"Or perhaps you feel so confident that you're not worried, so you play games in the middle of battle." Lily guessed.

The ground that Shironeko struck started falling away, which had Happy gapping in shock.

"He did that with one clean strike!" Happy said.

"And the other one is his student, which means he must be strong as well." Sanjū said. "That means we can't afford to play around. Nor can we waste too much time on this fight. Our friends need us to save them, and we will because I refuse to lose everyone I love all over again!"

Jaser looked away with a sad look in his eyes as Happy looked at Sanjū sympathetically.

"Which is why I won't be sitting on the sidelines any longer!" Sanjū added as she started to glow. "To save my friends I will fight if I must! To save my friends I will break my vow of never hurting another living being. To save my friends I will put my life on the line!"

The boys, but Happy, watched in absolute shock as Sanjū grew in size. When the glowing light disappeared Sanjū had not only gotten to about the size of a young human girl, she looked like a young teenage human. She didn't have fur on her body except for her long pink hair that fell to her waist. She had a somewhat of a curvy form and a heart-shaped face with a button nose and shell pink lips. The only feline features were the long fluffy tail behind her, and her long pointed ears on top her head.

"What the hell?!" Gajeel asked.

"It's Sanjū's transformed form!" Happy said. "She learned how to do it from Mirajane, and while in this form she has taken combat lessons from Rizzo and Natsu. She even had a few swordsmanship lessons with Erza!"

Jaser had no idea Sanjū learned all this. She's never mentioned it to him before.

"Impressive." Shironeko said. "It's not a battle form, but to have learned such a skill at young age is something to be proud of."

Lily silently agreed it was impressive as Sanjū looked up at the two of them with eyes that were so much like his sensei's gaze.

"I told myself I would only take this form outside of training if I planned to fight." Sanjū said. "You two are the only ones aside from my guildmates who have seen me use such magic because I don't like to fight. I hate it in fact because ever since watching my first family being slaughtered by men and women who craved violence when I wasn't even a year old, I never wanted to cause any harm to anyone or anything that was living or could feel pain. However, I cannot just stand back when my family is in danger, which is why I will fight!"

* * *

Rizzo cried out in pain as she smashed through some glass into one of the small shops in the amusement park. She forced herself into a sitting position with the glass cutting her hands. It had even cut her arms and sliced up her clothes a bit.

"Dammit." She said. "I talked really big in front of Gray, but I'm totally getting my ass handed to me."

She's only landed a few blows on Edolas Breccan, but for the most part he was kicking her ass. Every time that hammer struck her it cracked her bones with the threat of them breaking completely. She was lucky he hasn't hit her in the head yet with that thing. She didn't want her skull cracked or her brains scrambled. She's tried some sound magic on him, but it's barely made a scratch on him. And it was wearing her out fast.

"I need to think of something quick." Rizzo said. "I can't lose here. I refuse."

She then blinked when noticing what kind of store she went crashing into. She looked around seeing instruments galore. When her eyes landed on a sweet looking guitar, she grinned thinking the tide of this battle just might have turned in her favor. Well, she wasn't about look a gift horse in the mouth. These instruments might be different since they're powered by lacrima, but she was sure she could pump her own magic through it as well.

Maybe she could even take the lacrima out then fuel her own magic inside. These instruments were made to have some kind of magic to be put into them, so it was something she could definitely work with. She got up onto her feet while hurrying over to the guitar being displayed on the wall as she heard footsteps heading her way.

"Are you still alive in there?" Edolas Breccan called out. "Or did I already kill you?"

Rizzo didn't reply of course as she plucked the guitar right off the wall. She looked it over seeing that it was a bit different than she was used to playing. Of course, Clyde always made her instruments perfect for her personal use. She couldn't be picky though right now, so she'd make it work. She saw that the lacrima in this instrument was stored in the neck of the guitar where it was decorated with jewels, which made it look quite gaudy.

"Come out, come out, little girl." Edolas Breccan called out as he was getting closer. "Don't tell me you're already done for. I thought you were going to beat me."

"Oh, I am." Rizzo whispered as she pulled out the small lacrima from the neck of the guitar.

She grinned as she put the strap of the guitar around her shoulder before turning towards the window as Edolas Breccan stepped through with the glass cracking underneath his feet.

"So you are alive." He said then tilted his head. "And decided to play around? Shouldn't you be more focused on this fight?"

"I'm completely focused on this fight." Rizzo said. "It might be an Edolas magical instrument, but I'm going to mix things up by pouring my own magic into it."

Edolas Breccan narrowed his eyes as the magic within Rizzo started to guild exponentially.

"You're screwed now, buddy." Rizzo said. "Because with an instrument in my hand there's no way I'll lose to you."

"Hmph, we shall see." Edolas Breccan said as he spun his hammer out in front of him.

Rizzo grinned as her magic built more and more. She'd crush this guy without hesitation. She started to play a few cords to gear up for a song.

"Song of Nightmares!" Rizzo shouted.

Edolas Breccan's eyes widened as ghouls and ghosts shot out from the magic circle in front of Rizzo to attack him. Darkness followed out as well to make it nearly impossible to see. Edolas Breccan started fighting off the ghouls and ghosts with his hammer as Rizzo started to rip through a complicated guitar riff. She started head banging as the song became more intense.

"What kind of magic is this?!" Edolas Breccan demanded as he crushed another ghoul under his hammer.

He peered through the darkness towards Rizzo as she continued to play the guitar.

"Is she really producing this magic through playing an instrument?" Edolas Breccan asked.

"Let's add some hellfire into this song!" Rizzo said. "Dual Guitar Mode!"

Edolas Breccan's eyes widened as a shadow shadowy figure appeared beside Rizzo while holding a dark shape that looked like a guitar. The shadow figure started playing a different set of notes that was so different yet fit in well with Rizzo's song.

"Song of Hell's Fire!" Rizzo said.

Fire started shooting out towards Edolas Breccan, which had him trying to dodge. He growled in frustration knowing he needed to take down Rizzo soon. He wouldn't be defeated by some Earth Lander and her strange magic.

"I'm not done yet!" He said.

He started running forward while hitting any ghoul or ghost that got in his way. He dodged the hellfire while drawing in closer to Rizzo who just continued playing not looking worried. In fact, she smirked just as he was almost right on top of her. He raised his hammer about to bring it down, but a fiery geyser shot up out of the ground making him jump back. He grit his teeth together before gasping when little red devils shot up out of the ground along with the fire.

"How is music capable of such magic?!" He demanded.

He then tried to fight of the devils as they closed in on him. Some he was able to knock down, but others got past his weapon to attack him directly. They all laughed evilly as their fiery touch burned his skin.

"This is the end for you, Breccan Moon." Rizzo said as she grinned. "I told you that I wouldn't allow you to keep walking around with my brother's face. Now time to end this rocking composition!"

There was an explosion with the ghouls and ghosts going in for a final attack after she said that as she slammed the chords to finish both songs in unison with her shadowy figure. As the smoke was clearing, the shadowy figure vanished from Rizzo's side. Rizzo stood there catching her breath as the guitar in her hands started to crack.

"Looks like it couldn't hold up to my magic." Rizzo said as it continued cracking.

It shattered completely to fall to the ground in pieces. Rizzo let out a deep breath before brushing her bangs back. She then glanced over at Edolas Breccan as he laid on the ground completely unconscious.

"I've got to get back to the others." Rizzo said.

She was a bit worried since she's been aware of all the other explosions and rumbling not caused by her and Edolas Breccan's fight. Rizzo walked towards the door while deciding to actually use it like a civilized person. However, instead of opening it like a civilized person would do, she kicked it right off its hinges. As it went flying through the air, Rizzo walked out of the shop.

The door crashed to the floor as Rizzo, who didn't even blink at the door's loud landing, looked around for any sign of her friends. She didn't sense Natsu using any magic energy nor Lucy. They must have finished fighting. However, Gray was currently engaged in battle. At least that's what Rizzo believed since she sensed his magical energy flaring.

"I'll go this way." She said as she turned.

She started jogging in the direction she chose while hoping to find her friends quickly. She heard Lucy's voice not long after, which had hear picking up her pace a bit. She rounded a corner with her eyes widened when she saw a large blob like thing that kind of looked like an octopus laying on the ground.

"Come on!" She heard Lucy shout. "Pull a little harder!"

"I'm trying!" Another voice replied.

Rizzo frowned in confusion since she had no idea who owned that other voice. Rizzo got closer to the octopus to see Lucy stuck halfway underneath with a young girl trying to pull her out.

"Lucy, what the hell have you gotten yourself into this time?" Rizzo asked.

Lucy and the girl gasped as they looked back at Rizzo with wide eyes. The pinkette had her hands on her hips with her brow quirked.

"Rizzo!" Lucy exclaimed while looking so relieved. "Please, help me get out from under this icky octopus!"

Rizzo sighed before crouching down to reach for Lucy as the girl backed away seeming a bit nervous around Rizzo. Rizzo grabbed Lucy's arms when the blonde held them out to her.

"This might hurt." Rizzo said as she stood.

"Just get me free!" Lucy begged.

Rizzo braced one foot against the side of the octopus as she started pulling Lucy as hard as she could.

"Ow, my arms!" Lucy cried. "It feels like they're going to be ripped right off! Owie!"

"Just hang in there, Lulu." Rizzo said as she continued pulling.

The girl watched on silently as Rizzo kept pulling and pulling Lucy's arms as her foot pushed against the octopus creature. Lucy kept crying and whining about her arms, but Rizzo had no other way to get her loose. Rizzo felt Lucy actually slip out from under the octopus a bit, which was a good sign.

"Almost there!" Rizzo said as she pulled a bit harder.

Lucy cried out a bit more in pain, but then there was a "pop!" noise as Rizzo finally freed Lucy. Rizzo stumbled back into the ground with Lucy falling into her lap.

"Finally." Lucy said as she laid there a moment. "Thanks, Rizzo."

"You're welcome." Rizzo replied. "How are your arms?"

"Miraculously still attached to my body." Lucy replied with a joking tone.

Rizzo let out a chuckle before hearing footsteps heading their way. Rizzo quickly got up onto her feet to stand in front of Lucy and the girl.

"Who's there?" Rizzo called out.

A person came around the corner, and Rizzo's eyes widened when she came face to face with herself. Lucy's eyes widened as well as she once more saw her friend's counterpart who she had saw first in the square the other day. Edolas Rizzo was wearing a much shorter dress from when Lucy saw her last that fell mid-thigh though it still looked like her dress from earlier. It was the same blue color with the same off the shoulder sleeves that flowed down to her wrists. There was also a pink ribbon wrapped around her waist now that was tied into a bow in the back. Then she had on white stockings and sandal like heels.

"Princess!" the girl exclaimed.


	67. Give It Everything to Save Our Friends!

"Princess Rizzo, what are you doing here?" The girl asked. "It's not safe."

Edolas Rizzo just looked towards the girl as she remained sitting on the ground.

"Coco, you're hurt." Edolas Rizzo said with a concerned look in her eyes. "You poor dear."

Rizzo's eyes widened even more when hearing someone with her voice sound almost like a concerned mother. Edolas Rizzo stepped forward with the girl Coco scrambling to her knees to bow.

"No, don't bow." Edolas Rizzo said gently as she knelt down in front of Coco. "There's no reason for that."

Rizzo and Lucy exchanged a glance wondering what the princess of Edolas was doing down here. And shouldn't she have like retainers or something? Rizzo would think a princess would have some kind of guard or someone at her side at all times even in the castle. Edolas Rizzo then looked up to look at Rizzo, which had the Earth Land pinkette frowning.

"So you are my Earth Land counterpart." Edolas Rizzo said as she stood up. "I am Rizzo the princess of Edolas, but I born Rizzo Swanson the daughter of the musical instrument manufacture tycoon Link Swanson."

Rizzo was glad to hear that even in this world that music was still a big part of her life. Or rather her counterpart's life.

"And you're my Edolas counterpart." Rizzo replied. "I am Rizzo Sweeney of the Earth Land Fairy Tail.."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Edolas Rizzo said.

She gave a small curtsey, which had Rizzo frowning. Seeing herself even if it is another version of herself acting so ladylike bothered her. Edolas Rizzo then turned her eyes onto Lucy.

"And you look exactly like Lucy Ashley of the Edolas Fairy Tail." Edolas Rizzo said.

"Um, yeah." Lucy said. "I'm Lucy Heartfilia of the Earth Land Fairy Tail."

Edolas Rizzo gave Lucy a curtsey as well, and to be polite Lucy mimicked the action.

"Princess, how do you know who the members of a dark guild are?" Coco asked.

"That's because I have secretly been working with the Edolas Fairy Tail guild for a while now." Edolas Rizzo said then sighed. "Though I don't know if they know it themselves."

Coco gasped in absolute shock as Lucy and Rizzo's eyes widened in surprise. They hadn't been expecting that. From what Lucy saw Edolas Rizzo had been completely for the anima program since she supposedly didn't know the truth behind it all.

"People believe that I am unaware of what King Faust has been doing over the years." Edolas Rizzo said as she looked down. "They think I am ignorant to the fact that he has deprived many towns in our kingdom of magic, or that he has ordered the execution to any members of magic guilds. Or to the fact that the lacrima in the square had been formed with the bodies and magic of mages from Earth Land, or that the giant lacrima above our city has even more lives trapped inside. But I have actually known all these things for a while."

It was completely silent as Coco, Rizzo, and Lucy stared at Edolas Rizzo as the princess lifted her gaze.

"I knew I had to do something to help stop King Faust." Edolas Rizzo said. "But I'm not a fighter at least not like my counterpart seems to be, so I tried to give resources to those who had a chance of fighting against the king. I would give information to the freelance journalists Gajeel and Jaser who would pass it along to a member of the Edolas Fairy Tail, or to someone who would tell one of their members. I've sent magical items to the black market magic shops, and instructed the shop owners to gift the items to the Edolas Fairy Tail."

Coco's eyes were wide as she stared at her princess. She had no idea that all this time Edolas Rizzo was aware of what was going on let alone helping enemies of the kingdom.

"However, I didn't want it getting out that I've been helping the kingdom's "enemies", so I kept up the ruse of not knowing, and asked the people I was working with not to tell anyone of my involvement." Edolas Rizzo continued to explain. "I even asked them to spread the word that I was just an ignorant princess who doesn't know about the darkness within the kingdom. I knew it was wrong what the king was doing, and I didn't want for our people or the people of Earth Land to suffer, so I took what action I could."

Edolas Rizzo then looked towards Coco with a guilty look in her eyes as Coco was still looking at her with wide eyes.

"I am very sorry for deceiving you, Coco." Edolas Rizzo said. "Out of everyone in the castle, you are my closet friend, but I kept you in the dark of my plans. I just didn't want everlasting magic in our kingdom since doing so would make others suffer. I would much rather have everlasting peace and smiles. If you are angry with me, I understand. And would accept any punishment you think is fit."

Coco stood up onto her feet silently then walked towards Edolas Rizzo with Rizzo and Lucy watching quietly. Edolas Rizzo was surprised when Coco put her arms around Edolas Rizzo to hug the princess tightly.

"No, I'm sorry, princess." Coco said as she cried. "I had been trying to keep you in the dark all this time as King Faust ordered me. That's not what friends do. So please forgive me!"

Edolas Rizzo smiled softly at Coco while putting her arms around the younger girl. Lucy smiled at the moment as Rizzo crossed her arms over her chest.

"Hmph, guess I won't have to beat some sense or backbone into her at all." Rizzo said as she grinned. "My counterpart might not fight with her fists like I do, but she sure isn't a coward and will fight in any way she can. I can respect that."

Lucy chuckled while lightly sweat-dropping at how casually Rizzo brought up her previous plan of kicking her counterpart's ass.

"Now, now, Coco." Edolas Rizzo finally said. "Right now isn't the time for tears. It seems there is work to be done."

"Yes, your highness!" Coco said as she stepped back then turned towards Lucy and Rizzo. "Please, let's work together to save your friends, Lily, and Shironeko-sensei!"

Rizzo grinned as she slammed her fist into her open palm. Lucy stood beside Rizzo grinning as well as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Kid, you don't have to ask us twice." Rizzo said.

* * *

Sanjū swiftly moved to the side to avoid the slice of Shironeko's blade. She then struck her fist out, but Shironeko blocked it with his arm.

"Jaser, go after the lacrima!" Sanjū called out. "We don't have the time to waste. I sense as if the danger is growing."

Shironeko's ears twitched he too sensed a disturbance in the air. Something was happening at the castle that was triggering his senses. It had him feeling a bit uneasy.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Jaser asked looking concerned.

"Honestly, I can't even match a fraction of his power." Sanjū said. "However, you and Gajeel are the only two here who can revert everyone back to normal, so I will distract him for as long as I can."

Jaser frowned not sure he liked this plan, but he knew he'd just have to put his faith in Sanjū, so he nodded his head in the end. He went running towards the lacrima with Shironeko immediately going to stop him. However, before Shironeko could get a swing on Jaser, Sanjū appeared in front of him. She grabbed his wrist to stop him from completing his swing before spinning around into the air while still holding onto his wrist to kick him in the face. She let go of him as he was sent skidding backwards. He hadn't moved back far, but it was enough for Jaser to reach the lacrima without being stopped.

"Alright, here I go!" Jaser said. "Sand Dragon: Talon!"

He spun up into the air while kicking the lacrima multiple times with strong kicks of sand. It started cracking, which had Lily and Shironeko stiffening.

"Stop at once!" Lily shouted as he rushed towards Jaser. "I won't let you destroy this lacrima."

He went to cut Jaser down as the Sand Dragon Slayer reared back a sand covered fist to hit the lacrima again. He didn't even turn around as Lily got closer. Sanjū didn't take her eyes off Shironeko either as she kept him at bay anyway she could.

"Oh no, ya don't!" Gajeel said as he blocked Lily's blade with his arm. "I'm not letting you get in White Sand's way!"

"Normally this sword would slice through iron as easily as it would through butter." Lily said as he frowned. "How are you able to stop it only using your bare hands?"

He didn't understand how Gajeel's arm wasn't sliced in two already since it should be impossible for the Iron Dragon Slayer to block Lily's weapon.

"That's because Iron Dragon scales aren't made of your everyday metal." Gajeel explained. "So now you tell me, if you two are a couple of those super cats, why the heck are you fighting for the other side?"

Sanjū landed in a crouch beside Gajeel since she had to dodge Shironeko's blade. As she stood up, she two wondered why Lily and Shironeko worked for the humans if their kind was supposed to be "superior" to them.

"Yeah, about that." Happy, who was shaking, said as he was pulling out a fish from his pack. "If you're Exceeds like I am, I bet you love fish. I'll even give you two of mine."

He really hoped that would get them to stop this fighting, but of course, things never work as he wants.

"That choice was made long ago." Lily said as he lifted his sword. "I put that place behind me. That foul kingdom of lies."

Lily growled looking very angered as he thought about Extalia and its "godly" queen. He then attacked with Gajeel blocking Lily's sword with his two arms.

"I'm guessing you didn't fit in there." Gajeel said as he grinned. "Did ya? I know all about that, brother. You're alright by me."

Gajeel started building up his magic power with a grin on his face. He then shattered Lily's sword with the brute force of his magic power alone, which had Lily looking at him in shock.

"But I'm still making you my cat." Gajeel said.

"What?!" Happy and Sanjū exclaimed in unison.

Lily just continued to look at Gajeel in shock as the Iron Dragon Slayer was grinning ear to ear, and as this was happening Jaser kept trying to shatter more of the lacrima. As Lily was looking at his sword in shock, Gajeel glanced over at Shironeko as the white feline was standing back with a bothered expression on his face.

"And what about you?" Gajeel asked. "You not fit in or something? Or did you just not like it there?"

"I cut all ties to the Extalia and its citizens when my child was taken from me." Shironeko said.

Everything became silent as Shironeko sheathed his blade for a moment while looking down to the ground.

"You were one of the parents who lost their children?" Happy asked.

Sanjū frowned in confusion as she looked between Happy and Shironeko. Lily was looking at his sensei sympathetically while knowing the loss of his child had been a hard toll on him.

"The queen took away a hundred Exceed eggs from their parents six years ago, and my unhatched child had been one of them." Shironeko explained. "It broke my wife's heart, and soon she died from that broken heart. I had been a loyal servant to the queen and my kingdom for many years, and they repay me by sending away my child to another world, which led to me losing my wife. Why should I serve a queen who would rob parents of their children? Why should I serve a false god who brought me suffering?!"

Shironeko lost his composer for a moment then unsheathed his sword once more as he jumped forward towards Jaser. Sanjū got in the way to hit him in the side to push him away from Jaser.

"You feel pain because someone took your family from you!" Sanjū said. "I understand that, but what you're doing now isn't any better than what the Exceeds of Extalia did to you six years ago. If I was your child, I'd be brokenhearted to see you causing the same pain onto others as what was caused onto you because you should know better!"

Shironeko's eyes widened in surprise as Sanjū yelled that at him with actual tears in her eyes. He was frozen for a moment, which allowed Sanjū to rush him, and kick him in the face. He went flying to the side as Lily called out his name in worry. However, Lily soon had to focus back onto the fight with Gajeel since the Iron Dragon Slayer went in for the attack. Happy watched on with wide eyes as his two guildmates fought their opponents with such ferocity.

"Go, Sanjū!" Happy cheered as Jaser went to take another swing at the lacrima. "And beat up that lacrima, Jaser! Yeah, give it the old one-two punch!"

Jaser hit the lacrima again, but this one was much tougher than the one in the square. It was proving to be more difficult to get this thing to crack as much as he wanted it too.

"I know I have committed sins since I left Extalia." Shironeko said. "Actually, I had been shrouded in lies and sins even when working with Extalia, which is why I can't stop now because a path of redemption is out of reach."

Saying that he bypassed Sanjū in one swift move, which had her eyes widening. He was a lot faster than she thought. He was just playing with her earlier.

"Jaser!" Sanjū cried out in worry when Shironeko was closing in on him with his sword raised.

Jaser was starting to turn around as Shironeko started slashing his sword forward. Everyone was surprised as Sanjū appeared between Jaser and Shironeko's blade. Happy's eyes widened in horrific surprise as a large gash appeared on Sanjū's chest as Shironeko's blade slashed her across the body. Blood spurted out a moment later as she started falling backwards.

"Sanjū!" Happy cried as tears rolled down his cheeks. "No!"

Jaser quickly caught Sanjū as Shironeko stood there shaking when he realized what he had done. Lily stood there with wide eyes as well as Jaser cradled Sanjū in his arms. Despite her injury, Sanjū was smiling.

"You're…okay." She said softly to Jaser. "I'm so…glad."

"Sanjū, don't waste your breath." Jaser said as tears entered his eyes. "We'll get you some help! I'll find Wendy!"

Jaser went to set Sanjū down to do just as he said he would, but he stopped when Sanjū gripped his wrist.

"No, there isn't time." Sanjū said. "The danger…is growing. Any minute now could be the end for all of us here, so we can't waste time getting help for just me. Please…please save everyone."

Tears started rolling down Sanjū cheeks as she looked up at Jaser with a pleading gaze.

"Back then when we lost everyone in Treble Chambers…we didn't have the power…to save…anyone." Sanjū said as her breath became ragged. "But now…you do, Jaser. So don't…let the same calamity…happen again. Please…don't let our family die."

"But you're my family too!" Jaser insisted. "I found you…hatched you from an egg. I named you. You're my friend…my family. I have to try something."

Happy ran over at that point as Gajeel looked at the bleeding Sanjū with an unreadable expression. Happy went to Sanjū's side while pressing himself against her side. Shironeko stood there with his eyes still wide while seeing that Sanjū was truly loved by these Earth Landers. He's never seen a bond so strong between an Exceed and a human.

"Sanjū." Happy cried. "You can't leave us. Please, we've been at each other's side nearly our entire lives, so you can't die!"

Sanjū smiled softly at Happy before patting his head as the tears ran down his cheeks.

"It's okay, Happy." Sanjū said. "Everything…is okay…"

Sanjū then passed out with her head lolling to the side, which had Happy and Jaser calling out her name. Sanjū didn't reply, but she was still breathing very lightly, which meant there was still hope. Jaser was silent for a moment as he was looking down at the ground. He then set down Sanjū carefully before standing up. He lifted his head with his gaze looking murderous as he glared at Shironeko. A growl came from his mouth as his body shook and his magic built.

"You messed up big time, buddy." Gajeel said as he turned towards Lily and Shironeko. "You woke the dragon."

* * *

"So where the hell are we going?" Rizzo asked as she ran alongside Lucy.

The two of them were following behind Coco and Edolas Rizzo as they were leading them somewhere.

"To get some help." Edolas Rizzo said. "We can't storm the Dragon Chain Cannon room by ourselves."

"I'm pretty sure we can." Rizzo said. "I don't care how many guards are in there I'll take them all down."

Lucy sweat-dropped while quite sure that Rizzo really could take care of all the guards by herself. Especially when she's pissed off like she is. The ground then started shaking, which had Rizzo and Lucy exchanging a confused glance. Edolas Rizzo and Coco frowned know exactly what was happening now. The capital then started glowing red. Then when the light disappeared the capital started to shift and move.

"Whoa, everything's moving!" Lucy said as she looked around. "What's happening?"

"This is not good." Coco said. "They're firing up the Dragon Chain Cannon."

"We must run faster!" Edolas Rizzo said. "There isn't much time left."

Rizzo pumped as much speed as possible into her legs while refusing to let anyone she cares about die. She and the others will stop all of this, and return to their world with everyone they love and the citizens of Magnolia.

"Ya know, it's kind of like the Gildarts's shift." Lucy said. "Is this because of some destructive moron too?"

"Hey, hey, now." Rizzo said. "No reason to insult Fairy Tail's strongest and coolest mage."

Lucy sweat-dropped again while not surprised at the _destructive_ pinkette would defend the most _destructive_ person in their guild.

"The king designed it!" Coco explained.

"Well, you got the idiot part right it seems, Lucy." Rizzo said. "But we'll worry about that later. We need to move!"

"Right." Edolas Rizzo said nodding. "This way! We will stop this and save everyone!"

Rizzo grinned guessing her Edolas counterpart really wasn't that different from her after all.

* * *

Sanjū gasped with her eyes widening when the sense of danger hit her tenfold.

"No…it's coming." She whispered.

Happy looked at her with wide eyes while glad to see she was awake, but what she said worried him.

"We're too late." She said as tears entered her eyes.

Something then hit the large rock the lacrima was on, which had it shaking. Happy grabbed onto Sanjū, so not to be tossed around as Jaser and Gajeel paused in their fights.

"What was that?" Gajeel asked.

Jaser just frowned getting a bad feeling, and besides all that he had a cat to skin alive. And whatever was happening was interrupting him.

"The Dragon Chain Cannon attaching." Lily said.

Gajeel and Jaser stiffened when hearing that before Jaser looked back to the lacrima. He had barely made a dent into, and now there'd be mere seconds before they were fired at.

"They didn't make it in time." Gajeel said.

Happy, who had flew down to see what was going on, gapped in shock at the long bone like appendage that was buried into the bottom of the rock.

"He's right!" Happy called out. "There's something big stuck to it."

Whatever it was started digging even farther into the stone, which had Happy worried.

"I don't like the look of that." He said.

On top the stone, Sanjū was staring up at the sky with tears running down her cheeks. This couldn't be the end, could it?

* * *

"This thing is so cool." Rizzo said as she was riding on top Edolas Rizzo's Legion.

Rizzo pet the head of the Legion as Coco and Lucy road on top of Coco's Legion. They didn't have creatures like this in Earth Land. Though Earth Land did have its fair share of magical animals.

"And now with our Legions, we can burst through the walls into the Dragon Chain Cannon room." Edolas Rizzo said then looked at Coco. "Are you ready, Coco?"

"Yes, princess!" Coco said nodding.

"Then let us go forward to save the Earth Landers, Lily, and Shironeko!" Edolas Rizzo said. "Full charge, Renri!"

The Legion gave a screeching sound that sounded like agreement before surging forward. They hit the wall ahead with them cracking right through the wall into the next room where Rizzo could see Gray, Natsu, and Erza. Lucy, Coco, and her Legion were right behind as they burst into the room as well.

"Hey, you guys!" Lucy called out as the two Legions landed on the ground.

"Looks like you three could use some help!" Rizzo called out as well.

Erza, Gray, and Natsu looked up in surprise when hearing their two friends' voices.

"Get on their backs!" Lucy called out.

"Yeah, hurry up!" Rizzo added.

They didn't have the time to be dillydallying since they had friends to save before it was too late.

"Lucy?! Rizzo?!" Erza asked sounding shocked.

"Is that really you two?" Gray asked.

"Holy cow!" Natsu shouted. "They turned you into monsters?!"

Rizzo laughed in amusement while popping up over the head of Renri, so her friends could see her. Lucy did the same from the other Legion, but Lucy was far from being amused.

"Quit being ridiculous and get on right now!" Lucy snapped.

As the guards freaked out about the two Legions in the room, the three Earth Land Fairy Tail mages climbed onto them. Gray immediately hugged Rizzo while glad to see she was alright. He had been a bit worried for her after he lost sight of her during her fight with Edolas Breccan. Rizzo hugged him back while equally relieved to see him more or less in one piece.

"How could this happen?" Faust asked. "How could those two girls be controlling the Legions?!"

"It's because these two belong to us." Edolas Rizzo said as she stood up on top of Renri's head.

The guards exclaimed in absolute shock when seeing their Princess standing there in a show of defiance towards King Faust.

"Rizzo, Coco." Faust growled.

Edolas Rizzo just narrowed her eyes at her adoptive father before ordering Renri and Coco's Legion to move out. As they were getting higher up, Edolas Rizzo sat down on top of Renri's head.

"Are we going to be able to stop it with these things?" Natsu asked.

"We won't know until we try." Lucy said.

"That's right!" Gray called over from Renri's back.

Renri and Coco's Legion gave two mighty roars, which had the soldiers backing up in absolute fright. The two Legions took off into the air while not letting the soliders have the chance of stopping them. The two Legions moved farther up into the sky while speeding up towards the giant lacrima in the sky as it was moving towards Extalia. Rizzo sat on Renri's back with a determined look in her eyes.

"Let's go!" Natsu ordered as he tossed his coat off to be swept away in the wind.

They got even closer to the lacrima as it was getting dangerously close to Extalia.

"Come on, let's go!" Natsu said. "If we can't stop it, everyone we know will die!"

They finally reached the lacrima, and the two Legions didn't hesitate to hit the rock with everything they had. They started trying to push it back, but it only moved on closer towards Extalia even if it did slow down.

"Give it everything you've got!" Coco ordered.

"Come on, Renri, I know you can push harder!" Edolas Rizzo urged.

The two Legions screeched while pushing back against the stone carrying the lacrima as hard as they could.

"This won't work!" Gray said. "It's got too much mass and momentum!"

"If we fall we do so with the rest of Magnolia!" Erza declared.

"Don't worry!" Lucy cried out. "We'll save you guys!"

Rizzo just looked forward in determination while standing up on Renri's back. She ran forward just as Natsu was on Coco's Legion. They both hit the rock head on while pushing against it with all their might.

"Out of my way!" Natsu growled as a magic circle formed in front of him.

"This isn't over!" Rizzo snapped.

A green magic circle formed in front of her as she was pushing against the rock. She poured her magic out through her arms to push even harder.

"Natsu!" Happy called out as he was flying over the side of the rock.

However, the blue feline paused as he looked down at his best friend seeming worried.

"I'm sorry." Happy said. "I…I didn't mean…"

"Huh?" Natsu asked as he grinned. "Give me a hand, buddy, would ya?"

Happy was surprised at first as he looked at Natsu and Rizzo who were still pushing with all their might. He then grinned as he nodded his head.

"Aye, sir!" Happy said.

He flew down to start pushing against the rock as the rest of their friends started to do so as well. Even Edolas Rizzo got up to push even if she had no magic power to offer. The backs of the Legions hit the tip of Extalia, which had Rizzo cursing.

"It's still going to collide!" Gray said.

"No!" Lucy cried out in worry.

"Give it all you've got!" Erza ordered.

"It's not going to end this way!" Natsu snapped.

"You're right it's not!" Rizzo said. "Now push!"

Even though they pushed even more of the rock, it crashed a bit more into Extalia. However, that didn't stop the group from pushing with all their might. Rizzo even had her feet pressed against Extalia as she continued pushing. Natsu gave a roar as he was beside Rizzo pushing with all his might.

"Don't give up!" Natsu said. "We can still push this thing back!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy agreed.

"We will do this for everything in Magnolia and our guildmates!" Rizzo said. "We won't let this be the end for them or Fairy Tail!"

"Aye, aye, sir!" Happy cried out.

Gajeel and Jaser, who was carrying Sanjū, jumped over the side of the rock soon to join their friends.

"Jaser, Gajeel!" Rizzo exclaimed seeming surprised to see them. "Wait, what happened to Sanjū?!"

"She's going to be fine." Jaser, who was missing his shirt, said. "I wrapped up the wound to clod the bleeding."

He just wishes he would have thought to do that sooner. He then sat down Sanjū on the Legion where she'd be as safe as she could while in a situation like this.

"Gajeel, Jaser, why are you two down here?!" Erza demanded. "You should be using your magic to turn the others back to normal. Get back up there!"

"If you wanna deal with the black and white cats be my guest!" Gajeel snapped.

Erza frowned in confusion as the two Dragon Slayers started pushing against the large rock just as much as the others.

"We don't time to worry about the lacrima or the cats!" Gray snapped. "So just push!"

"We have to stop it, or everyone from Magnolia will be lost forever!" Lucy said.

Lucy then gasped when Sanjū, who was suddenly on her feet, pushed against the lacrima alongside her. Lucy was still confused about Sanjū new form, but knew now wasn't the time to ask.

"Sanjū, don't agitate your wound any farther!" Jaser called out to her. "You'll make yourself bleed to death."

"I'm not stopping!" Sanjū said. "I've seen nearly every single one of you fools fight in even worst conditions than I am now! I know you fight so stubbornly because you're Fairy Tail mages! Well, guess what! I am too, and I'm tired of sitting on the sidelines, so I will continue pushing to save our family!"

The members of the Earth Land Fairy Tail all grinned as Sanjū finished her little speech.

"Well said, Sanjū." Erza said. "You're right, we're members of Fairy Tail."

"Which makes us stubborn." Natsu added as his grin widened.

"So we're not giving up here." Gajeel finished as he smirked.

Sanjū smiled at her family before she gave it everything she had to push against the rock. As they were pushing with all their might, Lily and Shironeko looked over the side of the rock. Lily's eyes widened when he saw Coco and Edolas Rizzo down there.

"Coco, Princess, what are you two doing?!" Lily demanded.

Coco and Edolas Rizzo both looked up at the two large Exceeds with smiles on their faces.

"Lily, Shironeko-sensei, you're both still in one piece!" Coco said. "I'm glad! Who needs eternal magic power when you can have eternal smiles?"

"As long as Edolas still has its people, we don't need eternal power because we will always have the bonds of our friendship, which is even more precious." Edolas Rizzo added. "Which is why we're so glad you're both alright."

Coco nodded in agreement as the two Exceeds looked down at the two females in shock.

"What kind of nonsense is that?!" Lily asked. "You've got to get out of there, Princess, Coco! These people can't stop Extalia's destruction."

"It is the end, children." Shironeko added. "So you all should run while you can! There is nothing you can do."

He then looked at Sanjū in worry as she continued to press against the rock with obvious exhaustion on her face. He could also see blood staining the cloth wrapped around her chest.

"Don't be so sure!" Natsu said. "If there's one thing Fairy Tail mages always prove, it's that nothing's impossible!"

"Aye, aye, sir!" Happy agreed whole-heartedly.

Rizzo dug her feet into the rock behind her as she tried to push even harder. She felt tired, but she wasn't about to give up anytime soon. She couldn't when there were people needing to be saved.

"We need to pour in more power!" Jaser said as he pushed harder.

He let out a roar that sounded almost dragon like as the magic circle in front of him glowed even brighter. He wasn't able to smash the lacrima, so he refused to fail here. He'd help save his brothers, he'd help save Cana, he'd help save everyone in Fairy Tail, and the citizens of Magnolia. He wouldn't lose them. He lost his family as a baby, he lost Sabbia who had vanished, he lost Treble Chambers…so he wouldn't lost anyone else ever again!

"It's getting pretty tight here." Lucy said.

"Just keep pushing, guys!" Gray said.

Rizzo didn't have to be told twice. She'd continue pushing until everyone was saved, or until they all fall together.

"Use every ounce of power you've got left!" Erza ordered.

Suddenly Carla arrived to push as well with all her might, which surprised the others since they had no idea where she came from.

"Carla, it's you!" Happy exclaimed.

"I'm not giving up." Carla said. "I'm going to protect Fairy Tail and Extalia. I can't just watch my homes be destroyed."

Sanjū looked up at Carla in shock as tears rolled down her cheeks. Sanjū then grinned as she went back to pushing as hard as she could.

"Spoken like a true Fairy Tail mage." Sanjū said.

Carla looked down at Sanjū with wide eyes while absently taking note of her different appearance.

"Looks like you're starting to understand, Carla." Sanjū continued. "Now don't cry because we will save our homes. Because Fairy Tail mages always beat the odds!"

Carla's eyes widened even more, but she then nodded her head in complete agreement with Sanjū.

"Right!" Carla said. "We will save everyone!"

The group then heard someone yelling, so Carla and Happy looked to see Sir Nadi coming to join them. He hit the rock head on while trying to push it back with all his might.

"Why are you here?" Carla asked.

"Because I want to protect my home as well." Nadi said. "Your courage inspired me."

Rizzo soon noticed that more felines were flying their way to help push back against the lacrima. Rizzo grinned thinking things were starting to turn in their favor. The Exceeds hit the rock to start pushing back against it, so to protect their home. As they were doing that, Lily and Shironeko watched from a distance. Shironeko looked at Sanjū as she continued to fight to save her friends.

"I have committed many sins in my life." Shironeko, which got Lily's attention, said. "One of the biggest is my part in bringing this tragedy to Extalia and the innocent people from Earth Land. I let my pain of losing my child and my wife cloud my judgement, which helped to lead to this."

What Sanjū had said to him when they were battling still played in his head, and seeing her tears made him feel all the more guilty.

"Sensei, please, don't say such things." Lily begged. "You were wronged, and it's only natural to wish for some kind of vengeance. Extalia turned their backs on the both of us, so we owe nothing to them."

"That maybe, but you feel sadness for the danger that threatens our former home." Shironeko said. "And even if Extalia had wronged us…we had no right to bring danger to innocents such as the Earth Landers. Which is why I will try to atone for my sins now. Though any kind of redemption seems impossible now for me I will do something now even if it only makes up for a fraction of what I've done in the past."

Lily looked at Shironeko with wide eyes while knowing what his sensei had in mind.

"Sensei, you mustn't!" Lily begged. "You will die along with the rest of them!"

"Then I shall die." Shironeko said. "I cannot just remain here as my little one is there risking her life. Besides, I deserve the worst punishment there is for hurting her. I have no right to call myself a father after what I did to her, so to atone I will do whatever I can to save the family that has taken care of her all these years. Lily-kun,…if I truly am to die, but she lives…please look out for her."

Lily looked at Shironeko not even wanting to think of a life without him because the white feline has been a father to him for many years now. However, Lily could see there would be no changing his mind. Lily felt tears enter his eyes as he bowed to his sensei.

"Yes, Sensei." Lily said. "I swear to you to watch out for her even if you do life, I will keep her safe."

"Thank-you, Lily-kun." Shironeko said as he smiled. "I wish for you to know that I am proud of the Exceed you have become. More proud than any soldier I have ever trained. Honestly, I have always thought of you as a son."

More tears ran down from Lily's eyes when he heard his sensei say such kind words. Shironeko gave Lily's shoulder a squeeze in farewell before flying towards where everyone else was gathering. Shironeko flew in next to Coco and Edolas Rizzo with their eyes widening.

"Shironeko-sensei!" Coco exclaimed.

Jaser glared over at him while wishing to go over to Shironeko to finish their fight since Jaser still needed to kick his ass for what he had done to Sanjū. The pink feline herself looked over at Shironeko wondering why he was offering his help.

"There is not enough words to apologize for my role to leading to this." Shironeko said. "However, I will try to atone for my sins by giving you my aid here and now to save this family that has taken you care over the years…Sanjū, wasn't it?"

Sanjū looked at him with wide eyes while wondering why Shironeko was doing this for her.

"Yes." She replied in the end.

"It's a beautiful name." Shironeko said smiling. "And I am honored to have gotten to meet such a strong and talented young Exceed. I know you will do great things in your future."

He then narrowed his eyes towards the rock in front of him with a determined look in his eyes. A burst of magic power came from him, which had the group looking at him in shock. Some of the Exceeds were surprised to see him after so long.

"It's Shironeko-sama!"

"He's come to help us!"

The murmuring continued amongst the Exceeds as a large magic circle appeared in front of Shironeko. There was a noticeable shift in the lacrima when he used his magic to push against it.

"Whoa!" Natsu exclaimed.

"That cat has some serious magic power!" Gray said.

Rizzo looked as shocked as the others as she gazed at Shironeko who used his magic to press even more against the rock. She wasn't sure exactly who he was, but she sure was grateful for his help.

"Just keep pushing!" Natsu ordered.

"I'm with ya, Natsu!" Rizzo shouted in return.

The two of them both let out shouts of determination as they and everyone else gave it their all. It took a bit more pushing, but soon they managed to push the lacrima back. However, they couldn't celebrate just yet because the lacrima started to glow.

"What now?!" Wendy asked.

Rizzo had no idea what was going on, but she sure hoped it wasn't something bad. Everyone was blinded for a moment as the lacrima started to glow brighter and break apart. Rizzo cried out in shock as she was sent flying through the air due to the force the lacrima gave off. She felt something catch her, so she turned her head seeing one of the Exceeds had been kind enough to catch her. Everyone then looked back towards where the lacrima should have been, but it wasn't there. The large rock was, but the lacrima was nowhere in sight.

"Did we win?" Wendy, who was being held up by Carla, asked.

"I have no idea." Carla replied.

Rizzo sure hoped they did, and that their friends were alright. If her guildmates were gone…well, she honestly didn't want to think about it.

"The lacrima." Erza murmured.

The rock and Dragon Chain Dragon then disappeared into white light moments later.

"It disappeared." Gray said. "Does that mean…?"

He trailed off not sure if he wanted to ask since he wasn't sure if he'd like the answer.

"What happened to all of our friends?" Lucy asked. "Do…Do you think they're…?"

"I don't know." Jaser said as an Exceed was keeping him in the air with his friends. "We can only hope we saved them in time."

Sanjū, who was actually being carried by another Exceed due to her wounds, frowned really hoping with all her might that they were alright.

"Don't worry. They're all safe and sound."

Some of the group from Fairy Tail immediately recognized the voice that spoke. Rizzo looked back with the others to see Msytogan riding towards them on a white Legion.

"Sorry for the delay." Msytogan said. "But finding an adequate anima vestige to restore everything took a bit longer than I thought. Without your efforts I never would have made it in time. You have my gratitude."

Rizzo smiled glad to hear that everyone was safe. It meant everything they did really did help save their dear ones.

"Everybody's back to normal?" Happy asked needing to be sure.

"Yes, by passing through the anima again the lacrima will return to its original form in Earth Land." Msytogan assured them. "It's finally over."

Everyone started celebrating while glad that things ended on a good note instead of a bad one.

"Lily," Msytogan called out. "Long ago you saved my life. I'm glad that I could return the favor today."

Msytogan then revealed his face to everyone, and some were shocked while the others not so much. Edolas Rizzo's eyes widened as tears started rolling down Lily and Coco's faces.

"Yes, and I couldn't begin to thank you, my prince." Lily said.

"Our long lost prince is home at last." Coco cried.

"He's what?!" Lucy asked in shock.

Msytogan, who was known by another name here, then looked to Edolas Rizzo as she continued to look at him in shock. He smiled at her while happy to see her again.

"Jellal." Edolas Rizzo whispered as tears started running down her face.

She hadn't thought in a million years that she'd see Jellal ever again. He used to play with her in the castle garden when her father would visit the king on business. When he had disappeared one day, she thought she lost her friend forever. Sanjū, who was watching the reunion with a smile much as everyone else, stiffened when she sensed danger.

"Lily!" Sanjū called out looking towards the large Exceed.

He looked to her with wide eye when he heard her urgent tone, but then he was pushed out of the way by Shironeko who had also sensed the danger. When Lily looked back he saw a blast go right through Shironeko's chest.

"Sensei!" Lily shouted in horror.

Shironeko started falling towards the ground as another shot rang out. It went straight towards Lily, but before it could hit him in the chest, He was grabbed by Sanjū, who had jumped out of the other Exceed's hold. She tried to tug him out of the way, but the attack nicked Lily in the side.

"Lily!/Sanjū!" Msytogan, Jaser, and Rizzo shouted in unison.

The two Exceeds started to fall towards the ground along with Shironeko who was closer to the ground. The group then saw Edolas Erza leading a group of Legions carrying soldiers towards them.

"We're not done here!" Edolas Erza declared. "Destroy every last one of them!"


	68. The Dorma Anim Has Been Activated!

Rizzo watched in horror as Sanjū fell down below with Lily and Shironeko. She couldn't lose Sanjū.

"You pathetic traitors." Edolas Erza said. "You're not noble Exceeds. You're both just fallens. How dare you both forget your debts to our king and betray his orders."

Rizzo glared at Edolas Erza while prepared to rearrange her face. Rizzo is ready to throw down with her Erza any day, so it wouldn't bother her at all to kick the ass of Erza's counterpart. Especially since Edolas Erza pissed her off.

"It's the Edolas Erza!" Natsu exclaimed.

"The one called Nightwalker." Happy added.

Rizzo didn't give a damn what her last name was. She hurt her own comrades, and in doing so Sanjū fell from the sky as well. What she has done won't be forgiven. Coco and Edolas Rizzo called after Shironeko and Lily in worry while praying they were alright.

"Heartless broad." Gajeel said. "You're going to pay."

Beside him, Jaser was practically snarling in anger, which had the Exceed holding him shaking a bit in fear.

"No, we have to do something to help them!" Shagotte said.

"It's too dangerous, Shagotte." One of her advisers said.

Three young Exceeds then flew up in front of the queen as they looked down towards where three of their own had fallen.

"Don't worry, your highness." The female Exceed said.

"Yeah, we'll go down there and check on them." Her companion added.

"You can count on us!" The third finished.

They started flying towards where Sanjū and the other two crashed quickly as Rizzo prayed Sanjū was alright.

"Scarlet." Edolas Erza growled as she glared up at Erza.

"Nightwalker." Erza replied.

Erza frowned down at her counterpart still not believing that she shot her own comrades out of the sky.

"Let me handle this." Msytogan said as he held up his hand. "I've had enough of your insolence, Captain Nightwalker. How dare you point your sword at not only me the Royal Prince of Edolas, but at the Royal Princess of Edolas as well."

Edolas Rizzo's eyes widened a bit when Msytogan added her to the conversation. However, she stood tall as Edolas Erza looked between them. Edolas Erza frowned knowing she could get in a lot of trouble for threatening two royals.

 _"Hahaha!"_ A voice broke through the air. _"You the Royal Prince of Edolas?! Don't make me laugh! You don't deserve the title because I never thought of you as my son! And as for Rizzo, she was born practically inferior to royalty, but I took her in as my own only to be betrayed. From here on out she is no longer my daughter therefore no longer the Royal Princess of Edolas."_

Edolas Rizzo frowned though not all that surprised. She knew she betrayed him, and honestly she did feel a bit of guilt. However, she had to follow the path she thought was right. Earth Land Rizzo frowned as she heard Faust's voice for the first time. Something about it seemed almost familiar, and it almost made her sick to hear a voice that she was sure belonged to someone she loved say such horrible things. Was King Faust the counterpart to someone back in Earth Land that she knew?

"That's the king's voice." Coco said.

"Yeah, where the heck is he?" Lucy asked.

Rizzo looked around as well while wondering where the hell the king was. When she gets her hands on him, she's kicking his teeth in for sure.

 _"You've got some nerve!"_ King Faust continued. _"You can't run off for seven years then suddenly waltz back in as if nothing has happened, Jellal. Do either of you think you can fool me? I know you've been in Earth Land sealing all the animas, Jellal! And, Rizzo, I know you have been secretly giving aid to the Edolas Fairy Tail by feeding them information through those two journalist, and that you have been leaving magical items in those black market magic shops for them to find and use. You're both traitors, and as such you both must be punished for your actions!"_

Msytogan frowned though knew from the beginning that things wouldn't end peacefully between him and his father.

"Where's that voice coming from?" Wendy asked.

"I have no idea, but he certainly sounds angry, doesn't he?" Carla asked.

Jaser didn't care how angry he sounded. He'd kick the king's ass no matter what. Rizzo was thinking something similar as she was looking around still for any sign of Faust.

"Come on, show yourself, bucko!" Natsu ordered.

"Come out and face us!" Happy added boldly.

The blue feline was getting tired of all this as well, and after seeing Sanjū fall he was ready to help Natsu anyway he could to bring down Faust.

"Your anima plan has failed." Msytogan said. "Please, surrender peacefully. There's no reason to fight anymore."

"Please, King Faust." Edolas Rizzo added. "There's no need to cause further pain and bloodshed."

She really didn't want anymore harm caused to anyone here whether they be on their side or their opponents' side.

 _"Ridiculous!"_ Faust snapped as the ground below started to glow green. _"Who says I need a reason to fight?"_

Rizzo frowned while not liking the look of that glowing source of magic on the ground below. She also didn't like the fact that Faust was just fighting to cause harm now when he has no more goals. It just made her hate him even more, and the urge to kick his teeth in grow even stronger.

"Do you guys hear that?" Gray asked. "It sounds like…it's coming underground."

Rizzo heard it alright, and it only made her tense up even more as she prepared to fight.

"Feel the magic power building up in the air?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, and something about it feels icky." Rizzo said.

When she said "icky" she was referring to the almost dark aura that seemed to cloud over the magic power. It was almost as if whatever was causing the magic to build in the air was evil and dark.

 _"This is not a simple fight! No, this is retribution!"_ Faust continued as something was coming out of the ground _. "The extermination of all who would dare to oppose their king."_

Rizzo and her friends looked down at the weird sphere shaped object on the ground. Rizzo wasn't sure what it was, but it made her very uncomfortable.

"What is that thing?" Lucy asked.

"Some kind of magic weapon." Gray guessed.

Whatever it was, Rizzo was sure it couldn't be good, and that meant they had some trouble coming.

 _"Since you and your meddlesome friends insist on standing in my way I have no choice, but to obliterate each and everyone one of you regardless of who you are!"_ Faust declared.

The chains snapped off the sphere as it rose a few feet off the ground to float there.

"Father," Msytogan began. "Please."

 _"I'm not your father."_ Faust said. _"I am the King of Edolas!"_

Rizzo's frown deepened as she wondered what kind of bastard would say such things to his own son. Family was something precious, but he was treating his two children even if one was just adopted like trash. The sphere started to glow before it seemed to crack open almost like an egg.

 _"If I dispose of you here and now, I'll no longer have to worry about you sealing my animas in Earth Land."_ Faust said. _"I'll be free to create another giant lacrima and fuse it with the Exceeds! Limitless magic power will be mine."_

The sphere transformed into what looked like a large magic dragon, which had Rizzo's eyes widening. She was surprised he had enough magic to fuel such a thing when magic was supposed to be a limited resource here.

 _"Hahahahaha! Try as you might there is no stopping me!"_ Faust claimed

"Shut-up!" Rizzo snapped. "I don't like hearing you talk!"

It was true too. Not only was he annoying, but she was sure the voice he was using belonged to someone dear to her in Fairy Tail. Hearing that voice rave like a power hungry crazed lunatic was nearly making her sick to her stomach. Her friends all agreed with her since they didn't like hearing Faust talk either. Said king didn't seem to hear Rizzo since he continued on ranting.

 _"I am the king!"_ He shouted. _"My power is absolute!"_

Some of the Exceeds started murmuring in fear, which had Rizzo frowning. Whatever this dragon like machinery was it wasn't good apparently.

"Dorma Anim." Msytogan said. "From our old language. It means Dragon Knight. It's enhanced Dragon Armor."

Jaser's brow quirked as he wondered just how powerful this Dragon Armor was. He was sure it wouldn't be easy to crack, but didn't mean it was impossible. He'd crack it eventually if he started wailing on it as hard as he could. Then he'd go find Sanjū to make sure she was okay. He would go now to find her, but he knew that she'd scold him for putting her first when there was an enemy to face. He frowned really worried about his little buddy, but he'd start here with his other friends to put Faust and his plaything out of commission first.

"A dragon?" Natsu asked.

"Certainly looks like one." Happy said. "Don't you guys think so?"

"Is it magic armor?" Wendy asked.

"It's not like any I've ever seen before." Carla commented.

Jaser honestly didn't care what it was technically. It looked like a dragon, and he's a Dragon Slayer. That was all he needed to know. Faust should watch out because Jaser definitely wasn't going to lose to a dragon whether it be living or machine. If he ever meets Sabbia again, he wouldn't be able to look her in the eye again if he did lose.

"It's an enhanced armor made by an anti-magic lacrima called mage canceller." Coco explained. "It bad news for us because our attacks won't have any effects on it. The King must be inside of it. He's controlling the Dorma Anim's every move."

Faust then had the Dorma Anim take aim as it opened its mouth to reveal what looked like a large cannon.

 _"As your king, I order you to capture the Exceeds at once!"_ Faust ordered.

His soldiers quickly obeyed while starting to fly towards the Exceeds with what looked like cannons being held in their hands.

"Hurry!" Msytogan shouted. "Fly for your lives!"

The Exceeds didn't have to be told twice since they all scattered immediately to try and get away. The soldiers started firing, and Rizzo watched with wide eyes as the Exceeds were turned into lacrima.

"After them!" Edolas Erza ordered.

The soldiers all shouted "yes, Captain!" as Rizzo was placed back on Renri's back along with Gray. Her friends were placed back on Coco's Legion's back, so the Exceeds would be able to fly faster without carrying anyone.

"Do your best to protect the Exceeds from the Royal Army." Erza said to Lucy. "I'm going to try and take down Nightwalker."

"You got it." Lucy said then turned to look at Natsu as Happy set him down on Coco's Legion. "Well, look at you. Good job. I thought riding this Legion would make you nauseous. Did you have Wendy cast a Troia spell to help you with your motion sickness?"

Natsu frowned at Lucy as he was holding onto the side of the Legion's back where Happy had set him a second ago.

"Gees, why would I be nauseous when I'm not even riding on a vehicle?" Natsu asked. "This guy is lending us a hand as our ally. Man, you're cruel."

Rizzo snorted behind her hand in amusement as Lucy sweat-dropped at Natsu's weird logic.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She said. "That's mistake. I thought you looked like you were going to barf, but it's just your ugly face."

Natsu frowned even more at Lucy for the insult since he didn't think his face was ugly.

"We've gotta stop that monster." Gray said. "Quit bickering and help me out, Losers."

"Hey, who you calling a loser?!" Natsu demanded.

Rizzo frowned at Gray as well while hoping he wasn't adding her to that whole loser comment. Jaser didn't seem all that bothered by the comment as he stood up on Renri's back.

"I wouldn't go near that thing if I were you." Coco said. "Your magic is useless against it."

"We'll just have to dodge its attacks." Msytogan said as he was crouched down on his Legion. "We have to do what we can to protect the Exceeds. There completely defenseless right now."

"Alright." Natsu said. "Here it goes."

The three Legions started moving forward with the mages all riding on their backs.

 _"Think you can dodge me?"_ Faust asked as the Dorma Anim started gearing up to fire. _"We'll see. I will obliterate anyone who gets in my way. I won't let a single human escape my wrath! Be gone!"_

He fired right towards Coco and her Legion, which had Rizzo gasping in worry for her friends. However, it didn't seem she had to worry about them since Msytogan blocked the attack, but now she had to worry about him. He is a mage of Fairy Tail after all even if he was born here.

"Msytogan!" Erza and Rizzo called out in unison.

 _"Msytogan?!"_ Faust asked. _"Don't tell me that's the name you chose to be called in Earth Land! Your name's Jellal!"_

"No, his name is Msytogan of Fairy Tail!" Rizzo retorted. "He's a part of our family, so you have no right telling him what to go by!"

Msytogan looked back at Rizzo with wide eyes as she glared down towards his father with hate burning in her eyes.

 _"Hmph, you call him your family yet I bet he never told you he came from this world!"_ Faust shouted back. _"I bet he told you nothing of his past at all!"_

"He didn't have to!" Rizzo snapped. "His past is no concern of mine! All I need to know is that he bears the mark of Fairy Tail, which is more than enough to call him family. Besides, if his own father won't even claim him, we have to, so he knows how much he is loved and cared for!"

Msytogan looked up at the members of Fairy Tail as they nodded their heads in agreement. He looked back forward with a grin on his face.

"Erza, Rizzo, get out of here while you still can." He said.

Rizzo and Erza looked at him in surprise since neither of them expected him to say that.

"What about you?!" Erza called back.

"Forget about me!" Msytogan said.

Rizzo frowned not wanting to leave one of their own behind to fight against Faust. However…he's a member of Fairy Tail, which means she must have faith in him.

"Will he be okay?" Coco asked.

Edolas Rizzo bit her lip not sure herself. It was obvious that the boy she knew seven years ago was different. She could tell he had power now, but she still worried.

"Yeah, he's got this." Natsu said.

Msytogan quickly used a three layer magic circle spell, and it was the first time Rizzo's ever gotten to see the magic she's heard so many rumors about. The attack from the Dorma Anim was sent back towards it due to the tree layer magic circle. It was a direct hit from what Rizzo could see.

"Think that got him?" Gray asked.

"Oh wow." Lucy said in awe. "Msytogan's so powerful."

"Well, he is one of our S-class mages." Rizzo pointed out.

And their S-class mages weren't to be taken lightly. Of course, no member of Fairy Tail should be taken lightly, but their S-class even more so. The smoke cleared from below to reveal the Dorma Anim was still standing with not even a scratch on it.

 _"Goodness that tickled."_ Faust taunted.

Msytogan grit his teeth together wishing he had made some kind of damage on the thing.

"Whoa, it's not even scratched." Natsu said.

"You're kidding." Lucy said.

"That's crazy." Gray added.

Rizzo will admit she was pretty shocked since that had been one powerful attack Msytogan hit it with.

 _"Behold this the power of the great mage canceller!"_ Faust said. _"You can attack with all your might, but it will not stop me! The_ _Dorma Anim_ _is impervious to all forms of magic!"_

Faust then fired again right at Msytogan, who tried to dodge it by jumping off the back of his snowy-white Legion. However, it seemed to hit him partially since he cried out in pain. He started falling down towards the ground as his guildmates' eyes widened.

"Msytogan!" Erza cried out.

Rizzo grit her teeth together as Faust started laughing once more from below. She turned to glare down at him and his stupid plaything while feeling her anger boil up in her. He was really pissing her off. Two of her friends were hurt now, which meant he had an ass kicking coming his way.

 _"The mighty prince has fallen."_ Faust said. _"I'm sure he'll feel right at home crawling around on the ground with the other pests."_

Rizzo's body started to shake as she had to listen to Faust and then hear the cries of the Exceeds as the Royal Army turned them into lacrima. It was all making her really mad. Gray tried to get an attack fired off towards Faust, but Renri and Coco's Legion both moved quickly out of the way to dodge an attack from Faust.

"Man, talk about a rough ride." Gray said.

"It'd make anybody sick." Lucy said. "Not just Natsu or even Jaser."

More Exceeds started falling down towards the ground as they were turned into lacrima, and it seemed no matter how fast they flew they weren't fast enough to escape.

 _"Oh what a beautiful sight."_ Faust said as the Dorma Anim continued to fire. " _I'm going to turn every last Exceed into a sparkling lacrima!"_

Jaser narrowed his eyes down at Faust while really having enough of the crazy king. If Jaser didn't shut up Faust soon, he'd go crazy himself.

"I'm through with staying up here." Jaser said getting his friends' attention. "I'm a Dragon Slayer, so I'm going to slay a dragon. You other Dragon Slayers with me?"

Before anyone could say anything, Jaser jumped right off of Renri's back to start heading towards the ground.

"Well, I can't say no to that." Natsu said grinning. "I'm coming, pal!"

Natsu jumped of Coco's Legion's back, which had their friends gapping at him and Jaser. When Wendy and Gajeel followed, their mouths seemed to fall even more agape.

"They're crazy!" Lucy said.

Natsu and Jaser both reared their fists back as their respective elements collected on their fists. They both punched the Dorma Anim from above as Gajeel hurried to attack it from below.

 _"What was that?"_ Faust asked then felt Gajeel's attack from below. _"Who's attacking?!"_

Wendy then soared up above Faust and the Dorma Anim to attack it as well since she was a Dragon Slayer too.

 _"I don't understand!"_ Faust said. _"The_ _Dorma Anim_ _shouldn't be affected by their attacks."_

"Sky Dragon: Roar!" Wendy called out.

She then blasted a torrent of wind at the Dorma Anim, which was actually taking damage, which flabbergasted Faust.

 _"You little brat!"_ Faust shouted.

Wendy landed down on the ground beside Jaser as the Sand Dragon Slayer cracked his neck. Natsu, who was on Wendy's right, cracked his knuckles ready for a fight as Jaser stood to Jaser's left ready to give it his all as well.

"Pretty impressive job, kiddo." Natsu said.

"Thank-you." Wendy said. "But I'm sure the three of you can cause a lot more damage than I can."

"Geezer, you're going to regret hurting my cat." Gajeel said.

"He's going to regret a whole lot of things once we're through with him." Jaser, whose pupils were slit like a reptiles now, said.

He'd put this guy six feet under and then some by the time he got rid of all his pent up anger.

 _"It was you."_ Faust said. _"I should have known."_

Rizzo looked down at her friends while certain that with four Dragon Slayers on the job that Faust didn't stand a chance.

"Natsu!" Happy called out.

"Please, be careful." Carla begged.

She said this to all of them, but she was mostly worried about Wendy since she was much smaller and inexperienced compared to the three boys down there with her.

"You can do it!" Lucy said having faith in them as well.

"We're good." Natsu assured his friends. "Just keep the cats safe."

"We will!" Rizzo called down as she grinned. "Just make sure to give him an extra kick in the teeth for me, alright?"

Natsu grinned looking up at Rizzo to give her a thumbs up, which she returned. She knew Natsu, Jaser, Gajeel, and Wendy would be fine, so she'd worry on helping the Exceeds get to safety while trying to stop the Royal Army.

"In that case, I'll leave it to you." Erza said.

"Are you sure they're going to be able to handle that monster all by themselves?" Lucy asked unable to stop her worrying.

"Don't be ridiculous." Gray said. "Of course, they can. Who better to fight a dragon than those who were trained to defeat them? They're the only ones who stand a chance. The Dragon Slayers."

* * *

Sanjū, who was still in her human form, winced while holding her torso as she forced herself into a standing position. It was hard to breath. Actually each breath made it feel like her lungs were on fire. However, she wouldn't let this pain keep her down.

"I'm not staying ehre." She said as she grit her teeth together. "Everyone I'm coming, I promise."

She went to step forward, but her wrist was caught in a firm grip. She looked down seeing Lily had grabbed her.

"You can't." He said then winced due to his own injuries. "You're too wounded."

Lily couldn't let her go since he promised Shironeko to watch out for her as a protector. If he let her go, he'd be letting down his sensei. Said white feline was laying off to the side getting his wounds treated by two of the Exceeds. They had already patched up Sanjū, and after Shironeko was seen to, Lily would get medical treatment.

"These wounds won't keep me from giving aid to my friends." Sanjū said to Lily with a stubborn look in her eyes. "I refuse to wait here to see what happens in the end. Besides, they clearly need help! Look at how many Exceeds have already been turn into lacrima!"

She gestured with her free hand to all the sparkling lacrima that were falling from the sky. The young Exceeds looked sadly up at the sky when seeing their race being taken down a dozen at a time.

"I'm going to help stop the Royal Army with my friends to save our race and our homeland, I promise!" Sanjū said. "So let go!"

Sanjū jerked her hand away from Lily with his eyes widening as she looked at him with those turquoise eyes that burned with determination.

"It's too dangerous." Lily insisted. "The King has resorted in using the Dorma Anim, so who knows what he might resort to next."

He then tried to get up, so to try and stop her again if she insisted on such a crazy mission. However, his body didn't want to listen to him.

"Try not to move too much because it'll hurt." The young Exceed pleaded.

"Lily, Sanjū, thank goodness you're both alive."

Sanjū and the others turned seeing Msytogan standing there looked relatively unharmed.

"Msytogan!" Sanjū exclaimed then hurried over to him as fast as she could. "Are you okay?"

Msytogan smiled at Sanjū while placing his hand on top of her head to give it a comforting pat.

"Yes, I am alright." Msytogan assured her. "Will you be?"

"This is nothing." Sanjū said as she gave a smile that almost resembled Rizzo's usual grins. "I'm a Fairy Tail mage after all, so something like this cannot keep me down for long."

Msytogan continued to smile at Sanjū as Lily looked in between them. It seemed the younger Exceed knew his prince quite well. However, she kept referring to him as Msytogan instead of Jellal, which is his real name.

"Yes, of course." Msytogan said. "Do you plan to help the others?"

Sanjū got that determined look in her eyes again as she nodded her head. She'd help in any way she possibly could.

"Right now our Dragon Slayers are fighting King Faust." Msytogan said. "The rest of our comrades have went after the Royal Army to try and stop them from turning the rest of the Exceeds into lacrima."

"Then I will go assist Rizzo and the others with the Royal Army." Sanjū said. "Jaser, Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy can handle a phony dragon any day of the week, so they don't need my help."

Msytogan nodded his head then watched as Sanjū headed for the edge of the island they were on.

"Prince, you can't possibly be serious about letting her go out there." Lily said.

"She'll be fine." Msytogan said smiling. "Her spirit and will to help her friends will help greatly in this fight."

Lily frowned still not sure, but he could see there was no stopping Sanjū. Said pink feline took one step off the side of the island to start falling forward. After dropping a few second, her wings unfurled, so she could soar up into the sky. Shironeko, who was barely conscious, watched her fly away while thinking her way of flying was just like her mothers.

"Good luck…my child." He whispered.

* * *

Rizzo looked forward to see the Royal Army was wiping out more Exceeds, which had her frowning. They needed to hurry to help the Exceeds before they were all lacrima. Rizzo then looked down while still worried about Sanjū. Rizzo shook her head to clear her head of worry since she had to focus on the fight ahead.

"The Royal Army." Erza said. "They've almost caught up."

"I can't believe there's so many of them." Gray said.

Rizzo didn't care how many soldiers there were. She'd take them all on if she had too.

"What do we do?" Lucy asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Rizzo asked. "We charge those Royal Army douchebags and then kick their asses, so to save the Exceeds."

Lucy sweat-dropped though wasn't all that surprised that Rizzo replied with a comment like that. Edolas Rizzo looked almost horrified at the language her counterpart was using since seeing someone with her face act so unladylike was a bit unsettling.

"That isn't how I would put it, but it really is the only thing we can do." Erza agreed.

"I wanna help you fight, Erza." Happy said.

"Me too." Carla said nodding. "We have to do whatever we can to protect our homeland."

Carla wasn't about to let things end like this after finally getting to come home for the first time.

"I've been waiting for you, Scarlet." Edolas Erza said as she and her Legion appeared in front of the group.

Rizzo frowned getting really tired of this Edolas Erza getting in the damn way. She was definitely asking for an ass kicking, which Rizzo would give to her if no one else would.

"What do you want with me?" Erza asked.

Edolas Erza just chuckled with a smirk on her face as Rizzo and her friends were soon surrounded by the Royal Army and their Legions.

"Oh, no, it's a trap!" Gray said.

"We've been ambushed!" Lucy exclaimed in worry.

Rizzo cursed while knowing this couldn't be good. They needed to get moving fast, or they'll be shot right out of the sky.

"Let's get out of here, Legi." Coco said.

"Yes, Renri, please hurry to take us from this place." Edolas Rizzo ordered her Legion.

Both Legions immediately did as they were ordered just as the Royal Army started firing at them. At first they were able to dodge, but then Legi was hit by a stray shot.

"Legi, no!" Coco cried.

"Coco!" Edolas Rizzo called out in worry.

Renri was then hit, which sent all her occupants falling towards the ground with the others.

"On no!" Happy said. "We can't grab them all!"

Carla knew that was true as she quickly grabbed Coco and Gray as Happy was holding onto Lucy.

"Rizzo!" Gray shouted as he looked for his girlfriend frantically.

He spotted her a bit below him as she was holding onto Edolas Rizzo who was holding onto her in return.

"No, Princess!" Coco cried in worry.

Rizzo closed her eyes expecting to hit the ground soon, but she suddenly felt something grab her. Her eyes snapped open in surprise as she looked up to see Sanjū, who was still in human form, was the one to catch her and Edolas Rizzo.

"Sanjū!" Rizzo said with tears in her eyes. "You're alive!"

"Of course, I am." Sanjū said with a scoff. "Do you really think a fall like that would kill me?"

Rizzo just smiled while happy to see her friend was alright. All of Sanjū's guildmates were all happy to see her alive as well since they had all been worried.

"Hold on." Happy said. "Did we forget someone?"

"Yeah, where's Erza?" Lucy asked.

"Up there engaging her counterpart in combat." Rizzo said.

Everyone looked at the Earth Land pinkette with wide eyes before they looked up to see that Erza really was fighting with Edolas Erza now.

"Will she be okay?" Edolas Rizzo asked in concern as the two Erzas dropped down to one of the ruins islands.

"Yeah, she'll be fine." Rizzo said. "If I can say anything positive about our Erza, it's that she'd never lose a battle to anyone who has caused harm to Fairy Tail even if the Fairy Tail isn't ours. What we need to worry about is the Royal Army, and I say we kick their asses to show them what Earth Land Fairy Tailers are made of, right guys?"

"Yeah!" Gray and Lucy agreed with grins.

"Aye, Sir!" Happy cheered.


	69. Earth Land and Edolas Fairy Tails Unite!

Rizzo groaned getting up from the ground with a sore back. When they got about ten feet off the ground, Sanjū ended up falling from the air since she couldn't hold up Rizzo and Edolas Rizzo anymore. In fact, Sanjū reverted back to her normal form. They weren't the only ones to fall either. Carla and Happy fell as well, which resulted in Lucy, Gray, and Coco hitting the ground.

"That hurt." Lucy whined.

"Aye, sir." Happy agreed.

Lucy growled while sitting up as she grabbed Happy by the face to squeeze his cheeks in. Happy whined in pain as Lucy continued to squeeze his cheeks.

"I get why Carla and Sanjū fell, but why did you fall when all you had to do was carry me?" Lucy demanded.

"Sorry, you were too heavy." Happy said.

His reply got his face stretched out by an annoyed Lucy, which had him crying out in pain even more.

"Don't even try to blame my weight for your weakness, buddy!" Lucy snapped.

Rizzo shook her head at the two of them then went over to Gray to hold out her hand to him. He took her hand, so she could help him off the ground.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah." Rizzo said. "My ass absorbed most of the fall, so I'm good. Might be bruised though in the morning."

Gray chuckled while glad to hear she was relatively alright. He had been worried there for a second when they were falling. He's grateful that Sanjū arrived to catch Rizzo in time. Said pink feline got off the ground as well as the others were trying to get their bearings. The group was suddenly fired at, which had them all scrambling to get out of the way. Rizzo, who was partially under Gray since he was trying to shield her, frowned guessing the fight was happening now.

"They've found us." Gray said.

He then got up off the ground with Rizzo quickly getting to her feet as well as they were all being surrounded by Royal Army soldiers.

"Gees, it's like they're coming out of the woodwork." Gray said.

Rizzo had to agree with him there since more and more soldiers seemed to step out from the trees to surround them.

"They've got us surrounded, Lucy." Coco said as she was standing protectively close to Edolas Rizzo.

"I guess we're going to have to fight them." Lucy said.

Rizzo snapped her fingers with her guitar case immediately flying up into the air to float behind her.

"If they want a fight, I'll give them one." Rizzo said. "With Fairy Hills reverted back to normal with the rest of Magnolia I can finally fight with my musical arsenal."

And she was itching for a good fight. Sure, she felt a little battered and bruised with her magic energy running on low, but that wasn't going to stop her. The Royal Army chose then to attack, but instead of firing at their biggest threat they fired at the three Exceeds instead. Sanjū gasped pushing Carla and Happy down to avoid getting hit. They then had to jump up out of the way when the firing continued.

"Stay back!" Gray ordered as he slashed his arm forward with ice getting in between them and the Royal Army.

The Royal Army didn't back off, and continued to shoot at Sanjū, Carla, and Happy who all had to continue dodging.

"Why do they keep firing at Happy, Carla, and Sanjū?" Lucy asked.

"All of the escaping Exceeds were captured and turned into lacrimas." One soldier explained.

Rizzo and her friends looked shocked to hear this as they stared at the Royal Army with wide eyes. All of them?

"With the exception of you three." The soldier continued. "Now surrender and become magic power for our kingdom!"

He went to fire at the three Exceeds again, but he was socked in the jaw by Rizzo.

"You aren't getting these three Exceeds!" Rizzo snapped. "And you'll be returning the other ones to normal once we get through kicking your asses! Guitar!"

She held out her hand with her guitar flying from her guitar case into her hand. She started playing immediately with the soldiers flying backwards due to the sonic waves coming from her instrument. As she was fighting a bunch of soldiers, Gray quickly prepared to fight as well.

"The Exceeds are living beings like us." He said. "Are you so obsessed with gaining power that you don't care what happens to them?"

His reply was a bunch of soldiers jumping at him to take him down, so he quickly froze them in their tracks.

"You people in this world need to learn some lessons about life." He said then froze another group of soldiers. "You can't kill someone to take what they have! Not on my watch!"

Coco watched in awe as Rizzo and Gray both worked on defeating the Royal Army. If they could fight, she could too! This is her world after all, so she couldn't leave all the fighting to outsiders. Edolas Rizzo bit her lip wanting to fight as well, but she had no real combat experience. Just a few combat techniques that Shironeko had taught her that were more for self defense. Rizzo jumped back to avoid an attack, and she ended up touching back-to-back with Gray.

"You doing okay?" Gray asked her.

"Yeah." She replied then grinned. "Hey, Gray, how about we give these punks a taste of Fairy Tail teamwork?"

Gray blinked before glancing over his shoulder at Rizzo as she tilted her head back to look at him. He grinned a bit as well when he saw a plan burning in his eyes.

"I have no problem with that." Gray said.

He and Rizzo then moved to stand side-by-side as their magic started to build. Rizzo's guitar flew back to her guitar case with her violin coming out to her hands as Gray put his hands together. Rizzo started playing her violin with the wind picking up around them. Lucy shivered putting her arms around her while noticing this wind seemed icy cold unlike the warm winds Rizzo usually produced with her magic.

"Frozen Blizzard Dance!" Gray and Rizzo said in unison.

Wind blasted from the magic circle in front of Rizzo as ice shot out from Gray's magic circle. The two attacks mixed perfectly to send what was like an icy blizzard towards the soldiers. They all cried out as they were hit hard with the attack, and some of them were frozen.

"Whoa." Lucy said with wide eyes. "When did they work that out?"

Sanjū was a bit surprised as well since she had no idea Gray and Rizzo could perform a unison raid together. Rizzo grinned glad to see that worked, but it did take a bit of magic power.

"Well, I guess it's my time to get into this fight." Lucy said as she brought out one gold key and one silver key. "Open: Gate of the Lion, Loke! And, open: Gate of the Great Dog, Laelaps!"

Two lights shined in front of her before her two spirits appeared while ready to fight.

"Looks like we'll be battling alongside each other again, Beautiful." Loke said as he grinned at Laelaps. "We make quite the fighting pair it seems."

"Focus on the battle and not with flirting." Laelaps said though she was blushing.

Loke chuckled before the two of them rushed forward to fight the enemies in front of them. Laelaps immediately sent quick melee attacks at several soldiers, which sent them flying backwards, which inspired Coco to fight even more.

"Stay here, Princess." Coco said to Edolas Rizzo. "I'm going to help the others."

Before Edolas Rizzo could say anything Coco ran forward to join the others in attack. Edolas Rizzo watched for a moment then decided she was tired of being protected, or just giving support for others to fight. She's the Princess of Edolas, so it was her duty to fight for what she thought was best for her homeland. Edolas Rizzo ran out from the cover, and immediately started attacking one of the soldiers. Rizzo saw what her counterpart was doing and grinned.

"Not that different after all." Rizzo said to herself.

She then flipped out of the way to avoid being cut in half by one of the soldier's spears. She blasted him away with a wind melody that sent him flying high into the air. As they were fighting, Sanjū, Happy, and Carla were having to run around, so to avoid being hit. Sanjū got separated from Happy and Carla when a stray shot hit the ground in between them, which sent them flying apart. Sanjū hit the ground with a cry of pain leaving her due to her landing on her wound. She shook her head trying to get her bearings when she saw another stray shot heading towards her. She closed her eyes thinking she was about to get hit.

"I've got ya!"

Sanjū's eyes snapped open in shock as she was scooped up into one of Loke's arms.

"Loke, thank-you." Sanjū said.

"No problem." Loke said grinning. "Just helping out a friend."

Sanjū smiled in return before hearing Carla cry out in pain. She turned her head seeing Carla had gotten hit by a bullet when she was trying to protect Happy.

"Carla! Happy!" Sanjū called out in worry.

Sanjū then jumped out of Loke's arm to transform into her human form. She unfurled her wings then went flying towards where Happy and Carla were. She scooped them off of the ground to fly up high into the air.

"The Exceeds are getting away!" A soldier called out. "Shoot them down!"

Sanjū had to dodge many shots from those lacrima converters, but soon had to land since it was becoming too dangerous to fly. She set down Happy and Carla while having to revert to her original form since she couldn't hold her human form any longer.

"Sanjū, thanks!" Happy said as she fell back onto her butt. "But are you going to be okay?"

"I'm just so tired." Sanjū said. "I don't know what much more I can do."

"You've done enough." Happy assured her. "All we can do now is have faith in our friends."

Sanjū really wanted to keep helping out, but it was like her body didn't want to move. She then looked up to watch as her comrades continued to fight. Rizzo, who had switched out to her new electric violin that she got a on mission before all this craziness, played the violin while it was hooked up to giant amplifiers. It made her usual violin melodies three times stronger, so when she played her Song of the Fairies, the fairies had a major power boost. However, Rizzo wasn't sure how much longer she could hold out since she felt so drained of magic power. Rizzo heard a screeching noise, which had her looking back to see the Legions were closing in.

"Shit." Rizzo cursed. "This isn't good."

Rizzo turned trying to fire at the Legions wither her magic, but her magic only seemed to agitate them. One charged at her, and destroyed her amplifiers while hitting her hard. She cried out in pain while hitting the ground after she had sailed through the air.

"We can't give up." Lucy, who got back onto her feet, said. "We have to keep fighting."

Rizzo knew that was true, but honestly her fighting spirit has taken quite the hit. She shook her head while mentally berating herself for just laying around. She forced herself to her feet while giving a whistle. Her guitar case flew towards her while dropping out her spare set of amplifiers. Unfortunately these weren't as big as the last ones.

"I bet Natsu and Erza are still in it." Lucy said as she prepared to fight the Royal Army. "If they can find the strength to keep going then I know I can too!"

She went running forward as Rizzo hooked her electric violin to her amps. She couldn't give up now even if she did feel like falling over at any second.

"We've gotta keep fighting!" Lucy urged. "Because that's what it means to be a Fairy Tail mage!"

Rizzo started playing again, but it didn't take long for those Legions to knock her down again. She fell to the ground with the soldiers quickly surrounding her to point their spears at her. She looked up at them wondering if this really was the end. Suddenly something started sprouting from the ground, and its vines wrapped around the Legions to hold them down.

"What the hell?" Rizzo asked.

A giant vine-like structure came from the ground as well, and Rizzo's eyes widened when she saw the banner with the familiar emblem being hung from the structure.

… _Fairy Tail…_

As the dirt and dust started to clear, Rizzo saw a bunch of people with faces that resembled her own Fairy Tail family standing there. Most of them were holding odd looking magical items, but as long as the items worked, Rizzo didn't care how they looked. They started charging forward to fight, and Rizzo smiled feeling so much relief.

"Even in this world it seems you can rely on Fairy Tail mages." Rizzo said. "And with them here, I can get enough energy to fight."

Rizzo flipped back onto her feet while holding out her hand to bring back out her guitar. Rizzo ran forward while kicking a few guards in the face.

"Whoa." Gray and Edolas Gray said in unison.

They then looked towards each other with wide eyes when seeing they had the same faces yet were so different.

"What's with your clothes?!" They asked in unison.

"Take some off!" Gray ordered.

"You put some on!" Edolas Gray retorted.

He couldn't believe someone with his face would run around looking so incident.

"Both of you quit arguing and fight!" Rizzo snapped.

She then hit one of the soldiers in the face with her guitar, and followed that attack with hitting another one in the gut, which sent him flying like a baseball heading out of the field for a home run.

"Is that really the princess?!" Edolas Gray asked with his eyes wide. "What happened to her?! She used to be so cute!"

"What do you mean used to be?" Gray asked frowning at his counterpart. "My Rizzo isn't just cute. She's beautiful, so watch your mouth, buddy!"

"Um, excuse me, Gentlemen, but now isn't really the time for arguing amongst ourselves." Edolas Rizzo said as she stood beside them.

Gray sighed guessing that was true. He then frowned again when Edolas Gray gasped. He looked at his counterpart as Edolas Gray was staring at Edolas Rizzo with wide eyes and a blush on his face.

"Princess, it's really you!" Edolas Gray said as he knelt down in front of her. "I have been dying to meet you since the day I first laid eyes on your beautiful face. I have always dreamed of telling you that I have fallen your for sweet disposition and kind ways. And now I can. I know I am just a commoner, but I hope you acknowledge my feelings."

Edolas Rizzo blushed darkly while feeling her heart beat wildly when hear Edolas Gray's confession. Gray sweat-dropped sure that right now wasn't the time for mushy love confessions.

"Argh, shut-up, Gray!" Edolas Juvia snapped. "You're as annoying as that idiot Craylee who has a crush on me! I can't stand it!"

Edolas Gray started crying about how cruel Edolas Juvia was, and that she ruined his confession to Edolas Rizzo. Gray shook his head at all this weirdness as his Rizzo continued to fight.

"I said get your asses in gear and fight!" Rizzo snapped. "Quit standing around!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Gray said jumping in fear.

He knew not to mess with a pissed off Rizzo when she had her guitar in her hand. He started fighting alongside Rizzo as he tried to pull out more magical energy to fight. Gray beat up one soldier then lifted him off the ground to glare at him.

"Tell me the truth." Gray demanded. "Do you and your buddies honestly think you're doing the right thing?"

"I don't know how to answer that!" The soldier cried as he flailed his limbs around.

Gray frowned at the guy really wondering if he couldn't answer a simple question.

"They're just following orders." Edolas Mirajane said. "I'm sure there's plenty of soldiers who oppose the Royal Army. However,"

She paused in what she was saying to cut down a soldier that had run forward to attack her.

"They're forced to fight because they know the King will have them killed if they disobey." Edolas Mirajane explained.

Rizzo really, really hated Faust, and the more she hears about the less likely it is that she'll ever think of him as redeemable.

"I don't belong on the battlefield." Edolas Cana fretted. "I'm a lady."

Then just after saying that she hit a soldier with a pink magical weapon that seemed more useable as a club than anything else.

"But I'll stay and fight with the rest of you even thought I'd most rather be at a tea party." Edolas Cana said.

"Thanks a lot, Cana." Lucy said. "At this point we need all the help we can get."

One of the soldiers tried to go after Lucy right then, but before he could touch her, Laelaps took him down.

"Hands off my master." Laelaps growled at the soldiers.

"Good job, Laelaps!" Lucy called out.

Laelaps smiled while latching onto Lucy with her tail wagging. Lucy giggled while petting her on the head.

"I really did good, Alpha?" Laelaps asked.

"Yes, very good." Lucy assured her.

Lucy scratched behind her ear, which had Laelaps's tail wagging even more in happiness. Loke smiled at the two of them before he took down a few soldiers that tried to harm them.

"I won't let you touch, Lucy!" Loke said.

Edolas Lucy blinked as she looked between Loke and Lucy as the Earth Land blonde thanked him while Laelaps stepped away from her, so to return to fighting.

"I know this is none of my business," Edolas Lucy began. "But is the guy with the glasses your boyfriend, Lucy?"

Lucy's eyes widened in shock as Laelaps frowned with a tight feeling entering her chest. She looked down at the ground with her ears and tail drooping.

"While I understand that you might be attracted to me since your another Lucy, I have to say I'm taken at the moment by a certain Celestial Bombshell." Loke said.

He then put his arm around Laelaps's shoulders to bring her in close, which had her blushing. Lucy's mouth fell agape as she pointed at her two spirits.

"I knew there was something going on between you too!" Lucy said.

Loke grinned while adjusting his glasses, but then he was pushed away by Laelaps.

"T-th-there's no-nothing g-going o-on b-be-between us!" Laelaps stuttered.

Lucy grinned in amusement while quite sure that there was something based on Laelaps's stuttering and the blush on her face.

"There's no reason to hide it, Poochie." Loke said as he continued to grin.

Laelaps frowned then socked a soldier right in the face when he got too close to Lucy.

"Whatever, Pussycat!" Laelaps said. "We don't have time for this! There's a fight going on."

She then jumped into a fray of soldiers while taking them out with strong and precise blows.

"That's my Laelaps!" Lucy said grinning.

Laelaps took out more soldiers as everyone else kept giving it everything they had. Rizzo played a few hardcore chords on her guitar, which sent soldiers flying. It was like she got a new wind when fighting alongside people who shared faces with her Fairy Tail guildmates because it was like fighting alongside her family. Something then crashed to the ground not far from them, which had Rizzo pausing in her playing.

"Did you see that?" Lucy asked.

"Something just crashed to the ground." Edolas Lucy said.

"Erza?" Gray guessed.

"Most likely, but I wouldn't worry." Rizzo said. "Our Erza is a monster after all, so a fall like that won't keep her down for long. So just worry about fighting because this isn't over!"

Rizzo continued fighting with her friends and the Edolas Fairy Tailers fighting alongside her. She mostly used her guitar like a weapon since she was running so low on magic power. She couldn't give up when she could tell Natsu was still fighting. If her best friend could keep going, she could too. As Rizzo was fighting, she saw that Lucy had fallen and was surrounded by shoulders. Laelaps and Loke weren't at her side anymore since Lucy didn't have the power anymore to keep them in the real world, so Rizzo hurried to help her friend.

"You guys need to back the hell off!" Rizzo said as she used her guitar to attack them.

They all yelled out in pain as they got Rizzo's guitar smashed into their faces or into their guts, which had them flying back. Once they were no longer a threat, Rizzo turned towards Lucy to give her a hand.

"Thanks, Rizzo." Lucy said as she grabbed her hand.

Rizzo nodded her head as she pulled Lucy back onto her feet. Once Lucy was standing, Rizzo returned to fighting off soldiers. She kicked one person in the head when she was suddenly hit in the back. She went falling forward to hit the ground, which had her grunting in pain.

"Rizzo!" Gray called out to her in worry.

He punched one guy in the face then ran over towards Rizzo as she was pushing herself up into a sitting position. He knelt down beside her to check on her. As he put one arm around her shoulders, his free hand gently cupped one of hers.

"I don't have much energy left." Rizzo said as she panted for air.

That fight with Edolas Breccan had put a fairly large dent in her magic energy since she had to try and use castor magic on him at first, which took a lot more out of her than when she used holder magic.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Gray said as he pulled her close.

"But I gotta keep fighting." Rizzo said. "Everyone else is, so I can't take a break now."

Gray looked at her in worry while knowing she was exhausted. Hell, he was too. However, he knew neither of them could rest at the moment because there was still a fight going on, so he helped her up onto her feet. Rizzo pulled away from Gray while taking a deep breath.

"Alright!" Rizzo yelled out as she stood on her own. "Who wants a taste of my guitar next?!"

She gave a shout while swinging at the closest soldier to take him down. Gray grinned at Rizzo's stubborn fighting spirit before he got back into the fight as well. As the fighting continued, Rizzo soon just put her guitar away, and had her case return to her back. She knew the guitar case would soon fall from the ground anyway due to her lack of magic energy, so she figured she might as well restore to throwing fists. And fighting like this gave her a thrill, which brought a grin to her face.

"She's fighting without any magic at all." Edolas Elfman said with wide eyes.

Edolas Elfman then watched as Rizzo head butted a soldier with a big grin on her face. Some of the other Edolas Fairy Tailers gawked in shock as Rizzo continued to fight the soldiers without any use of magic at all or even a weapon.

"Yeah, that's my girl." Gray said grinning. "I wouldn't want to fight her whether she was using magic or not."

"Well, the Princess isn't using magic either." Edolas Gray said about the woman he loved with all his heart.

The group turned their heads seeing Edolas Rizzo batting away a soldier with a stick she had picked up from the ground.

"I'm sorry! So so sorry!" She said every time she whacked him. "I don't wanna hurt anyone, so I'm sorry!"

Gray sweat-dropped as Edolas Rizzo continued hitting the soldier with apologizes repeatedly leaving her mouth. Definitely not like his Rizzo. His Rizzo was having fun as she beating up on the Royal Army soldiers.

"She's such a kind-hearted princess." Edolas Gray said about Edolas Rizzo while practically swooning. "And there is no woman in this entire world as beautiful as her."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Earth Land Rizzo hit a guard to the ground while stomping on the back of his head. She had an almost evil grin on her face that had Edolas Gray jumping in fright.

"I think my Rizzo has your Rizzo beat." Gray said smirking. "Not only is she hot, but she can kick some serious ass too."

Edolas Gray didn't want a girl who kicked ass. He wanted someone like Edolas Rizzo that was sweet and gentle.

"Guys, there's no need to compare us." Rizzo said as she stood beside Edolas Rizzo after she assisted her counterpart in finishing off the soldier Edolas Rizzo had been fighting.

"Yes, though we may look the same, sound the same, and share a name, but we are still two different people, so it's obvious that we will be different." Edolas Rizzo added. "Besides, now isn't the time to be standing around talking."

"In other words, get your asses back in gear and fight!" Rizzo snapped. "I think I've already told you this!"

"Yes, ma'am!" The two Grays said in unison. "Please, forgive us!"

Rizzo snorted at them as Edolas Rizzo sweat-dropped at her Earth Land version's brash way of doing things. However, before they could start fighting again the ground started to shake underneath their feet as the floating islands started falling to the earth.

"Look the islands…they're falling." Lucy said.

Rizzo knew that couldn't be good by a long shot. Beside her, Edolas Rizzo dipped her head.

"It's as I thought." Edolas Rizzo said. "The time of using magic is over for Edolas."

Rizzo looked at her counterpart seeing that Edolas Rizzo was ready to accept this fact even if she had a saddened look in her eyes.

"Whoa, is the world coming to an end or something?!" Both Grays asked in unison.

Everyone else looked up at the sky at the falling islands while all thinking it was the end for them. They were all murmuring in fright as the islands continued to fall, which caused the ground to shake. Golden tendrils of magic power started floating up from the ground towards the sky to be pulled into what Edolas Rizzo was sure was a reverse anima. The magic from the weapons started flying up towards the sky as well, which caused more panic from the mages and soldiers of Edolas. Edolas Rizzo looked at her people in worry when seeing how scared they were of this new development.

"Everybody's freaking out." Lucy said.

Rizzo looked at the others as well seeing that everyone from Edolas besides Coco and Edolas Rizzo were fretting and panicking.

"My weapon!" Edolas Gray exclaimed. "No, what's happening?!"

"Just calm down, Man." Gray said.

Coco walked forward to stand next to Edolas Rizzo, and the princess looked towards Coco as tears collected in her eyes.

"It's over." Coco said. "I guess this is the end."

Edolas Rizzo placed her hand on Coco's shoulders, which had the younger girl looking towards her.

"No, Coco." Edolas Rizzo said. "While we might no longer have magic, our lives will not end here, I promise."

Coco looked at Edolas Rizzo with wide eyes before slowly nodding her head as Edolas Rizzo's words soothed her. At the feet of everyone, the three Exceeds were looking up at the sky in worry as well since it was hard to see their homeland fall to what could become ruin. Suddenly the soldiers dropped their weapons, which had Rizzo, Gray, and Lucy starting at them in surprise as they started running away.

"I don't believe it." Lucy said.

"They gave up." Gray said.

"Wusses." Rizzo scoffed. "I still had a few good punches to dish out!"

She held up her fist, which was just aching to be slammed into someone's face. Lucy shook her head at her friend who seemed really pumped still for a fight. Gray pushed Rizzo's fist down since personally he was glad the fighting was over. Rizzo pouted at him as he turned to face the Edolas Fairy Tail.

"Hey, check it out, you guys!" Gray called out to them. "We just won!"

The Edolas Fairy Tail didn't seem too happy to hear that. In fact, they were all still freaking out.

"Whether we won or not doesn't matter!" Edolas Gray said. "Not now! We're doomed."

"We can't use magic again?" Edolas Elfman asked since he still couldn't believe it. "How are we supposed to survive without it?"

"This will be a day of mourning for the rest of time, or at least until we die." Edolas Cana cried.

"Maybe we'd be better off dead." Edolas Jet said. "Without magic we're all screwed. It's game over for us."

"Argh! We'll have to disband!" Edolas Droy said. "Because what good's a mage guild without magic?"

Rizzo frowned not believing how panicked the Edolas Fairy Tail was sounding. Yes, things without magic would be hard, but that didn't mean they had to roll over and die. Or assume that they wouldn't live without magic.

"You guys, just chill out." Lucy said. "Everything will be okay."

"How could you know?!" Edolas Lucy demanded as she ran up to Lucy. "I don't think that you get that our magic is disappearing! All of it! Don't you see what that means for Fairy Tail?!"

Lucy flinched back a bit at her counterpart's tone as tears entered Edolas Lucy's eyes. Members of the Edolas Fairy Tail started dropping to the ground in despair as they started to weep.

"It's all over." Edolas Natsu said. "We won the battle, but lost the world. I guess you would call this a bittersweet victory."

"We fought the good fight, but we still lost everything in the end." Edolas Juvia said. "I was afraid this would happen."

"Oh no!" Edolas Gray cried. "I'm so scared, Princess! What are we going to do now?!"

He turned towards Edolas Rizzo for some kind of answers as more members of Fairy Tail panicked over their loss of magic power. Edolas Rizzo looked at all of them as they all started looking towards her. She knew she had to say something as their princess because it was her duty to sooth them, and give them a reason to hope for the future.

"What we will do is endure." Edolas Rizzo said. "Our magic might leave this world, but we don't need it to live. Yes, magic makes our lives easier, but it does not give us life. The breath in our bodies, our beating hearts, and the people around us to give us aid are what make it possible for us to live. As long as we have those things, we don't need magic! I will keep marching on even after our magic is gone. I hope…no I pray that you all will march on with me because even if you don't have magic this world needs Fairy Tail."

The Edolas Fairy Tail looked at their princess as Edolas Rizzo looked at them firmly. Rizzo smiled at her counterpart while feeling quite proud of herself, or rather this world's Rizzo.

"It isn't your magic that makes you strong." Edolas Rizzo said. "It's the bonds you share and the will you have that kept you fighting all this time even when other guilds started to fall around you. The people will need to see this strength, so they can keep marching on as well. I know it's scary and I know it seems hopeless, but I promise you that I will continue to work towards tomorrow and the tomorrows after that to keep our kingdom going, so that all of you and everyone else can keep living. But I will need a bit of your help as well."

Coco sniffled as she wiped at her eyes. The princess really was a remarkable young woman, and hearing her speak so clearly and with such conviction gave Coco hope. The Edolas Fairy Tail kept silent, which had Edolas Rizzo thinking her words gave them no courage. She looked down at the ground guessing she wasn't capable of stirring hope into her own people, or perhaps they didn't trust her words because she was the daughter of the King who has ordered so much pain onto them. Edolas Rizzo shook her head before taking a deep breath to steel herself. She turned away from the group while starting to walk away.

"Come along, Coco." Edolas Rizzo said. "We will go to the capital. I'm sure the people are in a panic. I'm not sure what we can do, but we cannot leave them on their own during this dire situation. Besides, I believe our future is waiting for us there…we must face it without hesitation."

"Yes, Princess!" Coco said while nodding her head.

The two of them started walking off with everyone else watching them leave.

"Ya know, I have to say my Edolas counterpart isn't bad at all." Rizzo said grinning. "She might not be a badass, but she's got it where it counts."

"Yeah." Lucy said nodding.

She wiped at her eyes, which had started to tear up during Edolas Rizzo's speech. It was truly inspiring, and Edolas Rizzo had spoken so sincerely about the strength of Edolas Fairy Tail.

"She really is something." Lucy said. "And honestly she reminds me a lot of you."

Rizzo lightly chuckled as she scratched the back of her head. She supposed her and Edolas Rizzo were quite alike in the end.

"She definitely has the heart of a Fairy Tail mage even if she isn't part of the guild." Gray said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Lucy, Rizzo, and their three Exceed friends all nodded in agreement. Edolas Lucy looked down at the ground while hearing everything they said. And honestly Edolas Lucy had to agree with them. The Edolas Rizzo did have it where it counts, and she had so much faith in their Edolas Fairy Tail that it was almost like she was apart of the guild. Edolas Lucy took a breath before turning to face her guildmates.

"Listen, our princess is right." Edolas Lucy said. "Let's follow her into the Royal City and see what's up for ourselves. Because like Princess Rizzo said our future waits for us there, and we have to look it straight in the eye."

"…Yes!" Edolas Gray agreed in the end. "I will follow my love!"

He and Lucy started rushing off towards the path Edolas Rizzo and Coco took to get to the capital. Their friends hesitated for a moment before they ran after their guildmates and their princess.

"Well, at least they're facing forward." Rizzo said. "Let's follow. We need to know what's going on too, and we need to find our Dragon Slayers and that idiot Erza. Or we could leave her. I don't care."

Gray and Lucy rolled their eyes at Rizzo as she shrugged her shoulders in an uncaring manner.

* * *

Rizzo made it into the city with the others just as they started to glow, which had her eyes widening.

"What's happening now?" Rizzo asked.

She looked down at her hands while not sure what to make of this new development.

"What's going on?" Lucy asked.

"I have no idea." Gray said.

Whatever it was, Rizzo didn't like it very much. In fact, it made her a tad bit worried.

"The anima is pulling us out of this world!" Carla explained as she was trying to hold onto some rumble.

Rizzo and the others started being lift up into the sky, which had Rizzo gasping in surprise. Soon they were floating high over the buildings below towards the flow of magic energy that was going through the hole in the clouds.

"It looks like the anima is starting to work in reverse, and it's pushing the magic out of here." Lucy said. "That means we've got to go too."

Well, Rizzo guessed that just meant their time here in Edolas was over. It's kind of sad since she never really got a chance to explore the place, but at the same time she'd like to get home to her Fairy Tail and Magnolia.

"Hey, what's up you guys?"

Rizzo turned around with the others to see Natsu, Wendy, Jaser, and Gajeel floating behind them.

"Natsu!" Happy and Lucy exclaimed in unison as Sanjū called out to Jaser.

"Good to see you, pal!" Gray said. "You're okay!"

Rizzo laughed while moving her arms to move over towards Natsu. She put her arms around her best friend with a big grin on her face.

"You kick the king's ass?" She asked as she pressed her cheek against his.

"Of course!" Natsu said as he hugged her back. "And I made sure to give him an extra punch for you."

"You're the best best friend ever." Rizzo said.

Natsu laughed nodding his head as Lucy shook her head at the two of them, but she couldn't keep the smile of her face either. Rizzo then looked down below to the Edolas Fairy Tail who were still fretting about no magic. Rizzo sighed guessing they needed a few more words of encouragement.

"Try not to worry about it, you guys." Gray said to them. "It takes a heck of a lot more than just magic to make a real guild, trust me."

Gray gently pounded the Fairy Tail emblem on his chest before pointing his fist down towards the Edolas Fairy Tail.

"It's all about friendship." Gray said. "That's the heart of a guild."

"He's right." Rizzo said as she put her hands on her hips. "As long as you all continue to love and cherish each other, your strong bonds of friendship will get you through any and every obstacle in your way. A and as we were taught nothing is impossible as long as you work together like a family, which is all a guild really is."

Edolas Rizzo smiled up at her counterpart while placing her hand over heart. Yes, Edolas Rizzo completely agreed with the Earth Land Fairy Tail's thoughts of what a guild really is. Msytogan, who came to stand beside Edolas Rizzo, smiled up at his guildmates while trying not to cry since he knew this would be the last time he would see them. The family that took him in all those years ago, and have cared and loved for him all this time even when he never showed them his face or told them of his past.

"Msytogan!" Rizzo called out.

Msytogan looked up at her as she raised her hand up high with it forming the Fairy Tail salute. Her friends copied her with smiles on their faces as they looked down at Msytogan as well.

"Even if we cannot see you, we'll always be looking your way." Rizzo promised.

' _Yes, and I will be doing the same.'_ Msytogan thought.

Rizzo continued grinning as the anima continued forcing them out of Edolas forever. Everyone started goodbye to their Edolas counterparts, but Rizzo said no words to Edolas Rizzo. The two pinkettes only smiled at each other while not needing words of goodbye between them. Rizzo felt tears entering her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Gray asked her.

"I'm…just going to miss him." Rizzo said. "We might not have spent much time together, but Msytogan was still a member of our family. And it's always hard to say goodbye to your family."

Gray smiled at her while nodding in agreement. He pulled her into his arms as she finally just let the tears flow. She felt almost ridiculous for crying, but she just couldn't help it. They were losing one of their own, and even if she knew he belonged here with his people, it didn't make the sadness leave.

"I'm a bit worried too." Rizzo confessed as she gave a watery chuckle. "What if things get tough on him? We won't be here to back him up."

"He'll be fine." Gray assured her. "He's a member of Fairy Tail after all."

Rizzo sniffled then nodded her head because she knew that Gray was right. He's a member of Fairy Tail, and members of Fairy Tail can do anything.


	70. Back In Earth Land

Rizzo cried out with everyone else as they were dropped from the sky to the ground. She landed on top of Gray, who was on top of Lucy, Natsu, and Happy, and then she was landed on by Sanjū and Jaser who was landed on by Wendy, Gajeel and Erza. Rizzo groaned in pain before blinking. She looked up to the sky when she felt the rain on her skin. The sky was covered in storm clouds much as it had been when they had been sucked through the anima in the beginning.

"We're back!" Natsu cheered as everyone got out of the dog pile.

Rizzo grinned glad to be home finally. She was ready for a very long nap after everything they went through. Oh, but first she needed an extremely long bath. When Rizzo heard the bell toll from the cathedral, she turned her head along with everyone else to see that Magnolia looked completely as it has always looked.

"Haha! Everything's back to normal!" Natsu said.

"There's Magnolia." Lucy said smiling.

Rizzo smiled happy to see her beloved town in one piece, and in the distance they could see Fairy Tail standing tall, which also gave her some relief.

"We did it!" Happy exclaimed.

He held his paw out to Sanjū, and the pink feline smiled as she gave Happy a soft high five. Jaser smiled down at the pair while glad to see Sanjū was doing alright.

"Wait," Erza cautioned. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We shouldn't celebrate until we know that everybody's okay."

Rizzo frowned at Erza thinking she was being a total mood killer. Can't they all just take a moment to be happy the town was back? Besides, Msytogan told them that everyone was back to normal when he had arrived in Edolas earlier.

"They're all just fine."

Rizzo and her friends blinked curiously before looking up to see the sky was filled with Exceeds. Rizzo's mouth dropped open in shock, and she wasn't the only one completely flabbergasted.

"We got here a while ago, so we went and checked on them for you." The Exceed wearing the hat, whose name is Gogotora, said.

"We decided to fly through town real quick." A green Exceed continued to explain.

"Your friends and everyone in town are doing great." A young Exceed with two-toned fur added.

Rizzo just continued to gape at the Exceeds as she tried to figure out how they ended up in Earth Land. Weren't they supposed to remain behind in Edolas?!

"When we talked to them, they didn't even know they had been turned into a lacrima!" The young Exceed, who had went to help Sanjū, Lily, and Shironeko, said.

Sanjū believes the young Exceed had introduced herself as Belletokia when she was helping Sanjū, Shironeko, and Lily along with her two friends Clap, who was the green-furred Exceed, and Monmo, who was the two-toned furred Exceed.

"Earth Land is totally awesome, you guys!" A pale blue Exceed, who went by the name Kurubushi, commented. "It's got tons of magic power."

Rizzo still couldn't figure out how they got here, and the fact they were being so casual about it bothered her.

"What are they doing here?" Carla asked as the Exceeds were seemingly enjoying their time. "It's not right. The Exceeds don't belong in Earth Land."

Sanjū gave Carla a deadpanned expression while pretty sure what she said would imply to Carla, herself, and Happy, right? They're Exceeds too after all.

"We cannot allow them to stay here!" Carla said firmly, which grounded the Exceeds who now looked saddened. "They're far too dangerous! They should return to Edolas."

Rizzo looked down at Carla wondering if the white feline was being a bit harsh. Yes, the Exceeds did some not nice things, but in the end they helped Rizzo and her friends save their town and guild even if the Exceeds were just doing it to protect Extalia.

"Be nice." Happy said gently to Carla.

"Their homeland's gone, so they have nowhere to go." Wendy added. "I think that we should forgive them."

"Never!" Carla snapped.

"Come now, Carla." Sanjū said. "Calm down."

Carla frowned wondering why her friends were telling her to be nice to these Exceeds. Especially considering what Shagotte and her close advisers did to her.

"We apologize for throwing rocks at ya, Lady." Clap said.

"We're really sorry." Kurubushi added.

"We have nowhere to go now that Extalia's been destroyed." Gogotora said.

"We promise to be nicer to you now." Monmo said.

"Please, say that you'll forgive us." Belletokia pleaded.

Well, Rizzo thought they all seemed pretty repentant. However, it didn't seem Carla cared what the Exceeds had to say.

"This has nothing to do with you kids!" Carla said then looked at Shagotte. "It's her! Extalia's queen and her lackeys sent me on a mission to kill the Dragon Slayers."

Sanjū's eyes widened a bit because this was the first time she was hearing any of this.

"I know!" Lucky snapped. "The queen ordered us to give up all our eggs. How could see be so heartless?! GAH!"

Marl, who had the same coloring as Happy walked up, to her angered husband to try and calm him though it didn't seem his anger could be quelled. Sanjū blinked at them getting the feeling they were familiar in a way. Maybe it was how they smelt. She turned to look at Happy as he waved to the two Exceeds. She blinked again as she looked between Happy and those two older Exceeds. Oh, now she understands the resemblance.

"Yeah, no joke." An Exceed wearing a cowboy hat, whose name is Salberay, agreed. "She never even told us why, did she?"

"She didn't even confide in me what her true intentions were when she took my own unhatched child." A deep voice said. "And I gave many years of loyal service to the Extalia army."

Everyone looked up to the tree where the voice came from to see a tiny Shironeko sitting up on a low branch. Almost everyone was a bit surprised when they saw the new form Shironeko was in. He now looked like any other Exceed now.

"Shironeko." Shagotte said softly when she saw him.

She felt immense guilt for taking every parents' eggs away, but taking away the unhatched child of one of her closest friends had been hard. She had been close to Shironeko, but his wife, Sakura, had been Shagotte's closest friend. And when Sakura died of a broken heart due to Shagotte's decision the weight of guild piled on.

"I can assure you that she had a most honorable reason to do so." Martam, who was Shagotte's short, bearded adviser, said.

"I remember the moment vividly." Msydroy, who was the old, blue adviser, added. "It was six years ago."

Sanjū tilted her head remembering that Msytogan said that six years ago a reverse anima had opened in Edolas that sent her along with 99 other Exceed eggs here to Earth Land. She didn't know much more than that.

"As I mentioned before Queen Shagotte as the ability to glimpse into the future." Martam said. "It is both a gift and a curse. One day Queen Shagotte had a vision of Extalia's destruction. We now realize Extalia was bound to fall by natural means due to the exhaustion of magical power. However, at the time we believed our homeland would be destroyed by the humans."

Shironeko, who was still up in the tree, narrowed his eyes while remember that before his unhatched child had been taken away that Shagotte had ordered him to try and strengthen their army. She had seemed desperate that day, and he remembers his late wife Sakura pleading for him to put her friend/queen's mind at ease by doing as Shagotte wished. Then everything changed when Shagotte ordered for the children to be taken away.

"We had asked Shironeko to try and strengthen our army, but we did not give him a reason why." Martam continued. "However, Shironeko soon informed us that there was no possible way for him to make the army stronger than it already was because he was already pushing his Exceeds to their limits everyday. So Queen Shagotte advised that we save the children…the unhatched children of our race."

Shironeko's eyes widened as his tail stopped swishing back and forth. Shagotte had ordered what she did…to save the Exceed children? He wasn't the only parent of one of those hundred eggs that was shocked by this news.

"What the?" Happy murmured. "That's a way different story than the one we were told. You aren't lying to us, are ya?"

"No, young man." The only female advisor, whose name is Muganto, said.

"To prevent panic amongst the Extalians we carried out our plan without their knowledge." Mejeer, who was the tall male advisor, said. "In fact, we did not even tell any of the parents of those unhatched eggs what our true objective is."

Shironeko knew Mejeer was talking about him and the other military personal that had no true knowledge of why they were losing their children.

"The queen then made a false proclamation." Msydroy said. "It was merely a cover up for our plan."

Rizzo blinked seeing that the queen and her advisors really went through great lengths to protect the next generation of their race. Three of which were Happy, Sanjū, and Carla.

"We felt horrible making the queen lie to you about that." Mejeer said.

"Yes, but we had no other choice." Muganto added.

"We simply could not go public with the knowledge that our beloved Extalia might come crashing to the ground." Msydroy explained.

Well, Rizzo could see that something like that would create panic. In which many Exceeds could have been hurt, which included the unhatched eggs.

"Despite what you've heard I assure you that we have no ill will towards the Dragon Slayers whatsoever." Martam assured.

Jaser tilted his head supposing that was a good thing. Not that he's worried about few hundred two foot tall felines even if they did feel ill towards him.

"Don't worry we know." Wendy assured the Exceeds. "You just needed something to go along with the story you told them."

"You knew everyone would panic if the truth got out, so you had to make something else up to tell them." Lucy said.

"We get it." Gray added.

Shagotte just remained silent as she kept her head bowed. She still felt so much guilt for what she has done, and she was sure nothing would truly change that. Shagotte then took a breath knowing there was still more to explain.

"We made use to the human's anima to successfully carry out our operation." Shagotte explained. "However, something completely unexpected happened with one of the eggs. We had no idea that you, Carla, possess an incredible power."

Carla looked up with wide eyes while wondering what Shagotte could be talking about.

"Me?" She asked.

"Yes," Shagotte said while looking at Carla. "As it turns out you possess the same prophetic power I do. Unfortunately you didn't have conscious control over it, and as a result it clouded and confused your memory. Of the one-hundred Exceeds we sent away, only you had this gift."

Carla's eyes widened even more as she was pretty sure she was starting to understand.

"I suspect that you began to see scattered specks of Edolas's future." Shagotte said. "Your mind started to mistake that information as your personal mission."

"I was wrong." Carla said.

"Wait does that mean…?" Happy trailed off.

"The three of you were never given a mission." Shagotte answered Happy's unfinished question.

Sanjū frowned because she hadn't been aware of this from the very start. She guesses she had missed some things when she was with Jaser and Gajeel in Edolas trying to save their friends.

"It was just you trying to make sense of all the strange thoughts and images in your head." Shagotte continued to explain. "You were sent here because we wanted to protect the next generation nothing more."

Shagotte then glanced at Sanjū knowing that the young pink Exceed had a gift of her own that she was really just starting to become aware of.

"So those were all prophecies?" Carla asked.

"For whatever reason we thought you would be better off if we hid your prophetic powers from you." Nadi said. "Therefore we had no choice, but to make it seem that we were controlling you. We beg you forgiveness."

"At the time we honestly thought that was the only way we could embellish the queen's illustriousness." Nichiya added. "However, now we deeply regret it."

Sanjū got the feeling they were being completely honestly. It was like that special sense of hers was letting her know to trust their words.

"The show of false bravado that I chose to put on for the citizens and humans in the face of hardship is what caused you to suffer." Shagotte said then shook her head. "No, I didn't just cause your suffering. I brought anguish to all families I took eggs from six years ago."

Shironeko looked away from Shagotte finally understanding what she had done, and he was sure if Sakura was here now…she would forgive their queen for her decision six years ago.

"Now you understand." Shagotte said to Carla. "That is why I handed the sword to you. I swear that Exceed kind had nothing to do with this. It was my fault alone."

Nichiya then started crying streams of tears as he let out a loud sob that filled the air.

"It wasn't your fault, your majesty." Nadi insisted. "No one is to blame."

"You shouldn't be held responsible when you were doing what you thought was best for the citizens of Extalia!" Nichiya added.

Rizzo frowned over at Nichiya since he reminded her of a certain troll from Blue Pegasus.

"Yeah, we're just as much to blame as you, Queen Shagotte." Salberay said. "Because we were so full of ourselves."

"But now we're in Earth Land we can make things right again." Kurubushi said.

"Let's go out there and find all the Exceed children that were sent away six years ago!" Gogotora suggested.

Rizzo smiled along with the rest of her friends as they watched most of the Exceeds take off into the air. As they were happily going on about their new purpose, Rizzo lightly chuckled in amusement at their enthusiasm.

"They're optimistic, aren't they?" Natsu commented.

"Yeah, they are." Rizzo agreed as she leaned back into Gray.

Gray grinned at her while putting his arm around her, so she could lean back into his chest more comfortably.

"Thank-you, everyone." Shagotte said as she started to cry.

Shironeko sighed from his tree branch before carefully jumping down. He held back a wince due to the twinge in his injury, which was caused by him jumping down.

"I supposed those six years of hating you was for nothing." He commented.

Shagotte looked towards the former commander and sensei of the Extalia army as he put his arms up his kimono sleeves.

"And I would like to apologize for turning my back on my race and my duty." Shironeko continued. "I caused much grief to the citizens of Extalia and these humans here. I became so shrouded in anger I became like the very people I thought the queen and her advisors to be. So I give my most humble apologies to you, Earth Landers, for the roll I played in taking away your friends and your town."

He got down onto his knees to bow to them all deeply, and Erza's eyes widened. She knew how much it took for a warrior to bow his or her head let alone completely bow to another person. It took a lot of pride swallowing.

"Hey, don't worry about it, older timer." Natsu said grinning. "We get it. Besides, you did help us out in the end."

Shironeko raised his head partially from the ground as Natsu, Rizzo, and the others smiled at him. Well, Jaser didn't smile, but he supposed he'd let the feline off for what he did to Sanjū. It had technically been an accident, and Jaser could see how sorry Shironeko was.

"You are too kind." Shironeko said as he stood. "Queen Shagotte, I do not believe I will be going along with the rest of you. After what I have done, I need time to think and reach peace within myself before I can fully face the citizens of Extalia."

"Shironeko, you should not feel so much guilt." Shagotte said. "Not what after I had done."

Shironeko just silently walked up to Sanjū who blinked when he stopped in front of her. While he wasn't as tall as he had been he was still taller than her, so she had to tilt her head an inch to look up into his eyes.

"I wish for you to have this." He said holding out his sheathed katana towards her. "If you are looking to protect your friends, this blade will serve you nicely. If you learn how to use it properly that is. However, I have no doubt that you will."

Sanjū was shocked silent as he continued to hold out his katana towards her. She silently reached out to take it, so he carefully put it in her two paws.

"And that other gift of yours," Shironeko began as he turned away. "If you continue practicing, you will find you can control it."

Sanjū blinked once more not sure what to make of all this. She had a very strong feeling who Shironeko was to her, but it still surprised her that he was giving her his blade. And wasn't why did he not come out say that he is her father.

"As for you, Queen Shagotte, I have completely forgiven you." Shironeko said as he was walking away. "So be free of the guilt you feel towards Sakura's death."

Shagotte's eyes widened with more tears entering her eyes as Shironeko reached the bushes.

"I do not know where I might go in this new world." Shironeko said. "But perhaps we can meet again, young ones."

The mages of Fairy Tail smiled at the older samurai Exceed who almost looked like he had been freed from a heavy burden after so many years of carrying it.

"Sure thing, old timer." Natsu said grinning. "Stop by Fairy Tail anytime."

"Take care of yourself out there." Wendy added as she waved.

"And thanks for the help!" Lucy and Rizzo finished in unison.

Shironeko bowed his head in acknowledgement to their kind words before he vanished into the foliage as a few words left his mouth.

"Remember your promise, Lily-kun." He said too low for the others to hear.

Now that he was gone, Carla looked back to Shagotte. She supposed that if Shironeko could forgive Shagotte for her decisions, which lead to his wife's death that she could forgive the queen as well.

"Well, okay." Carla said. "Then in that case I forgive you."

More tears entered Shagotte's eyes when Carla said those words, and a smile pulled across her face.

"Carla." Shagotte whispered almost lovingly.

"But tell me, how did I end up possessing the same prophetic power that you do?" Carla asked.

Suddenly Shagotte and her advisors started acting funny as they tried to evade Carla's question. Sanjū shook her head wondering what was up with these Exceed parents just not coming clean, and telling her, Carla, and Happy that they're their parents.

"Can I ask ya something?" Happy asked as he did the same pose as Lucky.

"Yeah." Lucky said.

Happy held up his paw next into the air with the other one being placed behind his back.

"Is it just me or does Queen Shagotte and Carla look a lot alike?" Happy asked.

"Ya think so?" Lucky asked as he got into the same pose.

"Aye, sir." Happy said as he put one paw of his eyes as if looking for something. "Also they act the same."

"They do?" Lucky questioned while doing the same pose again.

"Yeah!" Happy said. "They do all the same stuff."

"Gah, I guess I never noticed." Lucky said.

Sanjū deadpanned wondering if Happy was really oblivious to how much he and Lucky were alike.

"It all worked out." Natsu, who was crouched down beside Nadi, said. "I'm glad everything ended up okay."

Natsu was even doing the arm pumping thing that Nadi was, but didn't really seem to notice.

"Yes." Nadi agreed.

"And now everyone from Extalia can have a fresh new start." Rizzo added as she smiled.

She was crouched down on Nadi's other side while also pumping her arm up and down quickly in the same fashion as him and Natsu.

"That's funny." Gray, who was crouched beside Rizzo, said as he smiled. "You both totally caught his weird arm waving."

It wasn't like he had room to talk though since he was doing the exact same thing as his two guildmates and Nadi.

"So have you, Gray." Lucy pointed out.

Erza chuckled once in amusement as she watched her guildmates who seemed oblivious to the new habit they picked up. She then stiffened when Nichiya got all up in her business to sniff her like a certain troll likes to do.

"Aren't you lovely?" Nichiya asked. "Such a fragrant parfum!"

He flew up into the air while leaning in towards Erza who lifted her hands to keep him at bay.

"I just can't get enough!" He said.

"Knock it off!" Erza snapped.

Nichiya just leaned in to sniff her some more, and Rizzo moved her eyes off Nadi to look at Nichiya. She was more than certain now that Nichiya had to be the Edolas counterpart of Ichiya of Blue Pegasus. No one ever said that the counterparts were all human, and Nichiya was far too much like Ichiya to not be his counterpart.

"Please, miss, allow me to endure your parfum even longer!" Nichiya begged.

"No, stop." Erza said. "Get away!"

She punched Nichiya right in the face to send him crashing to the ground, which had Lucy's mouth falling agape in shock. Rizzo shook her head since she knew that was going to happen. And all the while that she was watching this…she continued to fist pump as Erza was apologizing.

"Cat should have backed off while he had the chance." Rizzo said.

"Yep." Gray added.

The two shook their heads in unison as they finally stopped fist pumping for a moment. The last of the Exceeds then left giving their final goodbyes, and as the group was saying goodbye to them…Rizzo and her friends were back to fist pumping. Rizzo, Gray, Natsu, Erza, and Lucy—two of which who joined in on the fist pumping— then all gathered together to discuss all that's happened and what they were going to do.

"Alrighty, what do you say we head back to the guild?" Natsu asked.

"Sounds good but what are we going to tell everyone?" Lucy question.

"Nothing." Gray replied. "Since they got no clue that anything happened, why bother telling them?"

"That's a good point, but I think we should tell them about Msytogan, don't you?" Erza asked.

"Can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Erza." Rizzo said. "But before all that I am taking a shower and getting some clean and dry clothes."

Lucy nodded in complete agreement with Rizzo since she could really use a hot bath or shower herself. And she'd like to be wearing something dry and that's actually hers and not some costume.

"Hey, what's with your arms?" Wendy asked sweat-dropping.

"Hmm, what do you mean?" Rizzo asked.

Wendy blinked wondering if Rizzo and the others really didn't notice that they were fist pumping repeatedly.

"I think it's fun." Jaser said laughing.

Wendy turned her head seeing the Sand Dragon Slayer had started fist pumping as well. Was it really that fun? She looked down at her own fist wondering if she should give it a try.

"Ah, we got a problem." Gajeel said.

"It ain't a problem!" Natsu said. "It's actually a lot of fun!"

"Yeah, Gajeel, try it!" Jaser added.

"Yeah, come on, do it!" Wendy, who was fist pumping now too, urged.

Gajeel glared at his fellow Dragon Slayers as they continued to do their weird fist pumping.

"I'm not talking about your fist pumping, ya morons!" Gajeel snapped.

Sanjū shook her head at Gajeel's temper as he started frantically looking around as if he had lost something.

"Where in the hell is my cat?!" Gajeel demanded. "Don't tell me those flying felines took Lily with them!"

"Who is Lily?" Gray asked.

"Remember that big, brawny Exceed who helped us." Lucy said.

"He helped us?" Rizzo asked blinking.

She remembers Shironeko coming to help push the rock back, but she doesn't remember Lily doing that. In fact, he doubted them completely. However, Rizzo guesses that they showed him.

"Are you blind?" A deep voice asked. "I'm right here!"

The group turned towards the sound of the voice, and their eyes widened when they saw Lily had shrunk too.

"So tiny!" They all exclaimed in surprise.

Sanjū wondered how come Lily and Shironeko had both shrunk so much when entering Earth Land. However, if she was being honest, she'd admit Lily looked rather cute shrunk down like her, Happy, and Carla.

"You look really cute that size though." Happy said as he sweat-dropped.

"Agreed." Sanjū said.

However, she really meant it while Happy was thinking Lily totally lost his coolness.

"Unfortunately, it appears my previous physique wasn't well suited for Earth Land." Lily explained.

"Obviously." Carla said. "And that doesn't bother you?"

Rizzo just guessed this explained why Shironeko had shrunk down so much as well.

"Well, normally it would, yes." Lily admitted. "But right now I want to join the guild that took care of my prince."

He then pointed one tiny pawed-finger at Gajeel with a very serious look in his eyes.

"You promised me!" He said to Gajeel. "You said you'd get me in, Gajeel. Can you?"

Gajeel looked towards Erza as if she was the one to make the decision in the end. It was really Master Makarov's choice, but Rizzo was sure Makarov wouldn't turn Lily away. Getting into Fairy Tail wasn't hard to begin with, and Fairy Tail is known for taking in strays without homes to go to. Erza nodded her head in the end since she knew just as much as Rizzo that Makarov would agree to Lily joining.

"Consider it done, buddy!" Gajeel cried comically as he hugged Lily tightly. "Welcome to Fairy Tail!"

"Whoa, he's crying?!" Lucy explained.

"He must be some imposter." Rizzo said as she narrowed his eyes. "Lucy, you distract him, and I'll come up behind him with my guitar to knock him out."

"I don't think that'll be necessary." Lucy said sweat-dropping.

Natsu and Jaser laughed thinking it'd be pretty funny to see Gajeel hit over the head with Rizzo's guitar. It'd also be interesting to see what was harder. His head or her guitar? Once Gajeel calmed down from his crying fit, he set Lily back down onto his feet.

"Now, on an unrelated note, I happened to come across a suspicious person." Lily said.

He started tugging on the rope that Rizzo just realized he was holding, and she blinked curiously as she wondered who he had caught. She really hopes it wasn't one of the citizens of Magnolia.

"What an overachiever!" Gajeel said looking impressed. "You're definitely my cat alright."

"And since when have you been an overachiever?" Rizzo asked.

"Shut-up, pinky!" Gajeel growled.

Rizzo stuck her tongue out at him childishly, which had him glaring at her. Gray shook his head at his girlfriend though couldn't keep the amused grin off his face.

"Come here." Lily ordered the person at the end of the rope.

And as the person was coming through the bushes the group turned to see who it was.

"Hold on, it's not what you think." The person tried to explain. "Please, let me explain."

The person, who turned out to be a teenage girl, fell to the wet, grassy ground. Rizzo immediately took note to the white Fairy Tail mark on her leg.

"Ow, that hurt." The girl said.

The girl then lifted her head, and Rizzo's eyes widened as her heart stopped momentarily. The person in front of all of them was…Lisanna?!

"I'm not suspicious." Lisanna said. "I'm a member of Fairy Tail too!"

"It's Lisanna." Natsu, who was just as shocked as Rizzo and the others, said.

"That's impossible." Rizzo said.

Rizzo knew very well that Lisanna was dead, and there's no way to bring back the dead. Not naturally anyway.

"Don't be so rough with me, cat!" Lisanna said to Lily. "Wait, are you an Exceed?!"

"The name is Panther Lily." Lily corrected her.

He then heard a gasping breath being taken from Sanjū, so he turned to look at her. He saw her eyes were wide and that her body was shaking as she looked at the girl he had captured. Did his sensei's daughter know this girl?

"If you've got a problem with my cat, you'll have to take it up with me, Lady!" Gajeel said. "Well?!"

"Whoa, she looks just like—" Gray cut himself off when Rizzo stepped back into him.

He looked down at her when seeing her freaked out expression as her body shook. He put his arms around her to give her some kind of comfort.

"Lisanna." Erza finished what Gray was going to say.

Rizzo shook her head because there was no way in hell this could be Lisanna.

"No way." Happy said.

"There's no way it can be her." Sanjū said.

"Perhaps she's the one from Edolas." Carla guessed.

That'd make more sense to Rizzo, but even still knowing this Lisanna had to be from Edolas didn't stop the shaking. It wasn't easy seeing someone's face when that someone is supposed to be dead. However, something about this girl in front of them felt too familiar to Rizzo. The pinkette could spot any of her guildmates from a mile away. She had such a strong since of camaraderie with them that she didn't need to see the Fairy Tail emblem to know they were part of the guild, or had been part of the guild. And this girl…she gave off the same feeling as their Lisanna.

"How in the world did she end up here?" Lucy asked.

"Oh no!" Wendy fretted. "What should we do?"

Lisanna then turned her eyes on Natsu with everyone being silent for a moment. Lisanna then jumped forward to tackle Natsu into a hug as best she could with her arms tied up, and poor Lily was pulled into the air due to her sudden movement.

"Natsu!" Lisanna cheered.

She and Natsu hit the ground with Lisanna hovering over him. She lifted her head up with tears running down her cheeks.

"Natsu, it's you." Lisanna said as she cried. "I thought I'd never see you again."

Natsu just stared up at her unable to form actual words in her mouth. Rizzo was then shocked when Lisanna moved to suddenly hug her as well.

"And, Rizzo, it's been too long!" Lisanna said.

Rizzo stood completely still not knowing what else to do as this Lisanna hugged her. Before Rizzo could even recover, Lisanna was knelt on the ground squishing Happy and Sanjū against her cheek.

"Happy, Sanjū, you're both here to!" Lisanna cheered. "I've missed you both so much!"

As Rizzo continued to watch Lisanna it was starting to become clear that she couldn't just be the Edolas version of her deceased friend. Lisanna's Edolas counterpart shouldn't have the memories of their Lisanna, or know them so familiarly.

"It's been so long since I've seen everyone." Lisanna said as she looked to Gray and Erza. "Hehe, this makes me so happy!"

She then looked over at Lucy, Jaser, and Wendy who seemed just as confused as everyone else.

"Oh, you three must be the three new members of the guild I haven't met yet." Lisanna said. "The little one looks like Wendy, and the blonde must be Lucy. And you kind of look like that reporter."

She said this to Jaser as she pointed towards him. The Sand Dragon Slayer just lightly frowned as he glanced at Rizzo who seemed on the urge of breaking down into tears. Jaser didn't know who Lisanna was exactly, but it was obvious that whoever she was that she's important to his little sister and his guildmates.

"Wait a sec." Gray said then pointed at Lisanna. "You…Are you—our Lisanna?"

Lisanna looked up at all of them with a smile on her face as more tears entered her eyes as she nodded once.

"For real?!" Lucy asked.

"She came back to life!" Natsu cheered.

"Hurray!" Happy cheered as well.

They went to hug Lisanna, but where stopped by Erza who grabbed the back of their shirts.

"Hold it right there!" She snapped. "You can't be our Lisanna! She died two years ago! And she couldn't possibly be resuscitated!"

"Because there was no body to resuscitate." Rizzo explained as tears entered her eyes. "Mirajane and Elfman had to bury an empty coffin."

The tears started leaking down her cheeks as she remembered the painful day that Mirajane and Elfman stumbled back into the guildhall with the terrible news. It had completely devastated Rizzo and Natsu to hear that their close friend was gone, and there was no body to say their goodbyes to. Gray put his arms around Rizzo to pull her back into his chest. She buried her face there to try and hide her tears even if she knew the others was aware that she was shedding them. Lisanna looked at Rizzo softly while feeling guilty for the pain that Rizzo was obviously feeling.

"The truth is, I didn't actually die that day." Lisanna said.

Rizzo stiffened when Lisanna said that, but did not turn around. She kept her face buried in Gray's chest as Lisanna explained what happened two years ago, which lead to her being in Edolas all this time. Rizzo partially turned her head to look at Lisanna with wide eyes. So Lisanna had been pulled into the anima…and has lived in Edolas all this time?

Lisanna continued to explain that she couldn't tell the Edolas Fairy Tail the truth since they had been so happy to see her, and her heart wouldn't have been able to bear crushing their spirits. She explained the transition had been a bit bumpy at first, but she soon learned the ropes before two years quickly passed until the day Happy and Natsu showed up.

"Why, Lisanna?" Natsu asked. "I don't understand. Why didn't you bother to tell us the truth then?!"

Rizzo wanted to know too. Why had Lisanna said nothing? And how did Rizzo not notice her on the battlefield when they fought the Royal Army? And did Lisanna see her? Why hadn't she said anything to Rizzo?

"It wasn't the right time." Lisanna explained.

She then explained how she forced herself to be strong, so that she wouldn't make the Edolas Elfman and Edolas Mirajane feel pain again by losing their sister. Lucy's eyes widened knowing it had to have been hard for Lisanna not to tell Happy and Natsu the truth. Or speak with Gray and Rizzo during their fight with the Royal Army. She had resigned herself to live in Edolas, so not to cause harm to her siblings' counterparts.

Lisanna sniffled before she finished her tale by telling them all that she ended up back in Earth Land due to the reverse anima, and that the Edolas Mirajane and Edolas Elfman had known all along that Lisanna hadn't been their Edolas Lisanna. After Lisanna finished explaining, Rizzo pulled away from Gray to walk towards her. Everyone watched as Rizzo latched onto Lisanna as she let out a sob.

"Lisanna!" Rizzo cried. "We missed you too!"

Lisanna smiled gently while pressing her head against Rizzo's since she couldn't really hug her friend at the moment.

"It's okay now…I'm home." Lisanna said.

Rizzo continued crying as their friends all smiled at the scene of two reunited friends. Natsu moved forward to hug both Rizzo and Lisanna with a big smile on his face. Sanjū and Happy climbed onto top of Rizzo and Natsu's heads with smiles on their faces as well. Gray smiled at the scene thinking it looked rather complete. Those five always were super close.

"Gray." Rizzo said as she looked back at him. "You have to join in too."

Gray blinked curiously since he didn't see why he needed to intrude on the moment.

"You promised on that day as well that we'd all be close friends forever." Rizzo said as she smiled. "Don't you remember?"

Gray in fact did remember that day because it had been the day Rizzo joined the guild. He had made that promise without even thinking. And now that he thinks back on it he's pretty sure Rizzo's sweet smile has distracted him back then.

"Yeah, Freezer brains." Natsu added. "I might not like ya, but you made the same promise."

Gray snorted at Natsu though stepped forward to join in on the hug. Lisanna and Rizzo were in the middle with Happy and Sanjū sitting on top Rizzo and Natsu's head. Then finally the boys were on the outside almost like two warm, strong walls keeping them all together. Gray smiled while kissing the back of Rizzo's head gently as Rizzo cried tears of joy. She never thought the six of them would be together like this ever again…but she's so glad to be wrong.


	71. Loving Fairy Tail

Edolas Rizzo stood silently behind Msytogan as he gazed down at the kingdom that was now his. She has kept silent this entire time while honestly not sure what to say. She wasn't even sure why she was here. All she knows is that Msytogan had a guard come get her earlier. Perhaps he wished to tell her she was no longer princess of Edolas, which would be understandable.

"I brought the prisoners." A guard said as he walked up to them.

Msytogan glanced back at the guard while guessing now was the time to deliver punishment.

"Please come with me, Rizzo." Msytogan said as he started heading inside off the balcony.

"Ah, yes, your majesty." Edolas Rizzo said.

She started following after him as he lightly grinned. He was going to have to get used to Edolas Rizzo all over again since he's gotten so used to Earth Land Rizzo's loud personality. He wiped the grin off his face though as he came to stand in front of the seven prisoners.

"Edolas's city has entered a new era." Msytogan said as he faced away from the prisoners. "It's people are now looking forward to the future. However, they haven't forgotten the pain and trouble you've caused them in the past. Therefore you must be given due punishment for your actions."

Edolas Rizzo bit her lip wondering how they would be punished. Despite everything she still cares for each and every one of them. Even Faust.

"Yes, we understand." Faust said.

"As the new king, I hereby proclaim, Sir Faust, you're permanently exiled by the kingdom." Msytogan said. "You are prohibited of ever setting foot in the Royal City again."

Edolas Rizzo's eyes widened a bit since she had not expected that to be Faust's punishment. She had been certain execution would be it. However, she was glad to hear that Msytogan was giving some kind of mercy. Faust nodded his head silently as he accepted his punishment.

"The poor guy." Coco whispered.

She knew it wouldn't be easy for Faust to leave his beloved city. Despite everything he's done he really does love Edolas.

"Erza Nightwalker, Breccan Moon," Msytogan began. "You two cannot leave the kingdom unless I've authorized you to do so."

Edolas Breccan frowned wondering what the new king had in mind. Was he really prepared to let them live after everything they've done?

"Breccan and I are prepared to die for our sins." Edolas Erza said. "You needn't hold back."

Edolas Breccan nodded silently in agreement as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm not." Msytogan assured her. "I order you to help the citizens rebuild the Royal City. Byro, Sugar Boy, Hughes, you are all given the same punishment as Nightwalker and Moon."

The former captains of the warfare divisions looked surprised as they looked at their new king. From behind him, Edolas Rizzo was smiling. She was glad to hear none of her friends would die, and by helping rebuild the Royal City they could atone for their sins.

"Care to explain yourself?" Edolas Erza asked.

"Yeah, this is like awesome, but it's also totally messed up." Hughes said.

"I honestly don't understand it." Edolas Breccan confessed.

He had been prepared to die. As an assassin, one must always be prepared to die since the work is so dangerous. Considering what they done to this country it'd only seem fair that they pay with their lives. So why were they being shown mercy?

"Mhmm, so the magic warfare units don't get the full brunt?" Sugar Boy asked.

"I'm afraid I too don't understand what you're hoping to achieve." Byro said.

Coco was just glad no one would be dying, but she didn't want Faust sent so far away.

"Your atonement, nothing more." Msytogan said.

Edolas Breccan frowned because he didn't see how they could fully atone if they were allowed to live.

"Well then you should simply execute us." Edolas Erza said. "We don't want to live our lives in disgrace."

"I honestly don't care about disgrace, but I don't believe we can fully atone while we're still breathing." Edolas Breccan said. "So, please just execute us."

Edolas Rizzo looked at them with wide eyes not believing that they actually wanted to die.

"Seriously it's not a big deal." Hughes added. "Just do it."

Not a big deal? Edolas Rizzo couldn't understand how he could say that. Did they not understand what Msytogan was doing? Did they really think death was the only way to atone for what they have done?

"In fact, we were prepared for that punishment." Sugar Boy admitted.

"Oh, new king, this is our desire." Byro said. "Won't you please sympathize with our feelings grant us this one last wish?"

"NO!" Edolas Rizzo snapped.

Everyone looked to Edolas Rizzo in surprise since they've never heard her raise her voice. Edolas Rizzo glared at all of them while stepping up towards them.

"What is wrong with you?!" Edolas Rizzo demanded. "Do you truly think death is the only way for you to atone for your sins?!"

The former captains of the magic warfare divisions and Byro all leaned back while still completely flabbergasted by Edolas Rizzo's tone.

"You're not atoning for your sins by dying!" Edolas Rizzo continued. "You're just running away from them. If you want to give your full atonement, you must work to help make Edolas whole again even if that means having to deal with a little disgrace."

She looked at Edolas Erza as she said this, and the redheaded woman looked away unable to meet her princess's striking green orbs.

"I know it will be hard at first, and you'll most likely have to deal with angered citizens for a while." Edolas Rizzo said. "However, through your punishment you will be able to slowly gain their trust and respect again. It will be a long and difficult road that you will have to walk, but you will walk it because that is what our king has ordered. You didn't want him to hold back, right? Well, I believe his punishment is worse than death. Because after you die you're free from all your burdens…but you're not getting off easy like that!"

After her little speech, Edolas Rizzo continued to glare at the people in front of her. They were all taken aback by her words, and how firmly she spoke them.

"And what about his highness?" Edolas Erza asked. "Excuse me, I mean Sir Faust. Should it not be the same for him?"

Edolas Rizzo didn't have the answer for that, and honestly she was a bit embarrassed by her outburst. She knew she shouldn't have spoken in the first place.

"My punishment is fair." Faust said.

"But, sir!" Edolas Erza tried to protest.

Edolas Breccan placed a hand on her shoulder, and when she glanced back at him, he shook his head. Edolas Erza frowned though did go silent.

"Take care of yourselves," Faust began as he started walking forward. "I am grateful to you the new king for showing such mercy. Before he left our world I called out to that young man."

"Yes, I'm aware of that." Msytogan said.

Msytogan had heard what Faust had said to Natsu as the young Fire Dragon Slayer had been pulled out of this world.

"I understand why." Faust said. "The way he smiled when I asked him that question. It stirred something within me. I suppose this is goodbye."

Faust dipped his head towards Msytogan then looked back at Coco and Edolas Rizzo. Coco had moved to hug Edolas Rizzo with tears pricking the young girl's eyes when she knew Faust was really leaving.

"Coco, don't ever stop running, child." Faust said.

"I won't!" Coco cried.

She then buried herself farther into Edolas Rizzo's embrace, and the pinkette gently stroked her head.

"And, Rizzo, I hope you can continue being a shining beacon of hope to the citizens of Edolas." Faust added.

Edolas Rizzo's eyes widened as Faust said. However, she said no words as she finally watched him walk out the large front doors of the castle. Edolas Rizzo then took a deep breath.

"Your majesty, if you would not mind, I would like to head into the city." Edolas Rizzo said. "Because I too wish to help rebuild our city."

The group gasped in shock as they looked towards their princess. However, Msytogan just smiled because he knew how big a heart Edolas Rizzo had. It wasn't surprising to him that she wished to help the citizens rebuild in anyway she could.

"But, Princess," Byro began.

"I'm not a princess anymore." Edolas Rizzo cut in gently. "I am just Rizzo Swanson again. After all Sir Faust is no longer king, and it was him adopting me that made me a princess. However, he is no longer here, so I suppose it's time I hang up my crown."

"But, Princess, you can't!" Coco argued. "The people need you to be their princess! Your kindness and inspiring words is what gives the people hope. If you leave your position as princess now, the people will lose hope!"

Edolas Rizzo was sure that Coco was over-exaggerating quite a bit about how much influence she had on the people. When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she turned her head seeing Msytogan standing there.

"She's right, Rizzo." Msytogan said. "The people need you now, and I will need you to make sure I do not mess up as the new king. Besides, we were almost like siblings back when we were children, so now that we really are shouldn't change things in my opinion."

Edolas Rizzo's eyes widened then she glanced at the others who were all smiling. Did they really wish for her to remain as well?

"I suppose being a princess has grown on me." Edolas Rizzo said. "So I guess I will continue filling the position."

Coco cheered while hugging Edolas Rizzo tightly. The pinkette laughed while hugging Coco in return.

"And if you truly wish to help the townspeople rebuild, I will not deny your wish." Msytogan said.

"Thank-you, your majesty." Edolas Rizzo said as she smiled. "I truly wish to rebuild this beloved city of ours even if I have to use my own two hands and get a bit dirty because it will all be worth it to make Edolas whole again."

* * *

Edolas Gray let out a groan as he laid on the ground with the rest of his male guildmates. It had been really hard bringing the guildhall here, and all the ladies had just remained in the guildhall relaxing.

"Good job, guys!" Edolas Lucy said. "We've made it to our destination!"

She held up her fist in like a victory pose as the guys continued laying around on the ground.

"Yeah, no thanks to you." They said in unison.

She seemed to ignore their complaints though, which had them groaning once more in exhaustion and pain. The citizens of Edolas all looked towards the Edolas Fairy Tailers as the women came out of the guildhall.

"People of the Royal City," Edolas Mirajane called out.

"Hi, we're members of the Fairy Tail guild!" Edolas Wendy and Edolas Juvia continued.

"We can solve any problems you may have." Edolas Cana assured them.

"And nobody can beat our prices." Edolas Levy said.

"We're running a special for our grand opening, so act now." Edolas Bisca urged.

"Stop on by." Lucy finished their little sell's pitch.

The citizens all seemed happy to hear this, and started requesting help right away doing all sorts of things like repairing roofs to laying bricks.

"We'd love to!" All the girls said sweetly.

As they were getting more customers to place orders, the guys were standing back with looks of doom on their faces. The girls couldn't be serious, could they?

"My, it certainly is lively here."

When everyone heard the new voice, they all turned see Edolas Rizzo, who was dressed more casually today, walking towards them with two guards posted on either side of her. Edolas Gray's eyes widened at the sight of her, and he felt his heart flutter when seeing her beautiful face again.

"Princess!" Some of the citizens called out.

"What is the princess doing here?" Some murmured.

"I have come to lend a hand." Edolas Rizzo said as she smiled. "I'm not very familiar with construction work, so don't be afraid to correct me if I'm doing something wrong. And don't be afraid to really make me work. It's what I've come to do after all."

The citizens of Edolas really were surprised to hear that the princess herself came to help with construction. They all then smiled.

"The princess is so kind!" Nearly every single person gushed.

Edolas Rizzo blinked at the reaction before giggling in amusement behind her hand.

"Well, let's get to work, shall we?" She asked.

"Yes, your highness!" They all agreed.

As everyone started getting back to work, Edolas Gray came practically running up to Edolas Rizzo. The guards tried to intercept him, but when Edolas Rizzo waved them off they stepped back.

"Princess, I never thought I would see you again!" Edolas Gray said as he knelt down on one knee. "Yet here you are gracing us with your beautiful presence!"

Edolas Rizzo felt herself blush as Edolas Gray continued to compliment her. The guards behind her sweat-dropped wondering what this guy's deal was. Sure Edolas Rizzo was a beautiful maiden with the kindness heart there is, but the way he was acting towards her was a bit more than just a little disturbing. As Edolas Gray continued to rain compliments on her, Edolas Rizzo absently wondered how her Earth Land counterpart was doing. Edolas Rizzo really hoped things were alright back in Earth Land, and that Rizzo was back with her friends and family.

* * *

IN EARTH LAND

Rizzo let out a soft sigh as the water ran over her from the showerhead above. It felt so nice to be clean. However, she knew she needed to get out of the shower since she was supposed to meet the others, which included Mirajane and Elfman, who were aware of Lisanna being alive again, soon, so they could return to the guildhall. She unhappily turned off the shower before stepping out onto her tiled bathroom floor. She then grabbed a towel to dry off her hair as best as she could. After that she dried her body then wrapped the towel around her. She stepped out of her bathroom, and paused in the bedroom when she saw Gray, who was now clean and in fresh clothes, sitting over in the sitting area.

"Sorry." He said as he looked away from her towel cladded form. "I just wanted to come over here to see if you were doing alright."

Rizzo, who honestly wasn't bothered by Gray being here, walked over to him. He looked up at her when she stopped in front of him. She gently pushed him back by his shoulder, which had his eyes widening slightly. Before he could ask what she was doing, she sat down in his lap to curl into his chest.

"I'm tired-you're comfortable by the way." Rizzo said. "But besides that I guess I'm alright."

Gray blinked then chuckled as he put his arms around his girlfriend to pull her closer. He kissed the top of her head before he rested his chin gently against the top of her head. It was silent between them for a moment as they took a small pause just for themselves. After all the craziness in Edolas they needed it.

"We still need to meet the others." Gray reminded her softly.

Rizzo sighed knowing that was true, but she was so comfortable that she was tempted not to move for like an hour. However, they had to show everyone Lisanna was back, and they still had to explain the craziness that happened in Edolas.

"Alright." She said as she shifted to get up. "Just let me get dressed."

She moved to go get dressed inside her closet while wondering how the guild would react to Lisanna back. She was sure there would be many happy tears, and then everyone wanting some kind of explanation. Rizzo just hoped their guildmates believed them when they tell the others about Edolas and all the other stuff.

* * *

As Rizzo and the others stayed back, Lisanna walked forward into the guildhall with her presence quickly getting attention. Nearly everyone went silent as they looked towards Lisanna with wide, shocked gazes. The murmuring then started as everyone tried to comprehend what they were seeing. Rizzo's brothers (besides Jaser) and Juvia looked at their guildmates in confusion since they didn't know what was making them act as they were.

"But I thought we lost you." Macao said.

"So…you were alive…all along?" Wakaba questioned.

Lisanna smiled before she slowly nodded her head to their guildmates. It didn't take long for everyone to cheer as they tried to hurry towards Lisanna to welcome her back. However, Elfman transformed his arm to punch all of them and send them flying through the air.

"Keep your filthy paws off of her!" Elfman snapped.

Rizzo shook her head at the large white-haired man while wondering if that had been necessary.

"I just think they're happy to see her, Man." Natsu said as he sweat-dropped.

"Yeah, chill out." Happy added.

"Oh my goodness." Mirajane said while giggling.

Sanjū sighed hoping Elfman throwing that punch didn't start a brawl. It'd be nice to have some kind of peace for at least a little while.

"It's such a relief to see the guild back to how it was before." Lucy said smiling.

"Yeah, no joke." Gray said. "And it seems like they don't have a clue about the anima stuff."

Which will probably making explaining everything harder to them in Rizzo's opinion.

"I'm just glad to see them safe and sound." Erza said.

"Hah, same here." Jaser said as he grinned.

Seeing all his brothers and his Cana in one piece was a huge relief to him since he had been so worried.

"Pretty crazy, ain't it?" Gajeel asked.

"So this is what it's like to be in a guild?" Lily asked.

"Fairy Tail is different than any other guild." Sanjū, who was resting on Jaser's shoulder, said.

Lily looked at her curiously since he wasn't sure if he knew what she meant by that.

"You'll understand once the brawling starts." Sanjū assured him.

Lily blinked wondering if brawling amongst guildmates was really a common thing here.

"Lisanna."

Everyone turned towards Makarov when he spoke, and that's when things went a little quiet though Lisanna did greet him cheerfully.

"I was so worried." Makarov said. "I consider those who had been raised by this guild my own children. Every parent worries about his children, and every parent has faith in their children. You can fill me even on the details another time. Same for the rest of you."

"Okay, sure thing, Gramps." Natsu said grinning.

Rizzo was all for that since she wanted to hold off on the storytelling for now at least.

"Today we'll all celebrate your return to Fairy Tail!" Makarov said to Lisanna as he smiled.

Lisanna started tearing up from the warm greeting she was being given as she cupped her cheeks.

"Oh, thank-you." Lisanna said. "I just can't believe it. I've come home, and I'll never leave again."

She couldn't imagine being away from her Fairy Tail family ever again. Yes, she'll miss the Edolas Fairy Tail, but here in Earth Land with her own Fairy Tail is where she belonged.

"You can, child." Makarov said. "For no matter where you go this will always be home. Welcome back, Lisanna dear."

"Welcome back, Lisanna!" The rest of the guild said.

The tears started running freely down her cheeks, and before anyone knew it, Lisanna had the Master tackled into a big hug.

"Thank-you, Master!" Lisanna said.

"Eeek, she tackled him!" Lucy fretted.

"Careful the Master's fragile!" Wendy added.

Rizzo just laughed in amusement as Lisanna cried and rubbed her cheek against Makarov's face. Many of the others smiled and laughed in amusement at the scene as well.

"Well, get it out, child, before the party begins." Makarov said.

* * *

Rizzo, who was sitting up on top the table with Gray, watched everyone drink and party as the entire guild celebrated Lisanna's return. Lisanna was being greeted by the Thunder Legion, and Rizzo absently noted that Evergreen and Amarante were suddenly sporting longer hair. In fact, Amarante's hair now reached down to her hips in long waves. Then Rizzo saw that Juvia had reverted back to her previous appearance and looked as if the world was ending.

"You should see the other world's you." Gray said to Cana who was trying to enjoy her booze. "Just the thought of it makes me crack up."

Rizzo snorted rolling her eyes at her boyfriend as Cana frowned up at Gray in annoyance.

"Come on, will you just spill it already?" Cana asked. "I'd like to get back to drinking."

"Well, the Edolas you was a real proper lady." Rizzo said. "The only skin she was showing were her hands and face, and I heard she never drinks alcohol. Like has never had a single drop in all her life."

Cana frowned not believing that someone in another world with her face wasn't drinking some booze. She really didn't like the sound of this other Cana.

"And she smelt funny too." Jaser said as he sat down beside Cana. "She didn't smell like my Cana."

He put his arms around her to bury his nose into her neck, and Cana honestly had to hold back a shudder when she felt his warm breath hit her neck. Rizzo smiled thinking the two were rather cute together. Rizzo then turned her head when Natsu suddenly turned up tables and chairs, which sent people flying.

"I love being in a guild!" Natsu boasted as he breathed fire. "Don't you, Happy?!"

"Aye, aye, sir!" Happy agreed.

Rizzo laughed at the pair of them as some people got annoyed by Natsu as usual when he was causing a ruckus. Natsu didn't listen to them as he continued causing mayhem.

"Looks like he's having fun." Rizzo said grinning. "I need to get in on this action!"

Rizzo jumped over the chair while tossing her jacket behind her towards Gray who barely caught it. Gray chuckled shaking his head as Rizzo threw out a punch to hit some poor bastard in the face.

"Oh no, now Rizzo is involved too!" Some members cried out.

Rizzo laughed while continuing to brawl with anyone who unfortunately got in her way. Natsu grinned thinking things were really getting exciting now with Rizzo in the mix.

"Hey pipe down!" Joey ordered.

"Yeah, quit trashing the place." Wan said.

"Gees, I wonder if the other Natsu and Rizzo are as crazy as ours are." Chico said.

"If so I feel real bad for their guild." Kinana said.

Rizzo rolled her eyes thinking there was nothing wrong with having a bit of fun amongst guildmates. Besides, it wouldn't be Fairy Tail without the daily brawls.

"Actually he's more like this." Lisanna said then did a Edolas Natsu impression. "'Why are you so mean to me, Lucy? What'd I do to you?'"

The group started to laugh when they heard that, and Natsu looked over with a wide eyes. Was Lisanna really making fun of the other him?!

"He's a wimp." Lisanna said.

This resulted in more laughter as the others said they'd love to meet this Edolas Natsu.

"Quit laughing at the other me right now!" Natsu ordered.

"Sorry but I think it's cute!" Lisanna said.

Natsu growled before going back to causing mayhem, so to ignore the laughter going on.

"And what about Rizzo?" Kinana asked. "Is she a crybaby too?"

The others were hoping to hear a yes, but before Lisanna could reply Rizzo jumped up onto their table while slamming her guitar down, which had them jumping.

"I'll have you know the other me is the princess of Edolas." Rizzo said grinning.

"What?! No way!" Her guildmates exclaimed.

Rizzo grinned at their flabbergasted expressions as they all stared up at her with wide eyes. Breccan and Sven both laughed when seeing how pleased Rizzo was with the attention she was getting from their guildmates. Craylee just shook his head as he returned to his sewing.

"It's true actually." Lisanna said. "The Edolas Rizzo is the princess of the kingdom, and is very loved by her people."

"Understandable." Rizzo said. "Because in this world I'm punk rock princess with many adoring fans!"

She then started playing some intense chords on her guitar, which sent a blast of magic through the guildhall that overturned even more tables. Rizzo laughed while jumping down from the table she was on as many people gapped at the mess she made. Makarov sighed shaking his head as he wondered why he had to have such destructive children. Rizzo paused in her playing when Natsu was slammed into the ground by Gildarts who only hit him once.

"You okay, Natsu?" Rizzo asked.

"I'm good." He said though his voice was muffled.

Rizzo nodded her head then had to dodge a punch thrown by someone else who apparently wanted to get in on the action. She grinned thinking things were getting more interesting now. Rizzo swung her guitar like a bat to hit the guy who challenged her, and he went sailing through the air to crash into the wall. Sanjū, who was trying to enjoy her tea at one table, shook her head though wasn't surprised things led to this.

"Gees, they certainly are a rowdy bunch, aren't they?" Lily asked.

"I think that's everyone's first impression of Fairy Tail." Carla said.

"There's never a dull moment." Happy added.

"Which means there's never a peaceful moment." Sanjū said sighing, but she then smiled. "But I suppose as far as guilds go this one isn't bad. Besides, I wouldn't have those rambunctious fools any other way."

Carla and Happy smiled at Sanjū as she was looking out at her guildmates with a content smile. Lily looked at Sanjū seeing she really cared for the people here, which is why she had tried so hard to save them back in Edolas.

"Aye, sir." Happy agreed. "Fairy Tail isn't Fairy Tail without fights and parties like these!"

Carla lightly chuckled because that was so true. She hasn't been here that long, but she can tell that this was just how Fairy Tail is.

"So everyone here possess a magical power of some sort?" Lily asked.

"That's correct." Erza said as she walked up to the table. "The same holds true for all Earth Land mages."

Lily looked up at her knowing she wasn't the Edolas Erza, but he felt strangely at ease with her here.

"Erza." He said.

"I almost forgot that you worked with a less than pleasant Erza Nightwalker back in Edolas." Carla said.

"You're going to like ours better!" Happy said over the fish he was eating. "Along with our Breccan!"

Happy pointed over to said man, and Lily glanced at Breccan as the violet-haired man was placing another cigarette in his mouth as Mirajane was chatting with him. However, the white-haired woman plucked it out of his mouth with a stern look in her eyes. Lily then looked back to Erza when she started speaking.

"However, I don't think it's the magic itself that's most important." Erza said. "I believe that is the hearts of those who wield it. Wouldn't you agree, Lily?"

Lily grinned supposing this Erza was very different than the Edolas Erza. In fact, she did seem much more pleasant.

"You may be a different person, but I have to admit I find it comforting to have a familiar face around." Lily said.

Gajeel then caused a ruckus too as he overturned the table he had been sitting at.

"I've got a wager for you both and the little girl, Salamander, White Sand!" Gajeel called out. "I betcha my Lily can beat the ever loving crap out of your puny cats."

Jaser, who was sitting holding onto Cana, blinked at Gajeel wondering why he wanted to make their feline friends fight. Wendy just started panicking since she didn't want Carla to get hurt during a brawl. Natsu, who got into a sitting position on the floor, turned to glare at Gajeel.

"Yeah?" He asked with an angry expression on his face.

Rizzo frowned at Gajeel since she wasn't going to make Sanjū fight since she knows Sanjū doesn't like fighting. And she highly doubted Jaser would make Sanjū fight either.

"Hahaha, your kitty up for the challenge?" Gildarts asked laughing.

Lucy and Levy both sweat-dropped as they looked towards Gajeel who seemed more than eager to get this fight started.

"Looks like the big guy's got his heart set on having them fight." Lucy said.

"Uh-huh." Wendy said weakly.

"Don't worry Carla can handle him…I think." Levy said.

Her words weren't that encouraging, and honestly Jaser wasn't interested in this fight. Natsu seemed to be though since he went to get in Gajeel's face.

"Go ahead and make my day, ya punk." Natsu said.

"I will!" Gajeel assured him.

"Do we have any say?" Happy asked.

He went ignored as the two Dragon Slayers bumped heads while continuing to glare at each other.

"Ain't no way you guys can beat my Lily." Gajeel said. "He's the strongest with a capital "S"!"

"We'll see about that because Happy's a cat with a lowercase "c"!" Natsu retorted.

Sanjū just frowned because she would not participate in some kind of barbaric brawl.

"Ah, Natsu, you know that I don't stand a chance against him!" Happy cried.

"Now, don't sell yourself short, Happy." Carla said. "You can't give up when you haven't even tried."

Happy looked over at Carla with wide eyes before he blushed at the confidence she had in him.

"Do you mean it?" Happy asked. "You really think I've got a shot?"

"Now, hold on, despite my current appearance I was a division commander back in Edolas." Lily pointed out. "If we were to fight, you could be seriously injured."

Sanjū blinked at how maturely Lily handled that. It certainly was refreshing to have someone act so mature in a place full of immature fools.

"You've got a good point." Happy said as he hung his head.

Erza smiled down at Lily while quite surprised herself at how mature he had acted.

"I must say that was quite mature of you." Erza said.

"It just seems that way because they're childish." Lily said then turned to his fellow Exceeds. "Well, I for one hope the four of us can be friends from now on."

"Aye, sir!" Happy agreed.

"Fine." Carla said while making it sound like a burden to agree.

"I quite like the idea." Sanjū said smiling.

Lily nodded as he smiled as well. And while he is here he won't forget his promise to his sensei. He will look out for Sanjū. Carla then frowned as she turned her head seeing most of the boys and Rizzo were brawling in the middle of the guild. Even Rizzo's brothers, except Breccan, who was trying to get his cigarette back from Mirajane, had been pulled into the fray though Craylee was very unhappy about it.

"Would someone care to explain why all the boys and Rizzo are fighting?" Carla asked.

"Evidently Gray and Elfman got dragged into it too." Happy said.

"Just another normal day in Fairy Tail." Sanjū said then sipped her tea.

Juvia watched the fight carefully while watching as Craylee kicked away someone who had tried to come at him from behind. Her beloved looked so handsome as he was fending off his guildmates with ease. She then watched Craylee hit the ground for a moment with Gajeel on top of him. Craylee shoved Gajeel away with his hand brushing up against the Dragon Slayer's arm.

"Flesh dragging flesh repeatedly with force." She said then started to strip. "I'll join you!"

"You don't strip!" Lucy said.

Craylee managed to get out of the fray of fighting, and he frowned when seeing his clothes were now dirty with some tears in his new shirt.

"Morons." He scoffed at the boys.

He'd never call his little sister that though he did wish she would try to restrain herself. He sighed then turned to see Juvia with part of her dress pulled off.

"What are you doing?" He asked as he walked towards her. "One streaker in this guild is all we need."

He put his arms around her, so to zip her back up. And his close contact had Juvia blushing like bad. As she was trying not to faint at her and Craylee's closeness, the brawling continued on behind them.

"I suppose I too should take the advantage to less loose." Freed said.

Honestly he just wanted to fight alongside Sven who was having a ball as he kept Max in an arm lock.

"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about!" Bickslow said as he laughed.

"If you guys are going in then I am too!" Nab decided.

The three of them jumped into the fray with Amarante laughing from where she watched with Evergreen. Rizzo grinned broadly as she continued to dish out punches left and right. She completely ignored Wendy when she asked them to stop since there was no stopping a brawl like this until there was only one person left standing or none at all. As Rizzo was beating up on Jet, Natsu paused in his fight for the moment to speak with Makarov and Gildarts.

"Ack, Rizzo, have mercy!" Jet begged.

"Sorry, all out of mercy!" She said giggling.

He then cried out when she bent his arm behind his back in a manner that almost made him think his bones might break. She laughed then looked over to Natsu who was still talking.

"Natsu, come on!~" She called out as she grinned. "You're missing all the fun, buddy!"

Natsu turned his head to smile at Rizzo in return while guessing he really did need to return to fighting.

"Yeah, aren't you the one who started this, Pyro?!" Gray asked.

He was currently kick Nab's ass as the man was trying to crawl away, but it was all in vain since Nab couldn't get away.

"Better hurry and get over here or else!" Gajeel, who had Warren in a head lock, said.

"Yeah, fight us like a real man!" Elfman said as he kicked Droy across the room.

"If you don't worry, all the fun will be over with!" Jaser added as he laughed.

He was currently wrestling Alzach with the poor gun mage unable to do much as Jaser had him in a body lock.

"Hurry, Natsu! Hurry!" Sven encouraged as he giggled.

Max just groaned in pain as he wondered how such a little guy could deliver so much pain.

"Only a coward would turn their back on a fight they initiated." Freed said. "We're finally seeing the Salamander's true colo—!"

Before Freed could finish his sentence Natsu hit him in the face with a fist of fire.

"Shut-up, loser!" Natsu snapped as Freed hit the ground.

People winced nearly feeling that one themselves. Rizzo just continued laughing happily since she was having a blast.

"Man, I love being in Fairy Tail." Rizzo said laughing.


	72. Natsu and Rizzo Destroy a Forest

A few days after celebrating Lisanna's return to Fairy Tail, Rizzo was standing in front of the request board. She was wearing a pink halter top under a neon green leather jacket. She then had on tight black leather pants with a neon green belt. She then had on black wedge sneakers that had pink laces. Then on her hands were pink fingerless gloves with the right glove having the Fairy Tail emblem on it in neon green.

"Looking for a job, Rizzo?" Mirajane asked as she approached the younger mage.

"Yeah." Rizzo said. "Something exciting and challenging."

"Really?" Mirajane asked. "After all the excitement I heard you had in Edolas I wouldn't think you'd want excitement for a while."

Rizzo shook her head. What happened in Edolas was days ago, so she needed something thrilling because the last few days have been boring. Besides, she knew a certain someone wouldn't be satisfied with an easy job either.

"Well, if you're really looking for excitement, I recommend this job." Mirajane said.

She held out a flyer towards Rizzo, which the pinkette took to give it a look over. Apparently a town was having some trouble with Green Wyverns that nested near that town. The large scaly dragon like creatures were attacking people who tried to go into the forest, and have made off with some farmers' livestock. The nest must be pretty large since the award was for 800,000 jewel. Not only was that a lot of jewel, but fighting a bunch of Wyverns would be the perfect workout and source of entertainment.

"Perfect." Rizzo said grinning. "I'll be taking this one then, Mira."

"Alright." Mirajane said smiling. "Be careful."

Rizzo nodded her head then walked away from the request board with the request form in hand. As Rizzo was walking by Sanjū, who was eating miso ramen topped with slices crab meat, she snatched the pink Exceed up, which nearly had Sanjū dropping her ramen that had cost her a pretty penny.

"Sorry, Sanjū." Rizzo said to the Exceed who frowned at her. "You'll have to eat on the go. Job to do."

Sanjū sighed though decided to be unladylike at the moment by slurping down the rest of her ramen. She then passed the empty bowl and chopsticks to Lucy as she and Rizzo were passing the blonde.

"Whoa, where are you two going in such a hurry?" Lucy asked as Rizzo made it to the door.

"On a job." Rizzo called over her shoulder. "Be back in a few days. Can you tell Gray for me?"

"U-uh, sure." Lucy stuttered.

She watched as Rizzo and Sanjū disappeared out the door, which had been left open today since the weather was so nice.

"Where are the two of them going?"

Lucy jumped at the sudden deep voice before seeing Lily standing by her at her feet.

"Ah, Lily, I didn't see you there." Lucy said then remember his question. "Oh, Rizzo is heading out on a job, and I guess she decided to have Sanjū tag along."

Lily tilted his head curiously since he didn't know what an actual mage job was like. He also was a bit worried since Sanjū left his sights.

"Lucy, are all mage jobs the same?" Lily asked.

"No." Lucy said shaking her head. "Some can be really simple like doing easy chores, and some can range to battling whether it be with people, other mages, or even magical creatures that pose a threat to citizens. And those are just the basic jobs. That doesn't even cover S-class quests, SS-class quests, decade quests, or century questions."

Lily frowned because jobs that required battling could put Sanjū in danger for certain.

"And do you think Rizzo took on an easy job?" Lily asked.

"No fat chance." Lucy deadpanned. "She probably took the most difficult job she could find without it turning into S-Class level."

Lucy then frowned knowing very well that Rizzo might have even managed to snag an S-Class quest if no one was looking. Rizzo was a dare devil just as much as Natsu, so it wouldn't be surprising if she got her sticky hands on an S-class quest.

"Actually, I can tell you what job she took." Mirajane, who had overheard the conversation, said as she walked up.

Lily and Lucy turned towards the snowy-haired woman as she was writing something down in the request logbook. Once Mirajane was done writing, she looked to Lily and Lucy.

"Rizzo took the request that asked for help in dealing with a nest of Wyverns." Mirajane replied. "Honestly, I wish she would have taken someone with her besides Sanjū. One Wyvern can prove too much for some mages. I know Rizzo is strong, but I still can't help but worry."

"Yeah, me too." Lucy said frowning.

She hoped Rizzo and Sanjū were careful out there, and that Rizzo didn't take a job too much for one person. Lily was silent for a long moment as he thought about all the dangers Sanjū could get in on this job of her and Rizzo's.

"Well, Rizzo's a tough girl, and with Sanjū watching out of her I'm sure they'll be okay in the end even if a bit bumped and bruised. We just have to have faith in them." Mirajane said giggling as she walked away.

Lucy sweat-dropped sure the two of them would be more than bumped and bruised. Lucy wouldn't be surprised if they came crawling back to the guild covered in cuts and scrapes. Wyverns were dangerous creatures, and Lucy wouldn't mess with one let alone a nest full.

"Can't be helped now." She said sighing. "I guess I better just try to find Natsu and get a job with him."

She walked away as well while wondering where Natsu was. He usually made it to the guildhall before her, and he usually causes a ruckus around this time. As she was heading off to search for the pinkette Dragon Slayer, Lily remained in place.

"Something bothering ya, Lily?" Gajeel, who's actually had been pay attention to Lily and Lucy's conversation, asked.

"I am just worried about Sanjū." Lily confessed. "I promised my sensei that I would look out for her, and this mission she went on with Rizzo sounds very dangerous."

"No joke." Gajeel said. "A nest of Wyverns isn't a problem for a Dragon Slayer like me, but Rizzo and Sanjū don't really stand a chance alone."

Lily frowned since Gajeel's words only brought him more worry for the younger Exceed that was tagging along with Rizzo.

"I wish to go after them." Lily said. "If something were to happen to Sanjū on this mission, I would fail to keep my promise to Shironeko-sensei."

Gajeel blinked before a grin spread across his face. If they followed after the two then Gajeel ended up saving them, Rizzo would owe him a favor. He needed a backup singer for the new song he wrote, and she'd be the perfect candidate to take that role.

"Gihi, I have no problem with that." Gajeel said as his grin turned into a smirk.

* * *

Rizzo glanced over her shoulder after she got so far from the guildhall to see that no one seemed to be around or following her and Sanjū. She gave a whistle, which had Sanjū glancing up at her in confusion. A second later a certain Dragon Slayer jumped down from the top of one of the buildings with a certain blue feline hanging from his shoulder.

"Get the job?" Natsu asked Rizzo with a grin on his face.

Sanjū's mouth dropped open in shock when she realized what was going on as Rizzo held up the job request with a grin of her own on her face. They were going on a team mission unsupervised!

"How do you feel about taking out a nest of Green Wyverns?" Rizzo asked.

Natsu laughed while taking the request with his grin getting even larger. He knew he could trust Rizzo to find a good job for the two of them.

"No, no, no!" Sanjū said firmly as she remained tucked into one of Rizzo's arms. "You two aren't supposed to go on missions together unless you go with the rest of the team."

Rizzo and Natsu just grinned at Sanjū to show that they wouldn't be stopped, which had her feeling dread.

"Come on, Sanjū." Natsu said. "We weren't forbidden from taking jobs together. Gramps just said it'd be best if we didn't team up."

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

Sanjū frowned really wishing that Makarov had made it a rule that the two pinkettes couldn't partner up.

"Why the sudden urge to want to team up again?" Sanjū asked.

"The trials are coming up." Rizzo reminded her. "Natsu and I made a promise to be each other's partners if one of was chosen for the trials and not the other. We need to work on our teamwork, and I'm sure our Natsu-Rizzo power moves are rusty, so we have to get them back up to par."

Sanjū's eyes widened when she heard the two planned to use those ridiculously destructive power moves on the mission. There wouldn't be anything left of the forest the Wyverns were nesting in once the two pinkettes were done.

"We better get going if we want to get there before nightfall!" Natsu said. "If we start walking now we can make it!"

Rizzo gave Natsu a look that was crossed between guilty and sympathetic, which worried him a bit.

"Sorry, Natsu, but we have to take a carriage to get there." Rizzo said. "It'd take two days to reach there on foot not half a day like you think."

Natsu paled not really wanting to go on a carriage, but he supposed he'd have to suck it up. Rizzo pat him on the head before leading him towards where they could rent a carriage for their journey. As they were walking away, they didn't know that they were being watched by two pairs of eyes.

* * *

Rizzo looked at Natsu sympathetically as he groaned from where he was laying in his carriage seat. She had went through her guitar case earlier to grab a pillow and blanket from her room. She had used them to try and make him more comfortable, but they didn't seem to help.

"Don't worry, Natsu." Rizzo said as she reached out to pet his head. "We'll be there soon."

Natsu groaned in reply before burying his head deep into the pillow Rizzo had put there. Rizzo moved to crouch in the floor of the carriage as she continued to stroke Natsu's head. She started humming soothingly to hopefully distract him from his churning stomach. As she hummed, Sanjū and Happy, who sitting in the seat across from Natsu, leaned against each other while being lulled to sleep by Rizzo's beautiful humming.

Natsu relaxed a bit as he felt Rizzo continue to stroke his hair, and as he listened to her hum. Rizzo's humming was soothing and beautiful on its own. When she sings it was brought onto a different level. Natsu always liked hearing his best friend sing. Whenever he was sad or aggravated when they were younger, she used to sing or hum for him, which always brightened his mood. Or when he felt sick like he is now, her humming could slightly distract him from his hurting stomach. As she continued to hum, Natsu was mentally taken back to a time when Rizzo and he were still rather young.

-FLASHBACK-

 _It was raining in Magnolia, and Natsu and Rizzo were trying to stay dry by staying in her dorm room for the day. Happy and Sanjū were curled up on a pillow together in the corner of the room sleeping as the rain hit against the window softly. Natsu was looking out the window with a frown on his face since he'd rather be outside training or going on adventures. He glanced back at Rizzo, who was sitting on her bed, when he started to hear her lightly hum. She was giving her violin a tune up so to speak, and she must have been lost in thought to start humming._

 _He wasn't sure what tune she was singing, but it had a very soft and soothing sound to it. Natsu moved over to Rizzo's bed to climb on top of it. Rizzo looked up from what she was doing to give Natsu a smile, which he returned._

 _"Bored, Natsu?" She asked._

 _"Yeah, I'd rather be outside." Natsu said frowning. "There's nothing to do in here."_

 _Rizzo lightly laughed at his pouting expression as he crossed his arms over his chest._

 _"Maybe you should take a page out of Sanjū and Happy's book." Rizzo teased as she gestured to the sleeping felines._

 _"I'm not tired enough to sleep." Natsu said._

 _"Or more like you can't relax enough to sleep." Rizzo said._

 _Natsu sighed guessing that was true. He had just been so pumped about getting to spend the day with Rizzo, Happy, and Sanjū. They had planned to go out into the forest to explore some of the parts they haven't yet. However, now it was wet and cold, and Natsu didn't want Rizzo, who didn't do well in the cold, to get sick, so he decided to just stay in her dorm room with her all day._

 _"Here."_

 _Natsu blinked before looking back at his best friend. He saw that Rizzo had put away her violin, and now had a pillow resting on her lap. She pat it in an inviting manner, which had Natsu confused._

 _"Lay down, Natsu." Rizzo said chuckling._

 _Natsu, who was still a bit confused, did as Rizzo instructed. He laid down with his head resting on the pillow in her lap. Rizzo started soothingly stroking his hair as he got comfortable._

 _"Now close your eyes." Rizzo instructed._

 _Natsu did just that, and seconds later Rizzo started to hum a sweet lullaby for him. He laid there silently while actually starting to feel drowsy. The sound of Rizzo's sweet humming and her hand stroking his hair was quickly lulling him to sleep. He smiled then snuggled into the pillow thinking that rainy days weren't so bad if he got to spend them like this with his best friend._

-END OF FLASHBACK-

Rizzo smiled at Natsu when seeing he had fallen asleep. Now the rest of the journey won't be so hard on him. She carefully moved back to her seat, so not to disturb her sleeping companions. She sat back in her seat while looking out the carriage window. It wouldn't be long before they reached their destination.

Rizzo grinned while ready to test out her powers on a nest of Wyverns. It's true that one Wyvern could prove to be too much for a single mage, but she had Natsu with her if anything went wrong. And she trusted Natsu with her life, so she didn't feel worried.

* * *

"So this is where the nest of Wyverns has been causing trouble." Lily said as he and Gajeel stood side-by-side.

They were standing in the middle of a town called Tsubaki looking around to see there was actually a lot of damage to the stores. They had gotten here thanks to Reedus using his pict magic to draw them a cart and a large purple boar to pull it. Hopefully they weren't too far behind Rizzo and the others.

"What kind of creatures are these Wyverns exactly?" Lily asked as he glanced up at Gajeel.

"They're big scaly monsters that kind of resemble dragons, but they're actually a lot smaller than dragons." Gajeel said. "But they sure have tough hides, they're fast despite their size, and actually pretty smart from what I hear."

Lily frowned thinking these beasts were far too dangerous for Sanjū to be around. He had to find her quickly, so to protect her. He glanced back at Gajeel when he heard Gajeel sniffing the air.

"Do you smell them?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, I picked up Salamander's nasty stench." Gajeel said as he frowned. "I think they've already head into the forest."

Lily didn't like the sound of that because it meant Sanjū was already close to danger.

"Let's hurry." Lily said as he started going towards the forest.

"Yeah, yeah." Gajeel said then grinned. "Once I save their asses, Rizzo is going to have to agree to be my backup singer for sure. I might even make her write me a song."

* * *

Rizzo, who was holding Sanjū, sneezed lightly behind her sleeve as she was walking beside Natsu as they were going deeper into the forest.

"You okay there, Rizz?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah, you okay?" Happy, who was resting on Natsu's shoulder, asked.

Rizzo frowned getting the impression that someone was talking about her. Was it Gray? She knew he probably isn't happy with her at the moment because she went on a mission "solo" without telling him.

"Someone must be talking about me." Rizzo said. "Wouldn't surprise me if it's Gray doing the talking."

—

Gray sat in a carriage alone with a frown on his face. He couldn't believe his girlfriend sometimes. Why'd the idiot have to take a mission so dangerous by herself? When he finally reaches Tsubaki and finds her, he's going to give her a scolding she'd never forget.

"Gees, Rizzo, what possessed you to take this mission alone?" He murmured to himself. "When I get my hands on you, you're not going to like it."

—

Rizzo sneezed again with her frown deepening. Gees, she really hoped she didn't sneeze for the entire mission. Sanjū held her up a tissue, which she took while thanking her feline friend.

"Whoa, Gray must be talking about you a lot!" Happy said. "He must really love ya!"

Natsu frowned at the mention of the icicle streaker as Rizzo gently dabbed at her nose.

"No, he's probably grumbling and cursing about me taking this job." Rizzo said. "He does think I took it solo since that's what I told Lucy and Mirajane. Though I suppose the guild might suspect Natsu and you came along since Natsu isn't back at the guildhall causing trouble."

Rizzo smiled at Natsu as she was saying this, and Natsu grinned as he crossed his arms over his chest. He's sure everyone is wondering where he is. He's sure Lucy was missing him too. He's almost a bit bummed that he didn't think to invite her since she makes missions so much fun, but this was mission for him and Rizzo. They needed to brush up on their teamwork. Besides, it's been a while since he and his best friend did anything together without the rest of the team. Sure Happy and Sanjū were here, but they always came along when he and Rizzo took missions together.

"Okay, we should be getting closer to that nest of Wyverns." Rizzo said as she paused to look at the map that the locals had given her and Natsu. "I guess we need to be on alert from here on out."

Natsu nodded in understanding as he and Rizzo started moving forward again, but more cautiously as they took in their surroundings. Even if they wanted the thrill of fighting some Wyverns, they weren't ignorant to the fact that these creatures are dangerous. Natsu picked up a scent that smelled particularly beasty, so he held out his arm in front of Rizzo to get her to pause. She remained silent knowing something had to catch Natsu's attention. Natsu then heard the beat of wings and something moving towards them fast.

He quickly scooped up Rizzo into his arms before jumping away from where they had been standing. He landed a few yards away from where they had been standing as a Wyvern crashed down to where they had been. It roared at them in a threatening manner as it bared its sharp teeth in a way to try and scare them. Natsu grinned guessing they found what they were looking for. If they weren't so close to the nest, this Wyvern wouldn't have come to attack them.

"Time to get busy, Rizzo." He said as he set his friend down.

"Right." Rizzo said grinning. "Sanjū, Happy, you two might want to get back."

"Aye, sir!" Happy said as he flew off Natsu's shoulder.

"You don't have to tell us twice." Sanjū added as she joined Happy in the air.

The two of them moved to sit in a branch of the tree behind Natsu and Rizzo. They got comfortable while sure that this fight would take a while. As Natsu's fists combusted, Rizzo snapped her fingers to have her guitar case get into position.

"I'm so ready for this." Natsu said as he slammed his fist into his open palm. "How about you, Rizz?"

"I was born ready." Rizzo as she winked. "How about we start off this show with a little teamwork?"

Natsu grinned feeling really fired up now. He couldn't wait to get started on kicking some Wyvern ass. Rizzo's violin fell down into her hand as she kept her eyes on the Wyvern that was still growling at them.

"I'm all for that." Natsu said.

Rizzo chuckled before she started playing on her violin at a quick pace. The air around them started to heat up exponentially as Rizzo and Natsu both reared up for a fire attack.

"Fire Dragon: Firecracker Roar!" The two shouted in unison.

Natsu let out a Fire Dragon: Roar paired with Rizzo's Song of the Jumping Firecrackers that she was playing. The firecrackers mixed in with the fire breath attack, and started to spiral around the attack. The attack hit the Wyvern, and an explosion so huge happened that it almost had the force of a nuclear bomb. Happy and Sanjū had to dig their claws into the tree branch they were on to not be blown away by the back force of the attack. Natsu, who was standing in front of Rizzo to make sure she wouldn't get burned, laughed at the destruction as more of the firecrackers continued to explode as his fire burned the Wyvern.

"This is totally awesome!" Natsu said.

* * *

Gajeel and Lily, who reached the forest's edge, both gaped in shock at the huge fiery pillar that was shooting up in the middle of the forest and the huge mushroom cloud caused by heavy explosions.

"Yeah, those two morons are definitely in the forest." Gajeel said. "And I'd say they've already started fighting the nest."

That or the two destructive pinkettes were trying to flush the Wyverns out by causing a lot of noise and panic. Lily just stood there with wide eyes as he wondered if Rizzo and Natsu were really so strong to create such an explosion. While they remained rooted in spot at the forests edge, a certain ice mage had just arrived to Tsubaki, and he was staring at the huge pillar of fire that was still burning with wide eyes. Many people around them started murmuring in worry as they saw the same thing.

"There's no way Rizzo did that on her own." Gray said with his face going paler than usual. "Which means Natsu has to be here with her."

* * *

When the fire finally stopped, the Wyvern was nothing but a pile of ashes, which had Natsu letting out a low whistle.

"I think we might have over done it." He said laughing.

Sanjū frowned quite sure that was the biggest understatement of the year. Besides, it wasn't just the Wyvern that was ashes. The entire ground was charred, and the attack went through several feet of earth, and there wasn't even evidence of trees ever being in that one spot the attack hit.

"Well, that's one down." Rizzo said grinning. "Let's see how many of the Wyverns are left."

As soon as the words left her mouth, the group of two mages and two Exceeds were surrounded by five more Wyverns. They all screeched and snarled at the group of four as they bared their fangs.

"Heh, coming at us all at once huh?" Natsu asked as he held up a fire covered fist. "Makes our job easier."

Rizzo chuckled with a grin growing. She hasn't felt this much excitement in ages.

"Bring it on." Rizzo said as she gestured the Wyverns forward. "We came for a fight, so you better give us one."

"Yeah." Natsu said as he slammed his fire covered fist into his open palm. "I'm fired up now!"

* * *

"I can't believe those two snuck away together to go on a job." Gray, who was running up towards the forest, said frowning. "Actually I can."

He should have realized immediately that Natsu was with Rizzo when that idiot Pyro hadn't been at the guildhall with Lucy. As Gray was getting closer to the forest, he saw Lily and Gajeel standing there.

"You two!" He said looking shocked. "What are you doing here?!"

Gajeel and Lily turned to look at Gray as the ice mage stopped beside them at the edge of the forest.

"We followed after Rizzo and Salamander." Gajeel said. "Lily here was worried about Sanjū. We were going to go into the forest after them, but that stopped us."

Gajeel pointed to the fire tornado that was ripping through the forest pulling up trees and other things that ended up being burned to a crisp the second they touched the flaming vortex. Gray's mouth fell open in absolute shock as the tornado kept moving along tearing up more of the forest, and part of the mountain side the forest continued on to.

"Master Makarov is going to have a heart attack once he hears about this." Gray said.

He then jumped along with Gajeel and Lily when a huge fireball went up into storm clouds suddenly hanging over the forest. Once the fireball went in, the storm clouds started raining smaller fireballs down onto the forest.

"What are they trying to do?! Destroy the entire forest?" Gajeel asked.

"This is why they aren't allowed to go on mission unsupervised." Gray said as he hung his head.

He knew it was too late to stop the two pinkettes, so he just remained in place knowing it was safer to stay out of their way. And if any of their attacks got too close to the town he could take care of it.

"Shouldn't we go in there to try and stop them?" Lily asked.

As soon as he asked that, there was another explosion of some sorts that destroyed nearly one half of the forest by itself.

"I don't feel like dying today." Gray and Gajeel deadpanned in unison.

Lily frowned knowing for sure that Sanjū had to be in danger wherever she was within the forest.

"I have to go in there for Sanjū." Lily said.

He was about to step inside the forest, but just then what looked like a tidal wave of lava ran over the remainder of the forest. Everyone who had gathered to bear witness all gaped or gasped in shock at the sight. Once the lava vanished and the smoke cleared partially, there was only one tree left in the entire forest that has always been the back boarder of the town. In that tree was Sanjū and Happy who were holding onto each other with wide eyes. Then standing not far from that lone tree was Natsu and Rizzo who were laughing their butts off.

"I guess we showed those Wyverns." Natsu said as he grinned broadly.

"Yeah, they didn't stand a chance against the Natsu-Rizzo power moves." Rizzo added.

She held up her hand to Natsu, and he gave her a high five. Their guildmates just gapped at them in shock. Gray then shook his head to snap himself out of his stupor.

"Natsu, Rizzo!" He called.

The two pinkettes turned seeing that Gray was standing at what was once the edge of the forest, and he wasn't alone. Gajeel and Lily were beside him.

"Huh?" Natsu hummed. "What are you three doing here?"

Rizzo just grimaced when seeing the stern look that Gray was giving them. There was going to be a lecture for sure. Gray opened his mouth about to say something, but he was interrupted by the crowd of townspeople cheering. The mages of Fairy Tail looked towards the townspeople as they all continued to clap and cheer.

"Well, looks like they're happy with our work." Natsu said as he put his arm around Rizzo's shoulders.

"So we destroyed more than we were supposed to, and they're happy?" Rizzo asked. "That's a first."

Gray was shocked too. Weren't the people upset that the two pinkettes destroyed their forest? As Natsu and Rizzo got Happy and Sanjū from the tree, the crowd started to part to reveal an elderly man, who looked rather important, and a younger man, walking forward. When the two pinkettes and Exceeds made it over to their friends, the elderly man cleared his throat as Gray, Gajeel, and Lily stood off to the side.

"Thank-you, Fairy Tail mages." The man said. "I, Mayor Bose, cannot tell you how much we are grateful for your work."

Natsu and Rizzo exchanged a glance wondering what the hell was going on here. Usually destroying a whole forest would lead to some kind of lecturing, or a mob of angry people.

"You see the trees in our forest had become sick many months ago." Bose said. "Our local botanist told us some kind of rot had settled into the forest, and there was no telling how far this rot went though he expected it could have spread through the entire forest. The sickness within the trees was starting to affect our townspeople, and many have been hospitalized these last few months. And due to the Wyverns being in the forest, it was much too dangerous for us to send in workers to get rid of sick trees. However, today you not only took care of the Wyverns, but the sick trees as well, so I wish to thank-you from the bottom of my heart."

The Fairy Tail mages' mouths dropped open in shock as the townspeople cheered again. Gray couldn't be a Natsu-Rizzo team up worked out like this. They destroyed an entire forest, but are being praised for this. They might not even get a scolding from the Master.

"You're welcome." Rizzo, who got over her shock first, said. "We're happy to help."

"Yeah, old timer." Natsu said as he grinned. "It wasn't any trouble at all for us."

"We are just so grateful." Bose said. "Please, let us throw you a feast for your job well done! And let us add to your reward since you went far beyond what we asked of you."

The two pinkettes laughed and smiled as they were swept away by the townspeople. The three Exceeds, Gray, and Gajeel remained behind while still flabbergasted by what just happened.

"You know this is just going to encourage them to team up more." Sanjū pointed out.

"Dammit." Gray cursed as he hung his head. "We're doomed."


	73. There Will Be Ten

Rizzo hummed softly to herself as she walked out of her closet dressed for the day. Since it was getting colder as the days went Rizzo was in a thick, black shirt that had a hood attached to it, and it hugged her bosom tightly. Over the shirt was a neon green leather jacket with the Fairy Tail emblem on the back of it in pink. She then had on a pink mini skirt with her legs covered in thick black tights, and on her feet were black combat boots. Finally on her hands were white fingerless gloves.

She let out a soft sigh as she looked at the clock by her bedside. It wasn't that late she supposed. Of course, she thought morning training with Raoul would have taken longer. It's been almost a week since her and Natsu's team up mission. They had gotten a small lecture from Makarov for leaving together without the rest of the team, but he let them off easy since he only got good reviews from Mayor Bose. That and Natsu and she bought Makarov his favorite dumplings on the way back as a way to lessen the blow of his lecture.

Since then Sven had his 21st birthday. It had been one hell of a celebration, and Rizzo was finally aware why Freed kept giving Sven glances or hung out around him. She learned Freed had a huge crush on her older brother when the green-haired man had come running to her in a panic since he didn't know what to get Sven. He ended up giving Sven an book over deciphering runes, and the blonde loved the book so much he had hugged Freed who turned as red as a tomato. Rizzo had really enjoyed the day with her family, and it had been a nice break.

However, after Sven's birthday had passed, everyone started buckling down to prepare for the S-class Trials. Many people started training, or they would take as many jobs they could get their hands on, so to impress Makarov. Rizzo was trying to balance training and taking jobs. Though honestly she was more focused on training. She believed that Makarov had already made his decisions on who to pick for the trials, so she was more concerned with training to prepare for them. She just had a feeling that this years would finally be her shot at the title of S-class, and for a chance of having a go at Erza.

Rizzo planned for this year to be the year that she shows Erza and everyone else how powerful music magic really is, which is why she has doubled, or rather nearly tripled her training with Raoul this week. However, he was making her take a break today since he said she was starting to get bags under her eyes from all the training. Rizzo supposed she could take a break. She was making great progress with the training Raoul was putting her through. She could now form three instruments at once with her magic without feeling any pain. She can even get them to play some of her musical melodies.

Rizzo has also "completed" her musical composition the Song of Fairy Tail. Or rather she's finished adding in everyone in the guild that hadn't been added before, and adding the magic. Gajeel had been a real pain to work with since he just wouldn't touch the damn scorebook willingly. She practically had to wrestle him to the ground then press his finger to the book herself. It had been quite the workout, and apparently some people bet on her and Gajeel's "fight". Apparently Gray had gotten himself quite a bit of jewel for betting on her. Honestly she doesn't know if she should be flattered he believed in her, or insulted that he kind of bet on her as person would bet on a race horse.

Now, it was the day before Makarov announced who would be participating in the S-class trials. Rizzo knew if she was picked and Natsu wasn't he'd be her partner or vise versa. If they were both picked, Rizzo already had a second person in mind, and it wasn't Gray. It was Craylee. Craylee wasn't only powerful, but he was intelligent. And Rizzo was aware that this test sometimes required to be smart not just strong. She isn't saying she's stupid, but she just wanted a good balance of intellect and power on her team if she couldn't be paired with Natsu. She was kind of antsy about tomorrow, but she supposed she should just try to relax today like Master Raoul said.

"Which means I'm heading to the guildhall for a hot meal and a bit of company." Rizzo said to herself.

* * *

Rizzo made it to the Fairy Tail guildhall, and was nearly trampled by Natsu and Happy as they were leaving the guildhall.

"Sorry, Rizz!" Natsu, who didn't slow down, called over his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it." Rizzo called back.

She knew why he was in a hurry. Almost everyone in the guild would be frantic today to take as many jobs as possible, so there'd be a lot of people coming and going today. Then there'd be some people who'd take this day to rest since they had been working hard all week. Rizzo was about to continue on inside, but she managed to run right into Gray who was currently shirtless.

"Shit, sorry, Rizzo." Gray said as he steadied her. "You okay?"

"I'm good." She said.

As soon as the words left her mouth, Gray leaned in to kiss her right on the lips. Her eyes widened partially since she hadn't been expecting it.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He said as he pulled back. "Try to rest today. I know you've been pushing yourself hard all week, so just hang around the guildhall."

Rizzo nodded her head since that was what she had been planning to do. Though she was touched that Gray was showing concern for her.

"Good luck on your job." She said smiling.

Gray smiled at her in return then kissed her cheek. He then ran off to get to his newest job as soon as possible. Rizzo was finally able to step inside the guildhall, but suddenly Elfman was right in front of her while looking ready to plow her over. Rizzo's eyebrow twitched in annoyance since she didn't feel like getting hit again. She punched Elfman right in the side, which sent him crashing into the door. Elfman groaned hitting the floor as all Rizzo's guildmates looked over with their mouths agape. Lucy could tell one certain pinkette was not in a good mood.

"Watch where the hell you're going!" Rizzo snapped then looked at her guildmates. "And the next person who runs over me will get it, understand?!"

"Yes, ma'am!" They said while jumping in fright.

Rizzo snorted at them then made her way over to the bar where Lucy and Mirajane were.

"It's good to see you, Rizzo." Mirajane said. "You've mostly been MIA all week."

"Had to get some training in." Rizzo said as she sat down next to Lucy. "Can I please get my usual?"

Lucy tilted her head at Rizzo as she wondered why Rizzo seemed even more obsessed with training now than usual.

"Sure thing, sweetie." Mirajane said.

Rizzo thanked her while just glad to relax for a moment in peace. Of course, peace didn't last long since over a dozen of her guildmates lunged at the bar counter with job requests in their hands. Rizzo and Lucy were knocked to the floor due to the mob of mages all wanting to tell Mirajane what jobs they took, so they could get going.

"I'm going to pull the trigger on this job over here, okay?" Alzach asked.

"Got my sights on this one!" Bisca quickly jumped in.

"I called dibs on that job, Warren!" Max said to the telepath.

"Sorry, but it's finder's keeper's!" Warren said.

"The great and mighty team Shadow Gear is splitting up for now!" Jet and Droy said in unison.

More people tried to push themselves to the front to talk to Mirajane as Lucy huddled close to Rizzo for protection while holding Plue in her arms. Rizzo just frowned while half tempted to boot these people out the guildhall doors just to get them out of her hair.

"Why is everyone going crazy?" Lucy asked.

"Because of what's happening tomorrow." Rizzo said as she brought her knees to her chest.

Lucy blinked in confusion wondering what was happening tomorrow. Was some kind of guild event coming up? It took a few minutes, but finally the mob of people left the bar counter. Rizzo got up to sit down at the bar again with Lucy doing the same. Rizzo heard fighting, so she turned her head seeing Erza of all people was sword fighting in the guildhall with Lily, who was in his large form, as Gajeel and surprisingly Sanjū watched from the side.

"Well, Erza must be feeling antsy if she's sword fighting indoors without being provoked to do so." Rizzo said. "I guess even the S-class are feeling the buzz."

Lucy blinked even more confused, but Mirajane just giggled as she finally got to start on getting Rizzo's order together. Lucy then looked at the rest of the guild. Bickslow was laughing away with his babies, and not far from him Reedus was painting. Wakaba and Macao were talking at one table while a few tables were Lisanna, Wendy, and Carla. Breccan was sitting with Gildarts at the other end of the bar. The two have seemed to be getting along well ever since they met the day after Gildarts returned. Sven was reading with Levy at one table, and Freed had even joined them today.

Craylee was sewing what looked like dress over at one table with Juvia watching him with hearts in her eyes. Jaser seemed uncharacteristically somber as he sat alone on the second floor railing, which let him look over his guildmates. Lucy wondered if he's seen Cana recently, and if he noticed her odd behavior. It'd probably be the only reason for his own odd behavior. A few more members of the guild were just relaxing around the guildhall, which had Lucy wondering why half the guild was acting so high strung while others were chilling as usual.

"I don't understand why so many are freaking gun-ho about going out on jobs while everyone else is goofing off as if nothing's happening." Lucy said.

"It'll all make sense to you tomorrow." Mirajane assured her then placed a plate of food in front of Rizzo. "I'm kind of surprised you're not rushing off on some jobs."

Rizzo lightly sighed as she rubbed the back of her neck, which was actually feeling quite sore.

"I'm sure the Master has already made his decision on the number of participants this year." Rizzo said. "So I'm sure taking last minute jobs isn't going to help. Besides, I've worked myself so hard this week my body is sore. It was hard just making the walk here."

Rizzo hung her head as she admitted this, which had Mirajane giggling in amusement. Lucy frowned wishing someone would just tell her what the heck was going on here. She knew Mirajane said she'd find out tomorrow, but a part of her wanted to know now!

* * *

Rizzo stood with the rest of her guildmates in the guildhall as everyone was gathering around the stage. She felt well rested now since she took that day off, and was ready to hear what Makarov's decisions were. If she was chosen, it meant another week of busting her ass during training, so to be ready for the trials. If she wasn't but Natsu was, it'd be the same thing.

If they were both looked over again this year, it meant things would just go back to normal until around this time next year. Rizzo felt Gray take her hand, so she turned her head up to look at him. He gave her a smile and a hand squeeze as a silent way to tell her good luck. She smiled at him in return as she returned the gesture.

"The tension here is huge." Elfman said. "Very manly."

Rizzo sweat-dropped as she looked past Gray to Elfman while wondering how tension could be manly. Rizzo's brothers except for Breccan were a few people behind her, and the three of them were wondering what was going on too. As the curtains started to rise, some of members of the guild started cheering.

Rizzo sat up a bit straighter partially as Makarov and the guild's five S-Class mages were revealed. Breccan was standing beside Mirajane on the stage with a cigarette between his lips and his hands in his pockets. The members of the guild kept murmuring until Makarov finally cleared his throat. Then Amarante was on Breccan's other side with Erza standing to the right of her as Gildarts stood to the left of Mirajane.

"In accordance to the Fairy Tail guild's time-honored tradition, I will now announce this year's entrance for the S-class mage promotion trial!" Makarov said.

Almost everyone burst into cheers and applause while others, who hadn't known this was going to happen, gasped in surprise. Rizzo just remained silent since she wanted to hear who would be the contestants this time around.

"Please, be quiet everyone." Erza said.

"Shut up and let the Master finish talking." Gildarts added.

This got everyone to shut up real quick since they didn't want to tick off the mighty Gildarts or monstrous Erza.

"The trial this year will take place on Tenrou Island." Makarov said. "Our guilds sacred ground."

Some people started murmuring once more, but kept it low, so not to make too much noise. Rizzo bit her lip wishing Makarov would just tell them who the participants were.

"The strength that you possess inside, your character, and your hearts; these are what I considered when making my selections." Makarov said. "And this year will be the first time in our guild's history that ten participants have been chosen for the S-class trial."

Most of the guild was shocked to hear this since usually Makarov kept the number to eight at the most when he chose people. Macao and Wakaba grinned not too surprised since they had many fine and capable mages now in their guild. They knew the master would have trouble whittling them down any more than he already has.

"Natsu Dragneel." Makarov said.

"Thank-you, sir!" Natsu said.

Rizzo clapped for Natsu guessing she'd be going to Tenrou Island even if she wasn't chosen for the trial.

"Gray Fullbuster!" Makarov continued.

"It's finally my time to move up." Gray said grinning.

He then smiled at Rizzo when she hugged his arm since she was happy for him.

"Rizzo Sweeney." Makarov said clearly.

Rizzo's eyes widened a bit, but then a large smile pulled across her face since she could now show everyone what she's got.

"I won't let you down, Master." Rizzo promised Makarov.

Breccan smiled at Rizzo while glad to see how happy she was. Natsu even walked over to give her a high five as Gray gave her a one-armed hug.

"Juvia Lockser." Makarov said.

Juvia looked absolutely shocked to be chosen since she was sure it'd be years until she was chosen for such a trial.

"Really? The Master chose Juvia?!" Juvia asked.

"Elfman." Makarov called out.

"S-class deserves a real man like me." Elfman said.

Rizzo chuckled while not surprised at all that those were the words to leave Elfman's mouth. Lisanna cheered for her big brother as Elfman grinned broadly.

"Cana Alberona." Makarov said.

Cana didn't look happy at all about this, which had Jaser looking at her in worry. She's been acting strange for a few days now, and she wouldn't tell him why.

"Freed Justine." Makarov continued.

"So I will be following in Laxus's footsteps." Freed said.

He was glad to hear this since the Thunder Legion needed another S-class mage in their ranks. Amarante smiled down at Freed from the stage as he glanced up at her. He hoped to make her and Laxus proud during the trials.

"Jaser Sahara." Makarov said.

Jaser blinked in surprise since he hadn't even known about this yet Makarov was picking him. It seemed a bit unreal. He was brought out of his shock when Sven pat him on the back in congratulations. Jaser smiled down at his older brother as Craylee wondered if anymore of the Treblemen would be chosen for the trials. He honestly didn't care if he was chosen or not, but having more than one S-class mage on their team would be nice he supposed.

"Levy McGarden." Makarov said.

"I'm so stoked about this." Levy said.

Some people seemed surprised to hear that Makarov chose Levy, but of course Jet and Droy just cheered for her.

"And Mest Gryder!" Makarov finished.

Mest turned towards the stage while not seeming all that surprised in being chosen. Some people cheered for the dark-haired man as he kept a passive expression on his face. After all the participants were chosen, some of the guild members hunched over feeling bummed for not being chosen. Others talked about how excited the trials would be this year with those people chosen, and Rizzo vaguely heard some people making bets on who'd win.

"Natsu, I guess this means we have to compete against each other." Rizzo said getting her friend's attention. "I'm sorry to say, but I won't be holding back even if we have to fight."

Natsu grinned then held out his fist to her, so Rizzo gave him a fist bump in return while grinning.

"Don't think I will be either." Natsu said. "Let's just agree at the end of this it will be the two of us for an awesome battle. That way at least one of us takes the title."

"It's a promise." Rizzo said.

They broke off the fist bumps to give each other high fives as a way to strike their promise. Gray shook his head at the fact that Rizzo wasn't even worried about going all out on him. However, he supposed he shouldn't be surprised. He just chuckled while planning not to hold back either.

"Although ten mages have been selected only one will emerge victorious." Makarov said. "The trial will begin in one week's time, so better step up your preparations."

Rizzo grinned because one week was the just fine with her. She knew it'd about roughly that amount of time anyway, which is why she trained so much last week. She'll be more than ready for the trials now. Some people already started celebrating, which had Rizzo chuckling in amusement.

"For the benefit of our newcomers let's go over the rules of the challenge, shall we?" Makarov suggested.

"The eight participants will each choose a partner." Mirajane began the rule explanation. "This person will also be allowed to train with them during the week leading up to the event."

Well, Rizzo already knew who she wanted her partner to be. She glanced back at Craylee who happened to catch her look. She tilted her head in silent question, and Craylee automatically knew what she was asking. He nodded his head once a he closed his eyes and stuffed his hands into his pockets. Rizzo grinned glad he agreed though she isn't too shocked. Honestly, her brothers give her whatever she wants, which is probably why she can be a bit spoiled at times.

"Observe these two rules when choosing your partner." Erza said. "Number one: they must be a member of Fairy Tail. And number two: your choice cannot be an S-class mage."

Jaser thought that made enough sense, and he already had an idea of who he was going to pick. Jaser glanced down at Sven while nudging him. Sven grinned up at Jaser while giving him a thumbs up. It seemed the siblings of Treble Chambers already had everything worked out. Breccan, who saw the exchanges, grinned while not surprised his siblings chose each other as partners.

"The particular details of the trial will be given once we reach our destination." Breccan said to his guildmates then smirked. "Just know you'll have to get past myself or Erza to claim victory. Actually you should be prepared to battle any of the S-class mages on this stage."

A lot of people gasped in absolute shock when Breccan said. Even Rizzo was shaking, but not in fear. No, her shaking was in complete excitement. This really was the year that she and Erza would duke it out. Rizzo hasn't challenged Erza to a lot of fights over the years. Their little squabbles not counting, and that's because Rizzo has been waiting for the right time. And that time seemed to be now.

"That's right." Mirajane said. "And be assured I will be trying my very best to weed out the rest right beside them."

"Hey, the same goes for me too." Amarante said giggling.

This brought out more gasping and murmuring from the mages of Fairy Tail with a lot of them looking freaked out.

"Quit your bellyaching." Gildarts said. "All the S-class mages up here, which includes me had to work hard to earn our titles."

"Oh, I'm not bellyaching at all." Rizzo said as she stepped forward with a large grin on her face. "I've been ready to face Erza, and it seems this is the year that I do."

Erza, who has also been patiently awaiting for the time she and Rizzo fight, grinned down at Rizzo as well. Many of the members of the guild murmured as they all remembered the promise Rizzo made six years. Would this really be the year that the pinkette beats Titiana Erza?

"I look forward to this." Erza said. "If we do cross blades so to speak, I will honor the promise you made six years ago, and not hold back since I know it would be insulting to you and the hard work you've done if I do."

Rizzo's grin just widened as some people's mouths dropped open in shock. Erza wasn't going to hold back?! Craylee sighed having the feeling that he'd be sitting out during the two women's fight. If he did interfere, he might lose a limb or two.

"The eight participants I named earlier and their chosen partners are asked to be at the port of Hargeon one week from today." Makarov said. "So get to work."

The people started to part since the Master had spoken and finished announcing everything important. Rizzo walked up to Craylee while high fiving him.

"I'm sure we'll rock at this, bro." Rizzo said grinning. "I'm counting on you. After facing Erza, I'll probably be defenseless, so I'll need you to watch my back."

"Don't worry." Craylee said. "As your older brother, I'll protect you when you need me too."

Rizzo nodded with the grin on her face getting bigger. Craylee gave a rare smile as well as he pat Rizzo gently on top the head. Juvia, who was standing over to the side, gapped when realizing she lost her chance to ask her beloved to be her partner. A part of her was upset, but another part was happy Rizzo had someone as amazing as Craylee to have her back. Besides, Juvia couldn't just go over there to ask Rizzo to pick someone else since Craylee seemed so happy that Rizzo chose him. Maybe she should just redraw from the trial this year since she didn't want to face her beloved or her close friend in battle.

"The title of S-class is as good as mine." Rizzo said. "Because I refuse to lose to Erza, and after I beat her, we'll climb all the way to the top."

* * *

Rizzo sat between Gray and Craylee at the table after having a meal with the two of them, Natsu, Happy, Elfman, Lisanna, Juvia, Wendy, Carla, and Lucy who was on the other side of Gray. Since Rizzo had her partner all figured out she wasn't very worried since she looked forward to the challenge of going against anything Makarov could throw at them.

"Man, they set the bar crazy high this year." Gray said.

"I know, and it's so exciting." Rizzo said with her eyes burning with determination. "No way am I going to lose. When I beat Erza, there won't be no stopping Craylee and I."

"Yeah, yeah, that's what you say every time you and Erza even have the smallest of contests." Elfman said. "And she still ends up beating you."

Rizzo glared at Elfman in annoyance since she knows she says that a lot, but this year was going to be different.

"Listen, I didn't train my ass off all this time to get defeated by Erza now that it's time for the serious battle." Rizzo said. "I _will_ beat her."

"I don't doubt ya, Rizz." Natsu said grinning. "You've got that fight in the bag."

Rizzo smiled at Natsu glad someone had some kind of faith in her when it was obvious nearly no one else did.

"Yeah, you'll beat Erza for sure, but then you'll have to try and get past me for the title of S-class." Gray said as he gave her a teasing nudge.

Rizzo smiled up at Gray then put her arms around his, so to lean into his side comfortably.

"I'm kind of surprised none of you have been chosen for this kind of thing before." Lucy said.

She always thought most of her friends had S-class level power anyway, so it was hard for her to believe the Master was just now choosing them.

"I'm ready for the bigtime!" Natsu said. "S-class here I come!"

He raised his head spewing out a pillar of fire, which had Craylee snorting at Natsu's behavior. Rizzo just laughed behind her hand while glad to see Natsu so happy.

"I know I'm the manliest guy in the guild, but I'm scared as a little girl right now!" Elfman said.

"Would you pull yourself together?" Craylee asked frowning. "How do you expect to get anywhere in the trial if you're already freaking out?"

Elfman practically pouted at how unsympathetic Craylee was being, but Elfman supposed he shouldn't be surprised. Craylee has earned himself the name the Soulless Seamster.

"Sure sounds tough to me." Wendy said.

"Good luck, Everybody." Lisanna said smiling.

"Thanks, Lisanna." Rizzo said as she smiled at the snowy-haired girl.

Lisanna nodded her head while meaning what she said. She hoped everyone did well. Besides, it was hard for her to choose who she wanted to take the title of S-class since she's so close to many of the participants. Lucy then noticed Freed and Bickslow talking not far from their table, so she happened to hear what they were saying.

"I'll be counting on you." Freed said to Bickslow.

"Don't worry." Bickslow said. "I've got your back, old buddy! We need another S-class ranked mage in our ranks now that Laxus ain't around. He's got big shoes to fill, but I can't of anyone who could do it better. Besides, we've got to show everyone the Thunder Legion's still got it."

His dolls echoed their agreement as Lucy sweat-dropped. Looked like they were mighty determined.

"Looks like Freed's partner's gonna be Bickslow." Lucy said then turned towards her friends. "I think they'll probably be a pretty tough team to beat, don't you?"

"Gees, Lucy, way to be encouraging." Happy said.

He knew the trials weren't going to be easy, but Lucy could have a bit more faith in her friends.

"Speaking of partners," Lucy began. "I know Rizzo chose Craylee to be her partner, and that Jaser chose Sven, right?"

She glanced at Rizzo to confirm this, and the pinkette nodded while even pointing towards Sven and Jaser as the little blonde was trying to talk strategy to the Sand Dragon Slayer.

"So, do you guys know who you're gonna chose yet?" Lucy asked.

"I'm going with my little buddy of course since Rizz and I can't be partners." Natsu said as he grinned at Happy.

"Aye!" Happy agreed

Rizzo smiled at the blue feline seeing he was very happy to be helping out Natsu with the trials.

"Hey, not so fast there, pinky." Elfman said.

Natsu and Rizzo blinked at Elfman in unison. They then exchanged a glance as they pointed at each other then at themselves in question as to who Elfman was speaking too. Lucy laughed in amusement as the two pink-haired friends then shrugged in unison.

"Argh, I'm talking to Natsu!" Elfman clarified.

"Why didn't you just say so?" Natsu and Rizzo asked in unison almost like twins would do.

Some of the others laughed as well as Elfman rolled his eyes at the two of them since he knew they were just messing with him.

"Anyway if this thing ends up being some kind of race having a partner that can fly is an unfair advantage!" Elfman said.

"Well, it seems fair to me." Lisanna said.

"Yes, and besides, each team will have their own advantages and disadvantages because no team will be completely equal in certain challenges due to everyone's different magical abilities." Craylee said. "Which means while Happy is an advantage in a race, he's a complete disadvantage in a battle."

"I totally agree with ya there." Gray said as he grinned.

Gray knew that in a battle Natsu could be completely overwhelmed by a two person team since Happy had no battle qualities.

"I'm sitting right here ya know, guys." Happy said to Gray and Craylee.

The two just ignored his complaint, which had him hanging his head for a moment.

"I think Natsu will be just fine with Happy as his partner." Rizzo said smiling. "Happy does go off into battle with Natsu all the time after all."

Happy lifted his head smiling at Rizzo for being so nice to him, and actually having some faith in him.

"That's right!" Natsu said as he grinned.

"Aye!" Happy agreed then held up his paw. "And you're just jealous because I'm going to make Natsu an S-class mage!"

"Well, you better get over it because they're ain't no way you're breaking up our team!" Natsu said.

He and Happy then zipped on out of there saying they had training to do. Rizzo and Lisanna smiled at the pair of them as the front doors slammed behind them.

"I know I've been gone for two years, but still I can't believe Natsu's gotten strong enough to be in the running for an S-class rank." Lisanna said then looked at Lucy. "He's always believed that if he can become a more powerful mage that he'll be able to see Igneel again. He probably has twice the motivation to move ahead than anyone else."

"Maybe so." Lucy said.

While Rizzo knew Natsu had a lot of motion she did too, and she was sure their two driving wills will lead to the two of them being at the end of the line to battle for the rank of S-class.

"Juvia thinks…I might prefer to withdraw from the trial this year." Juvia confessed as she wiggled in her chair.

"Huh? But why?" Wendy asked.

Juvia looked down blushing as she continued to fidget as if she couldn't get comfortable. Craylee blinked wondering what her deal was.

"It's just…Juvia would much rather be someone's partner than rival." Juvia said.

Rizzo winced while instantly knowing who Juvia was talking about. Rizzo had been so focused on thinking who the perfect partner would be for her she didn't think about Juvia who would definitely want Craylee as a partner. Though to be fair Rizzo had no idea Juvia would be chosen to participate until today, and Rizzo had this whole partner thing figured out since a few days ago.

"Juvia, please, tell me you're not going to participate just because I'm on another team." Craylee said to her.

Juvia jumped in shock that Craylee immediately knew that she was upset about not being paired with him. She then blushed guessing Craylee understood her more than she thought, which brought her happiness…though she still wished she could be partners with her beloved.

"Don't quit." Craylee said to her. "The Master sees something great in you, so it'd be rude to turn down the chance to participate when he obviously thinks you have what it takes to even have a chance at getting the rank of S-class. Besides, it could be fun to battle again."

Juvia's looked at him with wide eyes as he gave her one of those small, rare smiles again.

"It will be like the day we met." Craylee said. "You were a challenge then, and I would like to have some kind of challenge during this trial."

Juvia's face turned even more red, and Rizzo smiled when seeing Juvia really has gotten Craylee to warm up to her. It was obvious he cared about her if he was trying to give her a pep talk. He could never deal with seeing someone he cared about upset even if he won't admit it.

"Oh then Juvia supposes I will continue with the trial." Juvia said as she shyly smiled.

Craylee nodded his head then went back to looking passive as usual as he moved his sewing needle between his lips. Now that Rizzo knew Juvia wasn't going to quit, she looked up at Gray.

"And do you have someone picked out?" Rizzo asked.

"Yeah, I've got it covered." He said grinning.

Rizzo blinked tilting her head as she wondered who he had in mind to be his partner.

"Long time no see, you guys."

Rizzo turned her head seeing that Loke, who looked the way he did when he was a mage in Fairy Tail, was standing behind the bench Craylee, she, Gray, and Lucy were sitting in.

"You're using one of my spirits?!" Lucy demanded.

"Seriously?" Elfman asked.

Rizzo was a bit surprised as well, but she wasn't too upset about it. Loke is a member of Fairy Tail after all, so it wasn't like Gray was going against any rules.

"We worked this whole thing out a year ago." Gray explained as Loke leaned down towards Lucy.

"Please, don't take this too hard, Lucy, but I'm gonna have to put a hold on our contract while I team up with Gray." Loke said then stood straight. "Just in case you're wondering I used my own power to pass through the gate, so don't worry about running out of magic because of me."

He then took off his coat to lay it over the back of the bench as Lucy continued to look at him with wide eyes.

"Kay." She said then frowned. "But I kind of wish you would have run this by me first."

"I told him that he should, Alpha." Laelaps, who was suddenly sitting beside Lucy, said. "But Pussycat wouldn't listen."

Lucy jumped at the appearance of her Celestial Spirit since she wasn't used to Laelaps just popping up randomly unless it was during a battle. Lucy looked at Laelaps while taking note the dog spirit seemed to be almost pouting.

"You're just upset that I won't be in the Celestial World with you." Loke said as he smirked teasingly at the dog spirit. "Which really warms my heart, Poochie, to know you'll be missing me."

He leaned in to put his arm around her shoulder, and placing his head beside hers. Laelaps frowned at him then pushed his head away from hers as she tried to hide her blush, which had him chuckling.

"Wait a minute, Loke." Elfman said. "Are you still a full-fledged member of the guild?"

Loke blinked then stood straight to remove his tie to lay over his jacket. He then unbuttoned his shirt enough in the front, so he could move it down enough to show the green Fairy Tail emblem in between his shoulder blades.

"Hm-hmm." Loke said as he nodded. "See? I'm still a proud Fairy Tail mage, and as such it's my duty to help Gray reach his full potential and make it to S-class."

Gray grinned at Loke while thanking him as Lucy made a snide comment about never knowing they were such close friends, which had Rizzo chuckling in amusement. Loke then turned around while getting his sleeves back onto his shoulders. However, he paused in buttoning up his shirt when he saw Laelaps glancing over at him.

"See something you like?" He asked grinning.

Laelaps scoffed at him then smirked as she brought her hand up towards her mouth.

"Actually, I've seen much better before from a more muscular spirit." Laelaps said. "And he was of the canine variety."

Lucy nearly spit out her drink when Laelaps said that since usually the canine spirit just blushes whenever Loke gets flirty. But Lucy then laughed when seeing Loke's shocked and nearly crushed expression. Laelaps then "hmph!"ed as she turned her head away from Loke, so he wouldn't see the blush on her face. She can't believe she pulled that off without blushing immediately. And it seemed to affect Loke, so maybe Aquarius, who was giving "romantic" advise to Laelaps a few hours ago in the Celestial World, was right that men took more notice of girls who had a little bite to them.

"That had to hurt." Gray said.

"He'll be feeling that burn tomorrow for sure." Rizzo added.

Loke, who has still yet to button up his shirt, then growled as a certain wolf spirit came to mind.

"Lupus." Loke growled underneath his breath.

He'd have to kick that canine's ass to make sure the mangy wolf knew not to come around Laelaps because she belonged to Loke.

"Oh, everyone else is getting their partners together." Juvia said with a worried expression on her face. "Juvia has no idea who to ask…maybe Gajeel-kun?"

Juvia honestly couldn't think of anyone else since the other people she was close to were either out for the running of S-class, or had already been chosen to be a partner. She supposed there was Lucy, but even if the blonde is her friend, Lucy is still her love rival.

"Hey, I'll be on your team, Juvia." Lisanna said as she stood up.

Juvia looked at the youngest Strauss sibling in surprise as Lisanna smiled at her.

"You barely even know her." Elfman pointed out.

"Actually, me and Juvia back in Edolas came to be really good friends." Lisanna said as she held up a peace sign. "Not that you're anything like her. You're a lot sweeter."

Rizzo smiled not really surprised since Lisanna is just a sweet girl who'd do anything for her guildmates even if she wasn't extremely close to them.

"You would chose Juvia?" Juvia asked.

Lisanna nodded in confirmation then went over to Juvia's side of the table, so to pull the water woman to her feet to hold her hands.

"What do you say?" Lisanna asked.

"Juvia supposes so, but I've got a feeling your just using Juvia to get to Craylee-sama like all the other girls around here." Juvia said. "Well, except for Rizzo-chan of course."

"Why is she always so paranoid?" Lucy asked.

Rizzo just laughed thinking it was amusing how paranoid Juvia was that someone would snatch Craylee away, and cute how protective Juvia was of him too. Craylee just sighed though didn't comment.

"I can't believe you'd do this to me, lil sis." Elfman cried. "You're gonna make your own flesh and blood go through the trial without a partner?"

"No," Lisanna then gestured over to where Evergreen was by the bar. "You've been getting such an intense stare that I thought you already had someone."

Elfman stopped the waterworks since he was confused as to what Lisanna was talking about. He and the others then looked over to Evergreen to see she really was staring intently at Elfman. In fact, it was so intense that Rizzo would call it borderline creepy.

"I think that she might be a little upset that Freed teamed up with Bickslow instead of her." Lisanna said.

"She's looking right at me." Elfman said.

He then shuddered while feeling a cold sweat roll down his entire body as his heart thumped wildly in his chest.

"What's wrong with you?" Lisanna asked.

"Her intense stare is actually more like petrifying." Elfman said.

"Well, she does have the power to turn people to stone, Elfman." Rizzo reminded him then grinned. "But if you need someone to deal with her, I can just bonk her over the head with my guitar again. But decide quickly because Craylee and I need to get going to start some serious week long training."

"N-no, a real man doesn't need someone to deal with his own problems." Elfman said. "Besides…I do need a partner."

Rizzo shrugged her shoulders guessing it was his decision in the end. She then kissed Gray on the cheek in goodbye. She jumped over the side of the bench with Craylee just getting up from his seat like a normal person.

"Time to get a rocking and rolling." Rizzo said as she struck a rock star pose. "If you losers want a chance at the rank of S-class, you better get your asses moving. Let's go, Craylee!"

Rizzo took off running towards the guildhall doors with Craylee calmly walking behind her.

"Alright, alright." He said as he scratched the back of his head. "Remember your coat. It's supposed to start snowing."

"Yeah, yeah, just hurry it up!" Rizzo whined as she looked back to pout at him.

Craylee sighed though he did start running after her, which brought a smile to her face. He couldn't deal with a pouting Rizzo. It made him feel…guilty…and he didn't like that feeling at all.

"Hmph, look at her go." Gray said as he chuckled. "I just hope she doesn't spend too much time in the snow since she gets sick easily during this time of year. The trial wouldn't be the same if she had to sit out due to getting sick."


	74. Reaching Tenrou Island

A week later Rizzo was on the ship heading for Tenrou Island. The weather was pretty hot even for her, so she wasn't wearing all her usual leather and long fingerless gloves. She wore a pink bikini top under a loose-fitting fishnet crop top with off the shoulder sleeves that stopped above her elbows. She then had on neon green Daisy Dukes that showed off her smooth long light, mocha-toned legs, and on her feet were black boots that went up to her knees. Over her eyes were a pair of sunglasses to keep the glare of the sun from hurting her green orbs. Finally on her wrists were two black wrist bands.

She wasn't the only one who dressed down today either. Craylee had on a white sleeveless dress styled shirt that he left untucked. Around his neck was a loosely tied orange tie. He then had on dark washed skinny jeans that were tucked into his usual black combat boots. It was the most casual anyone has ever seen him wear, but if it wasn't so hot, he would be wearing something more his usual style. In fact, he almost seemed upset that he had to wear such clothes. However, he knew wearing much else might give him a damn heatstroke.

Sven had dressed in less today as well, and even applied plenty of sunblock to his fair skin since out of all his siblings he burns the worst. Sven wore a white tank-top under a sleeveless gray vest that he left unbuttoned. He then had on gray shorts that went to his knees. His holster was on as well, which had his book resting against his right hip. On his feet were simple sandals, and on top his head was a gray newsboy hat. The only one who wasn't worried about heatstroke, or dressing different than usual was a certain Sand Dragon Slayer since he was born into a climate much hotter than this one.

Jaser wore a golden sherwani styled sleeveless vest that stopped mid torso. He then had on white churidars as usual with a blue scarf wrapped around his waist like a belt. On top his head a white scarf was wrapped him with the spare material falling behind him to touch the back of his neck. He had a pair of seemingly simple sandals on his feet, but if someone looked close enough they'd see something stitched into them. There was a necklace around his neck that looked like a gold choker with a red ruby in the center. And finally he had on another pair of long earrings dangling from his ears.

"Uh, why is it so hot?" Lucy asked. "Wasn't it snowing the other day? Feels like my skin is going to melt off."

Lucy wasn't the only one feeling that way. In fact, many of the Fairy Tailers had changed into the bathing suits or swimming trunks to cool themselves as much as possible.

"I'd love to turn into a popsicle, but Happy would just eat me." Lucy said.

"I think I'll pass." Happy said.

Rizzo, who was used to warm climates, was feeling the heat too even though she was wearing less than usual. She was even getting a bit sweaty, which had her frowning.

"Lu-chan, I know that it's ridiculously warm, but do you have to sit like that?" Levy asked.

In Levy's opinion, Lucy was sitting in a very unladylike position since her legs were spread open.

"You think it's warm?" Cana asked. "It's freaking boiling here year round cause there's like never any wind."

Wendy just moaned weakly while sure she's never felt this hot before, and it was like draining her power. She then felt something cool be placed on her head, which felt extremely nice. She looked up to see Jaser, who was holding a bag of ice on her head, smiling down at her.

"Can't have you getting heatstroke." He said. "Your body is so tiny that you have a higher chance of it happening, so we've got to keep you cooled down. It's why I gave Sven an icepack too."

He pointed towards Sven who was holding the icepack against the side of his neck to cool down a bit. Wendy thanked Jaser as she took the ice bag from him to hold to her head as well.

"I guess being from Rajasthan makes it easy for you to endure this heat." Levy said to Jaser.

"Well, Rajasthan gets even hotter than this." Jaser said. "In fact this heat is like something I used to experiences in the winters when I lived in Rajasthan as a kid. The summer months are three times hotter than this."

The girls looked at Jaser in absolute shock while sure they'd die if they ever went to Rajasthan.

"That's why Rajasthan never gets many visitors." Jaser said. "Well that and the war, but in the beginning it was due to the heat. If you weren't born there, and somehow survived the heat during childhood, then you would die of heatstroke or sun poisoning. There have been cases where people's brains have really fried due to the intensity of the sun and the heat caused from it. Some people were in so much pain due to sunburns they had to be put out of their misery, and that's just a few ways people of Rajasthan would die. That doesn't count dehydration, or illness, or the poisonous animals."

More mouths dropped open in shock, and everyone on the boat agreed they'd never, ever got to Rajasthan since they didn't feel like dying anytime soon. Cana then blinked curiously.

"Jaser, how are you not puking your guts out right now?" Cana asked.

Jaser blinked as everyone looked to the Sand Dragon Slayer knowing he gets motion sickness just like Natsu.

"I wore my special sandals today." Jaser said as he held up one foot to show stitching along the sides and bottom of the sandal. "Craylee had made these for me with his special balance thread. It keeps me balanced from head to toe, so even if I'm on any form of transportation, I won't feel it, which means I don't get motion sick."

Natsu looked at Craylee with wide eyes wishing the seamster would do the same to his shoes.

"Why don't you wear them all the time?" Evergreen asked.

"Because the magic in Craylee's thread wears off eventually after it leaves his possession since his magic in no longer fueling it." Sven explained for Jaser. "If Jaser wore them all the time the magic would wear off much faster, so he only wears them on special occasions."

Sven then removed his shirt and vest since he couldn't take much more of this heat. Freed tried to discreetly peek at Sven's surprising toned torso. Even in the form of a child he kept his muscular figure. Sven moved the icepack to his chest with the water rolling down his skin to make it glisten, which had Freed blushing.

"I can't let motion sickness get in the way of the trial, so I thought they'd come in handy today." Jaser said.

His guildmates could all understand that. Though they were a bit impressed Jaser thought about that all on his own. Natsu then started to beg Craylee to do the same for him, but Craylee turned him down flatly. Natsu groaned while falling face first onto the deck. His guildmates looked at him sympathetically, and even if Rizzo really, really wanted to help him, she didn't since she is his "enemy" today.

"So hot." Happy then whined as the heat made sure to remind everyone it was still there.

"My kingdom for an ice cream cone." Lucy said sounding delusional.

"Kingdom?" Happy asked.

It looked like Lucy finally lost it, and thinks she's an actual princess with an actual kingdom.

"Alright, we get it." Gajeel said. "It's a scorcher. Talk about something else."

"Alright then." Craylee, who was sitting across from Gajeel, said. "You're a buffoon."

"What was that?!" Gajeel snapped.

"You said you wanted a conversation change." Craylee said as he shrugged.

Gajeel glared at Craylee as Rizzo and Sven shook their heads at the redhead. It seemed Craylee made a friend in Gajeel since the seamster doesn't go out of his way to insult just anybody…well, he does insult a lot of people, but those people usually and unknowingly set themselves up to be insulted by Craylee.

"Juvia, aren't you hot wearing that?" Lisanna, who was holding a cold drink to her face, asked looking concerned. "You're gonna get heatstroke."

"No, Juvia is perfectly fine." Juvia said. "However, one thing that might do it—"

Juvia lost her serious expression to ogle Craylee as he was removing his shirt and tie since he felt so hot.

"—is the sight of Craylee-sama's naked torso!" Juvia gushed with hearts in her eyes.

Craylee shook his head at her not thinking there was anything special about his torso. He wasn't very muscular like the rest of his brothers, but he did have a slight toned figure though he was more on just the slim side. Rizzo chuckled behind her hand in amusement before catching sight of her stark naked boyfriend, which had her frowning.

"I'm dying here." Gray groaned.

He then stiffened when an actual shiver went down his spine. He turned his head seeing Rizzo glaring down at him with murderous eyes.

"Gray, if you don't at least put on your trunks, you won't be making it to the S-class trials." Rizzo said deadly calm.

Gray gulped knowing how deadly serious Rizzo was being at the moment by looking at the glare on her face.

"I'd do as she says, man." Loke said as he chuckled. "We can't be taken out of the competition so early, ya know."

Gray quickly found his discarded trunks to pull onto his body, and once he did that Rizzo smiled.

"Good boy." She said patting his head like he's a dog.

She then brought out a bag of ice to place on his head. He blinked up at her in confusion as she sat on the arm of the beach chair he was on.

"I know the heat has to be hard on you." Rizzo said as she held the ice in place. "You are an ice mage after all, but try to keep the striping to a minimum."

Gray nodded his head then leaned into the ice Rizzo placed on his head. She knew he was the "enemy" today, but she was honestly worried about him. And he always takes care of her when they're out in the cold since she reacts to it badly. She's afraid he might react badly to this heat.

"Hey, I'll be okay." Gray said to her as he placed his hand over the one she had absently placed on his chest.

Rizzo blinked coming out of her thoughts to look at Gray who was smiling at her. Rizzo smiled in return while glad to hear it. Lisanna smiled at the two of them thinking they made a cute couple. Even when they were kids she used to tell Rizzo that Gray would be her future boyfriend and maybe even someday her husband. Rizzo always scoffed when Lisanna said anything like that, but the snowy-haired girl remembers that Rizzo blushed all those times too.

"So this is what hell is like." Natsu said as he finally got off the floor.

He weakly walked over to the side of the ship where Loke was sitting, and the lion spirit was quick to put up his hands.

"Yo, point that puke cannon somewhere else, bro." Loke said to Natsu.

Natsu then started crying comically, which had Loke actually looking at him in concern.

"It wouldn't be so bad if Wendy would cast that miracle spell on me again." Natsu said.

He then lost his breakfast over the side of the boat, which had Rizzo wincing in sympathy for him.

"You can't blame her though." Loke said. "I mean, she is technically your enemy."

"Sorry, Natsu, hang in there." Wendy said.

Natsu just groaned as he continued to hold onto the side of the boat in anguish. Over by the main mast, Evergreen and Elfman sat together while both feeling the heat as well.

"Well, isn't this touching?" Evergreen asked. "Here they are about to engage each other in brutal combat, and they're being all buddy-buddy."

Elfman really didn't care since he really just wanted to stop feeling as if he was behind cooked alive.

"Argh, I'm roasting like a man steak!" Elfman complained.

"Would you mind roasting away from me?" Evergreen asked.

Elfman didn't feel like moving, and in his mind teammates should stick together even if they haven't started the trials yet. Lucy then let out a groan while wondering how much more she could take of this.

"Hey, Happy, turn into a popsicle." Lucy said.

"I'll just taste like dry fish and regret." Happy said.

"Alpha, I brought you something!"

Lucy and almost everyone else jumped at the new voice. However, Lucy knew who it was before she even opened her eyes to see Laelaps who was wearing a bikini top and black daisy dukes. Lucy supposed even spirits can get hot. Lucy then blinked when seeing Laelaps was carrying a cooler of some kind.

"I brought cold drinks and popsicles!" Laelaps said as she opened the cooler.

Lucy gave a cheer while sitting up in her chair to grab one of the popsicles from the cooler. She quickly pulled the rapper off to see the popsicle was cherry flavored, which is her favorite.

"Laelaps, you're the best!" Lucy said. "But why did you bring these?"

Lucy then started eating her popsicle as Loke was enjoying the view that was Laelaps's beautifully tanned body. Laelaps smiled at Lucy while turning partially, which let Loke catch sight of her plump, bikini clad breasts that jiggled a bit as she moved. He wasn't too happy with the heat earlier, but if having to deal with this heat led to getting to see Laelaps wearing more revealing clothing, he'd come to Tenrou island any day.

"Because I am known as the guardian or guard of my master, which means I'm here to make sure you are okay." Laelaps said. "And I brought some for your partner too, Alpha!"

Laelaps went over to Cana while pulling out a bottle of booze from the cooler to hold out to Cana.

"Cana-san likes alcohol, yes?" Laelaps asked.

"That's right I do!" Cana said as she snatched away the bottle. "Thanks. I was dying for one of these."

"I'm happy to help." Laelaps said still smiling.

She then frowned when Loke moved to her side to put his arm around her shoulders.

"Anything for me, Poochie? Loke asked.

He reached towards the cooler, but Laelaps snapped it shut real quickly. Luckily, Loke didn't lose any of his fingers. It seemed she was a bit snippy with him lately. Did he do something wrong?

"Sorry, Leo, but you are the enemy today, right?" Laelaps said. "Which means nothing for you."

Loke pouted at Laelaps who returned to Lucy's side as Lucy was enjoying her popsicle. Rizzo chuckled guessing Lucy finally got what she had wanted. Rizzo then looked forward again to spot an island not that far in the distance.

"It looks like we're here." Rizzo said smiling.

The others got up from their seats to get a look at Tenrou Island with many having mixed opinions about its appearance.

"Whoa, it's weird looking." Gray said.

Rizzo tilted her head thinking that even if the island didn't look like others that it definitely had character, which is something their guild had for sure.

"Sure took us long enough." Gray added.

He was sure getting there though wouldn't change the temperature. He really hoped this heat didn't affect him too bad, or he might not get too far in the trial.

"That's the ugliest island ever." Lucy said.

"Ya think?" Elfman asked. "It looks kind of manly to me."

Sven wasn't sure if manly was the word to call it, but the island's shape certainly is interesting.

"An island on top of island, huh?" Evergreen murmured.

"It might an unorthodox kind of island, but I think it has charm." Craylee said honestly. "It's almost like a misunderstood sculpture made by an even more misunderstood artist."

Lucy sweat-dropped guessing that was one way to put it. She then squinted her eyes at the island as if to get a better look. Now that she looks at it more closely she can kind of see what Craylee means.

"It's amazing." Wendy said. "So much magic power. I can feel it from all the way over here."

Rizzo could too. She wasn't surprised though considering this is Fairy Tail's scared ground. It feels just like Raoul's Forest back in Acacia Town…just buzzing with magic power.

"Impressive." Mest agreed.

Natsu just groaned as he continued to hang over the side of the railing. He would admire the island with the others if he didn't feel like his stomach was trying to leave his body. Happy jumped up onto the railing beside Natsu to pat his side.

"Don't worry." Happy said. "We'll be on land soon."

Soon wasn't fast enough in Natsu's book considering the amount of discomfort and pain he was having to put up with.

"There's a legend about this place." Makarov said getting his children to turn their attention to him. "That it was once populated by fairies."

Rizzo blinked curiously while moving to gather around with the others to look up at Makarov who stood on the higher deck's railing.

"Is the legend true?" Lucy asked.

"Nobody knows, but it is a great importance to our guild." Makarov said. "It's the resting place of our first master Mavis Vermillion."

"And you're going there dressed like that?" Gray asked as he pointed at Makarov.

The Master was dressed like a tourist going on a vacation, but as long as he was comfortable Rizzo saw no problem with that. It wasn't like any of them were really dressed to go pay their respects to the first master.

"Says the boy with a stripping problem to the stylish man." Makarov said as he fanned himself.

"He has a point." Lucy and Rizzo said in unison.

Gray frowned at the two of them with a small blush on his cheeks. He can't help it that he strips. It became a habit a long time ago, and there was no breaking it now.

"Anything else?" Makarov asked Gray. "I'd like to reveal the first round of your trial if I may."

Rizzo grinned ready to get started. She just hoped fighting S-class was the first thing because she needed to be at the top of her game if she wanted to beat Erza. Fighting Erza at the end after Rizzo is tired from the first few rounds would make it nearly impossible to beat the redhead.

"There's more than one round?" Wendy asked.

"If any of the Master's events were ever deemed simple, he'd probably keel over." Mest said to Wendy.

Rizzo could actually agree whole-heartedly to that. Makarov might complain about his children's over the top actions, but he never did anything halfway either. In fact, whatever kind of event he does it's always exciting for sure.

"Please, direction your attention to the smoke coming from the shore." Makarov said. "Your first task will be to head to its source. Once there you will choose one of the ten routes leading into the island. Each route is made for a single team only, so don't dawdle and pick one. After you've made your choice, you will have to conquer these obstacles."

Makarov waved his fan to the side with a diagram of sorts appearing beside him. It showed a sketch of routes leading into openings. Five of the routes had drawings of one S-class mage each. Two others were deemed as battle routes where two paths would lead to one opening, which means four paths in total would have the chance of the participants battling it out with another team. That left one more path, which was called the serenity route.

Then it showed if you got past those obstacles in your path that you would pass the first challenge to move onto the next step. Rizzo narrowed her eyes already fulling understanding what this first task was about. She just hoped she chose the route that led to her fighting Erza.

"Teams that make it through these tests in one piece will advance to the second round." Makarov explained.

Everyone stared at the diagram as well while starting to comprehend what they needed to do.

"Whoa." Natsu murmured.

"That last one is fighting S-classers." Gray said. "Intense combat no joke."

"Yeah, right." Lucy agreed.

Jaser just grinned hoping he crossed paths with Breccan. Jaser has always wanted to test his power against his older brother with Breccan actually taking the fight seriously.

"What's the serenity route?" Loke asked.

"Sounds like something peaceful." Laelaps, who was still hanging around, said. "Perhaps that means the team who choses it won't have to battle."

Loke hummed supposing that was true. Laelaps's guess was the most logical anyway.

"Combat routes are self-explanatory." Makarov said. "Two teams clash, but only one moves on. Use every power at your disposal. Intense combat routes are more difficult. Find yourselves on one of these, and you'll be fighting one of Fairy Tail's elite. On the serenity route you'll pass the first round without fighting, but you'll still be tested."

Levy tilted her head wondering what kind of test could be awaiting the team who was lucky enough to get the serenity route.

"Passing this challenge requires quality teamwork, and a whole lot of luck." Makarov.

Some of the participants openly gapped at what Makarov said as the small man pointed his fan at them.

"How do you test that?" They asked in unison.

Makarov didn't reply as he simply returned to fanning himself since he was hot just as much as his children.

"Let's count on good luck, right?" Lucy asked Cana.

"Even as a gambler I think that strategy blows." Cana said. "With one in ten odds be ready to brawl."

Rizzo just scoffed. The only luck she needed was picking the path that led to Erza. Everything ever that she'd rely on her own magical power and skills, and once the first path is cleared, she'll be relying on Craylee to have her back.

"If I've done the math right, only a maximum of six teams will make it to the next round." Evergreen said.

"Hmm, your math is rather sound, but in a task like this there's always the possibility that your prediction will be wrong." Sven said.

Evergreen supposed that was true, but she was still pretty confident that four teams would be finished.

"This sucks." Elfman said. "If we pick the routes with the S-class, we're going to get a manly pounding."

"Or we might give them a pounding." Jaser said as he grinned. "I actually hope to pick an intense combat route."

"Besides, if one of the participants going for the rank of S-class can't beat an S-class mage, they might as well not be here." Craylee added. "It means their skills just weren't enough for the trial this time around."

Freed had to agree with Craylee there. Honestly, Freed wanted a route that involved combat because if he was going to follow in Laxus's footsteps, he needed to pull out all everything to get to the end of this trial. The only thing he was worried about is running into Amarante. He'd rather not fight her. Freed then looked towards Bickslow while nodding for his friend to back out of the group. They needed to start preparing to leave the ship.

"The first round could be the end of us." Levy said. "I don't wanna have to fight a bunch of my friends."

"Sounds great to me." Gajeel, who was using her as a leaning post, said with a grin. "I've been looking for an excuse to punch one of these fools."

"Yeah, I know." Levy said sweat-dropping.

It wasn't a secret that Gajeel wanted to beat up on their guildmates. Natsu and Jaser seemed like his usual targets during brawls, but he sometimes has a throw down or two with Rizzo.

"Alright, you ready?" Makarov asked. "Your trial starts right now!"

Rizzo, who snatched up her guitar case, and Craylee didn't even pause to ask Makarov why they weren't waiting until they got on shore. They immediately dived right past Freed and Bickslow as Freed was trying to finish his enchantments. Freed's eyes widened thinking Rizzo might warn the others, but she simply smiled and waved to him as Craylee activated the pattern thread in their clothes, which had wings sprouting from their clothes. They started flying towards the island as Freed hurriedly finished his enchantment. He and Bickslow quickly followed as the others guessed they better get going too.

"Hmph, it seems I won't be able to slow the two of you down." Freed, who had activated his Dark Écriture: Wings, said as he flew after the two of them.

Rizzo just grinned while hearing the others shouts of complaints back from the boat.

"It isn't permanent." Freed called back to them. "Five more minutes on that boat won't kill you."

Sven pouted not believing that Freed locked him away in this enchantment. It wasn't very nice of him. Sven might just have to punish him later.

"Speak for yourself!" Natsu growled.

"That's cheating!" Gray accused.

"Doesn't seem like cheating to me." Craylee commented as he glanced back at the boat. "What do you think, Rizzo?"

Everyone gapped at Rizzo and Craylee as they wondered when the two of them had left the ship. Rizzo laughed at their expressions while throwing out a peace sign.

"Nope." Rizzo said. "If they had been faster, they might have been able to avoid getting trapped."

"Rizzo!" Gray, Natsu, and Lucy all exclaimed. "Come back!"

Jaser and Sven chuckled guessing they should have immediately made a run for it like their siblings.

"See ya on the island!~" Rizzo called over her shoulder in a singsong voice.

She then tried to make the wings on her back go faster, so she and Craylee could reach the island before Freed and Bickslow. Once at the island, they landed with the wings disappearing from their backs.

"Which route do you think we should take?" Craylee asked as he looked at the ten routes that were marked A-J.

Rizzo quickly looked at the routes as well while knowing they had to be quick in choosing. Rizzo's eyes landed on the letter D post outside a cave looking entrance. For some reason she felt drawn towards that one.

"Let's go this way." She said as she gestured Craylee to follow.

Craylee nodded while following Rizzo inside the cave, which was immediately blocked off the second they stepped inside. Rizzo and Craylee glanced back at the barrier that blocked the cave entrance. Rizzo then looked towards the path in front of her while certain that she chose the right one.

"Ready or not, Erza." Rizzo said. "Here I come."

* * *

"Do you think this route will lead to an S-class mage?" Sven asked as he followed after Jaser.

Jaser grinned while taking another sniff of the air. The scent of mangos and cherry blossoms reached his nose.

"Yeah, I can smell Amarante's scent all through this tunnel." Jaser.

"Amarante-san?" Sven asked. "If you could smell out which tunnels had S-class mages, why didn't you chose Breccan's route?"

Sven knew that Jaser has always wanted to fight with Breccan without the violet-haired man holding back. Well, he had to hold back here too, but he still had to put in the effort to beat them. Breccan usually doesn't fight them like that during sparring matches since he doesn't want to hurt his siblings. Getting to fight Breccan while he's putting effort into the fight is like a one in a life time chance if you're his comrade.

"Unfortunately, his route was already chosen." Jaser said. "I guess we should have hurried here instead of waited on the boat after all."

Sven sighed because he had told Jaser that he could rewrite Freed's enchantment for them like Levy and Evergreen had done for themselves and their partners. But Jaser just said they'd wait since his logic was that everyone would try to avoid the S-class tunnels like the plague. What he forgot was that no everyone had his sense of smell, so they wouldn't be able to tell if an S-class mage lurked down a path.

"Do you know who chose Breccan's path unknowingly?" Sven asked.

"Juvia and Lisanna." Jaser replied.

Sven winced feeling bad for the two young women. He didn't wish to doubt his guildmates, but those two didn't stand a chance against Breccan in a million years. The two then made it an opening in their tunnel to see they made it to a forest like area that was surrounded by a rock outcrop. A hot breeze blew by with Amarante's scent hitting Jaser's nose hard. He held out his arm in front of Sven to get him to stop.

"Oh~ Looks like you finally made it!" A singsong voice said.

Amarante jumped down from one of the trees with smile on her face as she held a katana in one hand.

"Sorry, but I can't allow you to go any farther." Amarante said as she unsheathed her blade. "I'm not the best at holding back in a fight, so sorry if I cut you up badly."

Jaser just punched his fist into his open palm. He knew he'd have to give it his all if he wanted to get past Amarante. She was given the same training as their brother after all.

"And it looks like our fight is about to start." Sven said. "I wonder if we should be envious that Juvia and Lisanna got Breccan's route."

* * *

Juvia and Lisanna made it to an opening in their path to see a large rocky terrain within the cave they had chosen. There was a large skylight that let Juvia and Lisanna look up into the sky. Some of the rocks that were in the area were so tall they poked out through the skylight.

"Hmm, I was expecting Jaser and Sven."

The two teammates whirled around seeing Breccan sitting Indian style on top one of the rocks. He wore a sleeveless dark purple muscle shirt that hugged his muscular torso tightly, and since he was wearing no sleeves a large scar of his right shoulder could be seen. He then had on black tightfitting jeans, and then he had on a pair of black boots that went over his jeans and up to his knees. On his hands were black fingerless gloves that went up to his elbows.

"I was actually hoping it'd be them." Breccan, who placed a cigarette in his mouth, said. "But I knew the second you stepped into this route that it was you two."

Breccan then lit his cigarette as Lisanna frowned in confusion while wondering how he could have possibly known it was them since they stepped into the entrance of the cave. They had walked a good long while before reaching here, so it wasn't like he could have heard them until they almost reached him.

"It's his vibration magic." Juvia explained to Lisanna. "Craylee-sama told Juvia that Breccan-san can feel the differences in even the smallest of vibrations. So he could tell it was the two of us walking down his path the second we stepped onto it."

Lisanna's eyes widened in shock. Breccan's magic covered that much distance? And to tell the difference between how his guildmates walked through the vibrations their steps left behind was amazing in itself. She now understood why Breccan was prompted to S-class without having to go through the trial. Breccan stood up finally from the rock, which had both women tensing for battle.

"Sorry, but this is as far as you go in this trial." Breccan said.


	75. Rizzo vs Erza: Fight of the Century?

Coco: It's finally here. The throw down between Rizzo and Erza! Sorry if you wanted to see any of the other battles. Like Jaser and Sven vs Amarante or Juvia and Lisanna vs Breccan. I decided not to do them since I wanted the first round to be like all about Rizzo since this fight with Erza is supposed to be a really big deal for her. But don't worry the boys will get some fighting action when Grimoire Heart invades Tenrou Island along with a few of the Shadows from Shadow Undertaker.

* * *

Rizzo and Craylee finally came to a small opening within the tunnel. There was water before them with what looked like ruins sticking out from the water. The cave's sides were more like walls, and had carvings within the stone. There were vines and moss around as well.

"I was hoping you would be the one to choose my path."

Rizzo and Craylee looked up seeing Erza as she stepped forward into the light. Rizzo felt her heart start to thump in excitement as she grinned. Looks like it was her time to kick ass.

"I had a feeling I would find you if I went down route D." Rizzo said. "Glad to see I was right."

Erza smiled as Rizzo stepped forward looking ready to get this fight started. It's been six years since Rizzo declared she'd beat Erza. The Reequip mage could remember that day vividly.

-FLASHBACK-

 _"What did you say to me?" Rizzo asked._

 _She was standing right in front of Erza while holding her father's guitar. Everyone was quiet as they looked between to two young girls as the tension built between them. One moment Rizzo was playing her guitar to make music notes dance for her new friends, but when Erza made a comment about how weak her magic was, it came to this situation._

 _"I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, but the fact is that music magic isn't meant for combat." Erza said. "You'd be better off not being a mage because this kind of work can be dangerous."_

 _Rizzo grit her teeth together as she glared at Erza while the redhead crossed her arms over her chest._

 _"Not meant for combat, huh?" Rizzo asked._

 _Rizzo walked forward with everyone tensing as she got right in Erza's face with her eyes burning with determination._

 _"I'm going to prove you wrong." Rizzo said._

 _Erza's eyes widened when she heard the conviction in Rizzo's voice, and she was surprised that Rizzo was standing up to her like this. No one has done that ever since she joined Fairy Tail because they were scared of her. Yet the new girl was getting up in her face._

 _"It might not be today or any day soon, but I swear to you, Erza Scarlet, that one day I will show you the power of my family's magic by beating you." Rizzo swore. "Until the day I beat you, we will be rivals, and I will train giving a 125% everyday to reach my goal. And when the day comes for us to duel, **I will win**!"_

-END OF FLASHBACK-

Rizzo has come a long way since that day, and Erza has seen her grow into a fine young mage with great power. Erza long ago accepted she had been wrong to say Rizzo's magic wasn't meant for combat. However, she had still wanted Rizzo to improve even after seeing how strong the pinkette was back when Erza first realized her mistake, so Erza had taunted her a bit to keep Rizzo training as much as possible. Now here they are ready to see how far Rizzo's training really has taken her.

"I'm just going to stay back here." Craylee said as he sat down on some rubble. "I value my life too much, so I won't be getting in you ladies' way."

Both women smiled as their magic started building up immediately. Rizzo snapped her fingers with her guitar case quickly snapping off her back to float behind her. Her guitar, which had once belonged to her father Link Sweeny, flew out to her hands. Might as well get this fight started with the very first instrument she ever learned how to play.

"Your guitar, hmm?" Erza asked. "That's one of your most powerful instruments. I see you're not playing around."

"I might enjoy a good fight, but I know when to buckle down and be serious." Rizzo said. "Besides, I'm fighting you, so I'm not stupid enough to goof off."

Erza smiled seeing that Rizzo really was focused and ready for this battle. It would be an insult if Erza didn't come at Rizzo with everything she had.

"Reequip!" Erza commanded.

Her body glowed brightly, and when the light disappeared it was revealed that Erza had reequipped into her Black Wing Armor. Craylee's brow quirked seeing both women were ready to give it everything starting right from the get go. He sighed sure that there was no were safe on this route for him to be.

"Now come at me with everything you've got." Erza said.

"I plan to." Rizzo said as her fingers started to dance across the strings.

She absently noticed that this route has some great sound based on the sound of the notes reverberating through the air.

"Song of the Wild Things." Rizzo said.

Monsters started appearing between Rizzo and Erza. Craylee looked at the beasts curiously to see there were three large monsters with long fangs and claws.

"Hmm, intriguing." Erza said. "I don't think I've ever seen you use this spell before."

"I haven't used this spell in battle before." Rizzo said as she continued playing. "I wrote it especially to help me take you down."

"I supposed I should be flattered." Erza said. "Let's see how they hold up against my blade."

Erza shot forward quickly with her blade at the ready. She went to slash down the monsters, but they were surprisingly agile for their size. They managed to dodge her attacks, and soon she had to try and avoid them. She dodged one swing then went to cut off the arm of one of the monsters. Her eyes widened partially when she only made a small nick in the monster's skin. It was much tougher than she had thought it would be.

"Nice try, but their hides are tougher than iron." Rizzo said as she continued playing, which kept the monsters moving.

"I see." Erza said. "It seems I need a stronger weapon."

She then jumped back to avoid being hit by one of the other monsters before she could switch out her weapon. However the other two appeared behind her in a split second. They hit her, which sent her flying into the wall. She crashed into it with Craylee's eyes widening a bit. Rizzo landed the first direct blow? He honestly had not been expecting that one. Where Erza had hit the wall glowed brightly, and Erza soon came rushing out of the smoke in her Flight Armor, but she was carrying her sword from her Purgatory Armor.

"Smart thinking." Craylee said to himself as Erza engaged to the monsters again. "She changed into her Flight Armor to give her the speed she needed to keep up with the monsters. However, she knew she'd need a strong weapon to cut through them, so she chose the strongest sword amongst her arsenal."

Erza managed to cut off the arm of a monster this time, and its severed arm fell down into the water. Seconds later she had all the monsters cut into pieces, and falling down into the water below.

"As expected of Titiana Erza the Queen of the Fairies." Craylee said. "However,"

He continued watching as Rizzo quickly switched songs with fire rippling through the tunnel to attack Erza.

"Rizzo's just getting started." Craylee said.

Erza had to switch to her Flame Empress Armor as Rizzo continued to play her Song of Hell's Fire, so to lessen the blow of Rizzo's attack. The little devils then popped out of the fire and cracks made in the ground to attack Erza. The redhead cut most of them down, but a few managed to latch onto her. Their fiery hands touched her armor, and when the armor started to melt, her eyes widened a bit.

"Looks like your Flame Empress Armor can't stand up to the fire from Hell." Rizzo said as the song continued.

Erza grinned while starting to get a bit excited. She could see this fight was truly going to be an enjoyable one. Erza reequipped once again into her Sea Empress Armor. She slashed her Sea Empress sword forward with a small tidal wave of water shooting through the tunnel. The power of the water was so powerful that it put out the fire, and had the little devils disappearing in puffs of smoke. Then before Rizzo could start playing a new song, Erza reequipped once more while changing back into her Black Wing Armor.

She slashed her sword forward with the force of the attack going towards Rizzo. Rizzo quickly tossed her guitar up into the guitar case then took the full hit of the attack. Craylee's eyes widened as Rizzo went flying backwards to hit some of the ruins sticking out of the water. He hurried to his feet wanting to hurry to her side, but her hand shot up to motion him back.

"This fight is mine." She said as she got into a crouched position. "Don't interfere."

Craylee grit his teeth together knowing that, but as her older brother it was hard for him to just stand back and watch her get hurt. He knew that attack had to hurt. He forced himself to sit back down to continue watching the fight. Erza rushed towards Rizzo while kicking Rizzo in the side before the pinkette could fully recover from the last attack. Rizzo hit the wall while coughing up a small amount of blood.

"Don't tell me that you are already finished, Rizzo." Erza said. "I was expecting more from you. I am disappointed."

Rizzo narrowed her eyes at Erza while pushing herself out of the crater in the wall her body had made during impact. She landed down on some of the ruins below.

"I'm not done by a long shot." Rizzo said. "This is just the beginning, Erza. Now bring it on!"

Erza didn't have to be told twice. She quickly zoomed in for an attack while raising her fist to punch Rizzo. She was surprised when Rizzo caught her fist in one hand then hit her in the face with a fist that was covered in sound magic. Erza went flying backwards with the sound magic hurting her eardrums. She cried out a bit while hitting the water. Rizzo cracked her neck then wiped the small bit of blood off her chin as Erza got back onto the rubble to stand.

"I might not use my fists in magical battles often, but don't think I don't know how to use them." Rizzo said. "Besides, I've been doing some special training to learn a new form of magic, and learning the basic of sounds magic was step one in this training."

Erza wiped the blood off her cheek due to Rizzo's punch with an almost proud smile appearing on her face.

"Will I be seeing this new form of magic you speak of?" Erza asked.

Rizzo smirked as she silently held out her hand with her violin, which is her strongest instrument falling out into her hand.

"Sorry, it's not quite ready yet to fight someone of your caliber." Rizzo said. "But I don't need it. I'll fight you with the traditional music magic and win. Now let's see what you do against my Song of the Fairies: First Mode."

A large magic circle appeared in front of front of Rizzo, who started playing, with many tiny glowing fairies shooting out. They flew right towards Erza in a clump of sorts, but when Erza took a swipe at them they scattered to start circling around her.

"Now, Song of the Fairies: Second Mode." Rizzo said.

Three more violins appeared around Rizzo to add to the music as the fairies formed a vortex around Erza while pointing their magic inwards this time.

"The Four Seasons of the Fairies." Rizzo said as she continued playing. "Spring."

Cherry Blossoms filled the vortex like a thousand tiny beautiful yet deadly blades. Erza had to put on her Adamantine Armor, which was her strongest defense armor. She held up her shield as well, so to protect her face from the cherry blossoms. She grit her teeth as some of the cherry blossoms started scratching up her armor, which had been strong enough to stand up against the Jupitar Cannon even if it had shattered later on.

"Summer." Rizzo continued.

Suddenly the cherry blossoms disappeared to be replaced with blinding and burning sunlight that was hot enough to burn the skin of a person instantly. Erza frowned knowing she needed to get out of her before her armor couldn't handle any more. She put away her shield to call forth her Purgatory sword.

"Fall." Rizzo said moving onto the next movement.

Fall leaves swept in to rub against Erza like extremely rough sandpaper that drew blood on her cheek, which wasn't protected like the rest of her body by her armor. She quickly started slashing at the vortex trying to find a weak point, so to try and get out of there. Outside the vortex Rizzo grit her teeth when feeling Erza fighting against the fairies powers, which put a lot of strain on Rizzo's body. She had to quickly go to the last movement.

"And Winter—!" She never got to finish since Erza slashing around finally had the entire vortex explode outwards.

The fairies cried out as they were sent flying in different directions away from Erza. With the spell broken Rizzo stopped playing. She huffed feeling extremely tired, and her body was sore from Erza hitting it around earlier. However, it didn't seem she was the only one feeling fatigue and soreness. Across from her Erza was huffing as well as she leaned against her sword.

"You really have improved." Erza said. "But I'm not defeated yet. You'll have to do better than that if you wish to move forward."

Rizzo took a deep breath then stood up straighter with her determination still burning as strongly in her eyes as it has been since the beginning of this fight. Rizzo started to glow green as her magic started to skyrocket.

"If you want more, I'll give you more." Rizzo said as the entire place started shaking. "I will beat you, Erza, and move forward to claim the rank of S-Class."

Erza smiled while her magic started to spike as well. Craylee frowned as the place started to shake up even more. If this entire place caved in on them, he would not be a happy camper. Rizzo's violin went back into her guitar case with her conductor's baton, podium, and scorebook falling out as Rizzo's clothes changed into her conductor's outfit. The podium and scorebook settled out in front of her as her instruments started to fill up the space to circle Erza. They divided to form sections swiftly around Erza.

"I'm going to give you a sneak peak of my Song of Fairy Tail, Erza." Rizzo said. "Let's see how well you do fighting against your own power."

Erza tilted her head curiously since she wasn't sure what Rizzo meant. She knew Rizzo has been working hard on this musical masterpiece as the pinkette called it, but Erza wasn't quite sure what the true powers were of this composition. Rizzo raised her baton with the instruments seeming to straighten up at attention to get ready to play. Rizzo started playing the introduction of the composition (main theme of Fairy Tail) with her instruments coming into play at the time as Erza got ready for anything.

"Now, Movement of the Scarlet Knight." Rizzo said.

The music changed a bit with the woodwinds and strings being more prominent with the brass and percussion backing them up. A form started to take shape in front of Erza, and her eyes widened when seeing herself standing in front of her. Craylee looked on with his eyes a bit wide as well. Well, he wasn't expecting to see two Erzas during this battle that was for sure.

"So you are my opponent." The Fake Erza said. "I never thought I would be fighting myself. I look forward to this challenge."

Erza was a bit surprised at how much this copy of her acted exactly as she acted.

"You see, my Song of Fairy Tail has the power of every single member of our guild because I wrote this composition as a dedication to all my guildmates, which includes you." Rizzo said as she continued conducting her instruments. "I'll skip all the musical technicalities. However, you should know this song's real main powers are mimicry magic and creation magic. Creation magic to form copies of our guildmates, and mimicry magic to mimic their power. However, the mimicry magic is a bit different because the score itself contains a tiny portion of yours and the others' magic, so to make it more authentic."

Erza immediately remembered a time where Rizzo had asked her to touch a scorebook a few years ago. The book had lit up the very second Erza placed her pointer finger on the measure marked Erza. Now she understood what happened that day. The book took a small bit of her power and memorized it for later reference.

"But it's still mimicry magic in the end, so it's obviously not as strong as the original magic." Rizzo said. "In fact, the mimicry magic is only as strong as I can make it by fueling my own magic into it, which takes a lot of magical power as I'm sure you guessed. I won't be able to keep this up for long, so I guess the winner of this battle will be decided soon."

Erza chuckled while reequipping into her Morning Star Armor. Her copy quickly reequipped into the Morning Star Armor as well.

"Let's see how this goes." The two Erzas said in unison.

They rushed towards each other to clash weapons. Rizzo speed up the tempo of the music, and Fake Erza suddenly became faster. She kicked Erza right in the face, which sent Erza crashing into the ground. Erza quickly got out of the way when Fake Erza tried to take a slash at her while she was down. The two went back to close combat with their swords clashing together repeatedly. Rizzo had the instruments darken the tone of the music, and Fake Erza reequipped into the Purgatory Armor.

She took a swing at the real Erza, and even though she blocked the sword's blow, Erza was sent flying backwards towards the brass section. The brass section opened up to let Erza hit the wall behind, so not to take on damage themselves. The Fake Erza followed after Erza who was quick to reequip to her Heaven's Wheel Armor with her swords appearing around her.

"Scattered Petals!" Erza shouted.

The swords went sailing forwards towards Fake Erza, who reequipped into the Flight Armor as Rizzo lightened and picked up the tempo again, which gave Fake Erza an extra boost of speed. Fake Erza tried to deflect all the swords that came at her, but unfortunately some got past her defense to cut her. As Fake Erza cried out in pain, Rizzo winced taking damage herself.

She couldn't go unscathed even when she's behind her wall of instruments. All magic has its rules, or rather one couldn't use magic without drawbacks or sacrifices. Rizzo couldn't use such a powerful technique without some kind of repercussion, which is why she took half the damage caused to the physical objects/people even if they're just made of magic.

"It seems I will have to try harder." Fake Erza said. "Not that I am surprised. I knew fighting myself would not be easy."

Fake Erza shot forward at blinding speed to reengage Erza in battle. The two fell back into the circle of instruments, which closed up again. They continued swapping blows, and as Craylee watched on he could see Rizzo looked absolutely exhausted. He wasn't sure how much longer she could hold out doing this. Rizzo grit her teeth seeing that pitting Erza against Erza wasn't working. She needed to throw something else into the mix.

"Add in," Rizzo said. "The Movement of the Fire Dragon."

Suddenly the brass became louder though it didn't overwhelm the strings and woodwinds. Before Erza could comprehend what was going on Fake Erza jumped back just as a fiery shape came flying towards Erza. She was hit directly with her eyes widening.

"Fire Dragon: Sword Horn!" A familiar voice shouted.

Erza hit the ground hard, and when she managed to sit up she saw a fake Natsu standing beside her copy.

"Oh yeah!" Fake Natsu said. "I'm fired up now!"

Rizzo huffed feeling extra tired from adding another movement on top of Erza's movement of all things. In fact she had to bring an end to Erza's movement, which had the copy of Erza disappearing. Said redhead stood up from the ground, and Craylee could see Erza was looking exhausted as well. In fact, it seemed to take a lot out of her to just stand.

"I think I've only got enough energy left for one attack." Erza said as she stood.

"Me too." Rizzo said. "Which is why I'm making this one count. Now, Movement of the Conductor."

Erza and Craylee's eyes both widened as a copy of Rizzo appeared beside Fake Natsu. She even added herself into the score? Erza then smiled because that did make sense. Rizzo is a member of Fairy Tail just as much as the rest of them.

"You ready to do this, Natsu?" Fake Rizzo asked as she grinned at Fake Natsu. "Let's take Erza down."

"Yeah." Fake Natsu said grinning as well.

Erza quickly reequipped into her Flame Empress Armor as Fake Rizzo held up a violin to start playing as Fake Natsu started taking in a deep breath. It started to heat up as all three mages albeit two just being copies readied for their final attacks.

"Fire Dragon: Firecracker Roar!" Fake Rizzo and Fake Natsu said in unison.

The attack went whizzing forwards towards Erza who rushed forward to meet it head on. She gave a swing of her sword to try and slice the attack in half, and when her blade and the fire attack hit a large explosion happened that had the entire place shaking. Craylee had to cover his eyes due to the blinding light caused by the explosion that made it impossible for him to see Rizzo or Erza.

—

Breccan blinked looking up when the place started shaking as Lisanna and Juvia laid a few feet away groaning in pain. He then grinned knowing exactly who caused this shaking.

"Looks like Rizzo and Erza are having fun." He commented then put a cigarette between his lips.

—

Amarante hummed curiously as she swiped her katana out in front of her before sheathing it. Jaser and Sven, who were sprawled out on the ground defeated, opened their eyes when they felt the shaking as Amarante did as well.

"I wonder what that can be." Amarante said.

"Rizzo…it's Rizzo for sure." Jaser said as he grinned.

Sven gave a boyish giggle as he nodded in agreement. It seemed their little sister really went all out.

—

Gildarts, who was heading out of his area, paused when the shaking even reached as far as him.

"Gees." He said while chuckling. "What's Rizzo trying to do? Take down the entire island?"

He then smiled in the direction the shaking was coming from while remembering all those times Rizzo and Natsu used to challenge him. The two never gave up no matter how many times he beat them.

"They've both grown so much since then." He said as he continued walking. "Keep going, ya crazy kids. I'm sure one of you will make S-class."

—

Makarov, who was waiting at the end of the first task, opened his eyes when he felt the shaking.

"So their battle is over." He said. "I wonder who the victor is."

—

The light of the explosion finally faded as the shaking stopped as well. Craylee looked back towards the girls with his eyes wide at the destruction they caused. He then saw both women laying on their backs as they were huffing to try and catch their breaths. Rizzo's physical instruments all returned to her case along with her podium, conductor's baton, and scorebook as the rest shattered into magical particles. It was silent for a long moment before Rizzo, who was back in her other clothes, started to move. It took her a lot of effort, but she managed to get to her knees.

"Looks like you win." Erza said as she smiled. "I don't think I can keep going, so…I yield. You both may pass on to the next task."

Rizzo's eyes widened when those words left Erza's mouths. She won…? She really did it. Rizzo felt tears enter her eyes when realizing she actually beat Erza in a one-on-one battle.

"I'm proud of you, Rizzo." Erza continued. "You've become a splendid mage."

Rizzo couldn't exactly explain why, but hearing Erza say she was proud of her brought Rizzo happiness. The tears rolled down her cheeks as bowed her head and smiled.

"Thank-you." Rizzo said as she cried. "You're one of the people who pushed me to become stronger the most, so thank-you."

Erza lightly chuckled while turning her head to give Rizzo a soft smile as Rizzo wiped at her eyes.

"You should get going since there's still more to come." Erza said. "I know I shouldn't pick a favorite, but I hope you make S-class, Rizzo."

Rizzo sniffled while quickly composing herself because Erza was right. There was still more of the trial to deal with. Rizzo forced herself to her feet with determination shining in her eyes once more.

"And I will make S-class." Rizzo said. "Just you wait."

Craylee, who finally stood up from his makeshift seat, smiled at Rizzo. His little sister was so different than the little pink-haired girl from back when they were children. And he swore he would do everything in his power to get her the S-class rank.


	76. Time to Start the Second Task!

Coco: Hello, Readers,

I'm sorry if you were expecting a chapter update. This isn't one, obviously. I just wanted all of you to know that my trip was cancelled, so I won't be taking my hiatus. I'm sorry I didn't inform you earlier since I've been a bit busy since last we spoke. Or rather since last I posted. Now, I do have some chapter updates for some stories, but unfortunately not for others. But I have a small schedule like deal or announcements to let you know about the chapters that I don't have new chapters for.

Deepest of Horrors: I'm rewriting this one...again. I'm sorry for all the rewrites. I just feel as if I don't connect well with Wren's character, which is making it difficult to write for her. I promise that the new rewritten first chapter is almost ready to be posted since I'm not making too many changes for that. So check back later tonight, and chapters one and most like two with be rewritten and reposted on here.

Let It Burn: I'm halfway through this chapter, and it'll most likely be posted later today or tonight as well.

Let the Music Flow From the Soul: I just need to edit the chapter, and it'll be ready to post, so definitely expect a new chapter from it today! :D

Not Such a Small World After All: Unfortunately, this one will not be ready for a new chapter today or this weekend. But I promise that no later than Wednesday that you will have a new chapter for this story.

The Knight of Death City: This is the same as Not Such a Small World After All.

Treble Chamber's Beginning: I'm thinking about rewriting this before I get too far ahead, so I'm not sure if I'll have a chapter for it for a while.

So, just wanted to give you a rundown of what's going down, and I very happy to say I won't be without getting to post my stories. Or without hearing from all you lovely readers who have supported me for so long.

* * *

Sanjū flew alongside Lily and Carla as she was leading the way towards Tenrou Island. Soon the island was starting to come into view, which meant they were finally getting close.

"There." She said pointing. "You can see the island up ahead."

Lily and Carla looked to where Sanjū was pointing to see that indeed Tenrou Island was coming into view. Carla guessed they really didn't need a map after all. Sanjū had explained before they left that she knew how to get to Tenrou Island because she had went to the island with Rizzo and Laxus once. Apparently the blonde had wanted to pay his respects to the first guild master, and he had let Rizzo tag along, which had been before their falling out. However, it had proven to be a bad idea since the pinkette and Sanjū had gotten separated from Laxus and chased by some kind of large, native creature to the island.

"Do you think Master Makarov will be angry with us for following them here?" Lily asked.

"I doubt that he will be angry." Carla said. "We're just taking a look around."

"He might be a tad bit cross." Sanjū added. "But, if you explain it was your feel of uneasiness that brought you here, I am sure he will understand. Master Makarov is a fair man after all."

Carla hummed in agreement while just hoping they got there soon. She was so worried about Wendy.

"Yes, we're here because you're worried about Wendy, correct?" Lily asked.

Carla growled remembering the day she and Wendy argued quiet vividly since she and Wendy don't tend to argue like that.

"Hmph, she knew I was firmly against the idea, but went anyway!" Carla said while flailing her limbs about in a tantrum like manner.

Lily chuckled then gave a shrug in a "what-ya-gonna-do" manner. Sanjū just blinked at Carla as the white Exceed tried to calm down.

"You'll have to get used to Wendy not listening to you more." Sanjū said. "She's at that age where she wants to make her own decisions without having to ask for permission. I went through the same thing with Rizzo. You just better hope Wendy grows out of it."

Rizzo sure hasn't, which is something Sanjū had to accept a long time ago. Carla frowned while silently praying that Wendy didn't make a habit of not listening to her.

"A week's passed, but I remember it as if it was yesterday." Carla said.

Carla told Lily and Sanjū about how Mest approached Wendy to ask for her help during the trials. Apparently it had been an odd encounter since Mest was a weird guy according to Carla. Carla also explained that Wendy felt like she owed it to Msytogan to help Mest out.

"So in the end she ignored me—claiming she needed to help Mest in order repay her debt to Msytogan." Carla finished her story.

"And that's the reason the two of you didn't speak to each other for an entire week?" Lily asked looking surprised.

"She's more stubborn than she looks, Lily." Carla said.

"It seems the same could be applied to you, Carla." Sanjū commented.

Carla frowned not sure she understood what Sanjū was implying (she's in denial XD).

"In all honesty, I couldn't care less about her teaming up with that creep Mest." Carla said. "It's the trial itself that has me on edge. I've got a real bad feeling about it."

After Carla said that, Sanjū looked towards the island with her eyes narrowed. She tried to cast out her senses to sense for anything odd. Her stomach started to churn as she managed to feel something dark coming from the island. Something that hadn't been there the last time she was here. However, the feeling was so weak that she couldn't tell what it was. Or perhaps Sanjū's instincts were wrong, and whatever she was feeling was just her comrades fighting for the title of S-class.

"Do you think it's your clairvoyance?" Lily asked.

"I'm not sure." Carla said honestly. "It's all so disjointed that it's hard for me to say."

Lily hummed in acknowledgement to what Carla was saying before he glanced over at Sanjū. He saw her bothered expression as she was focusing closely on the island. Were her amplified senses warning her of something? Or perhaps she couldn't sense anything at all, which was bothering her. What he did know though is that he didn't feel very trusting of this Mest guy.

"Personally, I think we need to keep an eye on this Mest fellow." Lily said. "He said he was Msytogan's pupil, but that doesn't sit well with me."

As Lily spoke about Mest, Sanjū frowned as she tried to remember more about the man. Sanjū knew all her guildmates like the back of her paw…but Mest seemed like a mystery. It was like she could only remember certain things, and if she tried to remember anymore from that she hit some kind of mental wall. It troubled her since her memory has never failed her.

"Sanjū."

Sanjū snapped out of her thoughts to turn her head towards Lily, who called out to her, and Carla.

"Is something the matter?" Lily asked looking concerned.

"It's just…Mest…I don't know him very well." Sanjū said. "In fact, what I do know…it just doesn't seem to fit right in my mind. I've been with the guild for six years, but know so little about him. I know he almost made S-class last year, but can't remember who is partner was. And…that's pretty much it. I know nothing else. It's just worrying I suppose. I wish Rizzo was here at the moment…she could tell us if Mest was friend or foe."

Sanjū always trusted Rizzo's instincts when it came to judging a person's character. Rizzo also seemed well in tuned to her guildmates.

"How would Rizzo help?" Carla asked curiously.

"Rizzo has a very strong bond with everyone in Fairy Tail." Sanjū said. "No, she has a very strong bond to the spirit of Fairy Tail so to speak. She can tell you if anyone wears a Fairy Tail emblem or ever wore one because she would feel connected to that person like family. If Rizzo told me right now that she felt that connection with Mest, I would know not to worry. However, if she told me differently, I would know that Mest is not a member of our family. Right now…my instincts alone tell me he is not…I know it might sound weird, but I feel like he isn't a member of Fairy Tail…not a true one anyway."

Lily lightly frowned knowing that if Sanjū's instincts were warning her that something indeed had to be wrong with this Mest guy. As they continued towards the island, Sanjū prayed her instincts were wrong, and that this bad feeling in her stomach didn't mean much.

* * *

"Looks like the shaking finally stopped." Loke commented.

Gray nodded in agreement as the two of them continued walking through the tunnel after dealing with Mest and Wendy. He wondered which one of his guildmates caused such a shaking. Of course this is the second time the island had shook, but Gray was sure the first time was caused by Gildarts since he has the power to pull of something like that. Gray and Loke then finally seemed to make it to the rendezvous spot, and they saw that three other teams were there.

"Gray, Loke." Lucy called out. "I knew you guys would have no problems making it past the first round."

Loke grinned then noticed Laelaps was still around, and had a few small scraps on her. She must have battled for Lucy during the first round.

"Well, of course, not." Loke said trying to sound macho in front of Laelaps. "It was a piece of cake for two guys like us."

Laelaps just snorted at his ego as her tail swept behind her. Loke hung his head guessing she was still feeling cross towards him even though he still had no clue why. Maybe he should ask Aquarius about. Loke last saw Laelaps talking to the water-bearer after all.

"Nice work." Cana said. "Congratulations."

Gray nodded his thanks to her as Levy smiled at Gajeel who's been quiet ever since they got here to this spot.

"I told you we were lucky we got the serenity route." Levy said smiling.

"Lucky?!" Gajeel demanded. "But I didn't get to beat up a single person!"

Levy just giggled in amusement at his outburst, but he didn't find it funny at all. He really wants to hit one of his idiot guildmates.

"Wow, we were the only ones able to clear the first round?" Gray asked.

He then looked around once more hoping to spot Rizzo. When he didn't see her, he lightly frowned. It looked as if she wouldn't be continuing on.

"Huh, where's Natsu?" Loke asked.

"He's sitting right over there." Happy said.

He pointed towards his best pal, and Loke and Gray noticed how pensive the usually loudmouth pinkette seemed.

"He seems kind of down." Gray said.

Which actually had him to teeniest bit concerned since Natsu doesn't get like this often.

"What happened to him?" Loke asked.

"It's a long story." Happy said.

He really didn't feel like explaining all the details of what happened between Gildarts and Natsu since it'd take forever. Besides, what happened on Route E should stay on Route E.

"Alright." Makarov said as he walked up to his children. "I believe all our winners are here now."

"Oh yeah." Lucy said.

She then smiled at Laelaps since the dog spirit had been a big part on how she and Cana got past the first round. Laelaps kicked some serious butt nearly all on her own against Freed and Bickslow. When Cana and Lucy backed her up, it wasn't a surprise they got through. Laelaps smiled at Lucy in return while glad to see that her alpha was happy.

"Well, in case these are the results thus far." Makarov said. "Cana and Lucy defeated Freed and Bickslow in combat. Nicely done, ladies."

"They beat Freed?! How?!" Gray asked.

"Well, they did have Laelaps battling with them." Loke pointed out. "She's a highly ranked combatant amongst Celestial Spirits. Also the fastest, and she has that nearly perfect fighting record."

Laelaps tried to fight off the blush she felt warming on her cheeks at Loke's words, but it bloomed through anyway, which had her cheeks turning darker in shade. Loke noticed this, and grinned when seeing she was back to blushing, which he loved to see since she's so cute when she blushes.

"Natsu and Happy surmounted the obstacle known as Gildarts." Makarov continued. "Good job."

"No way! Those two?!" Gray demanded.

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Gildarts is the strongest member in their guild, so it's hard to believe Natsu and Happy beat him.

"Yeah, but I really didn't do much of anything." Happy confessed.

Gray expected as much, but still couldn't accept that Natsu put a hurting of Gildarts.

"Levy and Gajeel chose the Serenity Route." Makarov said. "Well, aren't you lucky?"

Levy smiled throwing out a peace sign as Gajeel's eye twitched uncontrollably.

"Yeah, well, I think it's sucky!" Gajeel retorted.

He had really, really wanted to fight one of his guildmates because he's always looking for an excuse to kick their stupid asses.

"Gray and Loke defeated Mest and Wendy in combat." Makarov said. "Way to go, boys."

Gray just frowned as he continued to look around for Rizzo while wishing she'd show up. She wasn't someone to easily get beaten. And if she didn't fight Gildarts or get a combat route that meant she either fought Erza, Mirajane, Amarante, or Breccan. He didn't see her losing to Erza since Rizzo had too much determination to win on her side when it came to the redhead.

"Seriously? Where's Rizzo?" He asked aloud.

Makarov gave a scream while making the weirdest and most disturbing face Gray has ever seen.

"What's with the creepy look on your face, Gramps?" Gray asked.

"Unfortunately luck was not on Rizzo and Craylee's side today." Makarov said. "Their route led to She-Who-Know-No-Mercy!"

"And I kicked her ass."

Everyone gasped before whirling around to see Rizzo and Craylee coming out of the foliage. Craylee, who was supporting Rizzo, didn't have a scratch on him. However, Rizzo was covered in scratches and bruises, but despite all that she was grinning broadly.

"I told all you that I'd beat Erza." Rizzo said as she held up her fist.

Everyone was stunned silent for a moment, but then Lucy gave a cheer as she ran over to Rizzo.

"Good job, girl!" Lucy said as she hugged Rizzo who winced. "You did it!"

Despite the pain Rizzo felt due to Lucy hugging her, Rizzo smiled at the blonde while hugging her back. Craylee kept his hand on the back of Rizzo's shoulder to make sure she didn't topple over as Lucy was congratulating her. Lucy finally let go as Cana and Levy both congratulated Rizzo as well. Natsu, who snapped out of his stupor, walked over to Rizzo to hold out his fist.

"I knew you could do it, Rizz." Natsu said. "I had complete faith in you."

Rizzo smiled while knocking her fist against Natsu's in a soft yet celebratory fist bump.

"Thanks, Natsu." Rizzo said. "I had complete faith you'd make it past the first round too. We have a promise between us to keep after all."

Natsu nodded his head grinning. He remembered what he said to Rizzo on the day it was announced they'd both be participating in the S-class Trial along with the others. The two of them would make it to the end, and one of them would be walking away with the title of S-class mage. Rizzo then turned towards Gray when he stepped forward.

"You had be worried there for a second." Gray admitted as he smiled down at her. "But I guess that was kind stupid of me, huh?"

"Extremely." Rizzo teased.

Gray chuckled then gave her a gentle hug, so not to agitate her wounds. He kissed the top of her head as well while feeling a bit relieved to see her too. If he hadn't he probably would have been distracted the rest of the trial worrying about her.

"Well, well, looks like another team has gotten through the first task." Makarov said. "Good job, Rizzo, Craylee."

"I didn't really do much." Craylee said. "I sat out the entire fight."

He felt a pat on his shoulder, so he turned his head to look at Loke who was nodding his head.

"That was a smart decision, bro." Loke said. "There was no reason for you to lose a limb or die so early on in this trial."

Craylee snorted lightly though he had been thinking something similar the moment he and Rizzo had ran into Erza at the beginning. Rizzo frowned at the both of them as Gray continued to hold her. Did they really think she would have accidently hurt Craylee during her fight with Erza? She then blinked…well…she supposes it could have been possible.

"That just leaves three other teams." Cana said.

"Yeah, I wonder what happened to them." Lucy said.

"Sven and Jaser also had rotten luck by ending up on the route that took them to the Shadow Fairy's lair." Makarov said as he hung his head.

Everyone "ah-ed" knowing he was immediately referring to Amarante who also had the alias of Shadow Fairy due to looking beautiful but also being deadly when hiding within the shadows. Running into Amarante during the trials was almost as bad as getting stuck running into Mirajane. Both women could be terrifying.

"Then poor Juvia and Lisanna were unable to defeat Breccan in intense combat." Makarov said. "In fact, their battle was the first to end. Breccan KO-ed them in a matter of seconds."

Everyone sweat-dropped feeling sorry for the two women. It was obvious that Breccan had put effort into the fight. Rizzo shuddered glad she hadn't gotten Breccan. Gray chuckled in amusement at her reaction as he tightened his arms around her. She'd face any other member of the guild without batting an eyelash, but mention fighting her second eldest brother and she suddenly turned pale.

"I probably would have given up if we ran into Breccan." Rizzo said honestly.

Craylee nodded his head in agreement as he crossed his arms over his chest, which had their guildmates wondering if Breccan really was so terrifying. The two siblings knew how strong he was when he was just messing around. When he was serious no one should get in his way, or try to challenge him. Craylee then frowned hoping that Juvia wasn't hurt too badly. However, he was sure Breccan didn't hurt them much. He never liked fighting against his guildmates.

"Elfman and Evergreen aren't here either." Lucy said. "What do you think happened to them?"

"Well, by process of elimination," Cana began. "The only other route—!"

Hers and Lucy's eyes widened while immediately realizing who Elfman and Evergreen ran into. Laelaps tilted her head curiously as she wondered why her master looked almost scared. Lucy and Cana then sweat-dropped with sympathetic expressions on their faces. Poor Elfman and Evergreen.

"Mirajane." They said in unison.

Well, Rizzo supposed they wouldn't be seeing Elfman and Evergreen for the rest of the trial.

"I feel sorry for them." Levy said.

"I could take her, but those two had no chance." Gajeel said.

"That's a lot of big talk, Black Steal." Craylee said. "A lot of big talk you probably can't even back up."

Gajeel glared over at Craylee heatedly with steam practically coming out of his ears. The seamster mage was cruising for a bruising, and Gajeel would gladly give him one.

"Settle down, boys." Makarov said. "Let's just continue on to the second task since it is unlikely we'll be seeing Elfman and Evergreen."

"Hey, don't count us out yet."

Everyone turned looking surprised as Elfman and Evergreen came stumbling out of the bushes.

"Didn't think we could beat my big sis, did ya?" Elfman, who was being supported by Evergreen, asked as he held up a fist and grinned.

Rizzo blinked surprised to see the two of them, but then she grinned. Seemed this trial was still going to be pretty challenging with all these teams still left.

"Guess who's moving onto round two." Evergreen said smirking.

"My word." Makarov murmured.

He hadn't been expecting the two of them to get past Mirajane of all people. Of course, he hadn't been expecting this many teams to get past the first round either.

"How the heck did you beat Mira?" Happy asked.

It was a completely innocent question on Happy's part, but it had suddenly made Elfman and Evergreen seem pale.

"A real man…doesn't brag about his wins." Elfman said as he hung his head.

"Let's just say we took full advantage of catching her off guard." Evergreen added.

Rizzo frowned at how vague their replies were, and it was unlike Elfman not to brag about winning a fight. Their behavior just made her want to know what happened.

"I'll ask Mira later what went down during your fight with her." Rizzo said.

"No, don't!" Evergreen and Elfman exclaimed in unison.

They then realized their mistake when Rizzo smirked at the two of them while stepping away from Gray.

"Oh?" She hummed. "It must be something really embarrassing if you're so desperate not to let anyone know about it. Which means I can use it for blackmail later. I've been looking for something to get back at Evergreen ever since her directions trickily led to me the men's bathhouse back during the Harvest Festival."

Elfman and Evergreen, who couldn't believe Rizzo was still holding a grudge against her for the whole bathhouse incident, paled even more as Rizzo continued smirking with the smirk almost seeming evil. It didn't help that she was chuckling deviously either.

"Devil." Elfman and Evergreen said. "Little pink-haired she-devil."

Makarov cleared his throat to get their attention, so everyone turned towards the small man.

"Back to the trial." Makarov said. "As it stands there are six teams left. Natsu and Happy, Gray and Loke, Rizzo and Craylee, Levy and Gajeel, Cana and Lucy, and Elfman and Evergreen. Congratulations on passing the first round."

Rizzo smiled at Craylee glad they made it here. Craylee very lightly smiled at her in return as Craylee pat the top of her head in a brother-like gesture.

"Now that everyone's here let's move onto the second round." Makarov continued.

Rizzo was ready to go even if she did feel like she could keel over at any second. That fight with Erza took a lot out of her. Natsu stood there with his arms crossed over his chest as he thought about what Gildarts had said to him last, which brought a grin to his face. He was going to do it…he was going to become an S-class mage.

"Gray, Rizzo, Cana, Levy, Elfman!" Natsu called out getting their attention as he pointed at them. "Only one of is going to be an S-class mage and that's me!"

Rizzo grinned at the challenge that was clear as day in Natsu's voice, and she wasn't the only one who heard it.

"Yeah right." Gray said as he grinned as well. "There's no way I'm losing to you."

Cana just narrowed her eyes and grit her teeth because there was no way she was losing the title of S-class for a fifth time. She came here to win this time.

"Not gonna happen." Levy said determinedly.

She knew she might not be as strong as the others, but she wasn't about to go down without a fight.

"Challenge accepted." Elfman said grinning broadly. "Cause I'm a real man, baby!"

"Sorry, Natsu." Rizzo said as she winked. "But when it's just the two of us left standing, I'll be the pinkette that comes out on top."

Natsu chuckled while holding up a fist that was covered in fire. He was more than ready now to take on the others in this trial.

"Aw yeah, I'm all fired up now." He said.

"Aye, sir!" Happy agreed.

Rizzo shook her head in amusement at Natsu and Happy before turning to Craylee.

"I'm pretty low on magic power now." Rizzo said. "So I'm counting on you for this round, kay? Let's show them what the power of sibling teamwork can do."

"The other teams won't know what hit them." Craylee added as he nodded.

Gray smiled at Rizzo as she laughed while sharing a small high-five with Craylee. It seemed she wasn't going to slow down anytime soon, and he knew better than to underestimate her even if she was running low on magic power.

"I'm going to do whatever it takes to make you an S-class mage, Cana." Lucy assured Cana.

"Better hope you don't have to fight me because I won't go easy on ya." Loke said as he adjusted his glasses.

Lucy sweat-dropped feeling her confidence waver a bit, but then she felt a hand get placed on her shoulder. She turned her head to see Laelaps smiling at her.

"Don't worry, Alpha." Laelaps said. "We can beat Leo together!"

Lucy smiled glad at least one of her spirits was ready to work, and at least Laelaps didn't run off joining other people's teams.

"You can try, Beautiful." Loke said as he grinned at Laelaps. "But you've never beaten me before."

"There's a first time for everything, Pussycat." Laelaps said looking unperturbed as she smirked flirtatiously. "Besides, I've been talking to Aquarius, and she's helped me discover a secret weapon that makes all men drop to their knees before a woman. I hope you're ready for it. "

Loke's eyes widened and he gulped. Just what could have Aquarius taught his Celestial Bombshell? He blushed thinking of all the possibilities of what this "secret weapon" could be. Laelaps turned around with her show of bravado dropping as she blushed darkly. Lucy blinked before realizing that this new confident, flirty Laelaps was really just all a show to put on for Loke. Aquarius must really be teaching Laelaps a lot of new things. Lucy then smiled thinking it was cute that Laelaps wanted to try something new to get Loke's attention.

"Dude, that's a low blow." Gray deadpanned at Loke's blushing and confused expression. "It's totally unfair for a woman to use her wiles on a guy like that."

"Oh really, Gray?" Rizzo asked as she glanced up at him. "Does that mean you'd object if I used my "wiles" on you?"

Gray gulped with his face heating up as Rizzo smirked almost seductively at him as Rizzo bat her eyelashes.

"We—well, I—um—no?" He stuttered not making much sense.

Rizzo smirked at him for a bit longer before she finally cracked up. Gray's eyes widened a bit as Rizzo turned to lean against a tree as she continued laughing.

"Man, the look on your face was priceless!" Rizzo said as she slapped her knee. "Ow! My sides hurt from laughing so much."

Gray pouted realizing Rizzo had just been messing with him. He should have known she wouldn't flirt with him seriously like that. He then glared over at Natsu as the pinkette was laughing his ass off too.

"Gihi, big talk for a bunch of wimps." Gajeel taunted.

Rizzo and Natsu immediately stopped laughing to glare at Gajeel who was really asking to have his ass kicked.

"What the heck did you call me?!" Elfman demanded.

He then winced in pain looking like he might keel over at any second, so Evergreen quickly steadied him.

"Come on, Elfman!" Evergreen snapped. "Pull yourself together."

However, she then winced herself while placing her hands over her chest as if it was in great pain.

"Well, we know who ain't going to make S-class." Gray said grinning.

Rizzo lightly frowned feeling just as bad as Evergreen and Elfman seemed to be. It was actually pretty hard for to just stand at the moment, but that wasn't going to stop her and Craylee.

"Listen, I'm about to give instructions to the second part." Makarov said. "The next stage to the S-class trials starts now. To pass the next round you must search the island for the grave of Fairy Tail's founder Mavis Vermillion."

Rizzo blinked wondering if that was really all they had to do. It seemed simple enough.

"I forgot she was buried here." Lucy said.

"And we've got to find where that is." Cana added.

Craylee was sure that'd be a simple enough task. He had some special thread that might just help out in this task.

"Come on, Gramps, that's almost too easy." Natsu said.

"No joke!" Happy added.

He and Natsu could probably fly around this island, and find the grave in no time.

"You've got six hours to find it or you fail." Makarov said. "No excuses. Is that challenging enough? Very well, I'll be waiting for you at Mavis's grave."

He started walking away, and it didn't take long for the teams to start separating to go start looking.

"Let's get going, Craylee." Rizzo said smiling. "We've got a grave to find."

"Right." Craylee said as he grabbed their bags. "Let's move out."

* * *

As Sanjū was walking with Lily and Carla along the beachside, she paused in walking to look up at the cliff. Her stomach was still churning with dread, and honestly it has gotten worse since they touched down on Tenrou Island. Her instincts told her there was something dark and powerful on this island. Was it part of the trials…or was there something here that shouldn't be here? She shook her head trying to clear her thoughts as she continued after Lily and Carla.

"The prince—I mean, Msytogan—thought it was best to avoid contact with people whenever he visited this world." Lily said.

"I've been told he used to put people to sleep whenever he stopped by the guild." Carla said.

"That's true." Sanjū said as she walked alongside Carla. "We always knew when he was back because we'd all be put to sleep by him. Everyone was sure it was because he was hiding something, or because he was trying to avoid interacting with us."

Sanjū had used to always wonder why Msytogan wouldn't want to spend time with the guild. Of course, she knows why now, but back then it had been a complete mystery to everyone.

"And that's why I find it hard to believe he'd have a pupil here." Lily said.

"What are you trying to say?" Carla asked.

"While it's nothing more than baseless speculation, I have a theory." Lily said.

Sanjū looked at Lily, who came to a stop, curiously as she wondered what this theory of his was.

"I know it might sound crazy, but like Sanjū, I'm not sure Mest is not a member of Fairy Tail." Lily said.

* * *

Breccan, who had changed out of his clothes from earlier for something more comfortable, let out a soft sigh as he was cooking lunch for everyone who was no longer participating in the trials. Erza had offered to do it, but she was still rather tired from her fight with Rizzo. Breccan was quite proud of his sister, and hoped she made S-class. It was obvious Jaser wasn't now, so might as well cheer for Rizzo.

"No way!" Erza exclaimed, which got Breccan's attention. "Elfman and Evergreen said they were getting married?!"

Breccan's brow quirked as he looked over at the girls who were resting at the table. He had no idea Elfman and Evergreen were close, so it was odd to hear they were talking about marriage.

"Yep, it totally caught me off guard, which gave them an opening to attack." Mirajane explained.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" Erza demanded. "They've obviously been dating a while if they're getting married, but you never mentioned it."

Breccan chuckled shaking his head in amusement as he let the ladies continue their gossiping.

"I think they just wanted to say something shocking to throw me off." Mirajane said honestly. "I guess I've still got a lot to learn."

"What if it wasn't a strategy?!" Erza insisted.

She then blinked when a bowl of hot soup was placed in front of her. She glanced up at Breccan as he was giving the other girls their own bowls. The girls thanked him, which brought a grin to his face.

"You're welcome." He replied. "Now as for your question, Erza, you do know who you are talking about, yes? Elfman doesn't seem like the type to get engaged let alone date someone in secret."

Erza just frowned since she was kind of hoping what Evergreen said to Mirajane was true.

"Yeah, and I never imagined the two of them getting married and having babies." Mirajane said.

She then tried to picture what the baby would look like, and when she started crying, Breccan guessed whatever she had pictured hadn't been pleasant. He sat down beside Mirajane while putting his arm around her.

"Come on, Mira, don't cry." He said.

"Yeah, it's kind of cute depending on how you look at it." Erza added.

Mirajane just cried more as she wrapped her arms around Breccan to cry into his chest. He pat the top of her head as Lisanna smiled at her older sister and Breccan. It was obvious to her that something was going on there.

"You know, now that I think about it, they'd make an awesome couple." Lisanna said about Evergreen and Elfman.

"I suppose so." Breccan said with a chuckle as he continued to hold Mirajane.

He stroked her silky white hair in a soothing manner as she was blushing into his chest. She hadn't meant to just hug him like she was. It was like her body moved on its own, and now she was stuck trying to hide her blush in his chest as he held her tenderly. She honestly didn't know what was wrong with her. She's never felt shy or embarrassed around a guy before. Well, when she had that crush on Laxus when she was younger, she sometimes blushed around him…but with Breccan it was different.

"They're going to have…babies." Juvia murmured with her face bright red as she blushed.

Breccan looked at her in amusement while quite sure the water woman was thinking about having babies with her own beloved. Breccan really hoped Craylee could have a life with Juvia that led to children. Breccan was sure having a wife and kids would be good for his youngest brother.

"Hey, what happened to Amarante, Freed, Bickslow, Jaser, and Sven?" Lisanna asked.

"The first two and Gildarts went back home." Erza explained. "Then Amarante is out exploring the island since she didn't want to sit around. Jaser and Sven are lounging over there."

Lisanna looked over to where Erza was pointing to see Sven and Jaser were chilling off to the side. Sven had on a pair of glasses as he was flipping through a book he brought with him. Jaser was just lying on his back with his arms behind his head as he looked up at the sky. He had a surprisingly somber look on his face as he remained uncharacteristically quiet, which had Breccan worrying about the Sand Dragon Slayer.

"Gees, talk about impatient." Lisanna said. "They could have stayed and watched the rest of the trial. And Amarante should be resting after her fight, right?"

However, Lisanna knew that Amarante didn't just lay around ever. The older woman always seemed to be on the move.

"I'm more concerned about Mest and Wendy." Erza said. "Where are they?"

"They should have been here by now." Mirajane said as she pulled away from Breccan. "Can you tell where they are, Breccan?"

Breccan closed his eyes sending out his senses to try and searched through the many vibrations on the island. He frowned because there was so many that it was hard to tell everything and everyone apart.

"I can't tell." Breccan said as he opened his eyes. "My magic covers half the island from where we are. Either they're out of my range, or they're vibrations are drowned out by everything else I'm picking up."

Erza frowned as well while feeling even more concerned now. She knew this island could be dangerous due to all the large and aggressive animals.

"They probably just forgot that we're all supposed to meet up here." Lisanna said.

Breccan hoped that was true. He didn't want little Wendy to be hurt or anything. Juvia just kept murmuring about babies while not seeming to fully pay attention to the conversation happening.

"So this Mest guy," Lisanna began. "I don't know much about him since I never ran into his counterpart in Edolas. Did he join Fairy Tail in the two years that I was gone?"

Breccan tilted his head trying to remember anything about Mest at all. He honestly couldn't remember much. And what he did know…he didn't know how he knew since he hadn't been around last year when Mest had apparently almost won the trials then.

"I don't know." Mirajane said. "Did he?"

"I feel like he's always been a member." Erza said honestly.

"He doesn't make a big impression, huh?" Lisanna asked.

Breccan had a feeling it was more than that, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Juvia volunteers to go and look for them." Juvia said as she stood. "Juvia is starting to get a little worried."

Breccan was too, which is why he stood up to remove his apron to set it over to the side.

"I'll go too." Breccan said. "With my magic it might be easier to find them. Jaser, Sven, you two looked as well. We'll split up in case they had gotten lost, and went in a random direction."

Jaser sighed though flipped up onto his back with ease as Sven bookmarked the place he had been reading.

"Alright." Jaser said. "Sniffing little Wendy out shouldn't be a problem for me."

"We promise to look extra hard!~" Sven added as he saluted.

It shouldn't be hard to find two people on one island, right? At least he hoped it wasn't hard. He was still feeling sore from his fight with Amarante, so hiking across the island didn't sound fun to him at the moment.

"I shall accompany Breccan and Juvia." Erza said as she stood. "Mirajane, Lisanna, you two stay here to guard camp."

Juvia turned away from the six of them while mentally cursing since she had wanted to ditch the group to cheer on her beloved. Now she couldn't because Erza and Breccan would be tagging along. What was she going to do now?!


	77. Unwanted Guests! Send Up the Red Flare!

Coco: Hello, dear readers, I would just like to point something out for this chapter. First is that Silk and his true identity will be in his chapter. And when I say Jinanese that is supposed to be Silk's native tongue since he's from Jinan, which is a city in China. Silk is going to have like a Chinese vibe like Jaser has a Indian vibe. However, I renamed India to Rajasthan (a desert in India) and China to Jinan since neither of those countries exist in the Fairy Tail universe. I just wanted to clear that up so there was no confusion XD

Anyway enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Rizzo let out a soft sigh as she wiped away some sweat from her brow. She and Craylee had just gotten away from large, mutant wolf-creatures, and she was feeling so tired.

"Gees, what is up with this island?" She asked as she looked at Craylee.

She then blinked when she noticed something on top of Craylee's head. It looked like some king of cross between a rabbit and cat. It was about the size of a domestic feline though a bit thinner. It had brownish-orange fur that was covered in black spots, and it had a long feline like tail sprouting out from its backside. However, its head was more like a rabbit's head, and it even had long bunny ears that were black.

"Uh, what's that?" Rizzo asked as she pointed up at the creature on Craylee's head. "…it's cute."

Craylee just frowned as he reached up to pluck the little guy off his head. He held it out to Rizzo who took it into her arms.

"I don't know." Craylee said. "It jumped on my head as we were running."

Rizzo smiled at the little creature as its ears twitched and its tailed swayed behind it.

"You're adorable." Rizzo said as she pet it on the head. "Ya know, I vaguely remember seeing others like you the last time I was here."

The creature made a soft squeaking noise before climbing out of her arms to rest on Rizzo's shoulders. It rubbed itself against her cheek, which had her smiling.

"Wait, you've been here before?" Craylee asked.

"Yeah, Laxus brought me here once when he came to visit Master Mavis's grave." Rizzo said. "I don't know where it is though because I got separated from Laxus. I got lost with Sanjū, and Laxus had to come find us."

-FLASHBACK-

 _On Tenrou Island about five years back, young Rizzo Sweeney was running through the forest while holding Sanjū to her chest. Behind them was a large hairy beast as it was chasing them._

 _"Ahhhh, what is up with this forest?!" Rizzo demanded as she kept running._

 _She then let out a scream as she barely dodged an attack from the monster behind her. She and Sanjū went rolling across the ground before coming to a stop._

 _"I told you that we should have stuck closer to Laxus!" Sanjū said as they laid there for a moment. "Now look at the trouble we're in!"_

 _"I'm sorry!" Rizzo apologized._

 _She then jumped up to continue running when that monster attacked once more. She started running again as she clutched Sanjū to her chest. Rizzo jumped over a large root, but tripped on the landing, which had her falling into the ground face first. Sanjū grunted in pain since she hit the ground as well with Rizzo on top of her. Rizzo turned around with her eyes widening when seeing the monster's fist heading right towards them._

 _"LAXUS!" Rizzo cried as she held Sanjū close to protect the feline._

 _Just then lightning struck the monster, which had it shouting in pain. Laxus stepped in front of Rizzo with a deadly look in his eyes as he glared at the monster._

 _"Hey, Ugly, let this be a lesson to you." Laxus said. "No one messes with Rizz."_

 _Laxus finally stopped shocking the monster, and it practically crawled away as it whimpered. Laxus turned towards Rizzo who ran towards him. She hugged him around the waist as Sanjū hugged his shoulder. He sighed though was glad the two of them were alright._

 _"Ready to go home?" He asked as he pat Rizzo on top of the head._

 _"Uh-huh." Rizzo said nodding._

-END OF FLASHBACK-

"Not to mention that he had to save us when he found us because we were being chased by a monster." Rizzo added while remembering that day well.

Craylee sweat-dropped while sadly not surprised at all his sister had managed to get lost. However, it would have helped them out if she had actually been to the grave. Then they could easily get there before the others. He supposes he'll just have to try and figure out where the grave is. He's sure that Master Makarov gave them some kind of clue when he told them about this second trial because Craylee is sure that this test was more to test their ability to use their minds.

"Anyway let's take a moment to try and think this through." Craylee said. "Let's not waste six hours just running around."

Rizzo nodded her head thinking that was the best idea they had for now. The two of them sat down a moment to start trying to brainstorm where Mavis's grave might be. They sat down to take a breather and to speak, and Rizzo's new friend remained on her shoulder looking quite comfortable. As they were talking, they had no idea what kind of danger was on the island and what danger was heading they're way.

* * *

On an magical airship the guild Grimoire Heart made its way to Tenrou Island where they hoped to find the Black Wizard himself—Zeref. In the main room of the airship, a beautiful young woman known as Ultear Milkovich stood in front of the guild's master…Master Hades.

"We finally found our quarry." Ultear said. "And he appears to be in a state of rest. I believe the time is upon us, Master Hades."

Hades smirked from where he sat on his throne as his elite mages and other underlings looked to him.

"I shall finally meet the man who showed the world the true potential of the Black Arts." Hades said. "His horde of demons created chaos and death tolls without equal. Catastrophe is his daily bread. In all the history of the magic world, he is the true champion of wickedness. The Black Wizard Zeref."

Ultear smiled knowing that what they all wanted was finally in their grasp, but she would be the one walking away with the prize in the end.

"The day is upon us." Hades said. "The abyss of sorcery is within our grasp. It's time to get to work. Tenrou Island will run red with the blood of Fairy Tail."

He had no hesitance whatsoever against sending his subordinates to destroy his former guild.

"This is a momentous day indeed." Hades said. "If all goes as planned, we will see the return of Zeref the Black Wizard. The ambitions of Grimoire Heart will no longer be a fantasy. Now that we've gathered all the necessary keys we will awaken that what lays within Zeref."

"Master, you're overlooking the opposition." Ultear said as she raised her crystal ball. "Our plans could come crashing down around us should Fairy Tail decide to intervene. They defeated one of the Balam Alliance's most powerful guilds the Oración Seis. The strongest of them are currently gathered on Tenrou Island. Awakening Zeref won't be a simple task."

She knew better than to underestimate the Fairy Tail guild. She has seen and heard of what they can do, and know that Fairy Tail has plenty of strong mages that can conquer anything. Especially when working together.

"Enough with all the wimpy talk." A man named Zancrow said. "That sad bunch of weaklings shouldn't be called a guild. I've got more power in this finger!"

Zancrow then lit up in black flames as he gave a sinister chuckle with his red eyes shining in excitement.

"When I'm done with them, they'll be ash beneath my boots!" He said.

He gave mad cackles, which had Ultear frowning at him. He really was annoying sometimes.

"You shouldn't be so overconfident of yourself, Zancrow." A masculine voice said. "The Fairy Tail guild aren't to be underestimated. They have many strong mages amongst their ranks."

The man, who spoke and had a serious expression on his face, had long plum colored hair that was fell in between his shoulder blades in a single braid. His eyes were turquoise in color that leaned more towards green than blue. His had a tanned skin complexion, and stood at a rather tall height. He was also muscular it appeared, and he had a handsomely chiseled facial structure. On his neck was the Grimoire Heart guild emblem, and it was in black.

He wore a black Changshan that fell nearly to the floor, and had large slits in the side. The sleeves of his shirt were long enough to cover his hands by a few inches, and the trim around them was white. On the back of his Changshan was Jinanese (Chinese) characters that spelt out "Resurrection" in white, and they went vertically down the Changshan where his spine was. Then he had on black pants that were baggy until they hugged around his ankles. Finally on his feet he had white ankle socks and black slippers.

"Jun, I believe you are only saying that because your beloved is one of those mages, correct?" Ultear asked with a knowing smirk.

Jun suddenly lost his serious expression as a big goofy smile spread across his face.

"Yes, my beloved Rizzo-chan is a beautiful yet powerful mage~" Jun cooed. "No man or woman can compare to her~"

Zancrow rolled his eyes at Jun as the man was going on and on about "Rizzo-chan this" and "Rizzo-chan that", which was getting on his nerves. If you haven't figured it out yet this man Jun was the man who went by the name Silk on Galuna Island when Lyon and his friends were trying to resurrect the demon Deliora. There he had developed quite the crush on Rizzo Sweeney, and now he would be able to see her again on Tenrou Island.

"Hmph, I still think I can crush every last one of them on my own." Zancrow said as he smirked. "Everyone else should just stay here while I go have fun."

Ultear sighed seeing that Zancrow was still more concerned with having fun than actually finding and awakening Zeref.

"Never underestimate one's opponent." Caprico said with a bit of a bleat in his tone. "Even so I have faith that we will win this battle."

Jun, who calmed down a bit, had to agree with Caprico. Even though he knew Fairy Tail was strong, he and his comrades were stronger because they used the lost and powerful magic.

"I couldn't agree more, Caprico." Rustyrose said.

"I, uh…well, yeah." Kane Hikaru added as he shook.

"At last we will unleash our ultimate desires!" Rustyrose continued as he dramatically held up his hand.

Jun sighed wondering if Rustyrose really had to get so dramatic every time he was speaking.

"Our war drums beat against their cages and cry for violence." Rustyrose continued. "We shall dance the waltz of death to their rhythm."

Jun also wondered if it would kill Rustyrose to talk normally for once too. He didn't always have to speak as if composing a poem in Jun's opinion.

"I feel the same way!" Kane said.

However, his words were mumbled so much that they were hard to understand. Even Jun wasn't sure what he said.

"No one understands you, tubby!" Zancrow informed him.

"Kane Hikaru's statement is deciphered as followed: "I feel the same way.", is that correct?" Meredy asked.

"Yeah, that's it!" Kane said as he pointed towards Meredy.

Zancrow frowned as he wondered how Meredy understood any of that since it made no sense to him.

"Rustyrose's previous statements deciphered." Meredy continued. "Desire means wants. War drums refers to hearts."

Jun sighed wishing Meredy would stop acting like some kind of droid. She's a kid after all.

"Meredy, will you be joining us?" Ultear asked.

"In battle?" Meredy asked. "Yes."

Jun wasn't sure how he felt about sending Meredy out to battle. He knew she was strong, but she's still a kid. A kid he helped raise alongside Ultear, so he couldn't help but be concerned.

"I am delighted." Hades said as he stood up. "No one will be able to stand up against our might. Not even Fairy Tail. Their strongest mages will soon now the terror of true darkness. The immense power that lurks within the abyss. For we are Grimoire Heart. We have walked the path of devils, and will force this world into the darkness. Tonight these devil with bathe Tenrou Island in the blood of fairies. I look forward to the agony on Makarov's face. Our showdown against the Fairy Tail guild starts now! Aeron!"

After Hades called out that name, a man appeared out of the shadows with three more people behind him. The man had dark violet hair that was cut short and spikey. He had a small goatee, and running alongside his goatee was a thin scar. His eyes were a striking silver that seemed to gleam dangerously. He wore all black, and didn't appear to be carrying weapons with him.

"Yes, Master Hades?" The man known as Aeron asked. "You called?"

"I want you and your comrades to head to Tenrou Island now." Hades said. "And get the bloodshed started early. Show no mercy."

"Of course." Aeron said as he bowed his head respectfully. "We will be sure to make it rain blood by the time you arrive. Those little fairies will soon have their wings plucked by the undertakers."

* * *

"Still haven't figured anything out yet?" Rizzo asked Craylee.

The seamster mage shook his head with a big frown on his face. He was trying hard to figure out where Mavis's grave was. He knew there had to be something in Makarov's message that led them to Mavis's grave. He knew there had to be something, and he just had to figure out what. Rizzo then looked down at the little creature in her arms.

"Do you know where Master Mavis's grave is?" Rizzo asked. "If she was buried here, I'm sure this place must have meant a lot to her, so perhaps you knew her."

"Rizzo, I don't think a mutant rabbit is going to know where we should go." Craylee said with a sigh.

As soon as the words left his mouth, the "mutant rabbit" huffed before jumping out of Rizzo's arms. It started scurrying away, but it paused to look back at the two mages.

"Chu Chuuu." It squeaked while flicking its tail in a "come hither" motion.

"Bro, I really think he knows." Rizzo said as she stood. "Let's follow him."

"You're really going to follow an animal through the island?" Craylee asked.

"Do you have any better ideas?" Rizzo challenged.

Craylee opened his mouth to reply, but paused when he realized he didn't. He sighed then stood up onto his feet while grabbing his and Rizzo's bags. Rizzo grinned at him then hurried after their new furry friend with Craylee following at a slower pace. He wasn't sure about following an animal around, but it wasn't like he really did know where to go. As they were walking Craylee realized they were heading back in the direction of the shore where they started.

"Why would we heading back towards there?" He asked himself.

He had to rethink of what Makarov said. Six hours to find a grave. Grave…six hours. Six had to be important. Perhaps he had said six before it was the number of letters in a word they had to try guess. And grave…grave was the final resting place of someone. It was where they spent their eternal slumber. Perhaps they needed to think of a six letter that means the end of something like someone's life. As he continued following after his sister and the furball, Craylee tried to think of all the six letter words that could mean the end or go along with grave. When a world came to mind, he stopped walking with his eyes widening a bit.

"So that's how it is." He said.

Rizzo, who heard him, paused to look back at him, and her new furry companion did the same.

"That's how what is?" Rizzo asked.

"It seems your new friend is going in the right direction." Craylee said smirking.

The little furball seemed to grin triumphantly as it puffed up its chest with its tail swaying behind it.

"You figured it out?" Rizzo asked.

"Yes," Craylee said nodding. "If we want to find Master Mavis's grave we need to head down route E."

Rizzo blinked in confusion since she had no idea how he came up with that as the route they needed to take.

"I'll explain on the way." Craylee said as he started walking again. "Let's just get going. The sooner we get there the more we can rest before the third trial, and you need all the rest you can get after fighting against Erza like you did."

"Alright." Rizzo, who scooped up her new furry friend, said as she started walking again as well.

She then grinned thinking that she might really get the title of S-class in the end, and on her first try too.

"We should probably hurry too." Craylee said. "If I figured it out, I'm sure Lucy and Levy did as well."

"Oh, it's a word thing, huh?" Rizzo guessed.

"Sort of." Craylee said. "Most of it was guess work to be honest, but I am positive we're going in the right direction."

The furball in Rizzo's arms nodded its head while making those cute little squeaking noises.

"Chu seems to think so too." Rizzo said.

Craylee's nose scrunched up a bit as he glanced back at his little sister and the furball.

"Chu?" Craylee asked.

"Yeah, Chu." Rizzo said. "That's the cute little noises he makes, so I thought it was the perfect name!~"

Craylee gave her a deadpanned expression while wondering if she was really already attached to that little guy. He did not look forward to when they had to be separated from each other. He was sure there would be a lot of tears and tantrums thrown. He shook his head deciding he wouldn't say anything. He'd leave that task to someone else. As the two walked on they had no idea that touching down on the island was a grave threat, and it was just the first wave of danger.

* * *

Breccan reached the top of the cliff on the side of Tenrou Island, and paused to look around. Still no sign of Mest and Wendy, and sensing out vibrations that could be caused by them still wasn't working. Breccan then glanced back behind him as Erza and Juvia were catching up to him.

"Are you still not picking up anything, Breccan?" Erza asked.

"Nothing from Mest and Wendy." Breccan said as he scratched the back of his head.

He then blinked when picking rapid and uneven thumping from Erza. He focused his attention on her while easily picking up the erratic thumping vibrations caused by her heart. It seemed she was having trouble taking this little trek through the island to find their friends. It was probably because she wasn't fully recovered from her fight with Rizzo. However, despite her rapidly beating heart, she kept a straight face and her breaths even.

"I forgot how big this island is." Erza said. "It might take all day, but we'll find Wendy and Mest eventually."

Breccan nodded in agreement, but he'd rather find them now instead of later. He knew it was dangerous on this island. He was here for a week before the trials began, and he's seen how many monstrous sized animals were here. Breccan then looked to Juvia to ask if she was keeping up alright, but paused when seeing she was making an odd face and blushing. He chuckled guessing she was having another one of her fantasies about Craylee.

"Are you alright, Juvia?" Erza asked when she saw the blush on Juvia's face as well. "You're flushed."

"Juvia is fine!" Juvia said as she smiled brightly. "Juvia is perfectly healthy!"

"Then we should probably keep going." Breccan said.

Erza agreed so the two of them started walking again with Juvia following after them. She still needed to get away from them, so she could go find her beloved Craylee. She wished to cheer him and her best friend Rizzo on in the trial.

"You know, if we split up we could cover more ground." Juvia pointed out.

"You should stick closer to Breccan and me." Erza insisted.

"Yes, there's a lot of dangers on this island, so it's better to stick as a group." Breccan said. "Besides, Jaser and Sven are covering ground right now as we speak. It wouldn't surprise me if they haven't already found Mest and Wendy. Jaser's nose never lets him down after all."

* * *

"Hmm, I wonder how Rizzo and Craylee are doing in the trial." Sven said as he walked with Jaser.

The two were still looking for Wendy and Mest, and were having no such luck as of yet. Jaser's nose was a bit overwhelmed by all the new smells it was being assaulted with, so the Sand Dragon was having a bit more difficulty trying to sniff the two out.

"I'm sure they're fine." Jaser said. "Rizzo is probably really weak at the moment, but Craylee will look out for her. And right now they don't need to worry about fighting because according to Breccan the second test is based on intellect instead of strength."

Sven nodded his head remembering that Breccan had said that. Apparently the teams had to find the first guild master's grave in six hours, or they would be disqualified. He was sure with Craylee and Rizzo's intelligence combined that they would clear the second task without trouble.

"Do you think Cana is going to get far in the trials?" Sven asked.

At the mention of his girlfriend, Jaser's shoulders became tense, which didn't go unnoticed by Sven. The blonde script mage had noticed in the last week or so that things have been different between Jaser and Cana. The two of them haven't spent much time together, and Jaser's face doesn't light up at the mention of her anymore. In fact, he looks almost sad at the mention of Cana.

"Did something happen between the two of you?" Sven asked. "Did you hit a rough patch in your relationship?"

"I don't know." Jaser said honestly. "A little before the trial was announced she started acting a bit differently. When I tried to ask her what was wrong, she told me to butt the hell out since it wasn't my business. After that we haven't really spoke except for a few words here and there."

Sven frowned a bit in concern when seeing how bothered Jaser was about this little spat he had with Cana. It was obvious that Jaser cared about Cana deeply. In fact, Sven was sure that Jaser loved Cana, but Cana wasn't quite there in their relationship yet, which is causing rifts between them. That and it wasn't like the two knew that much about each other despite the fact that they're dating, so they don't know what's safe to talk about and what isn't.

"Anyway, we should continue to look for Mest and Wendy." Jaser said. "I'm starting to get worried about them—!"

Jaser suddenly cut himself off as he came to an abrupt stop with his shoulders tense. Sven came to a halt as well while immediately noticing that Jaser was on alert. Jaser raised his nose taking a small whiff of the air. He narrowed his eyes when picking up a few smells that were foreign too him.

"We and our guildmates are supposed to be the only ones on this island, right?" Jaser said.

"That's right." Sven said nodding.

"Well, we're not anymore." Jaser said. "There are…five scents that are human, but don't belong to any of our guildmates. Then two others smell a bit of animal yet human as well...it's confusing."

Sven frowned because that didn't sound good at all. And why would five strangers-possibly seven-be on this island?

"And I smell faint traces off blood on some of them." Jaser added as his nose twitched. "It's stale…but it's like the scent of blood lingers."

The two brothers knew that bloodstained smelling strangers couldn't be good. They also knew who might smell like that and that might come to this island because a certain violet-haired man and one certain teal-haired woman was on this island.

"Five strangers and some with the smell of stale blood." Sven asked. "You don't think it could be people from Shadow Undertaker, do you?"

There was slow clapping suddenly from behind the two of them, so the two whirled around to see a man, who was carrying a large duffel bag, standing on one of the large roots of a tree as he leaned against a tree. He had scruffy brown hair, and he had deep chocolate brown eyes. He had a single birthmark under his right eye, but besides that his skin seemed flawless. He was of muscular build and appeared to be around the same height as Jaser and the same age as Breccan.

He wore all black with a black cowboy hat on top his head, and black cowboy boots on his feet. His shirt hugged him tightly, and the first few buttons were undo to show off his chest. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. On his hands were black fingerless gloves with the top of the gloves having square openings to show the skin on the back of his hands. He then had a black belt holding up his black tightfitting pants, and the belt buckle was in the shape of a skull wearing the tall black hat of an undertaker.

"Well, aren't you two smart?" The man asked as he chuckled. "I'm impressed to be honest that you've already sniffed us out."

Jaser and Sven narrowed their eyes at the man as they got into stances to fight him.

"And which Shadow are you?" Sven asked.

"My name is Verto." The man said smirking. "And you two are Jaser Sahara and Sven Toblerone. The adoptive brothers of that traitorous bastard Breccan. I have to say I feel quite lucky to have stumbled across the two of you. What better way to make Breccan suffer than to kill his brothers, and bring your heads to him as present."

Jaser snarled feeling his magic start to spike due to the anger bumbling up inside of him. However, before he could attack Sven stepped in front of him while holding out his arm to stop him.

"He's mine." Sven, who had a dark expression on his face, said.

Jaser looked at Sven in surprise as the small blonde was glaring up at Verto who was still smirking.

"You need to go warn the Master of this new development." Sven said. "I'll fight him. We both can't waste our time on him if there are other Shadows scurrying around like bugs on Fairy Tail's sacred ground."

"Bugs, you say?" Verto asked chuckling. "I'm sorry, but you must have me confused with Beelzebub who is most likely hunting down Amarante as we speak as our master ordered him to do."

Jaser and Sven narrowed their eyes at Verto while feeling a bit worried for Amarante, but they knew she's a tough mage, so they were sure she could handle herself.

"Jaser." Sven prompted.

"Alright, alright." Jaser said. "I'm going. Stay safe."

He then took off running in the direction of Mavis's grave, which Mirajane had told them about after it was obvious they wouldn't be in the second task. Sven kept his eyes on Verto to make sure he didn't try to follow or stop Jaser. Verto didn't make a move to follow. In fact, he just chuckled.

"It's alright if he runs off." Verto said. "I'm sure he'll just run into Aeron-sama or Thana-sama."

Sven stiffened when hearing that both of Breccan's parents were on this island.

"I wonder how Breccan is going to handle both of his parents at once." Verto said in a conversational manner. "Not that it matters what he tries to do. His blood with stain the earth before the sun sets on this day."

* * *

Breccan stiffened with his eyes widening when he felt set vibrations lightly pumping through the island. He turned his head in the direction where he felt the pulsation of vibrations coming from. He couldn't believe this was happening. He couldn't believe _that man_ was on this island.

"Breccan, what is it?" Erza asked when seeing Breccan had stopped. "Do you sense Mest and Wendy?"

Breccan didn't answer as he remained standing tense as the vibrations seemed quicken and grow stronger as the person causing them drew closer. Juvia looked at Breccan in worry when seeing his body was shaking.

"Breccan." Erza prompted. "What is it?"

Breccan closed his eyes trying to concentrate as hard as possible to sense beyond the vibrations that were pulsating through the island. He sensed other familiar vibrations as four people who weren't of Fairy Tail scurried around the island. No…there was more than that. Two…three more beside that. Was that a eighth person he was sensing? So all together there could be eight unknowns on this island.

"We and our guildmates aren't the only people here on the island." Breccan said as he opened his eyes.

Erza and Juvia's eyes widened in shock as Breccan glared forward. He could identify at least four out of the eight strangers on this island.

"What?" Erza asked. "How many?"

"…At least eight." Breccan said as he glanced over at the two women. "And four of them are from Shadow Undertaker. And not just anyone from Shadow Undertaker. Four Shadows have stepped onto this island."

Erza stiffened knowing exactly who these shadows were due to Rizzo explaining them during the Oración Seis incident.

"Breccan, can you tell where they are exactly?" Erza asked. "And which of our friends are closest to them?"

"It's all too much for even me." Breccan said as he shook his head. "I can just vaguely tell they're here not where they are exactly, but I know one thing for sure. My father is heading right for us."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the very air seemed to erupt with strong vibrations, which had Erza and Juvia stiffening. They then saw a man who bared a strong resemblance to Breccan walking towards them.

"Hmm, it seems you have gotten stronger, my son." The man said as he smirked. "Being able to cover such a wide area with your senses is truly impressive. However, your senses are blurry, hmm? You can't tell where everyone is, and what is happening to your own friends? Shall I tell you?"

Breccan grit his teeth together as he glared at his father knowing that Aeron was trying to spook him by displaying how much Breccan's powers didn't quite compare to his.

"I even know all your little pals' names and vibration patterns when they move." Aeron continued. "You see I've done a lot of digging, and I've even hung out around Magnolia for a whole week after you were sent away on a request from your guild master to track down a Shadow. Which is exactly what I wished for you to do."

Breccan's eyes widened when hearing Aeron was so close to everyone he cared about while he wasn't there. Aeron chuckled when seeing Breccan's troubled expression.

"Don't look so worried." Aeron said. "I didn't touch any of them. Just observed, so I'd be able to sense out my chosen victims easier. Like those brothers and sister of yours. Oh, and that cute barmaid you seem to have taken a liking too."

Breccan felt his anger start to boil at Aeron's vailed threat to his siblings and Mirajane as Erza and Juvia remained behind him. Erza had already reequipped into her armor and had a sword at the ready. However, she remained still as she watched Aeron closely.

"Now…I said I'd tell you where your friends are, didn't I?" Aeron asked. "Well, who should I start with? How about Gajeel Redfox? I can tell you right now that he isn't far from here, and that he is currently losing a fight against two of Grimoire Heart's underlings."

"What?" Erza asked. "Grimoire Heart is here too?"

"Yes." Aeron said nodding. "And you should be excepting more of them here shortly. Now, where was I? Oh yes, and sweet little Levy is currently running desperately towards your basecamp in hopes of getting help for Gajeel, and to warn the rest of you of the threat that is to come. The poor thing just isn't strong enough to fight alongside Gajeel. Do you really allow such weak people into your guild?"

Erza grit her teeth together when hearing how mocking Aeron spoke of Levy. Juvia was glaring at the man as well as he chuckled.

"Elfman and Evergreen split ways with Natsu and Happy a few moments ago after coming face to face with Zeref the Black Wizard." Aeron continued. "Grimoire Heart is here to look for him, and your friends stumble right onto him then let him get away."

"Zeref?" Juvia asked. "Why would Zeref be on this island?"

Aeron shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant manner before casually shifting his weight to his right foot. Though he moved casually Breccan made sure to keep a sharp eye on every move his father made.

"I don't know nor do I care." Aeron said. "All I know is that my mission is to terminate Fairy Tail while Master Hades and the Eight Kin of Purgatory search for Zeref. And I've happen to come upon three little fairies. Those two flunkies ran into Gajeel and Levy, and even if Levy fled soon there will be nowhere to run once the others get here. Sven and Jaser ran into Verto."

Breccan stiffened at the mention of Verto being near his brothers since he knew how powerful Verto was.

"However, Jaser ran off for some reason." Aeron said. "He doesn't seem like a coward, so I'm sure big brother Sven told him to warn you all. Beelzebub is closing in on Amarante as we speak. And your precious little Rizzo and Craylee are about to run into your mother. I'm sure Craylee will be glad to see her again."

"Craylee-sama and Rizzo-chan are in danger?!" Juvia gasped.

She had to find them both before anything could happen to her beloved or her best friend. She had to help fight alongside them.

"Finally that welp from the council, who is pretending to be one of you, Wendy, and three kitty-cats are having to deal with one of the Eight Kin who came here ahead of the rest." Aeron continued.

Erza frowned in confusion when Aeron said "welp from the council". Did he mean Mest? But Mest is a part of the guild…isn't he?

"And there you are." Aeron finished. "That's all the battles happening or about to happen. And this is just the beginning. Soon the rest of Grimoire Heart will be here, and there will be nothing you can do. This is the end of Fair—!"

Aeron had to cut off his little speech as he dodged to the side when Breccan sent a wave of vibrations at him. Aeron laughed as he landed on his feet not far from the group. Erza and Juvia looked at Breccan with wide eyes as he stepped forward.

"Erza, I believe now is the time for a signal flare." Breccan said.

"Right." Erza said as she pulled out her flare device.

She hit the end of it to send a red flare high up into the air where everyone would be able to see it.

"Now get going." Breccan said. "I'll handle my father."

"Are you sure?" Erza asked.

"Yes." Breccan said. "Try to find any of the others and help them out. It sounds as if Wendy and Mest and Gajeel are the ones in the worst danger. I am worried about Sven, but I have faith that he will win his battle. Now go!"

Erza frowned not wanting to leave a friend, but she ran off with Juvia right behind her. As they ran off, the two vibration mages squared off.

"Well, I'm sure this is going to be fun." Aeron said smirking.


	78. Battles Erupt On Tenrou Island!

Coco: Hello, everyone, I know it's been a while since I published for Fairy Tail. Sorry for the long wait. I just had to get all my other stories taken care of and get some farther along. But here's a new chapter, and I have a few more written up to publish. I don't know if I'll get around to publishing them tonight since I just got done working an eight hour long shift. And since I have this new job chapters won't post as rapidly as before, and I'm sorry for that. But I get every Wednesday and Thursday off, so I will try to have a new chapter by one of those days, but probably not every time. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter, and sorry again for the long wait.

* * *

Rizzo, who was still carrying Chu, and Craylee came to a halt as they looked to the sky to see a red flare burning bright.

"An enemy raid?" Rizzo asked. "Why the hell would anyone come to this island to attack us?"

Chu made a worried sounding squeak as he huddled into Rizzo's arms for comfort.

"I don't know." Craylee said. "But I'm guessing this is the end for the S-Class Trials."

Rizzo frowned not too happy about any of that, but she knew protecting Fairy Tail's sacred ground was more important than a title. However, she wasn't sure how well she'd kick ass considering how sore she still is. Well, she'd give it her all no matter what.

"Do you think we should head towards the basecamp?" Rizzo asked.

"That's probably the best call." Craylee said. "We're all at a disadvantage due to being spread out and separated like we are."

Rizzo nodded in agreement then went to follow after Craylee. However, the two of them sensed an attack coming from behind, which had Craylee quickly taking action. He grabbed Rizzo then jumped up into the air with the wings sprouting from his clothes to keep him in the air as a few poisonous looking barbs hit the ground where he and Rizzo had been standing. A green-haired woman then stepped out of the foliage to look up at Craylee and Rizzo with a smirk on her face. Rizzo's eyes widened realizing who the woman below was.

"Fufufufu, protecting someone again, are you?" Thana asked. "You're just a regular knight in shining armor."

Craylee glared at Thana then dropped down to a large bolder jutting out from the ground. He set Rizzo down, and once on her own feet, she put down Chu.

"Things are about to get dangerous, Chu, so you should get somewhere safe." Rizzo said.

Chu, who looked rather worried, nodded his head hesitantly before he scurried away. Rizzo stood up to stand beside Craylee while ready to fight against Breccan's mother.

"I came here hoping to fight my son, but I suppose fighting the two of you will be acceptable." Thana said. "I can't wait to find Breccan to show him your corpses."

Rizzo was about to step forward to start a thrown down, but Craylee placed his hand on her shoulder.

"This time you stand back." Craylee said. "Your magic power isn't built up enough to fight someone of her caliber."

"Doesn't mean I just have to stand back to hide behind my big brother!" Rizzo retorted.

She went to protest some more, but Craylee placed a hand on her head, which had her blinking.

"You're the one who said you'd need to lean on me during the second round." Craylee said. "And I'm sure I told you that as your older brother that I'd protect you when you needed me to. Well, this is one of those times you need to let your older brother handle things, so just stay back."

Rizzo frowned not wanting to just stand back, but she could tell that Craylee really wanted to fight Thana alone. And it wasn't just so to protect her…Craylee looked as if he had some payback to dish out.

"Fine." Rizzo said. "But the second you start getting your butt kicked I'm stepping in."

Craylee let out one single chuckle as he looked at Rizzo with a small smirk on his face.

"Who do you take me for?" He asked. "I'll finish this soon enough, and then we can return to the basecamp together."

He then turned to face Thana who seemed amused by their little conversation.

"Such optimism." She said with a small laugh. "Do you really think you'll be running away from me alive?"

"I wouldn't call it running away." Craylee said. "I'd say it's more like I am going to put you six feet under then Rizzo and I will be on our way. Besides, I owe you for what you did to me the last time we met. I won't lose against you twice."

Thana let out another laugh, and it was getting on Rizzo's last damn nerve since it sounded so weird.

"We shall see." Thana said as she held up her hand, which turned into a barb. "But honestly I don't think you or your friends will be leaving this island alive once we're through with all of you. The iron brut and the script mage have most likely already fallen."

Rizzo's eyes widened as she wondered who Gajeel and Levy were fighting, and if they were really as hurt as Thana implied.

* * *

"Levy, wake up! Levy!"

Levy let out a small groan before opening her eyes to see Juvia and Erza, which brought relieved tears to her eyes.

"It seems Breccan's father was telling the truth about Levy-san and Gajeel-kun fighting." Juvia said then started freaking out. "And somewhere out there Craylee-sama and Rizzo-chan are fighting some other foe. Juvia needs to run to their aid!"

She was so worried about the two of them that the longer she couldn't find them the more worried she became.

"It's you…thank goodness." Levy said smiling in relief.

Erza then gently held Levy in a sitting position, so the bluenette wasn't just lying on the ground.

"Levy, where are the men that did this to you?" Erza asked. "And where is Gajeel?"

"How did you know?" Levy asked.

"Breccan sensed a disturbance on the island, and then we ran into his father." Erza explained. "Or rather…his father found us. And his father told us that you and Gajeel were in trouble along with a few of the others. Now, where is Gajeel?"

Levy pointed in the direction she had come running from where Gajeel had been fighting those two men.

"Don't worry, Levy." Erza said. "We'll go help him immediately."

Levy looked so relieved to hear that. As Erza was helping Levy up, she wondered how the others were doing by now.

* * *

Sven jumped back from Verto's attack before landing on one of the large tree roots behind him. Right now Verto had taken the form of Sven himself, and used the false storybook at his waist to turn himself into a large monster. That isn't how the real Sven would use the Storybook, but he supposed he could give Verto a six out of ten for creativity. The small blonde had to flip over the monster Verto to dodge another attack sent his way.

"Are you only good at dodging?" Verto mocked with his voice sounding deeper with a growling edge to it.

Sven smirked because he'd soon show this punk just how powerful he could be.

"First things first." Sven said as he opened the true Children's Storybook. "I can't use any spells that'd be strong enough to deal with you in this body."

Sven then recited the passage in the Storybook that would allow him to revert to his aging self. His body glowed then grew and widened out to his taller, muscular form. He rolled his shoulders to get used to this form again.

"So you really can change shape?" Verto asked. "And what can that form do? It's not very frightening."

Sven just flipped the pages to a clean one before his pen went flying across the page at an almost blinding speed. As he finished writing what he needed, he had to get out of the way of Verto's next attack.

"The smell of fire and brimstone entered the air as the earth shook and sky darkened." Sven started reading from his book.

Verto frowned when he literally smelt fire and brimstone as the ground beneath him shook. He then looked up at the sky seeing dark clouds starting to form and swirl around the area they were in.

"Harsh winds blew in as the promise of a storm made itself clear." Sven continued.

A wind that was strong enough to uproot from trees raged around them as thunder and lightning appeared in the sky. Verto's eyes widened as he wondered where this power came up. It just kept building and building as Sven spoke.

"As the ground continued its thunderous shaking, it split in two to open the gate of the underworld." Sven spoke clearly over the storm. "And from that gate came a large beast that had scales as hard as iron and fangs as sharp as knives."

Verto watched as a large clawed scaly hand came out of the crack in the earth to grab onto the ground. It started pulling itself up as Sven continued talking.

"This beast had fire licking at its mouth and hunger burning in its eyes as it came forth to defeat its prey!" Sven said.

Finally a large black dragon looking beast pulled itself completely out of the large crack in the ground. It let out a snarl with some flames shooting out from its mouth. There were even flames dancing out of the crack, which gave the creature an even more intimidating presence. Verto, who was still in monster form, backed up a few steps as Sven stood beside his creation.

"Sorry, but when it comes to this kind of magic, I simply out class you." Sven said.

He then snapped his fingers with his dragon beast attacking Verto. Verto, who remained in the monster form, dodged the beast's first attack then jumped onto its back. He started throwing punches and started clawing at the beast's neck, which had it roaring more out of anger than pain. Verto went to take a bite out of the beast, but sensed an attack heading right for him. He jumped off the beast then landed on the ground. He looked towards Sven, who had attacked him, to see the boy was holding a sword and was covered in armor. It was the same armor and sword that Sven had used during his fight with Freed.

"You see, by creating a monster to fight you that allows me to come up with a way for me to attack you directly as well." Sven said as he held his sword out in front of him. "So it's like two against one, understand?"

"I'll just make a monster of my own then!" Verto said. "Then there will be two monsters you have to deal with!"

However, Verto never got the chance to reach for his faux Storybook since Sven rushed forward. Sven went to slice the arm that Verto had stretched out clean from his body, but Verto managed to move much quicker than Sven anticipated. He jerked his arm back to avoid being cut before punching forward to his Sven. He flew into a tree, which cracked and splintered due to the rough impact. As Sven managed to get to his feet the tree fell to the ground behind him with a thundering crash.

Sven moved in a flash to send out his own attack, and he managed to cut Verto across the chest. Verto roared in pain while falling backwards. The beast Sven created took this opportunity to attack Verto, and bit down hard on Verto's arm. As the beast was holding down Verto, Sven rushed in for another attack. He had to be quick about this since there was obviously more enemy coming, and he didn't want to give Verto his own chance to attack again. Sven was about to cut Verto's head clean off without hesitation, but Verto suddenly used his own morph magic to change shape.

Verto shed the flesh of the monster like a caterpillar shed its cocoon, and actually left behind a husk of what was once a monster. Verto stood on top of the flesh that remained from the monster he had been, and he stood there nude while looking exactly like the child version of Sven.

"Obviously fighting you while in your form isn't what I should do." Verto said. "How about I fight you in this form?"

Verto morphed quickly, and Sven frowned when hearing the man's bones snap and reshape themselves along with the rest of his body. He stopped shifting to take on the form of Jaser, and with a snap of his fingers he was clothed in something that was more his attire than what the sand dragon would wear.

"This keeps getting interesting." Sven said.

He snapped his own fingers with the beast disappearing since it'd probably just get in the way. With Verto in Jaser's form he'd be much faster and more agile than that monster, and Sven's beasts would be too slow to deal with him. Verto didn't waste any time in attacking as he took in a deep breath.

"Sand Dragon: Roar!" He shouted.

The sand attack went shooting at Sven in alarming speed, so he had to act fast. Sven quickly recited a passage from the Children's Story book to call forth a shield. He swiftly grasped the shield to place in front of him to block the attack. He grunted when the sand roar hit the shield with full force. He started skidding back a bit, but all in all he held his ground. Once the roar ended, Sven moved his shield down while nearly being punched in the face by Verto.

However, Sven had managed to bend back in time to avoid being hit. Sven then spun around to kick Verto hard in the back. Verto crashed into the ground, but quickly recovered. He spun his heel up, and it was covered in sand. Sven couldn't move fast enough this time, which resulted in him taking the kick right in the jaw. He wiped the blood caused by the kick off of his jaw before dispelling his armor since it was slowing him down.

"Not bad." Sven said as he grinned. "Now I'm getting excited. It's been a long time since I met an opponent I can go all out on. It seem that I might have to get very creative if I wish to defeat you. It's a good thing that when it comes to imagination that I have plenty of it!"

Sven jumped forward while punching Verto right in the face, which sent him flying backwards this time. Verto, who was still in Jaser's form, jumped back to his feet while grinning in excitement as well. Both men took stances to fight while knowing the fight was really getting started now.

* * *

Amarante landed on another tree branch before having to immediately dodge again when a bunch of bees tried to impale her again with their tiny stingers. They stuck into the tree instead since Amarante had moved so swiftly. Bees might not seem that scary, but if a person gets stung enough times at once, it could kill them.

"Beelzebub." Amarante called out calmly. "I know you're there. Why not come out?"

It was silent for a moment before a dark-skinned man stepped out from behind a trunk to stand on a large root. His white eyes (he isn't blind), which were behind googles that looked like insect eyes looked up at Amarante blankly as she frowned. If he's here that means, there were most likely more of the Shadows on this island. Not to mention Grimoire Heart. She saw some of the underlings running around earlier from her perch. Amarante was certain that all her guildmates were fighting now, and she was worried about them. She was afraid some of them might run into any of the other Shadows. She knew Breccan could handle the fighting styles and magic styles of any of the Shadows since he was trained to be the next generation of Shadows just as she had been. Then maybe his brothers and Rizzo would stand a chance since Breccan probably warned them and had them prepare to fight members of Shadow Undertaker.

"But that still leaves the others." Amarante said to herself then spoke up to Beelzebub. "Beelzebub, how many Shadows from Shadow Undertaker are on this island?"

"All remaining Shadows except for our master has come to this island along with Grimoire Heart." Beelzebub spoke in a soft monotone. "The Eight Kin and even their Master has landed on the island as well."

Amarante grit her teeth together knowing that their task must to be take out Fairy Tail. At least that has to be part of it. She highly doubted they were just ordered to subdue her and her guildmates. No, they came to spill blood, and the thought of anyone spilling the blood of someone of Fairy Tail…made her really angry. Fairy Tail has become her home, and the members of Fairy Tail her family. There was no way in hell she'd let anyone from her old life take them away from her.

"I do feel a bit bad about this." Amarante said as she stood straight on the tree limb. "However, I won't go easy one anyone who threatens my family even if that person is an old comrade."

Amarante then glowed with her clothes changing much like when Erza reequips. Once the glowing stopped, Amarante stood in a complete black ninja outfit with a half mask cloth covering the bottom half of her face, and her hair was twisted up into an elegant bun with a beautiful hair piece holding it up. The outfit came with a large black hood, but the hood was down at the moment. There was a small katana hooked to her back then holsters on her thighs along with a pouch resting just below her lower back.

"The Cloth of the Kunoichi-hime." Beelzebub spoke in the light monotone. "You really do mean business, don't you?"

Amarante just narrowed her eyes while ready to finish this battle and defeat her opponent as fast as possible, so to go and search for her guildmates. She vanished into the trees, so she could take time to come up with a plan of attack that suit her. She was better at sneak attacks and working from the shadows. It was just how she was taught. It was how assassins work, and even after all these years of not having to work as an assassins, she still felt more comfortable fighting like this.

"You should know you can't hide from me." Beelzebub said as he pointed towards his right eye. "I have eyes everywhere thanks to my collection of bugs."

Amarante, who had pulled up her hood, didn't reply as she remain crouched high up in a tree to look down at Beelzebub. She knew all about his bugs, and knew they were everywhere in a five mile radius around their master. However, Beelzebub seems to have forgotten that her Cloth of the Kunoichi-hime hides her from everything as she uses it. Even the bubs. As long as her hood is up, she is invincible to her opponent even if she's standing right in front of them.

"Oh, you're actually completely gone from my sight." Beelzebub said not sounding concerned. "That doesn't matter. As you know the members of Shadow Undertaker know how to fight blind."

Amarante just brought out three shuriken from the holster on her left thigh, and held them in between her finger. She had to be careful to win this battle. Then find the others…who she hoped were alright.

* * *

Jaser frowned as he looked around at all the enemy around him. He had been heading for the location Makarov was, but all these mages suddenly fell down from the sky. While he was fighting them, he had noticed that Makarov had changed locations since his scent was closer suddenly and to the right of Jaser's location.

"You all are in my way." Jaser said as he growled. "So get out of it!"

He ran forward with sand collecting around his arms, and spun rapidly that the sand was like blurs.

"Sand Dragon: Drilling Arms!" He shouted.

He moved through the enemy hitting them with his arms, and the sand around his warms was spinning so rapidly that it cut into the men like a dozen knives. They cried out in pain then fell to the ground. Jaser glanced back at them then went to continue on his path. He didn't get far before a heavy scent of death hit his nose. He jerked backwards with his nose wrinkling at the smell that was clogging his sense of smell. He then sensed something behind him, so he jumped into the air while twisting his body around to see a man standing on the same rock he had been. Jaser landed on a tree root away from the man with a frown on his face.

"Hmm, I wasn't expecting to find someone so quickly." The man said. "This place might not be as large as most islands, but its odd shape makes it hard to navigate through. So I thought to myself that finding an opponent wouldn't be easy."

Jaser frowned with his senses warning him that this man was on a whole different level than those others he just defeated. And the stench of death surrounding the man made Jaser feel even more on edge.

"And it's the Dragon Slayer from Rajasthan of all people." The man continued. "I myself wasn't born in Fiore. My name is Jun Lau, and I was born on the large island continent known as Jinan."

Jaser knew about Jinan. It was a very large western country that was actually rather far from Fiore. The people of Jinan practiced more traditional and older magic that most people in other parts of the world haven't seen in hundreds to thousands of years. Most of their magic style was usually intertwined with fighting methods developed by their people. And almost everyone in Jinan practiced magic unlike in Fiore where only ten percent of the population were mages. Jaser wondered what a man of Jinan was doing with a dark guild of Fiore.

"I'd rather not fight against one of my beloved Rizzo-chan's brothers, but I have my orders." Jun said. "I am to paint this island red with the blood of fairies."

Jaser narrowed his eyes at Jun while knowing he wouldn't get past him or defeat him so easily. And what the hell did he mean by beloved Rizzo-chan?

"If you think I'm letting you harm any of my friends then you're sorely mistaken." Jaser snarled as his pupils turned into slits. "It'll be your blood that stains this island once I'm through with you."

Jun chuckled while ready to get this fight started. He was excited about this battle. He knew Jaser was fast and when it came to combat the Sand Dragon Slayer was a master.

"Unlike my companions, I know better than to underestimate the mages of Fairy Tail, so I won't be holding anything back." Jun said as his magic started to build.

"I would feel insulted if you did." Jaser replied as his own magic spiked.

He knew he wouldn't be able to hold anything back either. He knew he'd have to go all out for this fight if he wanted to win, and he had to win as quickly as possible, so he could get to Makarov. After speaking with him, Jaser wanted to find Cana. He was worried about her, and he wanted her near, so that he could look after her. It was like his instincts were screaming at him to protect his Cana, but he couldn't get to her until he defeated this man then found Makarov.

"I really don't have time for you." Jaser said as sand started whirling around him. "So I'll have to make this quick."

"You sound confident that you can beat me." Jun commented casually. "Do you really think you can?"

"I know I can." Jaser said. "Because losing just isn't an option."

Suddenly there was an explosion that had both men looking towards the southeast.

"What was that?" He asked.

He then had to raise his arms in an "x" shaped manner to block the kick Jun had aimed at his face. Jun jumped backwards then landed on the ground.

"You shouldn't get distracted in battle." Jun said.

"You don't have to tell me that." Jaser growled. "Now let's get started. I have to find my master then look for my girl."

* * *

"What was that?" Rizzo asked as the shaking from the explosion finally stopped.

Rizzo then looked back to Craylee as he continued his fight with Thana. So far neither have made any really damage on the other, but she was still worried about Craylee.

"You are proving to be a pest." Craylee said with a frown. "I was wanting to end this quickly, but you are a tougher hag than I realized."

Thana glared at Craylee for calling her a hag as he gave an annoyed sigh. This really was becoming a bother. He needed to end this quickly, so he and Rizzo could get to the camp. Or at least find some of the others.

"Rizzo, you should go ahead." Craylee said. "See if you can—!"

"No way!" Rizzo cut in. "I'm not leaving you here. What if you start getting your ass kicked? You'll need me here to save you!"

Craylee blinked back at his little sister as she gave him a stubborn look he knew so well. It was the look she always gave people when she made a decision that she wouldn't budge from unless she decided it. She wouldn't let anyone sway her from her what she decided no matter how many times they try. He chuckled as he looked away from her.

"You're such a brat." He said. "How'd I get stuck with such a stubborn bratty sister like you?"

"I'm the one who should be asking why I got stuck with such a jerk of an older brother." Rizzo said as she stuck her tongue out at him.

Craylee's lips turned up the barest amount into a small grin as he looked back at Thana. Well, he supposes that was that. There was no getting her to leave now unless something changed.

"Are you two done speaking?" Thana asked. "I'd hate to interrupt such a sweet sibling moment."

"We're done." Craylee said as the tiny grin left his face. "There's no point talking to her when she's like this. I'd just be wasting my breath since she can be as stubborn as a mule."

He ignored Rizzo when she cried out "hey!" indignantly, which had her frowning at him. Thana lightly chuckled finding these children amusing and intriguing. So these people were the ones her son spent thirteen years with.

"Well, if you're finished," Thana said then jumped forward to attack. "Then we should finish our battle."

She tried to stab Craylee in the gut with her poison bard like she done the first time they met. However, Craylee nimbly flipped out of the way then used the tree behind him like a springboard to push him forward quickly. Then as he was about to hit Thana directly he flipped again with his hand resting on her shoulder, and the other, which was holding his needle and thread moving quickly. It happened in a split second, and he landed on the root behind Thana.

"Fire Thread: Explosion." Craylee said.

Suddenly the thread sewn into Thana's shoulder and down her arm, exploded, which had her crying out. There were down deep burns in her arms, and it was bleeding profusely. Thana looked back at Craylee as he turned to look at her.

"You don't pull any punches, do you?" Thana asked. "Even though I'm a woman. I'm even the mother of one of your beloved brothers."

Rizzo glared at Thana as she thought about Breccan. This woman had no right to claim Breccan as her own. She was never a proper mother.

"It doesn't matter to me what kind of gender or age my enemy is." Craylee said. "If someone's intention is to harm me or my loved ones, I will not show them mercy. And knowing your Breccan's mother only makes me angry, so I feel even less inclined to go easy on you."

Thana chuckled though expected no less from someone known as the soulless seamster. Of course, this man had to have some kind of soul if he cared about his siblings and guildmates so much. However, it appeared he didn't give a damn about the rest of the world or the other people in it. He'd fight anyone with the intention to kill if he decided that was what he wished, or he decided if they deserved it. He'd probably end her without blinking if he had the power. If only Breccan had a heart like this boy then perhaps he never would have left Shadow Undertaker.

"If only my son had been born with the same merciless trait as you." Thana said. "Breccan was born with too much kindness in his heart, but you on the other hand…your kindness can only be stretched so far because there's so little of it, isn't that right?"

Rizzo frowned not liking what Thana was trying to imply. Was she trying to say that Craylee had the kind of heart to do the same work as her? If she was, Rizzo would have to step into this fight, and kick her ass for even daring to think that Craylee was anything like her and those Shadow Undertaker scum.

"If you are saying I am a heartless man who would kill anyone I'm pointed at like you and your friends, I must disagree." Craylee said. "I only show no mercy towards those who have crossed me by deciding to harm people I care about or have tried to harm me."

"You mean, like your mother?" Thana asked as she smirked evilly.

Craylee stiffened with his eyes actually widening. Rizzo's eyes widened as well as she wondered how Thana knew about Craylee's mother.

"You see, the moment we figured out where Breccan was, and who were the people closest to him were, we did some digging." Thana said. "You and your brothers have interesting pasts. However, it was yours that caught my interest the most. You killed your mother after she took your eye then fled your home after setting it ablaze. Did your naïve childish mind think you could erase what happened in that house if you burned it to the ground?"

Craylee's teeth grit harshly together as he glared at Thana. Her smirk widened when seeing how shaken Craylee was now.

"Do you still think of that day?" Thana asked. "Is it seared in your mind…that moment where you stabbed your mother's throat with that scalpel? Does it haunt your nightmares?"

"Shut-up!" Rizzo snapped as she stepped forward. "Stop tormenting him!"

Thana laughed looking amused at Rizzo's pissed of expression and Craylee's haunted one.

"I'm just having a casual conversation." Thana said innocently then looked back to Craylee. "You speak as if you're different from me, and not a coldblooded killer yet you killed your mother. Doesn't that make you a monster exactly like me?"

Craylee didn't say anything at first as he looked down with his hair shadowing the top half of his face.

"Craylee-sama is not a monster!"

Craylee's eyes widened as his head snapped up. Rizzo was surprised as well as she turned her head seeing Juvia and Erza running towards them. Erza stopped beside Rizzo, but Juvia ran right by Thana to get to Craylee. She grabbed the front of his shirt with her hands clenching into fists around the fabric. She looked up at her beloved's face while saddened to see such a haunted look in his green eye.

"Oh, your little girlfriend is here?" Thana asked smirking still. "Talk about Beauty and the Beast."

Juvia turned to glare at Thana as were Erza and Rizzo. This woman needed to be dealt with.

"You…you hurt my beloved." Juvia said. "You are the one who put such a painful look in his eyes. How dare you! Juvia will not let you get away with what you have done! Juvia promised to take away Craylee-sama's sadness, so I will not allow you to cause him more!"

Craylee looked at Juvia with an unreadable expression as her magic power seemed to rise. She was letting her emotion flow through her like a power source. It's the complete opposite of how he fights without emotion.

"Erza-san, Rizzo-chan, please go on." Juvia said. "Juvia can handle this woman."

Erza and Rizzo frowned before exchanging at glance with each other. Should they really let Juvia fight Thana alone? She is a Shadow after all. Craylee then forced himself to focus as he stepped forward.

"We'll handle this." Craylee said. "I still owe her for last time. Juvia and I will be more than enough to deal with her."

Rizzo looked closely at her youngest older brother to see that his green was now clear. Whatever had been plaguing his mind was now gone from it…and all it took was Juvia saying a few words. She knew that as long as the water woman was at Craylee's side that he would be able to think straight, and as long as Craylee was at Juvia's side, she would be protected.

"Alright." Rizzo said nodding. "Be careful…both of you."

The two nodded their heads as they kept their attention on the enemy in front of them.

"Let's go, Erza." Rizzo said.

"Right." Erza said nodding.

The two women ran off knowing they needed to find the others and get to the basecamp. Thana let them go knowing they'd only be stopped again soon enough. She looked between Juvia and Craylee with her lips turning up in excitement.

"Ah, Juvia will be fighting alongside her beloved?!" Juvia gushed with her eyes in the shape of hearts. "This makes me so happy."

"Juvia." Craylee said sternly, which had her calming down. "Focus. I trust you to watch my back, so you have to concentrate."

Juvia's eyes widened when Craylee said he trusted her, and she felt her heart warmed by his words. Her eyes then set in determination as she looked towards Thana.

"Juvia understands, Craylee-sama." Juvia said nodding.

As they two of them prepared to fight, Craylee mentally swore that he and Juvia would walk away from this, and that he would protect her no matter what.

* * *

Rizzo ran alongside Erza while hoping they found some of the others soon. She was starting to worry about them. Especially Gray, Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy. She knew her brothers would be fine especially Craylee who had Juvia at his side, and they knew how to deal with the Shadows.

"I'm sure the others are fine." Erza said as if reading Rizzo's mind. "Right now we need to keep our minds on getting to the basecamp."

"I know that." Rizzo said scoffing.

The two of them then stiffened when their instincts warned them of danger. They both whirled around to look to the right while ready to fight.

"Who goes there?!" Erza demanded.

They both saw a young pink-haired girl standing there, and Rizzo could see the Grimoire Heart emblem on the cloak she was wearing. So was this girl another flunky like some of those other guys? Or was she higher up the chain of command?

"I have encountered the enemy during the mission." The girl said. "I will destroy them immediately. Ending their lives is now my highest priority. Commencing combat operations."

Rizzo frowned thinking a kid her age shouldn't be talking like some kind of robot.

"Don't let your guard down." Erza warned. "There's something off about this girl."

"Obviously." Rizzo said rolling her eyes then snapped her fingers. "Guitar."

The guitar case on her back flew off her back then opened up to drop out her guitar. She caught it in her hands to strum a few cords, which had her magic building up. She rested up a bit…but she was still a tad tired. However, she couldn't let that stop her. She had to remain strong for her friends because she knew that right now they were all fighting as well.

"Everyone stay strong." She murmured.


	79. The Water Woman and the Seamster

Breccan flipped away from his father as he sent a high density vibration wave towards him that could have cut his arm clean off. He narrowed his eyes at Aeron while knowing that with this fight that he couldn't hold anything back. He's been so used to not fighting full strength since either he was sparing with his guildmates, or the people he's been fighting didn't have the strength to warrant him to use his full power. Now wasn't one of those cases since he knew not going all out could lead to his death.

"You seem troubled, my boy." Aeron said. "Worried about your friends? Or worried about the fact you can't beat your old man in a fight?"

Breccan said nothing as his magic started to build up around him, which had the entire ground shaking. Aeron smirked thinking this would indeed be an interesting fight. Breccan shot forward while drawing back his fist, which was surrounded by vibration magic. He went to punch Aeron in the face, but the older man raised his fist, which was surrounded by vibration magic as well. The two magic hit together, and Breccan's eyes widened when his vibrations were canceled out by his father's.

Breccan cursed then spun around while bringing his foot out to kick Aeron in the face. Breccan used a different level of vibrations in this kick, but the same thing as a moment ago happened when Aeron raised his hand to block the attack. Breccan continued to send out different melee attacks with different vibration cycles, but Aeron either dodged or blocked each one while cancelling out the vibrations Breccan was using.

"You'll have to do better than that, Breccan." Aeron said. "Those kind of attacks might work on others, but they're useless as long as I use the right vibrations to counteract against yours."

Breccan frowned knowing that was true. All magic had its own form of vibrations so to speak, and as long as he could get the exact pattern of those vibrations he could come up with a counteract set of his own vibrations to nullify that magic. And his magic is nothing but vibrations, so fighting against someone with the exact magic is almost pointless. Of course, could nullify his father's magic as well, which meant they'd be fighting until one of them ran out of magic energy, or landed a lucky hit.

"Shall we continue?" Aeron asked as he motioned Breccan forward.

To answer him, Breccan go into a fighting stance, which had Aeron grinning. He got into a stance as well, and for a moment they both were completely still. The two men then jumped at each other to continue their fighting. The both whirled around to send kicks at each other, and their two kicks clashed between them. The vibrations caused by the kicks cracked the ground underneath them. Since they were on a cliff the tip of it cracked off to start falling towards the ocean. Breccan was on that half, and had to quickly jump using the rocking rocks to get back onto solid ground.

"Good." Aeron said. "You still move nimbly like your mother taught you. It's nice to see you haven't forgotten what we spent hours drilling into you."

He then lashed out his fist at Breccan's face, and since Breccan didn't have time to block he tried to dodge. Aeron's fist just barely brushed against Breccan's face, and if it had been a normal punch, Breccan would have been fine. However, since it was incased in dense vibration magic the tiny brush was enough to shatter his cheek bone. Breccan cursed as he flipped backwards to put some distance between him and his father. He gently prodded his cheek while noting he was bleeding a bit as well since the hit broke the surface of his skin.

"Just imagine what could have happened if I made direct contact." Aeron said.

"I'm not going to waste my time on "ifs"." Breccan said. "It didn't hit me directly, which is what matters."

He then immediately went back in for an attack, so to resume his and Aeron's battle. He had to defeat Aeron. Everyone else was most likely giving it their all to fight their opponents, so he had to do the same. He would win this battle even if it's the last thing he ever does. He and Aeron swapped melee attacks while either dodging or nullifying each other's magic. If Breccan could land one direct hit, he'd feel as if he was actually doing something in this battle, and that it wasn't all pointless.

Just as he was thinking that he managed to get a kick past his father's defenses. His kick hit his father in the head to send him rolling across the ground towards the large rocks. To soften the blow Aeron incased vibration magic around him that was so dense that it shattered half the rock. He sat there a moment holding the left side of his head that Breccan had kicked. There was blood straining his hair and the side of his neck as the blood poured, and Aeron was certain his skull was fractured.

Instead of being worried, he chuckled with a large grin spreading across his face. He then jumped up to his feet, which had Breccan taking a fighting stance again. Aeron cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders as he continued to laugh with that big grin on his face. He then dusted off his clothes, which had gotten a bit dirty.

"Now that was a nice kick." He said as he looked to Breccan. "If it had been a little harder, you might have shattered my skull completely, and that would have been the end of the fight. But you've been hesitating to use that kind of power, my son."

Breccan glared at his father as Aeron let out another chuckle as if this was just one big game to him.

"You won't get an opening like that again." Aeron said. "Which means you just missed any chance you had of defeating me."

"You won't be speaking so confidently once I beat you, father." Breccan said.

Aeron just grinned then jumped forward at a speed, so fast that Breccan hadn't seen it coming. Breccan grunted in pain as his father's fist hit him square in the ribs. As he was flying backwards due to the strength of vibrations behind the punch, he was certain most of his ribs just snapped in half if not more pieces. He hit the ground while gasping to get air into his lungs. He clutched his chest having a feeling that one of his broken ribs was scratching against one of his lungs dangerously close to puncturing it.

Breccan then heard his father walking towards him, which had him stiffening. However, when he tried to move, his body wouldn't listen to him. It just continued to lay on the ground in an almost fetal position as he tried to sooth his aching chest that was screaming in pain. Aeron then stood over his son, and Breccan managed to tilt his head towards his father to look up at him.

"How can you expect to beat me when one little punch does this to you?" Aeron asked.

He then had fast and dense vibrations collect around his right foot. He kicked Breccan in the torso, and the kick was enough to send him flying from the cliff to fall down towards the forest on the island. Breccan cursed knowing he needed to soften his fall, or the impact would kill him. He incased himself with vibration magic, which was strong enough to complete shatter the limbs of the trees that he hit on his way down. He finally came to the ground with his magic creating a large crater in the ground to soften his fall.

After he was on the ground he uncased the vibration magic around him. He laid there a moment while trying to catch his breath. Was his father really this much stronger than him? He couldn't let himself be beaten like this. Breccan then coughed violently with blood splattering on the ground. That kick obvious damaged many of his inner organs. His body couldn't take another hit like that. There was no way he'd survive it.

"It can't end like this." He said to himself. "I have to keep fighting."

He then stiffened when heavy vibrations that pushed him deep into the ground surrounded him. He was able to move his head an inch to see his father who easily caught up walking towards him.

"It seems like you're done, son." Aeron said. "Honestly, I am disappointed in you. If you fought more with the intent to kill, maybe I'd be the one laying on the ground near death instead of you."

Breccan silently glared up at Aeron, which had the older man chuckling in amusement. Even now he remains defiant towards him. He honestly found it quite humorous. Aeron then raised his foot over Breccan's head with his magic building up around it.

"It's a pity that your mother won't get to see you alive at least one more time." Aeron said. "But I'll be sure to tell her how helpless you were in your last few moments. That might at least bring her some happiness even if she isn't going to be the one to end you with her own two hands."

Breccan continue to glare while not caring how heartless his father spoke. He even considered him as his family anyway.

"After this I might just have to track down that pretty white-haired barmaid you seem hung up over." Aeron said smirking as Breccan's eyes widened. "I might even bring your head to her as a present, and while she's wailing over your death, I make her heart vibrate so much it'll splatter…Hehe, I suppose you could say it will be like she's dying of a broken heart."

Aeron went to bring his foot down on Breccan's head to end this fight, but his foot was caught with his vibrations nullified as Breccan caught Aeron's foot in his hand. Aeron looked down at his son to see a murderous gleam in Breccan's eye. Then before Aeron could blink Breccan did a pinwheel move using vibrations to hit Aeron in the legs to know him down. Aeron grunted in pain while feeling his left leg bone snap. He then looked up to see Breccan had stumbled to his feet. Aeron let out a laugh despite being laid out on the ground.

"Looks like I got a reaction." Aeron said. "If I knew all it took was mentioning that girl to get that look in your eye, I would have said something earlier."

Breccan just continued to glare at his father while feeling rage fill up inside him. The very thought of his father being near Mirajane pissed him off. However, knowing what his father had planned to cause her torment made him angrier than he's ever been before.

"I won't let you hurt anyone more people physically or mentally." Breccan said. "Especially not my guildmates…even more especially not Mira. She is too pure to be stained by people with hands like ours."

"You mean the hands of a killer?" Aeron asked chuckling. "Last I check, you never killed anyone before, my son."

"No, I haven't." Breccan said. "But if it means to protect my friends…I might have to commit that sin more than once today."

Aeron didn't seem scared or worried when Breccan said those words. And even though he knew what Breccan was implying, he smirked with a look of satisfaction in his eyes.

"It might have taken quite a few years." Aeron said as Breccan struggled to crouch down in front of his father. "But you're finally about to make your father proud, Breccan."

Breccan tried to ignore how sick those words made him before he placed his finger over where his father's heart was.

"I wonder how that little pure barmaid of yours will feel about you after this." Aeron said casually.

"She's not mine." Breccan said. "And she never will be. Like I said someone as pure as her can't be stained by people like us."

He then built up the vibration magic in his finger tip as he ignored the lump building in his throat. He shouldn't feel sad about this…not after everything this man put him through. Aeron chuckled once more, which had Breccan focusing back on him. Breccan narrowed his eyes then continued to press his finger against Aeron's chest knowing this had to be done because if Aeron wasn't killed he'd come back to continue and try to hurt the people Breccan loves.

"I'll see you in hell." Aeron said grinning until the very…end.

* * *

Sven let out a huff as he and Verto, who was now in the form of Juvia to use her water body as an advantage, stood away from each other. Verto was panting as well while looking as tired as Sven. The two of them have been fighting nonstop for a while, and whenever it seemed as if one had advantage over the other, things changed. Sven had to think of a way to end this fight because he was starting to run low on magic energy. His body was also hurting from remaining in his adult form for so long. He put the magic lock on his body, so to keep him in his strongest form. However, he knew he'd probably be hacking up blood soon if he didn't finish this battle soon enough.

"I had no idea someone like you could have this power." Verto, who was still in Juvia's form, said.

"Someone like me?" Sven asked.

Verto nodded his head then shed his skin to morph back into his true form. Sven frowned because it was gross to watch him shed skin.

"You use a type of magic that comes with many rules and limitations." Verto explained. "There's so many that it's almost like the magic you use doesn't want you using it. It limits your power in battle, but you obviously have a lot it even in your limited state. If you didn't have the limits, I'm sure you would have already beaten me."

Verto didn't like admitting such things, but he was also an honest man despite the time of work he's in. At least, he's honest when his mission doesn't count on absolute secrecy.

"What's your point?" Sven asked.

"I'm saying that if you didn't use such magic that you would have beaten my already and moved one." Verto said. "So why do you practice such magic?"

"I was forced into this magic, and the book has a binding contract." Sven said. "If I were to break the rules or try and break the contract, I would have to suffer the consequences. To break one of the important rules…I would have to pay with my life. If I wish to break my contract with the book, it takes all my magic power, which would mean I couldn't be a mage anymore."

Verto's eyes widened a bit because he hadn't been expecting that. Something that was meant for children didn't seem all that safe for them.

"And there are times where I wished to break the contract even at the loss of my magic." Sven confessed. "However, as long as I have people to protect, I will carry on the burden of the Children's Storybook, so that I may be able to continue fighting."

Verto narrowed his eyes while realizing that his Children's Storybook was more like a curse than an actual benefit. He has heard about it when the Shadows did their homework over Fairy Tail, and especially the "siblings" of Breccan. He knew that this "boy" who was still in an adult form was actually his age. He also knew that book didn't allow any killing, and everything had to be written down in the book for the magic to take effect, which made the user of the magic slower than their opponent even if they are fast writers. There are even more limitations than that that weighed down the user so to speak, so yes…it was definitely more like a curse than anything else.

"These people must be important to you." Verto commented.

"They're my family." Sven said grinning. "There is nothing more important in this world than a man's family, so I will do everything in my power to keep them safe. Even if it means being at a disadvantage in battle…or being stuck looking like a child all my life or any other hardships this magic might bring me, I will continue fighting."

Verto hummed while actually admiring Sven and his conviction. The other shadows laughed or frowned upon such bonds. And while there are times Verto can't quite comprehend these bonds, he's always wondered what it would be like to have such bonds with a person or multiple persons.

"Now you catch your second wind?" Sven asked. "Because we still have a battle to finish."

Verto answered his question by morphing into the form of another one of Sven's guildmates, which was Freed.

"Shall we fight script mage against script mage?" Verto, who was in Freed's form, asked as he drew the sword at his side.

"Script mage…against scrip mage." Sven mumbled to himself. "Matching powers…it's like fighting fire with fire."

A metaphorical lightbulb went off in Sven's mind, and he grinned in a mischievous manner.

"Yes, that should work." He said as he chuckled.

Verto sweat-dropped when seeing the devious look that boarded demented on Sven's face as the blond chuckled and murmured to himself. Sven then hurriedly brought out his storybook to start scribbling away in it. Verto knew this should be the time that he attacks, but he was a bit curious to know what Sven had in mind. Sven then finished writing, so he put away his quill.

"The young hero knew he had little time before he could no longer fight his opponent, so he decided to pull one last trick." Sven recited from what he wrote. "If he cannot beat his opponent with his own power then he saw beat his opponent by mimicking the very power being used against him."

Verto's eyes widened when he realized what Sven had in mind as the blonde morphed into Verto.

"Now which of my guildmates should I pick to use against you?" Sven, who spoke in Verto's voice since he was in his form, asked. "Oh, I know! I'll use Gildarts-san!"

Sven morphed into Gildarts, and Verto's eyes widened having a feeling that things just turned for the worse for him. Sven grinned as he cracked his knuckles.

"Alright." Sven said in Gildarts's voice. "Sorry but I'm not one for holding back, so I don't know what's going to happen to you after this."

His body started to glow white to build up with disassembly like what Gildart's uses.

"If you're going to hit me with everything you've got…just please not the face." Verto squeaked as he returned to his original form."

Sven's grin grew then punched the air in front of him, and Verto screamed as he was hit hard by the magic. He went flying as he air around him ruptured, and as he hit the ground where he had been standing was completely dissembled into squares. Verto laid on the ground defeated as Sven returned to his child room as his magic was nearly depleted. He fell to his knees while hacking up blood and nearly a lung.

"I have to keep moving." Sven said as he tried to get up. "The others…may still need me."

He forced himself to his knees then started walking sluggishly towards where the basecamp should be. He hoped everyone was alright.

* * *

As Juvia and Craylee battled alongside each other against Thana, they were both failing at taking advantage over her. It should be easy since there are two of them, but it was almost like Thana was just playing with them. She laughed at everything they tried to do to defeat her, and it was thoroughly pissing Craylee off. He didn't like being mocked, and he definitely didn't like being mocked by someone he's been beaten by before. He had to beat her this time not just for the guild's sake, but to redeem the honor he had lost when he was first defeated by Thana.

"Is this the best you kiddies can do?" She asked as Juvia and Craylee panted a bit. "I'm not even warmed up."

Craylee grit his teeth together knowing he had to think of a way to defeat this woman. Thana then stiffened with her eyes widening, which didn't go unnoticed by Craylee. Thana looked to the north of the island as her body shook.

"…Aeron…" She murmured. "His magic…disappeared. But how?"

She couldn't believe that her husband had somehow been defeated. She sensed who was closest to her love, and felt Breccan's magical signature. Breccan…Breccan killed his own father? Craylee didn't know what distracted Thana, but he took her distraction as his time to strike. He rushed forward then stitched something into the front of her shirt, and finished just as the woman noticed his movement.

"Fire Thread: Explosion." He said.

Thana let out a scream as an explosion went off in the center of her chest. She had to dodge Craylee's kick next. She held her chest as she panted. She glared at Craylee as he twirled his needle between his fingers with the color of thread changing magically.

"You bastard." She growled.

She then looked towards Juvia who was wide open, and Craylee's widened an inch as he realized what Thana, who zipped towards the water woman, had in mind.

"Juvia, dodge!" Craylee ordered as Thana tried to stab her with one of the barbs.

Juvia managed to jump out of the way, and Thana then had to dodge when Craylee tried to get a hit in while she was distracted. Craylee then moved in front of Juvia like a shield.

"Your body may be made of water, but you still can't afford to be hit by one of her barbs, understand?" Craylee asked. "In fact the poison would travel through you faster even if it would be a bit more diluted. In other words, avoid her barb at all costs."

"Yes, Craylee-sama." Juvia said.

Craylee then rushed forward while dodging Thana's swings when she tried to hit him.

"Toxic breathe." Thana whispered then blew out a small toxic cloud from her mouth."

Craylee jerked back to avoid it, but it was still heading towards him. To protect him Juvia threw out a slice of water to absorb the toxin before it could reach her beloved. Craylee then dashed in to make several stitches in Thana's body.

"Iron Thread: Swords!" He said as he jumped away.

Thana cried out as she was impaled then she was hit hard by an attack from Juvia. She slammed into the tree behind her with the swords in her body shattering. She sat there for a moment as blood poured from her wounds. Was she literally being overpowered by two children? Did Aeron's death throw her off that much? Yes, she loved the man, but it was taught in their line of work not to let the death of loved ones mess with you. Yet just knowing Aeron was gone had her all upside down.

"I don't know what happened." Craylee said. "But something seems to have distracted you, Thana Ableben. Isn't it taught in your guild that distractions get you killed in battle?"

Thana grit her teeth together as she glared at both Craylee and Juvia as they stood side by side.

"Silence, boy!" Thana said. "I will not be lectured by a child."

"Craylee-sama has a point!" Juvia retorted. "And Juvia will not allow you to speak with him like that. Water Slicer!"

Juvia sent three waves of water that was highly pressured to slice like blades towards Thana. The older woman dodged then moved so quickly that Craylee and Juvia didn't see it coming. Thana was suddenly behind Craylee, and he gasped turning his head just in time to see Thana impale Juvia with her bard.

"Juvia!" Craylee shouted as the bluenette cried out in pain.

He hurried to stop Thana, but the time he tried to attack Thana stabbed Juvia three more times. She then dodged when Craylee tried to stitch something into her skin and clothes again. Craylee managed to barely catch Juvia into his arms as she started falling towards the ground. Craylee moved to his knees as he held Juvia to his chest.

"Juvia, speak to me." He ordered as he moved one had to brush her hair back.

Juvia opened her eyes to look up at Craylee, which brought him some relief to see she was still conscious.

"Juvia is sorry, Craylee-sama." Juvia said as tears entered her eyes. "You told me to avoid her attacks, but Juvia messed up."

"You fool, don't apologize." Craylee said. "I should have protected you."

He was standing right there…and he had promised himself that he wouldn't let anything happen to Juvia the moment they two of them faced Thana at the beginning of this fight. He failed her by allowing her to get hurt like this. He held her closer as his body shook.

"Even if her water body does dilute my toxin, I still struck her four times." Thana said from a few feet away from the two. "And I didn't use that nightmare inducing toxin either because I don't have time nor the patience to play around anymore. I'd say she'll be dead in three minutes if you can't find a way to drain the toxins from her body or defeat me since that'd render the toxins useless."

Craylee glared at Thana as his heart clenched painfully at the very thought of Juvia dying.

"You could always try to slit her wrists, and drain the toxin out that way." Thana said smirking. "However, I suppose that might not work considering how her body is made up, and even if it did work, she'd most likely bleed out too death."

Craylee said nothing. He only picked up Juvia into his arms to cradle her against his chest. He moved her over to one of the many trees to set her down against it.

"Craylee-sama." Juvia murmured weakly as she looked up at him.

His expression was unreadable with his eyes being blocked by his bangs. He made sure she was comfortable silently then brought out his needle and a pure white thread.

"It's going to be alright, Juvia." Craylee said. "You won't die here. I won't allow it."

He then stuck her with the needle to attach the white thread to the vein in her arm. She winced the slightest bit, but didn't protest. She watched as Craylee moved the need to the other side of the tree, and he stabbed the tree with the needle. Her eyes widened a bit as she watched a purple like substance being pulled from her vein onto the thread, which dripped a bit. However, most of the substance was transferred into the tree.

"What are you doing?" Thana asked frowning.

"The thread I am using has special medical properties." Craylee said as he remained knelt beside Juvia. "It's meant to draw out toxins and/or other foreign objects in a person's bloodstream, or in Juvia's case out of her water body. However, to draw out the toxins from one person it must be put into another living creature or thing like this tree, so I unfortunately have to taint this tree, which is part of Fairy Tail's sacred ground. But if tainting one tree saves Juvia then I won't hesitate to taint it because I won't allow the woman, who has shown me unconditional love that I don't deserve, die."

Juvia's eyes widened even more as she looked at Craylee who raised his head up to glare at Thana.

"For most of my life I never thought I deserved the love given to me by my siblings or master Roscoe or Mercury-san or any of my guildmates whether they be of Treble Chambers or Fairy Tail." Craylee said. "Since I believed that I kept almost everyone at arm's length. The only ones I truly let close to me were my siblings who accepted me despite all my faults and my sins. I never thought anyone besides them would ever love me for who I am. Still I always worried that if others ever knew my horrible secret that it would not only cause trouble for me but my siblings as well. It was a fear that plagued my mind often, and it made me guarded. But that all changed thanks for a woman of water who for some crazy reason decided to love me."

Craylee looked towards Juvia with his gaze softening. He reached out to gently stoke her hair. Normally Juvia would spazz out by such an action, but she was frozen in surprise as Craylee spoke so freely about his thoughts and feelings, which he never does.

"At first I thought she was only in love with some image of a perfect man that she tried to make me out to be." Craylee said. "However, after learning about my horrible past…she still loved me. She didn't even hesitate to give me comfort, and make me feel…like I wasn't a monster. She made me hate myself less with just an embrace and a few words. I can't repay her enough for the love she has given me, and even if I don't believe I deserve it, I want to love her back."

Juvia gasped with tears of happiness entering her eyes when Craylee confessed that.

"But I won't have the opportunity to do so if I allow you to take her from me." Craylee said as he looked back at Thana. "And I won't allow you to. Even if I have to commit that same sin that I did all those years ago, I will. I'll dirty these hands a thousand times over as long as it means I can protect Juvia."

The tears rolled freely from Juvia's cheeks as she wondered if her heart could burst from all the happiness she was feeling. Her beloved loved her back just as much as she loved him.

"Oh?" Thana asked. "And how do you expect to do that. You put your thread into that tree. How can you use your magic without it?"

"I can't sow anything new that that's true." Craylee said. "However, my clothes are reinforced with my special threads. They will just have to be enough. That and I still have a few other tricks up my sleeve."

Craylee went to get up, but Juvia grabbed a hold of his arm. Her grip was weak though she refused to let go, but it wasn't like Craylee tried to pull away once he felt her touch. He looked back at her as she looked at him pleadingly.

"Craylee-sama, please,…please be careful." Juvia begged. "Juvia doesn't want to lose you."

Craylee was silent for a moment, but then his expression softened with an actual gentle smile appearing on his face. He cupped Juvia cheek then leaned in to press his forehead against hers. He looked her in the eyes with the smile still on his face.

"I promise you, Juvia, that I will not be defeated." Craylee said. "I will defeat this woman, and we both will return to the others. Believe in me."

Juvia was about to reply, but her response was muffled when Craylee pressed his lips against hers. She gasped in shock, and before she could react, Craylee pulled away. He stood up moving towards Thana with a look of determination on his face.

"And what are you going to do?" Thana asked. "Enlighten me, please."

"Fire Thread," Craylee began calmly. "Explosion."

Thana's eyes widened when the old thread Craylee had sewn into her exploded once more. She cried out though noticed the explosions weren't as powerful as the first time.

"I can reuse the thread as long as it's attached to you, and as long as it's not completely destroyed from previous use." Craylee said. "Now, Iron Thread: Swords."

The swords—though not as many—stabbed through her again, and Thana's eyes widened as more deep gashes appeared on her body. She stumbled backwards to lean against the rock wall behind her.

"You made me very angry." Craylee said. "Therefore I will not be holding back. I'm going to make you disappear."

He reached inside his pocket to pull out another thread that was pitch black in color.

"You might not know this, but let me enlighten you on something." Craylee said. "Any of my space thread can be activated in more than one way. There's the usual method, which is using the needle to sew into the air. However, since I don't sew into something tangible this allows me to use the second method to activate its power. Shall I give you a demonstration?"

Thana didn't get to answer. All she could do is watch as Craylee moved his wrist in a circular manner, which had the thread forming a circle as he spun his wrist quickly.

"Space Thread: Worm Hole." He said as the released the thread, but it continued to spin and even quickened in pace.

A large black hole appeared in front of him, and Thana gasped as it started to pull her in.

"I'll tell Breccan you said hi when I see him later." Craylee said as Thana tried to fight against the pull. "But I'm not sure if he'll care. Now disappear!"

The pull became stronger, and Thana cried out as she was picked up off her feet. She tried to claw at the air to get away. However, she didn't stand a change, and in a split second she was sucked into the worm whole. Once she was gone, he stopped the magic. He let out a huff while feeling nearly completely drained because a spell like that takes a lot of magic, and without using the needle takes even more. Craylee turned towards Juvia to walk over to her, and he collapsed with his head landing in her lap.

"Craylee-sama!" she gasped in worry.

"I'm fine." He said. "I…I just need to rest for a bit. Mind if I use you as a pillow?"

Juvia's expression softened as she looked down at his tired form. She was so glad he was alright. She doesn't know what she would have done if he had gotten hurt.

"Juvia doesn't mind at all." She said as she reached out with one hand to stroke his hair. "Please, rest, my love."


	80. Live For Those You Love

Coco: Just like to apologize now for all the typos since I didn't feel like proof reading. I want to get this chapters out quickly while I have my days off, so I can work more on the story with my time off. And sorry there wasn't much of Amarante's fight. I promise you'll see a full blown Amarante battle during the Tartorus Arc and then another one during the latest arc in the canon storyline. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

* * *

Jaser took out another dozen of zombies with his sand buy burying them deep, so they wouldn't be able to dig themselves out. He then had to block Jun's kick with his arm. The kick was hard, and had Jaser skidding back a few inches. He cursed then hit Jun with a sand covered fist. Jun flew into the air did a twist then landed on his feet.

"Not bad." Jun said grinning. "Just what I'd expect from a brother of my sweet Rizzo-chan~"

Jun got a love struck look on his face as he thought about Rizzo, and Jaser sweat-dropped as Jun seemed to giggle to himself while wiggling in place. He's starting to realize that this guy must be the man Silk that Rizzo once told him about. The one who fell in love with Rizzo and wanted her virginity, and as her older brother, he couldn't allow this man to get his hands on Rizzo.

"Rizzo isn't interested in you." Jaser said. "She's very happy with Gray."

Jun came out of his love struck state to stare at Jaser in horror as if the man said the world was ending.

"She…she's with Gray Fullbuster?!" Jun demanded. "That boy doesn't deserve her! Not after making her shed tears from her lovely green eyes! He should rot in the deepest bits of hell. He isn't even worthy of being my zombie's dinner!"

He continued his ranting as Jaser stood there wondering if he could just walk away. He frowned knowing it'd probably actually be a bad idea considering he couldn't let this man continue running around Tenrou Island. Jaser shook his head then took in a deep breath.

"Sand Dragon: Roar!" He shouted.

The sandy roar rushed towards Jun who's eyes widened a bit when seeing the attack heading right towards him. Jun snapped his fingers, and suddenly a hole opened up underneath him that was dug by his zombies. He fell down into it to avoid the roar, which had Jaser frowning even more. He suddenly sensed Jun behind him, and whirled around to see he popped up out of another hole dug by his zombies. Before he could move Jun stabbed him with a dagger then slipped out of his sleeve into his hand right in Jaser's torso. Jaser grunted in pain then looked down at the dagger in his torso.

"I missed the vital organs." Jun said with a slight frown. "I was hoping to give you a quick death then add you to my zombie collection, but I suppose I'll just have to try again."

Another dagger appeared in his other hand, and he went to stab Jaser in the chest. However, Jaser grabbed his wrist to stop him. He then shoved Jun away before flipping backwards to get away. Jaser coughed with a bit of blood running down his chin. He then looked down at the torso in his side. He gripped the hilt of the dagger before taking a deep breath. He then jerked it out in one swift movement. He threw the dagger down before putting his hand over his bleeding wound.

"If you don't find a way to clod the bleeding, you might bleed to death soon." Jun warned. "And then you really will become a part of my zombie collection."

"Shut-up!" Jaser snarled. "I'm not joining your _collection_. I'm going to kick your ass, and toss you off the island into the ocean."

"Oh?" Jun asked.

Jaser didn't answer as he took the scarf off his head, so to tie around his torso to cover his wound. Hopefully that would slow down the bleeding enough for now.

"Sand Dragon: Wing Attack." Jaser said as he brought his hands, which were covered in sand together to send sand at Jun.

Jun snapped his fingers with a grin on his face since he was getting excited about this fight.

"Resurrección Víctimas!" Jun shouted.

A large group of zombies appeared in front of him to act like a shield, and Jaser cursed when his attack didn't reach Jun at all. Jaser then quickly took out the zombies with a strong grouping of melee attacks. He got past them to Jun to try and hit him with a sand covered fist. Jun blocked the attack then tried to hit Jaser in his wound to slow him down. He managed to connect, which had Jaser grunting in pain and stumbling backwards.

Jun then hit Jaser in the knee to make it buckle. It was only for a split second, but that was long enough to let the zombies grab a hold of Jaser. They bit into his flesh harshly to draw blood, and tugged at his limbs with an enough force that it felt as if they might be pulled right off his body. Jaser shouted in pain as Jun looked down at him.

"Don't worry." Jun said. "Their bites don't turn people into zombies like in all those novels you might read. However, once you lose enough blood to die, I can resurrect you to become one of their many brothers in zombie arms."

Jaser growled with his eyes looking even more dragon like as he struggled against the zombies holding him down.

"Struggling is pointless." Jun said chuckling. "You might be a Dragon Slayer, but even your strength can't compare to that of a zombie. You'll end up having a limb ripped off instead of getting free if you keep pulling against them like that. Perhaps if you weren't fighting along then things would have ended differently."

"I'm not alone!" Jaser snarled.

Jun looked down at him curiously as Jaser continued to struggle to get away from the zombies.

"My guildmates are here with me, and as long as they are fighting I will continue as well." Jaser said. "And I will defeat then move onto the next opponent to fight him or her. I will keep fighting until there aren't people like you who want to threaten those I hold dear to me. If I lose a limb along the way, so be it."

Jun blinked before he chuckled slightly as he looked down at Jaser who was still struggling.

"You're an interesting person for sure." Jun said. "Most people would be worried about losing a limb."

"I'd rather lose a limb than someone I love." Jaser said as his magic started to build. "Which is why I'm not letting things end here."

He let out a shout as his magic spiked so much that it had Jun stepping back with wide eyes. Golden magic light engulfed Jaser as sand started to whirl around him. His shout started to sound more like a roar, and Jun's eyes widened even more when seeing what looked like a Dragon standing right in front of him.

"Sand Dragon: Barrage!" He heard Jaser roar.

A barrage of sand exploded around Jaser to send all the zombies away from him. Jun was sent flying backwards as well though managed to catch himself before he could slam into anything. As the sand continued to swirl around, Jun watched as Jaser stepped forward with the sand dancing around him while seeming to caress Jaser. However, while the sand caressed Jaser everything else was being destroyed or sliced up like his zombies. Jun's clothes were being ripped up as well, and cuts were appearing on his skin.

Jun looked at the expression on Jaser's face and it was very demonic like. His eyes were slits with anger burning in them, and his canines looked sharper. The snarling expression on his face made him look even more frightening, and Jun actually felt his body shake in fear as Jaser kept walking closer and closer towards him. Would this really be how things would end for him? Would he never to get to see his beloved Rizzo again? If he could see her just one more time then he could accept his fate without regrets. Jaser raised his fist with all the sand around him collecting around it into a small dense sand ball.

"Sand Dragon: Soaring Fist!" He shouted then punched Jun right in the face.

Jun went flying through the air to land in some bushes. He laid there looking completely out of it.

"Rizzo-chan, I'm sorry…it seems as if there were be more time before…we can see each other again…" He said then passed out.

Jaser huffed from where he stood a few feet away before he lifted his head to sniff the air. He couldn't smell Makarov anymore. In fact, he was having trouble sniffing out anyone. He then looked up at the sky seeing that a storm maybe coming. If it started raining, it'd make it harder for him to sniff anyone out. Not to mention the rain would make it difficult for him to fight. However, what he needed to work about the most is finding some of his guildmates…maybe he should head back to camp. As the started walking away, he hoped Cana, his brothers, and Rizzo were alright.

* * *

Rizzo frowned as she dodged more of those girl's blades. This girl might be a kid, but she sure had skill. Rizzo then sent those blades flying backwards from her by slamming down a few rough chords on her guitar. She and Erza needed to defeat this girl and her buddies who are running around Tenrou Island before they can find Zeref to bring forth the Grand Magic World that the girl mentioned earlier during their battle.

"Although we don't have magic energy left after the S-class trials, we have the advantage." Erza said. "A two on one battle shouldn't be this difficult."

"Obviously." Rizzo said in return. "But do you remember how much magic energy we spent on that battle of ours? Craylee practically had to drag me from the cave."

Erza frowned knowing that was true. She hadn't been in much better shape. Breccan had to come looking for her to help her to camp. However, they have had some time to regain their magic energy. At least a little bit. OF course, they've been fighting flunkies or other mages since then as well.

"We have to find some way to defeat her." Erza said then reequipped into her Heaven's Wheel Armor.

Rizzo knew that. She wasn't an idiot. They had to defeat this girl then continue looking for their friends to see how they are faring in this battle.

"The mages known as Rizzo Sweeney and Erza Scarlet…your numbers are ten and number four." The girl—Meredy—said.

Rizzo frowned wondering why she was number ten. Was this girl really underestimating her that much?

"And what is the meaning of this ranking?" Erza asked as she ran forward.

"Your priority." Meredy explained as she summoned more of those sensation blades of hers. "It is the order in, which you need to be eliminated."

She sent the blades at Erza who blocked them with her own two swords with ease.

"Utter nonsense." Erza said.

"It is necessary." Meredy retorted.

Rizzo's eyes then widened when seeing Meredy had redirected the blades to head right for her. She couldn't dodge in time, so she took the blades head on. She cried out as she was cut up by the blades and felt as if her nerves were on fire.

"Rizzo!" Erza called out in worry as Rizzo fell to her knees into the water. "Tell me why you're going after Rizzo!"

"Number Ten is worthless trash, so I want to get her out of the way." Meredy explained.

She then sent another volley of those swords at Rizzo who was still stunned by the last attack. She got hit again while trying to hold back a cry of pain as she fell backwards into the water.

"Please stay strong, Rizzo!" Erza said then had to block Meredy's attack.

Rizzo growled feeling completely pathetic. She beat Erza earlier today, but it was the redhead who was fighting and protecting her now. It was disgraceful, and Rizzo wouldn't stand for it. Rizzo forced herself to her knees then looked up at the sky to see storm clouds rolling in. She then looked back to the fight as Meredy continued talking.

"Number 3 is Gildarts, but it appears that he's no longer on the island." Meredy said. "Number 2 is Makarov, but Master Hades has already defeated him."

Rizzo frowned wondering who could be a higher priority to stop than the master of their guild. She then grit her teeth when hearing Makarov was defeated…it couldn't be true.

"Master Makarov is Number 2?!" Erza demanded. "You mean to tell me there's a higher priority target than the master of our guild?"

"Number One is _that_ man—Gray Fullbuster." Meredy said.

Rizzo's eyes widened when hearing that it was Gray who was the highest priority to kill.

"Why him?" Erza asked. "Why choose Gray?"

"Because…he has her blood on his hands." Meredy said as her magic started to guild. "Ultear's mother died because of him. That man can never be forgiven for the pain he caused Ultear! When I find him, I'll tear him limb from limb!"

She sent those blades to surround Erza as Rizzo got to her feet with own magic power building.

"She's gone insane." Erza said.

The blades went to attack Erza, but suddenly a blast of guitar music entered the air and sent all the blades flying away from Erza. Meredy and Erza were shocked when it happened then turned to look at Rizzo, who had a pissed off expression on her face, as the storm clouds opened up to let it start pouring rain over Tenrou Island.

"Now, I'm really pissed off." Rizzo said. "You bastards from Grimoire Heart have done a lot today to anger me, but you…well, let's just say that if you wish to really try and carry out that threat…I'll put you six feet under."

Erza paled actually looked a little frightened when seeing Rizzo really really was pissed off.

"Tch, what's wrong with her?" Meredy asked. "She's only number ten."

Rizzo just started walking forward while letting her guitar return to its case, which was still floating up in the air.

"Wait, try to calm down, Rizzo." Erza said while hoping Rizzo listened.

"Calm down?" Rizzo asked as she cracked her knuckles. "This little girl is threatening to girl the guy I love, and you want me to calm down. There's no way in yell that's happening, understand?"

Erza nodded her head while actually taking a step back as Rizzo passed her to keep heading towards the girl. Rizzo then snapped her fingers with her violin coming down into her hand.

"You're going to regret letting those words come out of your mouth." Rizzo growled. "Now, Song of the Dancing Wind!"

She played on her violin with a gust of wind flying out to hit Meredy square in the chest to send her flying backwards into one of the large trees.

"Song of the Raging Phoenix!" Rizzo played next with fire hitting Meredy, which had her crying out in pain.

Rizzo played another song to hit Meredy with then another while making sure this little snot knew just who she was messing with. Rizzo only paused long enough to look back at Erza.

"You keep going." Rizzo asked as Erza reequipped into her bikini. "I can handle this little punk. You find the others and make sure they're okay. And make sure that idiot of mine is safe too."

"I certainly will." Erza said. "Best of luck to you."

Rizzo nodded her head while not taking her eyes off Meredy as Erza started hurrying away.

"Get back here, Number 4." Meredy ordered.

She sent a wave of those swords at Erza, but Rizzo played her song of the water nymph, so the nymph would send up a wave of water to deflect those blades. Meredy turned to glare at Rizzo who had her face set in determination. Meredy sent golden magical blades at Rizzo this time, and using another fire spell she shielded herself from the attack.

"You're going to have to do better than that." Rizzo said. "You might only see me as Number Ten, but I'll have you know I fought on par with Erza today and beat her!"

Meredy's eyes widened as she played her firecracker song to send small exploding orbs at Meredy. They hit her head on, which sent her flying once more. She hit the rock behind her, but managed to get to her feet. She walked forward not looking as if she was ready to give up either.

"I find it strange." Meredy said. "We both speak of the same Gray, and yet one is boiling with hate and the other one with love. Although it's the same person you would think we were discussing two different men."

"It's not really that surprising." Rizzo said. "Not everyone is going to feel the same about one person. That's what it's like to be human."

Meredy just continued to frown as she looked off to the side for a small moment.

"It's an amazing stroke of luck." Meredy said. "I've come here on a mission to kill Gray Fullbuster, and right away I've encountered a person who has strong feelings towards him."

"What are you running your mouth about?" Rizzo asked as her eyes twitched in anger.

If she had to continue listening to this girl talk about killing Gray, she'd have to shut her up and put her in a damn timeout.

"Your deep feelings of love for Gray will be what kill him." Meredy said. "Will be what kills him! Now, Rizzo, enjoy your brief journey to heaven before you descend into the depths of hell."

Rizzo frowned wondering how this kid was talking about this time. Meredy pointed right at Rizzo who tensed a bit to wait for any attack.

"Picture your beloved!" Meredy said. "Feel him inside your heart."

Rizzo's frown deepened since she's been thinking about Gray and worrying about him since the moment she heard this girl was hell bent on killing him. She was getting angry all over again as she thought about Meredy's threat.

"Yes, just like that!" Meredy said. "My sensory link will bind you!"

Suddenly the tips of her fingers grew pink, and Rizzo gasped while feeling a strange sensation in her body. She then cried out as she was lifted off the ground by a pink force. A pink line shot out from her wrist to fly across the island, and it attached to Gray without her knowing. Rizzo fell back into the water on her back then looked at the glowing orb on her wrist along with the weird markings.

"This is lost magic." Meredy said. "Mcguilty Set."

Rizzo frowned then got to her feet. She looked to see her violet was now soaking wet, which meant it wouldn't be much use.

"What the hell did you do?" Rizzo asked glaring.

"I linked your sensations to those of your beloved Gray." Meredy explained. "It can only be accomplished between those with strong feelings."

Rizzo cursed feeling even more angry that Meredy would use her feelings for Gray to bind her and him like this. If he could feel what she did that meant if she got hurt that he'd be hurt too, and she had no idea if he was fighting right now or not. If he was him feeling what she does could put him at a serious disadvantage.

"Doesn't it feel nice?" Meredy asked. "Now your sensing are completely intertwined."

"Which means he can feel my pain too, right?" Rizzo asked.

"That's right." Meredy replied. "You catch on quickly."

Rizzo grit her teeth together then had her violin return to her guitar case. She was about to call back her guitar, but in between switching out instruments, Meredy attacked. Rizzo bit back a cry of pain as the swords pierced her body. She cursed knowing Gray had to have felt that, and she mentally apologized a hundred times over to him.

"He too will experience all the pain I am going to put you through." Meredy said.

Rizzo glared at Meredy then had her guitar drop down into her hands while ready to continue fighting.

"You really need to be taught a lesson, ya little brat, about not messing with a girl's boyfriend!" Rizzo snapped.

She then rushed forward at a blinding speed to hit Meredy in the gut with her guitar. Meredy went flying backwards while crying out in pain from the hit.

"But how?" Meredy asked. "Her magic power has increased. I underestimated her ability. If she really defeated Erza Scarlet in battle then this woman deserves a higher rank. Not only that her anger seems to make her even stronger."

She then had to dodge Rizzo when the older pinkette tried to hit her again with the guitar. She landed a few feet away with an idea coming to mind. She used her powers to mind her with Rizzo and Gray, and Rizzo frowned wondering what Meredy had planned exactly. She shook her head not waiting too long to think about it since she needed to end this battle.

"Song of the Wild Things." She said as she played the aggressive tune on the guitar.

One of the monsters hit Meredy so hard in the gut she went flying into a large rock, and it cracked and shattered at the impact. Rizzo's eyes then widened when the pain suddenly exploded in her side. She cried out falling to her knees thought keeping her guitar out of the water since she needed it. She held her side as her monsters disappeared since she was no longer playing.

"The hell?" She muttered. "Why did that hurt me too?...and if it hurt me…did it hurt Gray?"

She really hoped not, but she had a feeling that really was the case in this matter.

"For Ultear's sake I would gladly give my life." Meredy said as she got up to her feet. "I would make that sacrifice. You are the link between me and him. You have allowed me to connect to my target. With this spell I've cased me, you, and your dear beloved Gray are all one. All our senses have merged, and if one of us were to die in this battle, Gray will die as well. It will be the end of all our lives…no the end to all of our suffering."

Rizzo looked at Meredy with wide eyes while not believing what she was hearing. She then grit her teeth together as she wondered how she was supposed to fight someone whose pain she could feel.

"You've got to be kidding me." Rizzo said then stood onto her feet while holding her guitar. "If what you say is true then we all lose this way. No one lives."

"Precisely." Meredy said. "That's how far I'm willing to go."

Rizzo stared at Meredy guessing this woman Ultear that she spoke of really meant a lot to her. However, she was going about things all wrong.

"This is it." Meredy said. "Death is all that's left for us. Make peace."

Rizzo's mind just started racing as she wondered how she was supposed to win this battle…without causing too much harm to Meredy, which in turn would cause harm to her and Gray. She then noticed that it seemed as if something was pressed against her back, but there was nothing there. She wondered if this pressure on her back was what Gray was feeling.

"I can sense Gray Fullbuster's connection. There's no need to fight you anymore." Meredy said then raised her hands to summon two of her swords. "In fact, I'm going to end this right now."

She had the swords go to her neck to cross like an "x" over her throat, and Rizzo's eyes widened at the sight.

"To do that I will die." Meredy said without any waver in her tone.

"No, don't!" Rizzo said then ran forward.

"There's nothing you can do to stop me." Meredy said.

Rizzo cursed knowing what she had to do even if she didn't like it. She gathered sound magic around her fist then slammed as hard as she could into her thigh. She cried out knowing she snapped the bone in her thigh. Meredy cried out as well while falling to her knees to clutch her thigh. Rizzo held her aching thigh tightly while mentally apologizing to Gray. When she saw him, she'd probably apologize again.

"You hurt himself for him?" Meredy asked. "You're smart I'll give you that, but causing me pain won't help. If you want to stop me, you'll have to kill me. However, doing so will only aid my vengeance. Give up. You can't keep hurting yourself forever. Eventually your body will fail."

Rizzo grit her teeth together as she continued to hold onto her thigh while trying to ignore the pain.

"But that doesn't matter to you, does it?" Meredy asked. "You'll fight until your last breath. Don't you get it? Nothing you do will change our fate? All roads converge on death for us. It's the only option."

"Oh, shut-up!" Rizzo snapped. "All this talk of death is annoying the hell out of me."

Meredy looked at Rizzo with wide eyes as the older pinkette have her a look of annoyance.

"And you're wrong anyway." Rizzo said. "This isn't fate that brought us to this point. It was your decision to kill Gray, but if you leave him alone, we all can live. This might sound strange to you, kid, but growing up in Fairy Tail has taught me that even my enemies deserve to live."

"Adulted nonsense!" Meredy said as she got to her feet. "I will kill Gray Fullbuster to put Ultear's heart at ease."

Rizzo got to her feet while seeing this kid really needed to rethink what she believed would help her dear one's heart.

"Not if I can help it." Rizzo said as she limped forward. "If I have to knock us out to stop us then so be it."

Meredy just let out a scream as she was about to bring a blade down onto herself to end things. Rizzo used her guitar to knock the blade away then let her guitar return to her case, so to hug Meredy. Meredy gasped with her eyes widening as she felt the warm embrace. Rizzo pulled back after a few seconds, and Meredy was even more shocked to see the tears pricking Rizzo's eyes.

"You foolish kid, this isn't the answer." Rizzo said. "If you have someone you love like I know you do because I have seen it then you must live. You have to live for this person, please. Live for her just like how I live for Gray whom I love and all my other dear ones. There is no choice for people with love like us. If you have it, you have to live."

Rizzo then gave Meredy a smile, and she started to feel her own tears roll down her cheeks. She started crying loudly with Rizzo still smiling at her. Rizzo then couldn't stand any longer, so she and Meredy fell into the water with the sensory link leaving their wrists. Rizzo hugged her one last time to comfort the poor girl. The two then collapsed from exhaustion into the water. As she laid there, she prayed Gray would be alright now. Not only him…but the others as well.

* * *

Amarante let out a huff as she sheathed her blade. She looked back at Beelzebub's corpse as his own bugs started to devour it. It was part of the curse of using such dark magic. You use such magic to cause pain and anguish and that power will devour you once you're weak.

"I have to get back to the others." Amarante said as her clothes reequipped into her usual outfit. "And see who's all wounded who might have defeated the enemy. I hope they're alright."

She then hurried towards where the basecamp should be while ignoring the wounds on her body. She had tried to keep the battle between she and Beelzebub mostly in the shadows and tried to take him out in one blow, but it hadn't went exactly as planned. But she got out of there pretty unharmed compared to what could have happened. She just hoped she didn't have to fight anymore of the Shadows. But if she had to…she would to protect her friends.

"Don't worry everyone." Amarante said. "I'm on my way."


	81. It's Time to Face Hades!

Jaser frowned looking up at the rainy sky since it was messing with his senses, and he couldn't remember exactly where camp was. Was he really lost? He sighed guessing he'd just have to keep going in the direction he is, and hope he comes along someone or stumbles across the camp. He was about to move along, but he paused when a scent he knew very well hit his nose. His eyes widened when knowing that the scent was Cana, and even despite the rain, he could smell her blood mixed in with her scent. His pupils turned back into slits as he turned his head in the direction that the smell was coming from.

"Someone hurt her." Jaser growled. "Someone made her bleed."

Despite how weak he felt, he rushed in the direction that the smell was coming from. He would find Cana and the one who hurt her then pummel him into a bloody pulp. As he was getting closer, he could hear voices and pick up a few other scents. Natsu…Lucy and Wendy…Master Makarov…and Happy and Carla. They were all close by along with a scent unfamiliar to him. And it was that scent that was causing pain to not only Cana but his guildmates as well.

He saw a bright light through the tree line, and had a feeling that Cana was the one to cause of it. He hurried even more as the light grew brighter. It suddenly vanished as a foreign magic spiked. He then broke through the tree line to look down into a small ravine to see some man walking threatening close to Cana as his friends were being held down by an invisible force. He felt a snarl build up in his throat when seeing the man raise his hand.

Jaser jumped down into the ravine then shot forward to send a sand covered foot into this man's face. The man hadn't been expecting it, so it sent him flying backwards. The others gasped when seeing Jaser there, but soon they all smiled looking relieved.

"It's Jaser!" Happy exclaimed.

Cana remained rooted on the ground with her eyes wide as she looked at Jaser. He really was here. The man got to his feet then glared at Jaser.

"Who the hell are you?" He asked.

"Jaser Sahara of Rajasthan." Jaser said. "And those are my guildmates you were beating up, which is the biggest mistake of your life. Anyone who messes with my family gets put six feet under."

The man's eyes widened an inch when seeing the murderous look in Jaser's golden eyes with his pupils like slits. Jaser stepped forward to get this battle started, and as he moved forward Cana took note that he was already very wounded. There was blood staining his clothes, and what looked like bite marks on his body. Then she saw bruising around his shoulders.

"Another fly." The man said. "Do you really think you can defeat me? Bluenote?"

"I'll tell you the exact same thing I told that zombie guy." Jaser said. "I will win this battle because losing isn't an option."

Bluenote scoffed then went to use his magic to pin Jaser down. However, Jaser swiftly moved out of the way of the spell, and continued dodging every time Bluenote tried to pin him in one place. Jaser made it in front of Bluenote and sent a melee of attacks his way. Bluenote couldn't keep up with Jaser's attacks, and had to take every one of them. However, Jaser started slowing down since his body was already too exhausted to keep up with his usual speed. Once he slowed down enough, Bluenote took that as his opportunity to attack Jaser. He sent Jaser flying then crushed him under his gravity magic. He grunted in pain as his body was being smashed.

"Jaser!" Cana cried out. "No!"

His other friends cried out his name as well, and Natsu tried as hard as possible to get up. However, it was proving nearly impossible. Bluenote then lifted Jaser up before clenching his fist, which had Jaser's bones crunching as his body was being constricted. Despite being crushed, Jaser took in a deep breath.

"Sand Dragon: Roar!" Jaser roared.

The sand though a bit slower due to the rain hit Bluenote, and it had him dropping his spell on Jaser. Jaser used that moment to shoot forward again to punch Bluenote in the gut. He went flying into the rocks behind him with them cracking around him. Jaser went to attack again, but Bluenote made a backhanding motion before Jaser was even close. It had him soaring through the air before landing near Natsu and the others. He laid there for a moment with his friends looking at him in worry.

"Jaser." Wendy whimpered.

"It's no good." Jaser said. "I'm useless in this much rain…and I still haven't recovered from my last fight…I need sand…or something. Anything. I have to keep fighting."

Lucy looked at Jaser in concern as he was obviously trying to get his body to move, but it only twitched. Natsu growled as he turned to glare at Bluenote who was walking forward to finish off Jaser. Jaser knew he needed to eat some kind of element. His eyes widened as he remembered something from a long time go that Sabbia once told him. About Dragon Slayers being able to dual with two kinds of elements. He turned his eyes onto Wendy since she was closer.

"Wendy, I have a favor to ask." Jaser said. "I know you must be feeling tired, but I think I know something that might help. Can you lend me…your power?"

Wendy blinked not completely sure what he had in mind, but if it helped, how could she say no? She nodded her head, so Jaser told her his plan. Her eyes widened having no idea that was possible, but it was worth a try.

"Okay, I'll do it." Wendy said.

"What are you two whispering about over there?" Bluenote asked. "Some kind of last ditch effort plan? You should just give up because you're beaten."

His eyes then widened when suddenly a burst of magic came from Wendy. He stepped back preparing to be attacked by the girl, but he and the others were surprised when Wendy hit Jaser with magic power.

"What are you doing?!" Natsu asked.

Wind whirled around Jaser as he laid there a moment, but he then flipped onto his feet as his sand mixed into the wind.

"What is the meaning of this?" Bluenote asked.

"Thanks for the meal, Wendy." Jaser said. "I'll be sure to put it to good use."

Wendy who was laying on the ground weakly smiled while glad to see it worked.

"Is…is he really using wind along with sand?" Carla asked. "Does this mean he can use Wendy's sky magic as well now?"

The others didn't have the answer to that, and just watched as Jaser shot forward at a faster speed than they've ever see him move before. He attacked Bluenote who had not been prepared for the attack. Jaser hit him with many melee attacks of sand and wind while knowing he had to end this quickly since his body just wanted to collapse.

"Wind Sand Dragon: Roar!" Jaser roared as he let out a breath attack.

Bluenote was sent high up into the air, and the others were shocked as they watched Jaser suddenly appear above Bluenote.

"Wind Sand Dragon: Talon!" He shouted then did a round-the-house kick that was mixed with sand and wind.

The kick sent Bluenote into the ground at a blinding speed with a crater forming around him.

"Whoa, Jaser is even faster than before!" Happy said as Jaser appeared above Bluenote to punch him in the face, which made the crater deeper.

Jaser then sent the man flying again, and even though it looked as if he was winning, Cana could see the toll it was taking on Jaser's body. His entire form was shaking as he took in deep huffs of breath. He obviously couldn't take much more of this.

"Please, be careful." She begged as tears rolled down her cheeks.

She couldn't bear the thought of losing Jaser. At first she had only wished to satisfy her need for a man, which led to her asking Jaser out. Now…if he were to die here, she didn't think her heart could take it. Jaser then rushed forward to continue his attacks, and his friends cheered him on as he landed many. He went to hit Bluenote again, but the man suddenly grabbed the front of his head. Everyone cried out in surprise as Bluenote squeezed Jaser's head tightly with his shouts of pain being muffled.

"That's pathetic." Bluenote said. "Are you really one of the stronger members of Fairy Tail?"

He then threw Jaser across the ravine to hit the ground near Cana. She called out to him with tears running down her eyes. She then had to watch as Bluenote kept using his magic to crash Jaser repeatedly into the earth. Her eyes widened when seeing blood spurt out of his open mouth.

"Leave him alone, please!" Cana begged. "Stop it before you kill him!"

"I will do no such thing." Bluenote said as he walked closer. "I won't stop _until_ I kill him."

He crushed Jaser into the ground once more then stopped for a few seconds. He stopped a few feet in front of Jaser then raised his hand to give a finishing blow.

"Jaser!" Cana screamed.

Everyone's eyes then widened as Gildarts himself appeared between Bluenote and Jaser. He blocked Bluenote's magic with his own then sent the man flying. Everyone was shocked as they looked at Gildarts.

"I don't believe it." Natsu said.

"Gildarts is here!" Happy cheered.

Cana started at her father in surprise as he glared murderously at Bluenote. Cana then crawled over to Jaser's side as he remained on the ground.

"Jaser, speak to me." Cana begged as she cupped his face in her hands. "Come on, wake up, dammit! Please!"

Gildarts looked back to Cana as Jaser as she sobbed over his unconscious body. Seeing that made his blood boil even more. He looked back to Bluenote planning to break every bone in his body.

"Jaser!" Cana yelled. "Please, open your eyes! Don't leave me!"

Wendy and Lucy both felt tears enter their eyes as Cana continued to plead for Jaser to wake up. Natsu stared with wide eyes wondering if Jaser was really gone. Jaser then suddenly coughed roughly before his eyes weakly opening.

"Ca…na…" He whispered weakly.

Cana cried in relief while leaning down into Jaser's chest to feel the rise and fall of his chest to feel more assured that he was alright. The others were relieved as well when seeing that Jaser was alive.

"You need to get out of here." Gildarts said. "Natsu, help carry Jaser to safety."

Normally Natsu would have protested since he'd like to see Gildarts fight, but considering the shape Jaser was in Natsu knew they didn't have time to sit around. They needed to get Jaser and even Makarov to the base camp where they could receive medical treatment.

"Lucy, you grab Gramps." Natsu said.

"Right." Lucy said.

She took Makarov carefully off of Natsu's back before the pinkette hurried over to Cana and Jaser. He knelt down beside Jaser as Cana sat up.

"Don't worry, pal." Natsu said as he put Jaser's arm over his shoulder. "We'll get you some help."

Jaser stumbled a bit as Natsu and Cana both got him to his feet. Cana placed a hand on his chest to keep him up while looking very worried.

"Is…everyone…alright?" Jaser asked.

Natsu grinned when he heard Jaser's question as he took most of the Sand Dragon Slayer's weight.

"Yeah, Jaser." Natsu said. "You protected us. We're alright."

A small yet noticeable grin appeared on Jaser's face before he limped along, so Natsu and Cana weren't just carrying deadweight.

* * *

Sven looked at Craylee and Juvia as the two of them were lying unconscious. The two had obviously fought hard, and the battle had them knocked out. He looked back at the cart being drawn by one of his imaginative creatures where Breccan lay. Sven had found him earlier lying next to the corpse of his father, which Sven had disposed of, and couldn't carry him with his smaller form, so he conjured a magical cart that hovered over the ground that way the rough terrain wasn't a problem.

"It looks like I need to move the two of you as well." Sven said then snapped his fingers.

A gorilla, which Sven used his magic to create as well, jumped out of the back of the cart to pick up the two unconscious mages. It carefully moved the two into the cart as Sven followed after it. Sven climbed into the front of the cart, and after the gorilla climbed in, the creature pulling the cart moved forward. Sven hoped that Jaser and Rizzo were alright, and not lying around unconscious like Breccan and Jaser had been. He also hoped his other guildmates were doing alright. Once he gets back to basecamp, he's sure that he'll know exactly who is alright and not. Or have a general idea.

"I wonder how much of the enemy remains." Sven said. "I hope not many because I have a feeling that many of our guildmates are down for the count."

* * *

More time passed with the battle on Tenrou Island counting. So much time seemed to pass since Rizzo and Meredy's battle, and the older pinkette was just now starting to wake while not even knowing that moments before Erza had defeated Azuma in battle to help return some of the magic power lost when the Great Tenrou Tree fell. She probably would have slept longer, but she heard a familiar voice calling out to her through the darkness covering her mind.

"Rizzo, it's time to wake up!" Rizzo heard Gray call out.

Rizzo let out a small groan as her eyes opened. She then sluggishly sat up with Gray's shirt, which had been placed over her slipping down into her lap.

"Gray." She said groggily as she looked towards her boyfriend who was facing off against some woman.

She then saw that Meredy was supporting some unconscious man with black hair.

"Come on, Sleeping Beauty," Gray began. "I need you to follow after that girl. She's trying to escape with Zeref."

He pointed towards Meredy as she was running away with Zeref who she was practically dragging.

"Right." Rizzo said as she shook her head to wake herself even more.

She got to her feet to hurry after Meredy, but gasped in pain after that first step. She fell back onto her ass while clutching her thigh tightly as she remembered she broke her thigh bone earlier to stop Meredy from killing herself, which in turn would have killed her and Gray.

"Dammit, my leg." She cursed then bit her lip.

"Are you hurt?" Gray asked in concern.

Maybe she was too beat up to follow after Meredy. He didn't want her to injure herself more.

"I…I can managed." Rizzo said as she forced herself to her feet again.

She tried to take another step before crumbling to the ground once more. She cursed as she hit the ground. She might have to crawl.

"Rizzo, don't move." Gray said.

She looked up at him in confusion since he's the one that asked her to follow after Meredy in the first place.

"It's alright." He said as he looked back at her. "I don't want you to hurt yourself even more. We'll go after her and Zeref together once I beat this woman."

Rizzo looked down pissed off at herself for not being able to follow. If she knew before that she'd be chasing after Zeref, she would have injured some other part of her body.

"The poor thing." The woman—Ultear—said. "She seems to be in so much pain. I should put her out of her misery!"

Ultear sent a barrage of crystal balls at Rizzo, and Gray couldn't move in enough time to protect her. Rizzo cried out as she was hit multiple times.

"Rizzo!" Gray shouted as he ran towards her.

He made it too her once the attack from Ultear stopped. He crouched down beside her then pulled her into his arms.

"Rizzo." Gray said.

"I'm alright." Rizzo said as she looked up at Gray. "Just kick her ass, alright?"

Gray stared down into her face for a moment as if looking for something. He then nodded her head. He moved her over near a tree where there was more cover for her. He picked up his discarded shirt to put over her to cover up some since her clothes had been pretty ripped up.

"I'll be done soon." Gray said as he stroked her damp hair.

He then leaned in to kiss the top of her head. He stood up to face Ultear once more with a dark look in his eyes.

"You already had me pissed off by disrespecting Ur." Gray said. "But you dared to hurt my girl. For that I'm going to beat you within an inch of your life."

Rizzo watched as Gray started battling Ultear before starting to feel herself slip into darkness once more. She tried to stay away, but was unable. Her head lolled to the side with darkness taking her.

* * *

When Rizzo woke this time, she felt herself being carried. She opened her eyes to see dark hair in her vision.

"Gray." She said.

Gray stopped walking then turned his head to look back at Rizzo. He grinned when seeing she was awake.

"You going to stay awake this time, Rizzo?" Gray asked. "Or do I need to keep carrying you?"

She gave him frown in reply, which had him chuckling. Rizzo then noticed Natsu, Erza, Lucy, Wendy, and four familiar Exceeds.

"What's going on?" Rizzo asked. "Did we win?"

"Almost." Erza, who was carrying Rizzo's guitar case, said. "There's still one more enemy to fight…Hades."

Rizzo narrowed her eyes when hearing that Hades was still left to fight. She couldn't be left out of this fight. It was too important, and her friends would need all the help she could get.

"Don't worry." Gray said. "We're going to drop you off at basecamp then head after Hades. You'll be safe there."

"No." Rizzo said.

Her friends—besides Natsu—looked at her in confusion. The male pinkette already knew what was going through Rizzo's mind.

"Set me down." Rizzo said.

"Rizzo, what are you talking about?" Gray asked. "You can't stand on your own."

"Set me down." Rizzo ordered again.

Gray frowned before he carefully knelt down to set Rizzo, who finally noticed she was wearing Gray's shirt over her own, down on the ground. She placed a hand on her aching thigh. She knew her bone was broken, and sticking a bit out of place. If she fixed that then had Wendy use a little healing magic, it'd hold hopefully until battling Hades is over. Rizzo took a deep breath then hit her thigh again to force her broken bone back in a more proper location. She bit back a cry of pain as her friends gasped.

"Rizzo, what are you doing?" Gray demanded as he grabbed her wrists to stop her from doing anything else.

"I'm not being left out of this." Rizzo said as she looked up at her friends. "I'm a member of this guild…of this team too."

"But your leg." Lucy said.

Rizzo shook her head then looked towards Wendy. The tiny bluenette knew what Rizzo was asking, and nodded her head. She knelt beside Rizzo then used a bit of her sky magic.

"Don't use too much of your magic, Wendy." Rizzo said. "We'll need you in battle."

Wendy nodded in understanding while going to make sure to heal Rizzo's bone enough, so that she'll be able to fight.

"Rizzo, this isn't a good idea." Sanjū said then sighed. "But I suppose there won't be any talking you out of it."

"You've got that right." Rizzo said. "Anyway, what are you doing here?"

"It's a long story." Sanjū said. "Explain later."

Rizzo shrugged guessing it didn't really matter. She then ignored the others' protests when they tried to get her to stay behind. They gave up when they saw she was completely and utterly ignoring them. Only Natsu and Wendy gave no protests or comments as Wendy continued to heal Rizzo's leg.

"Okay, I did what I could." Wendy said as she stopped healing Rizzo's leg.

"Rizzo, please, don't do this." Gray said.

"I'm going." Rizzo said stubbornly. "I'm not letting you all go without me."

Gray sighed wondering why he had to be stuck with such a stubborn girlfriend. Rizzo then looked up as Natsu held out his hand.

"Then let's go." Natsu said as he grinned. "We have to pull out all the stops, which means I need my best pal at my side if we're going to fight as a team."

Rizzo grinned in return then took his hand. He pulled her to her feet, and even if there was a small twinge in her thigh, she could still stand.

"Hand it over." Rizzo said as she held her hand out to Erza.

Erza sighed then gave Rizzo her guitar case. Rizzo placed it on her back then let her grin widened.

"Alright, let's go." Rizzo said. "I need to give Hades a kick in the teeth for coming here with his flunkies and harming Fairy Tail."

"Yeah." Natsu agreed.

The two of them shared a fist bump then ran off. The others watched, shook their heads, smiled in amusement, and then ran after the two pinkettes. They all ran to the shore, and when they made it there Hades was waiting from the top of his ship.

"So you wish for the same treatment I gave your master?" Hades asked them.

His reply was silent heated glares from the six young mages at the bottom of his ship.

"Come face your destruction, Children of Makarov." Hades said.

He then turned to walk away back into his ship, which had Rizzo's teeth gritting together in annoyance at how nonchalant he was acting about them coming here to kick his ass.

"Hey, old fart, give us a way up there!" Natsu demanded.

None of them could fly except their Exceed companions, but there wasn't enough of them to go around.

"We owe him one for Gramps." Gray said.

"He'll answer for it soon enough." Erza said.

"He'll be getting a taste of my foot in his mouth for sure." Rizzo said as she continued to glare upwards. "I might feel better after knocking out all this teeth."

She cracked her knuckles almost tempted to fight without magic. However, she knew that if this man beat Makarov that she'd have to use magic because she wouldn't stand even the smallest of chances against him without her magic.

"So does this mean that if we can defeat that man in time the rest of them will leave, and the council won't have to fire on us?" Wendy asked.

"Yeah, that's the plan." Lucy said as she looked down at Wendy. "And if their ships destroyed, they can swim back."

Rizzo didn't care how they got off the island as long as they were off the island. Their sacred ground doesn't need to be tainted by them any longer.

"Happy, I've got a job for ya." Natsu said.

All four Exceeds turned to look back as Natsu said that to look at the male pinkette curiously.

"I need you to find whatever makes this thing fly and take it out of commission." Natsu said.

"I guess it'd be a major problem if it started moving." Happy said. "At least for you."

"Yes, Natsu would become completely helpless if this ship started to fly." Sanjū added nodding.

Natsu looked away with a blush of embarrassment on his face as the blue and pink Exceeds giggled behind their paws.

"We will help him." Carla said.

"You can count on us." Lily, who was still holding his paws over his ears, said. "Can we go in now?"

Sanjū pat Lily on his head in a consoling manner as he continued to shake as the thunder and lightning continued.

"Good plan." Wendy said. "But I'll cast my troia spell just in case."

She cast the spell on Natsu, which would hopefully last the entire fight because if the ship does start moving Natsu really would be down for the count.

"I think we've kept him waiting long enough." Gray said as he collected his ice magic in his hands. "Let's go!"

He slammed his hands into the ground with ice-make stairs sprouting up to the airship. Natsu and Rizzo immediately led the charge with the others quickly following behind the two.

"Let's go in and break stuff!" Happy said as the Exceeds brought up the rear.

"Let's go in as quickly as we can!" Lily said.

"I'm not as efficient at breaking just as the rest of you, but I will give it my all." Sanjū said nodding.

Happy then gave her a high five while confident that the two of them together could break a lot of stuff. Because the two of them were a lot of cat power when working together like how Natsu and Rizzo are stronger when fighting side by side.

"Remember his power surpasses our own master's." Erza warned. "Once we're inside, hit him hard and hit him fast."

Erza didn't need to tell Rizzo that because once she's at the stop she's going all out swinging without any stopping until the old geezer is lying flat out on his back defeated.

"Yeah, okay." Wendy said.

"Don't worry." Gray said. "I'm not stopping until he's begging for mercy."

"After everything he's done, he doesn't deserve any mercy!" Lucy retorted.

"Oh yeah!" Natsu agreed. "We're putting him down! Ready or not, Hades!"

"Here we come!" Rizzo finished as she and Natsu were the first to arrive at the top.

Rizzo's violin, which was now dry popped out of her guitar case into her hands. She didn't hesitate to start playing as fire collected around Natsu's fist.

"I've got a message from Makarov!" Natsu said then threw fire at Hades. "Choke on it!"

Hades managed to block Natsu's fire, but that was just the beginning. Natsu and all the rest of them still had plenty to dish out.

"You'll have to do better than that." Hades said. "Try again."

Rizzo was planning to do just that, and she'd continue trying until they landed a direct hit.

"Song of Raiden!" Rizzo said.

Lightning shot forward from her violin towards Hades, and he couldn't block the attack, so he took it head on. He then barely dodged an attack from Erza, who reequipped into her Black Wing Armor, and Gray, who was using his frozen Excalibur, as they slashed at him.

"Open: Great of the Golden Bull, Taurus!" Lucy called out as she held up his key.

Taurus appeared in a flash of golden light then took a swing at Hades with his giant axe. Wendy then gave support to Erza and Gray, so that they could go in for another attack at Hades. Hades was barely able to dodge their attacks, which just kept on coming. Erza was going in for another when Hades decided to make his next move.

"Nimble little scamp!" He said.

He used magic that went around Erza's neck like a vise before swinging her towards Gray. However, the magic chain was broken by Rizzo who used the Song of the Dancing Wind to cut through it. Erza managed to catch herself as she landed on her feet on the floor. Natsu appeared above Hades after that, and started heading fight towards him.

"Fire Dragon: Wing Attack!" Natsu shouted.

The attack hit, but Hades didn't seem very fazed. He flipped in the air then used that chain magic on Natsu to sling him into the air. Erza, who reequipped into her hakama, cut that chain, however, and since Natsu was out of the way, Rizzo decided it was time to start throwing the big punches.

"Gray!" Rizzo shouted.

Gray immediately knew what she had in mind, so he stopped alongside her while putting his hands together.

"I've got ya." He said as Rizzo's playing grew louder.

"Now, Frozen Blizzard Dance!" The two shouted in unison as they performed their unison raid.

The two attacks mixed perfectly together as they had done the first time to send what was like an icy blizzard towards Hades. The old man was shocked to see a unison raid performed so effortlessly at the attack headed right for him. He raised his hand to use his magic to block it, and while he blocked some, he was still coated in ice at his legs and parts of his body. He cursed when realizing he was stuck in place.

"Alright, Natsu, it's time to beat this guy." Rizzo said as she let her violin float beside her for a moment.

She held out her hand to Natsu as Gray backed up to form his ice-make hammer. Natsu nodded understanding what they had planned.

"Alright!" He said as he took her hands.

Rizzo spun around a few times taking Natsu with her until his feet were off the ground. She then threw him towards Gray who was waiting for him with the hammer.

"Get in there!" Gray, who started swinging as Natsu landed on the hammer, said.

Wendy then let out a roar as Rizzo grabbed her violin to play the Song of the Dancing Wind to bump up Wendy's roar. The two wind attacks melted together perfectly, and Lucy decided to give it an extra kick as well by calling out Scorpio who used his Sand Blaster. His sand mixed into the two wind attacks, and Hades was even more surprised to see a unison raid between three mages since unison raids between two were rare. The three attacks spun around Natsu, who was engulfed in fire, to give him more speed as he headed right towards Hades.

"Fire Dragon: Sword Horn!" Natsu shouted as he came out of the unison raid.

He hit Hades dead on with the old man being sent flying backwards to crash into the back wall of his ship. Rizzo let out a huff wondering if it was finally over. Did they win?

"I often heard young people refer to their mistakes as life experiences." Hades said as he walked forward.

Rizzo and everyone else was surprised to see he was still standing and looked as if it wasn't fazed at all.

"But true mistakes don't wield experiences as there is no coming back from them." Hades said. "Such is the case here. Your future only consists of the grave. There will be no lesson to learn other that opposing me was the biggest mistake of your lives."

Rizzo's teeth grit together harshly as her body shook in rage. This man just kept pissing her off, and if he kept looking down on them, she'd put him six feet under. Her friends all murmured in worry that Hades was still up on his feet, but she wasn't going to let herself be disheartened. She'd keep fighting until there wasn't breath in her body. This man hurt Fairy Tail, and she wasn't about to let him get away with it.

"Very well." Hades said. "Now that I'm all warmed up, it's time to get serious."

The entire place then started to shake as he allowed his magic power to spike exponentially.

"Get ready." Erza said.

Hades then let out a yell, and before any of them could blink Wendy suddenly vanished with only her clothes being left behind.

"Wendy, no!" Natsu shouted.

Rizzo's eyes widened as Wendy's clothes fell to the ground with no sight of their wearer.

"Believe me when I tell you that was a mercy kill." Hades said. "She got off easy. From this moment forward each of your deaths will be more gruesome than the ones before."

Rizzo turned to glare at Hades once more. How dare he do such a thing to Wendy.

"Wendy, no." Lucy said.

"What did you do to her?" Gray asked.

"This can't be happening." Natsu said.

They couldn't have just lost one of their own. The very thought made Natsu sick to this stomach.

" _'It's okay everybody. I'm fine.'_ " A voice that definitely wasn't Wendy's said.

Rizzo frowned in confusion along with everyone else as she wondered where the voice came from.

" _'I'm up here'_ she exclaims with relief." A voice that Rizzo started to recognize said.

She looked up with all the others to see Horologium up on the ceiling. She absently wondered how he was able to stick to the ceiling like he is.

"It's Horologium." Lucy said.

"Nice one, Old Timer." Gray said.

Yeah, Rizzo had to agree with Gray there. She also smiled when realizing Wendy was alright.

"My automatic danger detection mode was activated just in time." Horologium said.

"Really?" Lucy asked disbelievingly. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I think your danger detection thingy needs an overhaul."

She said this because she seems to recall all those times she needed protection, and he didn't show up.

"My apologies." Horologium said. "But while you've had had trouble in the past, your life was never at risk."

Lucy wanted to beg to differ considering her head had almost been popped off her body earlier today.

" _'Thanks so much, Horologium. That was a close call,'_ she says graciously." Horologium said.

"I guess timing is sort of his thing." Gray said.

Rizzo snorted at his joke, and he gave her a grin in return. She felt her own lips twitch up into a smile, which had his grin growing.

"So why didn't Wendy's clothes go with her?" Natsu asked.

"As it was an emergency, I only had time to protect her physical body." Horologium explained.

"So the poor thing is naked inside of there, huh?" Rizzo asked.

She got her answer when Horologium exclaimed Wendy's embarrassment. However, he promised to give her new clothing. Rizzo shook her head glad she wasn't Wendy at the moment.

"We're just glad she's alright." Erza said. "Thank-you for your help."

"Sadly this will be the only time I will be able to offer my protection." Horologium warned. "Please, take extra care everyone. Good luck."

He then disappeared with Wendy, who was in a new outfit, dropping down towards the floor.

"Don't worry." Lucy said. "We'll be okay."

Wendy then landed completely on the floor while looking ready for round two.

"So this is Makarov's Fairy Tail." Hades said. "Heh, well you're certainly entertaining."

Rizzo narrowed her eyes at Hades because she had a feeling that that last comment wasn't a compliment.

"Hang on, are you saying you know Gramps?" Natsu asked.

Now that Rizzo things about it, Hades has spoken of Makarov in an almost familiar manner every time he brings up their Master.

"I'm surprised he never told you about me. Have the records of my existence been expunged from the guild's library? I should have expected as much." Hades said then started stroking his beard. "If Makarov if Gramps, I suppose that makes me Great-Grandfather. I'm Fairy Tail's second Master."

Rizzo and the others gasped in shock with their eyes widening to nearly the size of saucers.

"That's a filthy lie!" Natsu growled.

"My name was Precht back then." Hades said. "It was I who appointed Makarov as the guild's third Master."

Rizzo's eyes widened even more because she recognized that name. Precht was mentioned in the stories that Roscoe used to tell her when telling her the adventures of Raoul. Precht had apparently been one of the founding members of Fairy Tail. Roscoe even told Rizzo that Precht had been the guild master when Roscoe was a part of Fairy Tail.

"You expect us to believe that?!" Natsu demanded.

"It's true." Rizzo said softly.

Her friends looked towards her in confusion since they weren't sure what she meant.

"What he's saying is true." Rizzo said. "Precht was one of the founding members of Fairy Tail…he knew Master Raoul, and had been the Guild Master when my granddaddy Roscoe was a member of Fairy Tail. Granddaddy told me all about him when telling me of his time in Fairy Tail."

The others' eyes widened not believing that a former member of Fairy Tail could cause so much damaged to their guild.

"Oh? I almost forgot that your Roscoe's granddaughter." Hades said. "I suppose it will be a family reunion when I send you into the afterlife along with your friends."

He then attacked the group, and Rizzo grunted in pain when she was knocked off her feet onto the ground. As she was trying to get up, he knocked down Erza and Lucy before firing magic from his fingertips at Gray, Wendy, and Natsu repeatedly.

"Now do you understand your folly?" Hades asked.

He kept shooting rapidly at the group of young mages, and Rizzo cursed trying to hold back cries of pain as she was hit repeatedly. Hades laughed as he continued to mercilessly beat up on the fairies. Rizzo laid there only able to take hit after hit as she wondered if this really was the end for them. The firing finally stopped, and Rizzo laid still trying to catch her breath.

" _'Tell me, do fairies possess tails?'_ " Hades asked, and his words has Rizzo's eyes widening. " _'It's an eternal mystery, and thus an eternal adventure.'_ I believe that was how the guild's name originally came about."

Hades then walked forward until he stopped in front of Natsu who raised his head to look up at him.

"However, your adventure will end crushed under the heel of my boot." Hades said then stomped on Natsu's head.

"The first master Mavis entrusted her will to me, and I in turn passed my will and mantel onto Makarov." Hades said. "One of my greatest mistakes. Makarov changed the guild."

Rizzo glared at Hades wondering what the hell the vile man was trying to say.

"What nonsense are you spouting off?" Natsu demanded.

"He brought magic out of the darkness and into the light." Hades said.

"That's how our Fairy Tail does things, you got a problem with it?!" Natsu demanded.

He wouldn't let someone insult Fairy Tail especially since Fairy Tail was a place where people who have no one can gain a family. A place that has been with him for many years and brought him much happiness. And brought him his dear friends.

"We aren't rotten heartless people like in your guild." Natsu said. "We live with our lives on the line every moment, so it and stew in the darkness all you want. You don't have the courage to change a thing!"

"So much disrespect." Hades said then pointed his hand in a gun motion at Natsu. "You'll pay for that."

He then shot Natsu in the leg, which had Rizzo and Gray calling out his name. Hades shot Natsu a few more times as Rizzo tried to push herself up to her knees. She glared at Hades not believing he had the gall to hurt her best friend in front of her.

"Leave him alone!" She screamed with magic blasting out of her due to the raging emotions she was feeling.

Hades was hit by a huge wave of sound magic that knocked him backwards off his feet. As he was falling, his eye was wide when hearing a distinguished tune in the wave of sound, which was uncommon. Sound magic was just one note of sound blasted at an opponent, but this had different notes playing a small intense tune. The wave disappeared as Rizzo slumped over feeling more exhausted than a second ago. Hades then got to his feet with his eye set in a glare.

"So you would rather die first, is that it?" Hades asked as he started making his way towards Rizzo. "Well, if that is what you wish, I shall oblige."

"No, leave her alone!" Gray shouted as he tried to get to his feet. "Don't touch her!"

Hades ignored Gray's protests as he stopped in front of Rizzo. She lifted her head as much as she good to glare up at him defiantly. He chuckled while seeing Raoul's spark and defiance in Rizzo's green orbs. Hades then pointed his fingers at Rizzo while planning to hit her with one strong blow.

"This will be the end of the Sweeney bloodline." Hades said. "It should have ended six years ago with Treble Chambers."

Rizzo's glare filled with more hatred at his words, but she said nothing. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"No, don't kill her!" Lucy shouted.

"Leave her alone!" Erza yelled as well.

"Rizzo!" Natsu and Gray yelled at the top of their lungs as Hades prepared to fire.

Then the ship was suddenly struck with lightening, which had the group gasping. The lightning moved around the ship before hitting the arm that Hades was going to kill Rizzo with. A large bolt then hit in between Hades and Rizzo, and Rizzo's eyes widened when seeing a familiar blonde in front of her.

"So this is the fossil who took out Gramps." Laxus said. "Interesting."

"Laxus." Rizzo whispered with tears appearing in the corner of her eyes.

"Hey, old man, I'm going to tell you the same thing I tell anyone dumb enough to lay a hand on the girl behind me." Laxus said then head butt Hades with full force to send him backwards. "No one messes with Rizz without having to deal with me!"


	82. Leaving the Abyss

After Hades managed to catch himself on his feet, he frowned at Laxus who continued to stand in front of him defiantly.

"It's really Laxus." Gray said.

"I never thought I'd be so glad to see him." Lucy added.

"Isn't he the Master's grandson?" Wendy asked.

She's heard a bit about him from people of the guild with Rizzo giving most of the information about him.

"I see, so you're a blood relative of Makarov's." Hades said.

Laxus didn't reply as he narrowed his eyes at Hades. He owed this man a beating for hurting his gramps and his former guildmates. Especially Rizzo because he meant what he said when he said no one messes with Rizzo without having to deal with him.

"Tch, how pathetic." Laxus said. "You guys got beat so bad you look like tattered rags."

"I've missed you too." Rizzo said sarcastically.

Laxus had to fight of a grin when Rizzo said that as he kept his eyes on Hades.

"It's the truth." Laxus retorted to her sarcastic remark.

Natsu blinked for a moment then grinned with a small chuckling leaving his lips.

"No, joke." Natsu said.

"What are you doing here, Laxus?" Erza asked from her spot on the ground.

Laxus was the last person she expected to see on the island considering he had been exiled. Of course, she hadn't expected anyone, who wasn't a member of the guild, to show up here, but they did.

"I came to pay my respect to the first guild master." Laxus replied. "I used to be a member of Fairy Tail to, ya know."

His words brought a smile to Erza's face since it was nice to hear him say that.

"I was planning to just stop by Mavis's grave, so this is a big surprise." Laxus said. "I certainly didn't expect to run into the second guild master. I've got an idea. Since you're already here…how about I dig a grave for you too?"

Sparks then danced across his body as his magic energy started to grow around him.

"My, what a shame." Hades said. "To think that poor Makarov would be burdened such a pretentious grandson."

Hades's magic power started growing as well, and as Rizzo and the others watched, they started to feel as if there was hope after all. The two then clashed with Laxus landing a few hits. They moved across the ship as they fought, and as Laxus went to hit Hades again, the old man moved.

"Good." Hades said. "I'm impressed with your magic power. Not to mention your courage. I didn't realize Makarov had another pawn of Gildarts's caliber."

"Tch," Laxus scoffed. "Ya know, that reminds me of something the geezer used to say. _'Whenever you face a tough enemy, it doesn't matter how strong they are. Standing up to them is what's most important'_ , ain't that right, Natsu?"

"Yeah, you bet." Natsu agreed.

Hades scoffed not looking convinced by this philosophy that Makarov seems to have taught his Fairy Tail.

"Utter nonsense." Hades said. "That's nothing more than a weakling's excuse. Think you're strong enough to face me? Then let's see what you've got."

He motioned Laxus forward, and the blonde grinned as he cracked his knuckles.

"If you insist." Laxus said.

* * *

Sven finally made it to the basecamp where he could see a few of the others moving around. He jumped off the carriage while running forward.

"Hey, guys!" He called out.

They all looked up seeing Sven there as he smiled and waved. Freed paused in making his enchantments while so glad to see Sven. However, Freed could see that he blonde had been injured. Sven was a bit confused to see Freed and Bickslow since he thought the two of them left with Gildarts earlier, but he didn't question their presence.

"Sven, you're back!" Lisanna said as she stood. "Is any of the others with you?"

"I have Breccan, Craylee, and Juvia in the back of the carriage." He said as he pointed to the carriage that came to a stop behind him. "But I haven't seen Jaser since we separated earlier."

"He's here." Levy said. "He was brought in by Natsu and a few others. He's resting now."

She pointed to over where they were keeping the wounded, and Sven could see Jaser, who was covered in bandages, sleeping peacefully as Cana looked after him.

"What about Rizzo, Gray, Natsu, Erza, Lucy, Wendy, and Happy?" Sven asked. "And what about Amarante?"

"They all went to face Hades along with Lily, Sanjū, and Carla. Amarante has yet to return, but I am sure she is alright." Freed explained. "Sven, you look tired and hurt. You should let us see to your wounds then rest."

"After Breccan, Craylee, and Juvia are taken care of." Sven said. "Bickslow, can you help me get them out of the back?"

"Sure thing, little man." Bickslow said.

The two of them worked together to move the three injured over to the others. They put them under the cover of the makeshift tent where they would remain dry. After they were laid down, Lisanna started seeing to their wounds with Cana's help. Cana herself wanted to rest, but she couldn't knowing Jaser was in such a state, so she might as well help.

"I am so sore." Sven as he hit his shoulder to loosen his muscles a bit. "I need a nap~"

He let out that whine while resisting the urge to just fall over to his side put a blanket over him and sleep for a century.

"Can't sleep now though." Sven said. "Work to do."

He walked over towards Freed and Levy since they looked as if they were working on enchantments, which were most likely to protect the camp.

"Alright, what can I do to help?" He asked.

"Are you sure you don't want to rest?" Levy asked then looked towards Freed and Bickslow. "And you guys too? You must be exhausted."

Sven shrugged his shoulders silently as Freed looked towards him. He was worried about the blonde since he looked so bruised and tired.

"After dealing with the guys who barged into enemy territory, this is a piece of cake." Bickslow said.

He then cried out when he was suddenly pierced with a type of script magic that Sven recognized as the eastern version of Levy's solid script.

"Bickslow!" Freed called out in worry.

"No way!" Levy exclaimed. "That's eastern solid script. Not him again!"

Bickslow then fell over to reveal some kind of goat man a few feet behind him. A chicken man then appeared, and shot eggs up into the sky that came crashing down too close for comfort to the wounded. However, Levy guarded everyone with her own solid script though it had been a close call.

"It's an ambush." Elfman said as Lisanna held him up.

They must have traced our whereabouts somehow." Freed said.

"I thought Gajeel beat these guys earlier." Levy said.

Sven supposed they got their second wind, and decided to come get a little payback.

"I guess not." Lisanna said.

The goat man then slid across the ground closer to the group, which had Sven tensing to prepare for a battle. However, in this much rain it could be a bad idea to use the storybook. When he used it earlier, he had been able to work fast, but if the book became any wetter, it'd become useless.

"Screw battle etiquette." He said then made hand motions. "It means nothing to a warrior that lost his blade!"

He then sent some kind of script at the enchantment barrier, which wiped completely off the ground.

"The enchantment!" Levy called out in worry.

"Protect the injured!" Freed ordered.

He'd continue to protect his guildmates until his last breath, and he knew all the others felt the same way. Cana moved back over to Jaser while bringing some of her cards out. She wouldn't let any more of these Grimoire Heart creeps touch him.

"Please, let me fight too." Elfman said as he tried to stand.

"No, you can't!" Lisanna said.

She then gasped when Elfman was hit by a blast of magic that sent him flying. The group turned their heads seeing a new foe appearing.

"If we don't beat you down, Master Hades is going to be angry!" He said. "Real angry!"

The goat man and chicken man then ran forward to attack while talking about getting promotions by dealing with them, which had Sven frowning. Levy went to step forward to attack, but Sven stepped in front of her.

"Help, Freed, finish put back the enchantments." Sven said. "I'll deal with them."

"But, Sven, you're too injured!" Levy said as she looked at the blonde's bloodstained clothes. "And your magic is no good if the Storybook gets wet."

Sven didn't listen just ran forward with a yell while ignoring Levy telling him to come back. Freed watched him go with worry coloring his visible eye. Would he really be alright? Sven then attacked the chicken man with a foot to the beak, which had the chicken man falling backwards.

"I'm not completely defenseless without magic!" Sven said. "Besides, I have help, isn't that right, Bickslow?"

"That's right!" Bickslow, who was suddenly on his feet, answered. "Let's go, babies!"

As Bickslow and Sven dealt with those two, Lisanna engaged Kane Hikaru in battle. They would go all out in this battle to protect the injured.

"Don't let up on them!" Sven said as he dodged the chicken man's fist. "We will win because we're Fairy Tail!"

* * *

Sanjū stood in a circle with her fellow Exceeds as they paused in their search for the ship's power source.

"I'm afraid searching as a group isn't going to get us anywhere." Carla said. "I think it would be best to split up."

"While I agree splitting up is a wise choice, I think it should be in groups of two." Sanju added her opinion. "If we encounter any enemy, it would be best not to be alone."

Carla nodded since that did make sense to her, and having two groups would still save time in searching compared to just one group.

"Good ideas!" Happy said. "I'll go with Carla!"

Carla sighed though wasn't all that surprised that Happy jumped at the chance to choose her as his partner.

"Alright." Sanjū said nodding. "Let's go, Lily."

She started walking away with Lily hurrying after her while looking around in fright as he wondered if the lightning would come back. The two found a hallway with a bunch of doors, so they decided they might as well start here.

"I'll take this side." Sanjū said pointing.

"O-okay." Lily said. "Be sure to stay in sight, so I can look after you."

Sanjū glanced back at Lily to see he still seemed frightened, so she wondered who it would be looking after whom in the end. She just nodded her head though then started looking through doors. She opened the one of them while sweat-dropping when she saw it was empty except for a single white feather that was laying on the ground.

"What an odd place." She said.

She then heard thunder roll loudly before followed by the crashing sound of lightning. When she heard Lily shout in fright, she turned her head seeing he had accidently ripped off the handle to the door he was about to open. She sweat-dropped at the sight then shook her head. Lily looked over at her with wide eyes while embarrassed that she saw that.

"Let's continue searching." She said.

"Uh, right." He said nodding.

He landed on the ground then hid the door handle in the back of his pants. He went over to Sanjū who waited for him near the end of the hallway. He jumped once more when the thunder boomed loudly. His paw moved without him thinking to latch onto Sanjū's paw, which had her eyes widening. She also felt her cheeks warm as his paw gripped hers so tightly for comfort. She shook her head trying to ignore the warming of her cheeks as she walked forward. They searched for a few more minutes with no such luck, and soon decided to return to Happy and Carla. When they met up with the two it seemed as if they hadn't had much success either.

"No luck." Happy said. "So much for splitting up."

"It was worth a shot." Carla said. "I guess we might as well continue searching as a group."

"Sure, that's fine with me." Lily said evenly.

"Whatever works for all of you." Sanjū said as she shrugged partially.

* * *

Rizzo watched as Laxus and Hades continued to fight with Hades seeming to have more of an upper hand. Hades suddenly surrounded Laxus with what looked like a high magical formula that had Rizzo worried.

"Is that a Amaterasu Formula?" Laxus asked.

"Now, die!" Hades said.

He activated the formula, and the blast of the attack was so strong it sent Rizzo flying back right into Gray who grunted at the impact. He put his arms around her, however, since he didn't want her too far away from him.

"Those hit by the Amaterasu Formula lose all strength in their limbs, and become immobilized." Hades said. "Simply blocking it consumes so much magic power it can be fatal."

Hades was then shocked when a bolt of lightning shot up out of the smoke cloud. Laxus appeared in that bolt right behind Hades to kick the man hard. Hades went crashing into the ground. Laxus landed on his feet as Rizzo smiled so happy to see he was alright.

"Awesome." Gray said as he smiled as well.

"Laxus is so cool!" Rizzo said with stars in her eyes.

Gray frowned when she said that, and despite the situation he felt a tad bit jealous. Laxus chuckled when hearing Rizzo's words as he stood straight.

"To think that was only one leg." Laxus said as Hades started to stand. "I still have my other one and both of my hands. Not to mention the rest of me. If I combined them into one attack, it'll be a hell of a lot stronger than the kick that just took you down. You wanna try me?"

"You talk big." Hades said. "Although I can't blame you. There's an air of confidence that comes with youth, but it's not indicative with your skill!"

The two then jumped towards each other to clash once more as they others could only watch.

"You can't beat me!" Hades said as he reared back his fist.

"Just watch me!" Laxus said.

The two of them clashed repeatedly before pushing back away from each other. Laxus then fell to his knees, which had Rizzo gasping in worry.

"Well, would you look what we have here?" Hades said. "I knew you were full of bravado, but I didn't expect you to fall to your knees so soon."

"Laxus!" Natsu called out.

Rizzo mentally begged him to get up since he was just a sitting duck if he remained there on his knees.

"Come on, please, get up." Erza said.

"He was hit by that spell after all." Lucy said in realization.

Which meant he wouldn't be able to move from where he was since his limbs didn't have anymore strength left in them. Laxus then let out a weak chuckle that had a bit of pain mixed in.

"I've traveled almost everywhere." Laxus said. "All over this world of ours, but this is the first time I've ever met such a monster. I've got a long way to go."

"What are you saying?!" Natsu asked.

"You've got to pull yourself together, man!" Gray added.

Rizzo didn't comment as she continued to look at Laxus. He couldn't be giving up…Laxus was never the type of person to give up. He was too stubborn too and too strong.

"I'm glad I could help you come to that realization." Hades said then held up his hand to prepare to cast another spell. "Laxus, was it? But this is the end. Prepare to die!"

He fired at spell at Laxus that had Rizzo's eyes widening when she felt what kind of power it gave off.

"Hurry and get up!" Erza shouted.

Laxus didn't budge as he looked down at the floor in front of him with his former guildmates watching on in horror.

"I realize I'm not a member of Fairy Tail anymore." Laxus said as he hit the ground with his fist.

Tears started running down Rizzo's cheeks as Laxus continued not to move from his knelt position.

"Look out!" Lucy shouted.

"Move or it's going to hit you!" Wendy cried out.

"Laxus!" Gray yelled.

Rizzo's tears flowed more freely as she wondered why Laxus still wasn't moving. She didn't want to see him die. Especially not after getting to see him after he's been gone for so long.

"But this bastard took out my grandpa." Laxus continued saying. "So I'm allowed to take revenge, right?"

Rizzo's eyes widened at his words, and the others were a bit surprised to hear them as well.

"Yeah, of course, you are!" Natsu said.

"Why wouldn't you be?!" Rizzo cried. "Even without an emblem you're still his family! Our family, Laxus! You have just as much right as the rest of us to want to get revenge for Master!"

Laxus grinned at Natsu and Rizzo's words before letting out the rest of his magic power. However, instead of it going towards Hades, it went towards Natsu who gasped in surprise as it enveloped him. However, he didn't feel any pain only power, and the blast of that power sent the others flying backwards. Once the bright light disappeared, Rizzo watched as Laxus fell down into the large hole made in the floor.

"Laxus!" Erza called out.

"This one's my treat, Natsu." Laxus said.

He then hit the floor below as sparks started flying around Natsu who was able to get to his feet. Rizzo looked at Natsu with wide eyes to see the lightning wasn't hurting him. It was almost dancing around it like it did for Laxus when the other Dragon Slayer used its power.

"It's almost like after Jaser ate my wind magic." Wendy said. "Natsu must have consumed part of Laxus's magic."

The others were shocked to hear this even though Lucy had seen firsthand what happened when Jaser had consumed Wendy's sky magic earlier.

"He what?" Gray asked.

"He transferred his power to Natsu." Erza explained.

"You kidding me?" Gray asked.

"Does that mean…he ate lightning?" Lucy asked. "If he eats anything other than fire it makes him sick."

Rizzo knew that was true, but it seemed as if Natsu was doing alright at the moment. However, later his body might react badly to taking in magic different than his own.

"Why did you give it to me?" Natsu asked. "You know what I'm weaker than you."

"It has nothing to do with who's weaker or stronger." Laxus said. "He wounded Fairy Tail's master. It's only right that someone with the guild's emblem take him down. Anyone who hurts the guild deserves what's coming to them. Go get him, Natsu."

Natsu wiped at his eyes were a few tears and leaked before he let his fire mix with the lightning.

"Okay." Natsu said then glared at Hades. "You're going to pay for what you've done."

Natsu, who looked almost demonic, turned to face Hades while ready to give him the beat down of his entire life.

"I don't know if eating lightning was such a good idea." Lucy said.

She was worried what kind of toll eating lightning would have on Natsu's body once this fight was said and done.

"I've never seen anything like this before." Gray said.

"It's like that time that he ate part of the Etherion." Erza said.

He had the same presence from then right now, and she wondered what kind of after effects would be left with his body this time. Natsu let out a shout that boarded a roar before he shot forward to punch Hades right in the mouth with a flame covered fist. Natsu kept up the attacks while not giving Hades even a moment to recover from the first attack.

"So now Natsu is able to use Laxus's power and his attacks?" Gray asked.

"It's like what happened with Jaser!" Lucy said. "Earlier he ate some of Wendy's sky magic, and was about to use her attacks and combined them with his own. It was like a unison raid, but with just one person."

Gray's eyes widened since he had no idea that kind of thing was possible, but Jaser had done it earlier according to Lucy. And it seems like Natsu can do it now.

"This is what happens to anyone who messes with Fairy Tail!" Natsu said then hit Hades again.

Natsu hit Hades again and again, which sent him flying all across the airship while looking completely helpless.

"I'll make you pay!" Natsu said then combined the fire and lightning together. "Now say goodbye!"

He hit Hades with both those elements as at once, and Rizzo wondered if that meant the battle was really over. However, Hades jumped out of the smoke then latched onto Natsu's hands with one of his magic chains.

"Haha, try hitting me with your hands tied!" Hades said.

Natsu growled as he pulled at the magic that was holding his hands together at the moment. He broke free, which completely shocked Hades. Natsu then started taking in a big breath, and Rizzo knew exactly what he was preparing for.

"Lightning Flame Dragon: Roar!" Natsu shouted.

The lightning flame roar shot out towards Hades to hit the Grimoire Heart guild master head on. Once again Rizzo and the others were sent flying through the air due to the strength of this attack, but this time Gray kept a hold of her. He even took the fall to let his body be a cushion of sorts for her. The attack blew a hole right through the airship as if it was nothing, and continued for a few more seconds before finally stopping. Natsu stood there panting while looking as if he could fall over at any moment. Rizzo smiled thinking things were finally over.

"I warned you not to mess with us." Natsu said.

He then started falling backwards into the crack in the ship, which had Lucy running forward.

"Natsu!" She cried.

She managed to snag his hand before he was too far away, which had her sighing in relief.

"Thanks." He said. "That was a close one. I don't suppose you have any food tucked away into that outfit do ya?"

Lucy just smiled down at him while glad to see that he was alright since she had been so worried.

"Another one bites the dust." Gray said as he grinned.

He then hugged Rizzo close, which had her smiling up at him happy it was over. He leaned in to kiss her brow since he had been so worried earlier when Hades was preparing to kill her. He'd have to thank Laxus for saving her when he woke up.

"We won!" Wendy said as Lucy pulled Natsu up onto solid ground.

The two of them smiled at Wendy while both feeling as happy as the rest of their friends.

* * *

Sanjū frowned as she followed after Carla who was following after Happy with Lily bringing up the rear of the group. The four of them were currently crawling through a tiny air duct, and Sanjū wasn't too happy about it since she didn't like tight places. Not ever since she had gotten stuck in that hole in the ground when she was still a kitten.

"Maybe the power source is super small, and we just missed it." Happy said.

"Given the size of the ship, I'd say it's highly unlikely it's being powered by anything that small." Carla gave her opinion.

"I have to agree with Carla." Sanjū said.

"Is there a reason why we're crawling through the duct work?" Lily asked.

Sanjū wanted to know the exact same thing since she didn't want to be in here to begin with.

"Don't look at us." Carla said meaning her and Sanjū. "Why don't you ask our fearless leader?"

And by fearless leader she meant the fish-loving blue tomcat known as Happy.

"Just a feeling I have." Happy said.

"You'll feel my fist next!" Lily threatened.

Sanjū was about to tell him to take a deep breath, but she bumped right into Carla who had stopped because Happy did. Lily in turn bumped into her butt with her fluffy tail brushing across his face. He noted she had a very sweet lilac smell. He shook his head after since now wasn't the time to be admiring her scent.

"Gees, you could at least give us a warning before you stop." Carla said irritably.

"Lily." Happy said with a dark look on his face.

But that couldn't be seen by the Exceeds behind him since his back was turned towards them.

"What now?" Lily asked sounding annoyed.

"Did you touch it?" Happy asked as he turned to glare at the older Exceed.

Lily gave him a look of confusion as Carla and Sanjū exchanged a glance. They had a feeling Happy was about to do something that would give the both of them headaches soon enough.

"Carla, bopped into my butt, which means Sanjū bumped into hers, and that means you must have gotten a face full of Sanjū's butt!" Happy said frowning.

"That's not my fault!" Lily said. "You're the one who stopped without any warning."

Happy's glare intensified as he was ready to fight Lily over what the older Exceed had done.

"Oh, so it's my fault that you couldn't stop yourself from copping a feel?!" Happy demanded. "Lily, prepare to die because as Sanjū's older brother I cannot allow you to live after disrespecting her like that!"

Sanjū and Carla sweat-dropped as Sanjū wondered why Happy was referring to himself as her older brother since they were the same age. Not only that, but this fight seemed ridiculous to her.

"Would you quit acting like a child, and focus on the mission at hand?!" Lily demanded. "Besides, it's not even a big deal. Moreover, I would never disrespect Sanjū like that since I swore to protect her, and as if I'd disrespect a proper lady like herself anyway!"

Sanjū found herself blushing at his words, but tried to ignore the blush as Happy wouldn't calm down.

"Silence!" Happy shouted. "Prepare to dual!"

Lily couldn't believe what Happy was saying, and tried to wonder how things came to this.

"Would you knock it off already?!" Carla yelled. "What made you stop in the first place, Happy? Did you see something?"

Happy gasped while remembering what he saw in the first place that made him stop.

"Yeah, I did." He said as he looked down through the vent in the duct with the others gathering around. "Do either of you know what that thing is?"

Sanjū gasped along with the others when seeing what looked like a large thumping heart.

"It's alive." Happy said as his body shook.

* * *

Rizzo was sitting around with the others still thinking it was all over, but she was proven wrong when Hades suddenly spoke.

"You may have knocked me down, but I'm not out." He said.

Rizzo and the others all stiffened with their eyes widening in absolute shock. He…he was still able to move?

"Well, done, Makarov." Hades said as he sat up. "You raised some pretty remarkable children despite your flawed philosophy."

"There's no way." Wendy said trembling.

Hades then stood up while dusting off his clothes a bit as Rizzo stared on in utter disbelief.

"I can't remember the last time someone left me tattered and torn after a good brawl." He commented.

He fixed his clothes using magic to look as if he hadn't received a single mark on him this entire fight. The smoke then cleared as he let out a soft blast of magic.

"How is he standing?" Gray asked.

He really must be some kind of monster. That was the only way to explain how he was still up.

"I appreciate the entertainment, but I must get back to work." Hades said. "I'll be obliterating you now. Believe me, you'll wish I'd done so sooner."

He reached for his eyepatch, which had Rizzo wondering if he had some kind of power hidden underneath there.

"What kind of monster could survive just a powerful attack?" Erza asked.

Hades continued pulling off his eyepatch to reveal his other eye was closed, but it didn't seem damaged.

"Devil's Eye." Hades said. "Open."

His eye opened with it looking as if it really did belong to some kind of devil. Darkness built up around him that had Rizzo, who was on her feet by now, shaking in actual fear. Gray tightened his arms around her though he was pretty freaked out as well.

"You will not witness something you have never seen before." Hades said as his appearance changed a bit. "The abyss of sorcery. From here extends an endless realm that surpasses your feeble imaginations."

"Do you feel that?" Gray asked.

"It's not real." Wendy said. "No, it can't be."

She couldn't believe any of this was happening, and she wanted all of it to just be a nightmare.

"I've never sensed this much power in one place before." Erza said.

"And it's getting bigger by the second." Lucy added.

Lucy was right. Rizzo could feel the magic becoming larger and more oppressing. It was even darker and more frightening than the power that Caspian, who was doing by the name Lucifer at the time, had when Rizzo and Raoul fought against him.

"I am the harbinger of Fairy Tail's last breath." Hades said.

Natsu tried to get up again to fight, but he just winced as his body refused to move.

"Ah, are you okay?" Lucy asked in concern.

Natsu didn't answer as he tried to get his body to move, but when it didn't respond to him again, he punched the floor in frustration.

"No, I've used up all my strength." Natsu said. "That last attack did me in."

Rizzo looked at her friend then at all of her comrades to see they all looked spent as well. She didn't feel much better. She wasn't even sure she could handle a simple spell with her guitar…if they wanted to finish this battle, it looks as if they'd have to do it without their magic. And she didn't see that going well.

* * *

Sanjū stood beside Happy as the four Exceeds looked up at the large beating heart that was connected to the ship.

"Do you think that's it?" Happy asked.

"Well, it doesn't look like a power source, but who knows?" Carla replied.

"It's gotta be the power source." Lily said from beside Sanjū. "It's like the heart of the ship itself. Maybe that's the Grimoire Heart."

"Perhaps." Sanjū said. "It does make sense."

Now they just had to wreck it to make sure it couldn't be used anymore. Just hitting an off switch wouldn't do since that meant all the bad guys had to do would hit the on switch afterwards. Sanjū then looked back at the door when she heard voices coming near. It seemed as if they were already discovered.

"Oh, no they found us!" Carla exclaimed as Happy let out a scream of fright.

Lily ran towards the door then looked back at the three younger Exceeds as they stood in front of the heart.

"I'll try to keep them occupied." Lily said. "You three hurry up and put that thing out of commission."

He ran towards the door as Sanjū frowned wondering if he could handle fighting by himself after using so much magic power today. She had tried to offer her assistance earlier when fighting Azuma and those flunkies that were with him, but Lily had told her to stay back, so he could protect her. So she still had more of magic energy than him left to help fight even if she hates to fight. She looked to Carla and Happy after she made a decision.

"You two work on breaking that thing." Sanjū said. "I shall help Lily."

"Right." Happy said. "Go kick butt, Sanjū! I'll be rooting for ya!"

Carla shook her head at Happy then watched as Sanjū hurried after Lily. As she made it outside, she saw Lily, who was holding a sword much like his last one, had returned to his battle form. Well, she might not have a battle form, but she did have a form she used when she needed to fight. Her body glowed then turned into her human form though her human form still had her fluffy tail and feline ears.

"Lily!" Sanjū called out then kicked a guy in his mask covered face when he tried to sneak up behind Lily.

Lily looked back in surprise as Sanjū got back-to-back with him as the enemy surrounded them.

"What are you doing?!" Lily asked. "Get back in there with Happy and Carla. It's too dangerous out here for you!"

"I will not leave you out here alone." Sanjū said as she tilted her head back to look at Lily with her eyes set stubbornly. "I will fight alongside you! I do not need your protect all the time. We're guildmates, and guildmates look out for each other and have each other's backs."

Lily frowned wanting to tell her to stop being childishly stubborn, and return to Carla and Happy. However, he just sighed in the end since he knew it was no use.

"Very well." Lily said. "But stick close to me, Sanjū."

Sanjū nodded her head then looked away as her cheeks warmed. Why was she blushing so much around Lily now?! She mentally shook her head since she had to get her head into this fight. She then reached into the pack she had brought with her, and Lily was surprised when she drew out Shironeko's katana. How did she fit that sword in that small pack? Was it magical? Sanjū then unsheathed the sword with a serious look in her eyes.

"I only use this sword for the sake of my friends." She said to the men around her. "And for their sake, I will not be holding back!"

* * *

Rizzo remained standing with her friends as they faced Hades who looked more frightening than ever.

"The Abyss of Sorcery?" Gray murmured.

"Yes, it's power is overwhelming." Erza said.

Rizzo felt a tug on Gray's shirt, which she was still wearing, so she looked down to see Wendy, who was shaking, holding onto it. Rizzo pulled away from Gray to put her arms around the small girl who hugged her back tightly for comfort. Gray pressed his hand gently on Rizzo's back, so she looked back at him to see the worry in his eyes. They both knew things weren't looking so good for them.

"Hey, snap out of it." Lucy said to Natsu as she shook him a bit. "Come on."

"No, I can't." Natsu said as his body shook in exhaustion. "I'm out of power."

They all were. None of them could probably scrounge up any magic power at the moment. Rizzo grit her teeth together wishing there was something she could do because she felt so useless.

"In order to walk the path of sorcery, one must sink into its abyss of eternal darkness." Hades said as he raised his hand, which was coated in dark magic. "Within that darkness lies primordial magic that shines like the heavens. The purest of magic power. Can you feel it? The primordial magic is so close it's tangible. Yet it's so far in the depths it might as well be out of reach. Within those depths is a lost world—the Grand Magic World, and Zeref is the key to reaching it. Tonight Zeref will awaken, and history will forever be altered. And then at long last the primordial magics will find their rightful place with me!"

Rizzo narrowed her eyes knowing this Grand Magic World can't become reality since so many people would be killed to gain such a world. Besides, Hades having even more power didn't set well with her.

"We cannot allow that to happen." Erza said.

Rizzo agreed with Erza wholeheartedly, but it wasn't like they had the power to stop Hades. She then wanted to scoff at herself. Since was she someone who cared about if her opponent was stronger? Since when was she a coward? She's Rizzo Sweeney, and she's never backed down from a challenge before. Hell, she's always challenged mages bigger and stronger than herself like Gildarts and Laxus…Erza and Mirajane. Or when she fought against Caspian and then Jose (though only briefly). She didn't show any fear then…so why now?

"But you will be ostracized." Hades said as he prepared for an attack. "Only the strong will be allowed to live, and you lack the resolve necessary to reach into the abyss."

In Rizzo's opinion they didn't lack the resolve. It was just their resolve was to keep the world as it is since they didn't want a world like Hades's described.

"Things are about to get a lot worse." Gray said as he stepped closer to Rizzo.

Hades then cast some kind of spell from the book of Zeref, and her eyes widened as beastly monsters appeared around Hades. They all let out roars that had Wendy even more frightened, she hid her face into Rizzo's bosom.

"No, he's creating some kind of monsters from the debris!" Gray exclaimed.

Wendy whimpered once more, so Rizzo stroked her head as the pinkette glared at the monsters while trying not to give into her fears though it was proving difficult.

"With the magic power of the abyss at my command, I create nightmares from the tiniest speck of dust." Hades said. "Devilish dancers and heavenly arbiters such is the supremacy of arcane magic."

Lucy held Natsu tightly as tears ran down her cheeks. She's never felt so frightened before in her entire life. She honestly didn't know what to do. It was silent for a moment before Rizzo spoke.

"No." She said. "It can't end like this…we can't let it. It's not over because we're all still here with each other, which is all we need."

Her friends looked at her with wide eyes as she gently moved Wendy away, so to step forward. Right then Natsu reached up to place his hand on Lucy's trembling arm.

"Yeah, don't worry." Natsu said. "We got everything we need to beat this guy right here with us _…'There's nothing wrong with fear. After all, how else would we come to know our own weaknesses? And you need to know them to become a stronger and gentler person.'_ "

Everyone listened to the two pinkettes words as Natsu started getting up onto his feet.

"Today we learned just how weak we really are." Natsu said. "So what do we do next? I'll tell you. We grow stronger."

The others looked at Natsu in shock, but Rizzo felt a smile appear on her face as she looked at her best friend.

"On our own we might be too afraid to stand up to him, but right now we have our friends by our side." Natsu said. "Like Rizzo said, we're here with each other, which is all we need. And I still have courage because of that fact. There's no reason to be afraid. When we're together we can accomplish anything!"

Rizzo's smile widened while seeing that the others found courage in Natsu's words. There are many times that people don't think much of Natsu because they question his intelligence yet at times like these everyone looks to him because he knows exactly what to say…to get people fired up.

"Still holding onto the light?" Hades asked. "You fools! Your future is nothing but darkness!"

The others got up as well to join their two pink-haired friends in this one last final push to stop Hades. The monsters started moving in, but Rizzo grinned no longer afraid. If those monsters wanted to get in the way to Hades, they'd just have to bring them down too.

"Let's go!" Natsu ordered.

Rizzo took off running towards Hades while ahead of the group while giving a shout along with her friends. Erza and Gray were behind her with Lucy and Wendy behind them, and last but not least was Natsu bringing up the rear.

"What could you possibly how to do without any magic power?!" Hades asked. "Now dance my devils of the earth!"

This conjured monsters started firing at the group, but Rizzo dodged their attacks while refusing to go down. She looked behind her when she heard Natsu gasped to see he had been tripped up. However, Wendy and Lucy managed to grab a hold of him to pull him along. They then gave a strong toss to send him flying past Gray and Erza, and when Rizzo saw them getting ready to give Natsu a push, she grinned knowing the plan. They kicked Natsu forward, and she reached her hand back as he came flying towards her. He grinned while reaching out his hand as well. Rizzo grasped his then started to spin in one strong turn while taking Natsu, who was still airborne, with her.

"Go get him, Natsu!" Rizzo said as she finished the spin and let go of his hand to send him flying right at Hades.

She toppled over as she tripped, but she kept her eyes on Natsu to watch as he reached Hades to punch the man right in the face, which was followed by a huge explosion.

BOOOOM!


	83. Fairy Tail is Victorious!

Coco: Hey, guys, back again since it's my day off. And I have six new Fairy Tail chapters for you! I'll try to have them all edited and posted today. Just a few heads up,

1) I decided not to do the Key to the Starry Heavens Arc

2) I do plan, however, to write the Eclipse Spirits Arc since I love that one so much, and I think it'll be fun to write a bit more about Laelaps and this arc will be perfect for that.

3) I will be opening up a poll soon. Like, you know those mini filler arcs after the GMG arc where other members of the guild have their own time to shine? Like Juvia's 413th episode, Laxus's episode, and then Asuka has her own episode? Well, I want to do the same thing for Rizzo and her brothers, and I want to base the episodes of those five going out on missions with people they usually don't after getting especially requested for a job like how Laxus was to deal with that lightning and Gray and Natsu had a few specially requested jobs. So I'm going to be putting together groupings of teams together with Rizzo and her brothers, and I want you to vote on them. And the highest scored for each sibling will be the group they go with.

Well, I already plan to do have Rizzo go on a mission with the Thunder Legion and Laxus, so that's a given, but I'll have her another one too. It will be a chance to see the siblings interact with members of the guild you rarely see them spend time with.

4) I have decided to do personal chapters for Amarante, Miseri, and Sher like I did for Rizzo's brothers. I kind of want to do the same for Jun, but haven't decided yet.

Anyway that's all the announcements I have...I hope you read them XD Now on with the story

* * *

Rizzo grinned as she watched Natsu's punch send Hades's spiraling into the ground. And if that wasn't enough, Rizzo wouldn't mind to dish out a few punches of her own.

"Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed happily.

Her eyes then widened when seeing his scarf flutter by. She hurried to go grab it, and when she managed to get her fingers on it, she realized she was teetering on the edge. She cried out for help, which came in the form of Wendy, but Lucy probably didn't think doing the splits would come along with her rescue. Rizzo laughed at the scene as Lucy cried out in pain. She then noticed that Hades was back on his feet, and glaring at all of them.

"No, that's impossible!" Hades said. "My arcane magic had no effect on you?"

Natsu just started marching forward ready to continue the beating, and Hades stepped back in actual fright.

"How could that be?" he asked. "My magic lies within!"

He then placed his hand over his eyes as if something was wrong. Rizzo narrowed her eyes wondering if something was wrong with the _great_ Master Hades. Natsu ran forward to punch Hades in the face, which sent him up into the air. Hades monsters started crumbling away, which led Rizzo to believe there actually really was something wrong with Hades.

"Look at that." Erza said. "All the monsters are starting to crumble."

"They're disintegrating." Gray said in shock.

Well, that didn't bother Rizzo one bit since it meant a few less eyesores she had to worry about. Natsu didn't care about any of that as he kept pounding Hades into a bloody pulp. Suddenly the entire place seemed to start shaking, and as Rizzo looked back she saw the Tenrou Tree was returning to normal…wait when had it been cut down? Was it when she was unconscious? Why didn't she notice before? The others soon noticed the tree growing as well, and they were all just as shocked as Rizzo though they had known beforehand that the tree had been destroyed.

Rizzo then felt the emblem on her back warm, and as she glanced back at it, she saw it was glowing as well. When she looked at the others, she saw their emblems were doing the same as hers. She also felt strength return to her body, which means she regained magic power, which brought a grin to her face. With this power even if it wasn't completely up to full strength, she could finally give Hades the real beating he deserves.

"This is what you get for hurting our master, you jerk!" Natsu shouted.

His shout had Rizzo looking back to Hades and Natsu in enough time to see Hades punch Natsu in a desperate attempt to get the Dragon Slayer away from him. He also used a flash of light to blind Natsu momentarily, so to kick the Dragon Slayer.

"Alright, that's it!" Rizzo said as she jumped up. "It's time to finish this fight once and for all because I'm getting tired of Hades's face!"

Before she could hit Hades though a certain blonde Lightening Dragon Slayer did it for her.

"Laxus!" Rizzo and Natsu exclaimed.

"Attack!" Laxus shouted. "Come on Fairy Tail!"

Rizzo and Natsu blinked for a moment then exchanged a glance. Rizzo grinned nodding her head, so she and Natsu prepared to fight. She called forth her violin as Natsu activated his lightning flame mode. The others rushed forward as well while ready to truly end this fight.

"This might be our last chance, so let's make it count." Erza said.

"We gotta blast his geezer with everything we have!" Gray added.

Hades prepared to fight back as the Fairy Tail mages all rushed him as one group.

"If you come any closer you shall feel my wrath!" Hades threatened.

He let out a blast of magic power, but that didn't slow Rizzo and the others down for a second. Lucy skid across the ground while pulling out a key.

"We don't have contract yet, but open: Gate of the Sea Goat: Capricorn!" Lucy ordered.

Capricorn, who was wearing a butler like suit, appeared in golden light with his hand placed on his chest as he gave a slight bow.

"At your service, my lady." He said formally. "Do you need assistance?"

"Take him down!" Lucy said.

"Right." He said.

He then jumped forward without any hesitation to go and attack Hades who seemed shocked.

"How dare you!" He snapped.

Capricorn just punched Hades in the face to silence his shouts of anger.

"I have rid myself of Zoldeo-sama." Capricorn said then kicked Hades. "I am now Lucy-sama's Celestial Spirit. Capricorn!"

He delivered one final hit to Hades that had the old man stumbling backwards. Wendy appeared up in the air behind Hades while preparing to deliver her own blow.

"I want to get a hit in too!" Wendy said. "Sky Dragon: Wing Attack!"

She threw the wind at Hades, and he could only take the hit that Wendy had sent at him. He went rolling across the ground, which put him directly below Gray who had jumped into the air to get ready to attack.

"Ice-Make," He began then created two swords of ice. "Ice Bringer!"

He cut Hades up some with Hades crying out in pain as he wondered how he could letting these children beat him.

"Reequip!" Erza shouted as she ran towards Hades. "Heaven's Wheel."

She dashed forward holding her two swords in hand to slice at Hades as well.

"Pentagram Swords!" She said.

Hades managed to catch himself on his feet despite the attack, but then he noticed two magic signatures near him that were building. He looked to the side seeing Natsu and Rizzo standing side-by-side while glowing with magic energy. Natsu had lightning magic in one hand and flame in the other as Rizzo was playing her violin at a rapid pace. Her magic seemed to envelope Natsu as he ran forwards towards Hades to attack.

"Lightning Flame Dragon: Song of Divine Light!" They shouted in unison as Natsu brought his two magics together coupled with Rizzo's magic down on Hades.

Everything exploded into a bright light that was made brighter by the flame and lightning magic. The attack extended around the entire island due to its force, and for a moment everyone was blinded by the brilliance of the light. Once the light dimmed down everyone, but Master Hades, who crumbled to the ground looking as if he had been burned by the divine rays of the sun, was alright and in one peace. After the light from their attack completely died down, a new light appeared on the horizon to show it was daybreak. Rizzo smiled towards the light as she stopped playing. It was such a beautiful sight. Natsu then fell to his knees since he couldn't stand up any longer.

"We did it, Gramps." Natsu said. "We showed him who's boss. We put everything on the line, and we showed him the power of our guild."

Rizzo smiled at his words then rushed towards him along with the rest of their team. Natsu then threw back his arms and gave a cry of victory.

"Fairy Tail is the greatest!" He shouted.

Rizzo laughed happily as everyone else took a moment to celebrate their victory as well. She then snapped her fingers expecting her guitar case to fly towards her. However, when it didn't she looked around. Her eyes widened when seeing some of the rubble had fallen on it, and ripped the sturdy cloth. Clyde was going to kill her for sure. She was brought out of her thoughts as Gray put his arms around her shoulders. She looked up at him as he smiled at her.

"I'm glad that's over." He said.

Rizzo smiled back nodding her head in agreement as she leaned into his side. He tightened his arm around her a bit as he pressed his cheek to the top of her head.

"Yeah." Erza agreed with Gray.

She then reequipped into her usual armor since she didn't have the magical energy to keep wearing the other.

"So I guess this means we won, huh?" Wendy asked.

She blinked when she felt a hand on top her head, so she looked up at Rizzo who was patting her head.

"Yeah, we won." Rizzo said as she smiled.

Wendy's smile widened because she was so glad this was all over, and that they were all okay. Lucy knelt beside Natsu who turned to look at her as she held out his scarf.

"Here," She said. "You might want this."

"It is a little chilly." He said as he took it.

Wendy laughed at his small joke as he was putting the scarf back around his neck where it belonged. Suddenly a cry for help entered their ears, so they turned seeing their Exceed companions running towards them.

"Please, help us!" Carla begged.

"You gotta save me, Natsu!" Happy cried.

Rizzo blinked wondering what was wrong. She hoped nothing major since she was tired out.

"What is it now?" Natsu asked sounding annoyed.

"Who's that behind them?" Lucy asked.

Rizzo finally took note to the large group of people chasing after the four Exceeds, and she frowned when seeing it was those Grimoire Heart flunkies. They were right behind Sanjū and Lily as the latter was pulling the prior along by holding her paw tightly.

"Talk about bad timing." Gray said as he moved in front of Rizzo.

Any other time she'd get annoyed, but she felt too tired to even muster up the energy to be annoyed.

"Oh no, I'm completely drained of magic power right now." Erza said.

"Me too!" Wendy added.

The Exceeds joined their human friends, and Lily made sure to put Sanjū behind him to protect her. Yes, he had no more power, but he would keep her safe no matter what.

"I'm afraid I don't have any magical power left either." Lily said.

"They all look so angry, don't they?" Happy asked as he shook.

"Yes, but can you blame them?" Carla asked.

"It is their own fault for coming here." Sanjū said. "If they didn't want their toys broken, they should not have messed with Fairy Tail."

The others couldn't help but agree with that statement since it was true. Anyone who messes with Fairy Tail is going to get it in some form or another. But right now wasn't one of those times they were prepared to dish out some pain. Everyone then froze when a certain guild master stepped onto the broken down ship. Rizzo and the others looked towards their master with their eyes widening when seeing that everyone was with him.

Well, almost everyone…Gildarts and Amarante were MIA. Rizzo smiled when seeing her friends, and she quickly looked over her brothers. Sven was standing by Freed with a serious look on his face as he crossed his arms over his chest. Craylee was supporting a weak looking Juvia, and on the other side of the group, Cana was having to help Jaser stand. Breccan, who was using a branch as a makeshift crutch was standing on his own, but Mirajane hovered by closely in case he needed help.

"Stay right where you are!" Makarov snapped.

The others all smiled as well when seeing that their guildmates were up and about now.

"Hey, Gramps!" Natsu called out.

"Everyone's here." Lucy said happily.

"Master's all better, and so is Gajeel!" Wendy said. "And Jaser!"

The Sand Dragon Slayer wouldn't say he was all better, but he was feeling better now than earlier.

"Good to see you guys." Gray said.

"Indeed." Erza said.

She looked down smiling while grateful to Azuma for keeping his deal since now the blessing of Fairy Tail was once again bestowed onto the guild.

"But it sure took you long enough to show up." Rizzo teased as she winked.

Some of the others laughed at her jest as Happy jumped up and down in joy when seeing the cavalry had arrived. Makarov glared towards the enemy still left as they remained frozen this entire time. They all mumbled in worry before noticing that their own master had been defeated, which had them freaking out.

"I order you to get off this island immediately!" Makarov shouted.

The group of Grimoire Heart mages didn't have to be told twice since they all took off running towards the coast and away from the Fairy Tail guild. Once they were gone, everyone started celebrating, and Rizzo laughed as Gray hugged her tightly while spinning her off the ground once. He set her back down onto her feet before placing a quick yet loving kiss on her soft lips. When he pulled back, the two of them just smiled at each other. As they were having their little moment, the others continued to celebrate.

"I'm glad that's over." Craylee said as he sighed. "It was becoming such a pain."

Juvia smiled up at her love as he rubbed the back of his neck with another sigh leaving his lips. She then giggled as she latched onto him to give him a tight hug. He was a bit surprised, but sighed once more since he shouldn't have been.

"I'm just glad we're all alive even if not completely in one piece." Breccan said as he sat down since he couldn't stand anymore.

Mirajane knelt down beside him. She placed a hand on his shoulder, and she was surprised when he flinched a bit. He then went to reach for her hand, but paused. He looked down at his hand as he moved it away from her own, which was still on his shoulder. He frowned at his hand as Mirajane wondered what was wrong. Did something happen during his fight with his father?

"I have to agree with you there." Sven said as he laughed.

He then coughed a bit since laughing hurt his chest. He felt a hand on his back, so he turned to look at Freed.

"Are you alright?" He asked worriedly.

"Yeah." Sven said. "Just a little beat up, but I'll be fine."

Freed smiled since he was happy to hear that. He didn't want to see Sven in pain. As Freed remained at Sven's side, Cana looked to Jaser as he was leaning against the little that remained of the interior wall of the first level of the airship. He was holding his torso as he was looking forward at everyone quietly.

"You're really quite." Cana said as she placed her hand on his arm. "That's not like you."

Jaser said nothing at first, but he did turn to look down at Cana as she was looking at him in concern.

"Are we alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, of course we are." Cana said. "Look around…we're all fine."

"That's not what I meant." He said. "I meant _us_ , Cana."

Cana frowned now knowing what he meant. They hadn't exactly been on good terms ever since the trials started coming up. Yes, they had acted civil and as if nothing was wrong in front of the guildmates most of the time, but ever since Cana had snapped him nearly two weeks ago, they hadn't really been the same. It was her fault of course. She's the one who snapped when he was just trying to find a way to make her feel better.

"I'm only asking because…I nearly died today." Jaser said. "If Gildarts hadn't shown up, I would have…and we wouldn't have gotten the chance to resolve whatever went estrange between us."

It was very uncharacteristically of Jaser to be so serious, but this matter was something important that couldn't be taken lightly. Cana looked down at the ground while not even wanting to think of that moment where she had thought she lost Jaser.

"I'm sorry." Cana said. "It's my fault. I'm the one who snapped when you were trying to help me, and it was over something silly. I have a secret, and I didn't want to say anything…so I became defensive when you asked what was bothering me…I can understand if you don't forgive me, but I want us to be okay."

Jaser was silent was more, and Cana was certain that she lost her relationship with Jaser. She was surprised when Jaser just brought Cana into his arms.

"I can't forgive you because I was never angry at you in the first place." Jaser said, which shocked her. "I'm just glad we're okay."

Cana felt her eyes water a bit, but she pushed back the tears as she leaned into Jaser's chest. The two were distracted from the moment when they heard Makarov blowing a fuse. Everyone looked over to the Master to see him berating Laxus, and most of them were shocked to see the blonde. Rizzo smiled at the sight of Laxus getting a scolding because it was actually a nostalgic sight. Levy tried to calm Makarov down as Laxus looked away with an annoyed frown on his face. The Thunder Legion all looked at Laxus with wide eyes as their bodies shook.

"It's Laxus." Freed said.

The Thunder Legion then tackled Laxus to hug and cry over him, which had him frowning even more in annoyance.

"Get off." He said then frowned more in confusion when noticing Amarante wasn't a part of this group hug.

He looked around not seeing the woman in sight, which had his frown growing. Where was she? He felt worry blossom in his chest for the woman who he has been longing to see ever since he left Magnolia.

"Now, let's get back to the trials!" Natsu declared loudly, which had all attention on him.

"Are you kidding me?!" Happy demanded.

Natsu just grinned as he threw out a few practice punches as if there was an enemy in front of him.

"The second round was interrupted by Grimoire Heart, so it doesn't count." Natsu said. "I say we simplify things and have an all-out battle!"

He was head butted by Gajeel who had angry scowl on his face, and was ready to brawl.

"You must have been hit on your head too many times if you think you can defeat me when you're all busted up like that." Gajeel said as he ignored Levy who told him to chill.

"Whatever," Natsu said with a demonic look on his face. "Because I'm a lightning flame dragon—!"

He never got to finish his sentence since he stiffened up with a look of pain on his face. Gajeel actually asked if he was alright, and his reply was Natsu's fainting.

"Natsu!" Levy exclaimed in worry.

"Don't go passing out on me!" Gajeel snapped.

"Fainting must be side effect of consuming non-flame magic." Erza said smartly.

Some of the others sweat-dropped at that obvious statement since they could see that for themselves.

"Well, Natsu might not be able to continue, but this pinkette is ready to rumble!" Rizzo said. "Whoever is man enough step up!"

She went to take a step herself, but she heard a snap followed by a sharp pain in her thigh. She cried out while toppling over to hold her thigh.

"I guess all that fighting re-broke her bone." Lucy said as she sweat-dropped.

Gray sighed as he knelt down to check on his girlfriend as she continued to clutch her thigh.

"Anyway I think it's about time we go back to basecamp." Wendy said.

"If we don't get some rest soon, our bodies won't be able to hold up." Carla added.

Everyone had to agree with the feline there, so they all started heading back to camp. Gray carried Rizzo on his back as Lucy, who was being left behind with Natsu, demanded for some help with the unconscious guy. However, her friends ignored her. Rizzo chuckled when she heard Lucy's shouts before nuzzling into Gray's shoulder as he continued to carry her. He tilted his head to the side to smile back at her as she closed her eyes ready for a nap.

* * *

Rizzo sat around the basecamp watching all her guildmates be as lively as ever. It brought a smile to her face while making the battle almost seem like a distance memory. She then blinked when a shadow fell over her. She looked up seeing Gray standing there. He sat down beside her while holding out a bottle of water that hadn't been destroyed during the battle that happened here earlier.

"Thanks." She said as she smiled at him.

She took the bottle from him to take a sip, and the cool water felt nice going down her parched throat. She passed it over to him again, so he could have some. She leaned into his side as he took a gulp. He set the water down while smiling at his girl. He put his arm around her to place a kiss on top her head. As Rizzo rested against him with her eyes closed, he went back to watching their guildmates. He snorted in amusement when seeing Natsu in pigtails as Lisanna and Mirajane were giggling in amusement.

Happy and Carla were enjoying some food and tea as Sanjū was standing with Lily by their makeshift stump table. Gajeel came to check on Lily, but it seemed walking put too much of a strain on him since he started spazzing out in pain. The Thunder Legion—minus Amarante—enjoyed spending time with Laxus who had a troubled look on his face as he looked around the basecamp as if looking for someone. Gray had a feeling that the person he was searching for was Amarante. He always knew there was something between Laxus and Amarante. Everyone in the guild did. It was like an unspoken fact that those two were like lovers.

Laxus was distracted by his worrying as Evergreen tried to get Elfman in trouble. However, in the end Laxus seemed more sympathetic towards Elfman than Evergreen. To the side Lucy and Cana were being spoken to by Capricorn who seemed to be saying farewell. Jaser was sitting near Cana and Lucy with his eyes closed as if he was taking a light nap as he leaned against tree. Craylee was trying to stop Juvia fussing over him as she was trying to see to his wounds. Sven had a frown on his face as he was watching Freed cry over Laxus. Breccan was off to the side speaking softly to Makarov, and Gray noticed the haunted look in Breccan's eyes. And it seemed as if Makarov was trying to give words of comfort to the man.

Everyone came out of this fight differently it seemed. Some were able to brush it off while others were bothered by what happened. And even some of his guildmates looked alright, he had a feeling they were actually more bothered than they were letting on. Gray then looked up when he heard Natsu yell at Gildarts, who seemed to pop up out of nowhere, for a fight. Gray wasn't surprised when Gildarts knocked Natsu out with one hit. There was then a gust of wind with a small vortex appearing in the center of the camp. As it dispersed Amarante appeared.

"Amarante, my dear, you're back." Makarov said. "Are all the mages of Grimoire Heart and Shadow Undertaker off the island?"

"Yes, Master." Amarante said bowing. "I searched the entire island and all are gone. I even escorted some off the island without harming them as you asked."

Makarov thanked her as the others went back to being lively as usual. Amarante then turned to speak with her Thunder Legion pals. She froze when seeing Laxus sitting there with the Thunder Legion. She and Laxus just stared at each other a moment, and it became quiet once more as Gray and the others wondered what might happen. Rizzo even opened her eyes when it became super quiet to see what was going on. When she saw Laxus and Amarante staring at each other, she now knew why it became quiet.

"Amarante, before you settle down, I need to discuss a few things with you and Breccan." Makarov said.

Amarante was silent at first before she turned away from Laxus to look at Makarov.

"Of course, Master." She said.

She went to join him and Breccan to speak, and after a few tense silent moments, the others returned to their business. Rizzo kept her eyes on Laxus for a moment though to see he was a bit bothered by Amarante's lack of response to seeing him. Rizzo was then distracted when she heard the boys getting a bit excited. She frowned as she looked over to see they were all gathering around Erza, who was in a sexy nurse outfit, and poor Wendy, who had been healing their wounds, was left thrown to the side. The poor thing seemed so crushed.

"Hey, maybe Erza has another outfit like that." Gray said getting her attention.

He grinned down at her as he tightened his arm around her to bring her closer.

"And we can play nurse, and you can treat me." He teased.

Rizzo felt heat pool into her cheeks immediately as her eyes widened at his words. He chuckled thinking her blush was cute before he leaned in to kiss her brow. The only other boys not to go over to Erza were Laxus as he was still looking over at Amarante, Craylee who let Juvia fuss over him now, Jaser who was just laughing at the scene, Breccan who was still speaking with Master, and Sven who keeping Freed's attention on him. Rizzo soon got over her embarrassment as she watched Erza bind Gajeel and Natsu together with bandages. She laughed with a large smile on her face.

"How did we get stuck with such crazy guildmates?" She asked.

Gray just laughed along with her as the craziness continued amongst their guildmates who they wouldn't have any other way.


	84. Acnologia the Black Dragon

Rizzo let out a sigh as she sat off to the side. Minutes ago Makarov declared that the S-Class trials were over with no victor. She hadn't even bothered to kick up a fuss about it since it wasn't like she could compete with her leg in the sorry state it is. Besides, at least she had accomplished defeating Erza like she declared she would six years ago, so she'll go home feeling like a winner anyway. Speaking of home, soon the group would be leaving the island to head there, and she couldn't wait to see the others since it felt like eternity since they saw their beloved guildmates. She missed them.

"Hey, Rizz."

Rizzo looked up seeing Laxus standing in front of her with his hands in his pockets.

"Did you see where Amarante went?" Laxus asked.

"She went with Breccan and Master." Rizzo said then pointed. "That way. They're discussing Shadow Undertakers involvement with Grimoire Heart and the Balam Alliance."

Laxus looked in the direction that Rizzo pointed with that troubled look back on his face. Rizzo studied him for a moment then grinned.

"You got something important to tell her about?" Rizzo asked. "A love confession maybe?"

Laxus scoffed at Rizzo's question as he sat down beside the injured pinkette. Gray was no longer sitting beside her at the moment since he went to get something for them to eat.

"You're too young to be thinking about romance." Laxus said as he pat her on top the head. "Leave that to the grownups."

Rizzo slapped his hand away with a frown on her face that had him chucking in amusement.

"Hey, I'm not a kid!" Rizzo snapped. "I'm eighteen and with a boyfriend, so it's too late for me to stay out of "romance", Laxus."

"Oh, that's right." Laxus said. "You and Gray are a thing now. Remind me to have a chat with him later."

Rizzo blinked in confusion since she had no idea why Laxus would want to "chat" with Gray. Somewhere else in camp, Gray shuddered feeling as if someone stepped on his grave. He paled getting a really bad feeling in his gut.

"Don't worry your pretty pink head about it, Rizz." Laxus said as he pat her shoulder.

His words only made her want to ask him what he meant even more, but when she heard footsteps drawing near, she paused. She and Laxus looked up as they watched Breccan, who was still using his crutch, walk back into camp.

"Hey, Amarante not with you?" Laxus asked.

"She's finishing up a small conversation with Master." Breccan said as he was walking by Laxus and Rizzo. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you joined them since the topic is you."

Laxus frowned wondering why Amarante and Makarov would be discussing him. He decided to go find out as he stood up from the ground to walk in the direction that Breccan came from. Rizzo watched him go while hoping he and Amarante worked whatever kind of relationship they had out. She then looked to Gray as he returned with some stew. The two of them settled down to eat together as everyone else went about their own business.

* * *

Laxus walked through the forest looking for Amarante and Makarov when his dragon hearing picked up voices.

"Master, why won't you accept Laxus back into the guild?" Amarante asked. "I don't understand."

"I do not wish to continue discussing this Amarante." Makarov said. "I have nothing to say with or about that boy."

Laxus could just picture Amarante's heartbroken expression when Makarov said that, and it hurt him just thinking she was upset. However, he knew why his grandfather wouldn't let him back into the guild, so he wasn't surprised.

"Except that he's got quite the pair on him for daring to set foot on Fairy Tail's sacred ground." Makarov then added as Laxus finally reached them. "He no longer enjoys that privilege."

He saw Makarov sitting on top a small hill as Amarante was looking up at him with a bothered expression.

"But…he came here and helped us, Master." Amarante pointed out.

"Yes, I heard all about his heroic fight with Hades just like you have." Makarov said. "How he saved Natsu's and the others' lives by putting himself directly into harm's way. My appreciation for what he did is more than words can convey, but as far as Fairy Tail's concerned he is still an outsider. To one that we owe our gratitude."

Amarante looked down at the ground as her hands clenched into right fists. So tight that her knuckles turned white from her skin being stretched across them tautly.

"So you won't change your mind then, Master?" Amarante asked.

"Of course he won't." Laxus said finally speaking up.

Amarante stiffened with her eyes widening before she whirled around to look at Laxus to see him leaning against a tree a few feet behind her. How did he get there without her noticing?

"It's how the guild stayed strong over the years." Laxus continued to speak. "You can't buy your way in with a single good deed. It takes a lot more."

"I…I suppose that's true." Amarante said.

"Natsu and his group…all of you were in a jam, so I did what any decent passing stranger would do…and tried to help out." Laxus said. "There wasn't kind of any alternative motive behind my actions."

It grew silent for a moment as Amarante felt tears prick her eyes. Why did the Dreyer men have to be so stubborn? Why couldn't Laxus just ask forgiveness? And why couldn't Makarov stop being so stern and let his grandson back into the guild?

"Hey, old man," Laxus called getting a look from Makarov. "Yeah, that's the look. Classic. Probably be the last time I see that scowling face for a long while. Later."

He turned to leave with Amarante's eyes widening. Was that really it? He wasn't going to say anymore? Was he even going to tell her goodbye? She couldn't let him go before they discussed a few things.

"Laxus, wait!" She called hurrying after him.

He was going to ignore her since he thought it better this way, but when her slender arms went around his waist, he froze. He glanced over his shoulder to look down at her as tears ran down her cheeks. She looked up at him with her mouth opening to say something when she was interrupted by a god awful roaring noise that had her, Laxus and Makarov stiffening.

"What is that?" Amarante asked.

She then felt Laxus place his large hand over the two she had clasped on his torso as he looked around. That sound had him on edge, and he didn't like it.

* * *

Rizzo and the others all paused in what they were doing when they felt an ominous presence and heard what sounded like a deep rumbling noise.

"Will someone feed Lucy, so her belly will stop rumbling for a while?" Gajeel asked.

"The Lucy in Edolas had a big appetite, but this is crazy." Lisanna said.

"You shouldn't listen to Gajeel." Levy said looking annoyed. "He's just being his usual big time jerk self."

Gajeel chuckled not seeming bothered by Levy's insult. In fact, he looked amused.

"Oh dear, I hope there's enough food to tie her over until we get back home." Mirajane said giggling.

"Gees, don't you know a joke when you hear one?!" Gajeel asked.

Rizzo shook her head at the group as she and Gray continued to sit next to each other.

"Well, all kidding aside, what the heck was that noise?" Gray asked.

Rizzo would like to know as well since it had her feeling a bit on edge at the moment. She looked up at the sky ignoring Evergreen and Elfman's fighting after Elfman commented something about being a real man. She didn't like that noise from earlier, and she didn't like this feeling she had. She felt as if something dark was heading this way. It seemed as if she wasn't the only one because Jaser was frowning up at the sky with a serious look on his face as his pupils became slits. Why was there a smell of dragon in the air? Suddenly a loud roar entered the air that had the entire island shaking.

"What is that?!" Evergreen asked as almost everyone covered their ears.

"It sure is manly." Elfman said.

Jaser got to his feet as he glared up into the sky while knowing for certain that he reason he smelled a dragon was became there was a dragon heading this way.

"That was definitely a dragon's roar." Wendy said.

"A dragon?!" Lisanna exclaimed.

"Are you sure it's not a thunder storm?" Lily asked looking freaked out again.

Another roar entered the air as Gray and Rizzo go to their feet with Gray staying close to Rizzo since she couldn't stand on her own.

"Definitely a dragon." Jaser said. "I can smell it, and it's moving in fast."

The others seemed bothered to hear a dragon was closing in to the island. It seemed as if they just couldn't catch a break today.

"Hey, is everyone alright?!"

The group turned seeing Lucy, Natsu, Happy, Cana, and Gildarts returning to the camp.

"Did you guys hear that crazy noise?!" Happy asked.

"Yeah, Jaser and Wendy say it's a dragon!" Gray replied.

Natsu's eyes widened when he heard that as he looked over at Jaser who was looked ready for a fight at any moment. Cana moved over towards Jaser, and he held his arm out in front of her as if to tell her to stay back. She stopped moving as she looked into his eyes to see he really could tell danger was coming.

"They're not wrong." Gildarts said as he held his arm. "My wounds are burning. That dragon is getting real close."

"Look up into the sky!" Lily called out. "Something's coming this way!"

The others looked up with their eyes widening when they saw the large black dragon heading their way.

"Holy crap!" Gray exclaimed.

Rizzo stood there not sure what to say as the black dragon got closer to Tenrou Island.

"That thing's humongous!" Elfman said.

No one could disagree with him there because the dragon was definitely huge. It let out another roar that had the group stiffening. Jaser snarled in response to the dragon's roar with his body shaking. Cana has never seen him like this before, and she feared what might happen if Jaser was acting like this.

"It is a dragon!" Bickslow said no believe his eyes.

"I don't believe it." Lucy said.

She and the others then had to cover their faces as a gust of wind blew down on them from the Dragon beating its wings.

"You've got to be kidding." Gajeel said.

"I don't think it's a friendly one." Wendy said looking freaked out.

"I knew it." Natsu said. "I was right all along. They still do exist."

"And this one is looking for blood." Jaser said.

His words had most of the others stiffening. He didn't want to purposely freak them out, but he could practically smell carnage hanging off this dragon, so he knew it wasn't here for a friendly visit.

"I'm afraid that's Acnologia." Makarov said as he returned with Amarante and Laxus. "The Black Dragon of the Apocalypse."

With a title like that Rizzo knew that this dragon really had to mean some bad business.

"Yeah, that's definitely him." Gildarts said.

"That sounds bad." Lucy said. "What the heck are we going to do?"

She didn't think they could just fight the flying beasts like they would any other enemy.

"Hey, Dragon!" Natsu called out getting everyone to look at him. "You know where I can find Igneel?! Tell me! Grandine, Metallicana, and Sabbia too!"

While Jaser would love to know where his foster mother is, he had a feeling asking this dragon wouldn't help them.

"Stop it, Natsu!" Gildarts said as he grabbed Natsu's shoulders. "You don't want to provoke him! Did you forget what happened to me? How I lost my arm and my leg? Hell, I'm lucky I didn't lose my life that day."

Natsu looked down at the ground growling in anger since he just wanted some answers. Acnologia let out another roar as it started moving down towards the group.

"It's coming down!" Freed warned.

Gray held Rizzo tightly in his arms as the others huddled a bit closer together as well. Jaser moved completely in front of Cana feeling another snarl build up in his throat.

"I don't think this is the same kind of dragon that raised Natsu and Wendy." Happy said. "This one seems evil."

The dragon landed on the ground, which had the entire island shaking and a blast of air moving past the group that sent a few things flying.

"You're certainly right about that." Gildarts said. "It's the most evil thing there is."

"So are we going to fight it or what?" Natsu said.

He was sure that with five Dragon Slayers, Gildarts, and the rest of the guild that it should be easy enough.

"We can't, Natsu." Gildarts said. "You don't understand the situation. It's not about winning or losing a fight. This is about getting away with our lives, and I'm not even sure some of us will be even lucky enough to do that."

His words had a lot of them worried, and holding their loved ones closer to them. Craylee had his arms around Juvia who was clutching the front of his tattered shirt. Mirajane was huddled close to Breccan while also keeping her arms around Lisanna. Freed and Sven were side-by-side as well, and Sven unconsciously reached out to grip Freed's sleeve.

Freed looked at the small blonde as he looked up at the dragon with actual fear in his eyes. Freed pulled his sleeve out of Sven's grip, and since the blonde thought he did something wrong, he stepped away. However, he was surprised when Freed took his hand. He looked up at the green-haired man as Freed squeezed his hand.

"What do you mean?" Natsu asked. "Are you trying to say this thing is going to kill some of us?!"

Acnologia let out a threatening roar that had Gildarts jumping into action quickly.

"Come on!" He shouted. "Everyone run now!"

The group froze at first when hearing Gildarts ordered and hearing the panic in his voice.

"What's it doing?" Mirajane asked.

Acnologia suddenly let out a breath, and the force of it knocked people off their feet and sent what was left of their camp flying. After the breath was over, the others started to move. The group noticed the forest had disappeared as well, which had their eyes widening.

"How can it be so destructive?" Levy asked as Gajeel held her up.

"It wiped out those trees with just a single roar." Cana said as she shook. "How strong is that thing?"

She then looked to Jaser, who had used his body to shield her own, as he moved away from her.

"That wasn't a roar." Jaser said. "An actual dragon roar would have wiped out the island. He was just letting out a breath."

The others stiffened with their eyes widening. Even his fellow Dragon Slayers, who knew he was right, was disturbed by this.

"Listen up, if you wanna stay alive, you can't waste time freaking out!" Gildarts called out to the group. "Pull yourselves together, and get out of here."

Rizzo, who was on Gray's back, shook as she tightened her arms around him. She thought Hades was scary, but he didn't hold a candle to this dragon in front of them now. Acnologia went back up into the air, which didn't sit well with Rizzo.

"Hurry!" Gildarts shouted. "Everyone get to the ship!"

They all started hurrying to the ship as Erza directed them where to go, so they could get away. Rizzo grit her teeth together feeling useless as Gray had to carry her. Cana was about to take off running, but paused when she saw Jaser wasn't moving.

"Jaser, don't just stand there!" Cana said as she grabbed his arm. "We have to move! You heard Gildarts."

Jaser let out a growl, but let himself be pulled along with the others. His Dragon Slayer instincts were telling him to fight that dragon, but he'd go along with his guildmates as Cana wished. They all ran trying to get away, but were soon cut off from the boat as Acnologia got in front of them. It attacked Freed, Sven, and Bickslow who were closest to it, which had Evergreen and Rizzo calling out to them in worry.

"He cut out our escape root!" Gray said.

He felt Rizzo's arms tighten around him a bit more, so he looked back to see her frightened expression. He grit his teeth together wishing he could get her somewhere safe. He wished he could protect her now, but he didn't know what to do.

"But why us?!" Wendy asked. "Why are you doing this?! Answer me!"

Acnologia didn't reply, so Jaser could see there wouldn't be any meaningful conversations happening. The group then had to dodge Acnologia as he started attacking them with his claws. Rizzo buried her head in Gray's shoulder feeling completely useless at the moment. She didn't have any of her instruments, and she couldn't help her friends who sounded completely freaked out and scared.

"Useless." She said to herself.

Her head then snapped up when she heard Jaser and Natsu give shouts as they ran towards Acnologia. What were the two of them trying to do?! Natsu was hit being sent back skidding against the ground, but Jaser managed to dodge. He tried to hit Acnologia with one of his slayer moves, but he was whacked away by its tail into the trees.

"Jaser!" Cana called out in worry.

She ran over towards where he had landed worried about him. His body wasn't in the state to take hits like that. As she was helping him up, she saw that the Master stepped up to face Acnologia, which had everyone's eyes widening. Makarov took on his giant form as he faced the dragon in front of him, so to protect his children.

"Get to the ship!" Makarov ordered then grabbed Acnologia.

"He's crazy!" Gray said. "He can't fight that thing!"

"Master, please don't play the hero!" Erza begged. "The guild needs you to stay alive."

"Get out of here!" Makarov shouted.

Rizzo shook her head not believing that he was asking them to flee and leave him for dead. All the others swore to stay behind, and even if Rizzo couldn't use her magic at the moment, she would stay as well.

"Will you brats just shut up and honor your master's final wish?!" Makarov demanded. "Get out of here now!"

Rizzo's eyes widened when she heard Makarov say this was his final wish. He couldn't be serious. She then cursed herself for being weak. If she had mastered the castor style to music magic already, she could help their master fight against this foe.

"I am a Dragon Slayer mage, Gramps!" Natsu shouted. "This is what I was born to do, so let me—!"

He was cut off when Laxus grabbed the back of his scarf to pull him along and shut him up.

"Not today, kid." Laxus said while ignoring Natsu's protests.

Everyone watched him go then looked down supposing that they had to do as their master wished.

"Best of luck!" Erza said. "Now run!"

The others all reluctantly started doing as Makarov wanted, and Rizzo felt tears run down her cheeks as she cried. She…she couldn't believe they were really running. She knew why…but still.

"We…we have to go back." Rizzo said with the group looking back at her as Gray was bringing up the rear. "We can't leave him."

"Rizzo, you heard what he said." Erza said. "The master wishes—!"

"I don't give a damn what he wishes!" Rizzo cut her off.

Everyone's eyes widened as the group came to a stop. Rizzo clutched one of Gray's shoulders tightly before looking up at the group.

"Master always taught us we fight as a family." Rizzo said. "And that we never forget our friends and family when fighting a terrible foe, and to remember they're always with us! And that we stick together no matter what. If we have to live by that philosophy then he must too! He can't tell us to run and play the martyr! And we can't let him! We're Fairy Tail…and we never leave our guildmates behind especially our master…because…because if it wasn't for him…we wouldn't be a family in the first place."

Rizzo then let out a sob as she bowed her head, and everyone else looked down knowing she was right.

"Nicely said, Rizz." Natsu said as he stepped up cracking his knuckles. "Now let's go back at get our master!"

Everyone nodded in agreement then all turned around to run back towards the fight. Laxus watched them for a moment before chuckling. He should have known this would have happened. He then looked to Amarante as she looked up at him.

"Shall we?" She asked.

"Yeah…can't stay out of it, or I'll never heart the end of it from those punks." Laxus said.

Amarante smiled before running after the group, so to join them for the fight. Natsu was the first to attack Acnologia and free Makarov from its grip. Gray set Rizzo down beside Makarov, who was in his usual form, so to help out the others. She watched as he went to fight as she grit her teeth together as they fought.

"You crazy kids should have ran." Makarov said.

"How could we?" Rizzo said. "Families stick together…that's what you taught us, Master. So why would we have run and leave our gramps behind?"

Makarov looked at her with wide eyes as tears leaked from them then watched with Rizzo as the group fought. She wanted to help, but she didn't know what to do. At first it seemed as if they were winning, but Acnologia didn't even get a scratch. Rizzo watched on starting to feel desperate as she watched her friends get beat around. She heard Gray cry out, and something inside of her snapped. She felt a spike of magical power explode within her, and Laxus and Makarov looked at her with wide eyes as green magical energy moved around her.

"Leave my family alone!" Rizzo snapped.

Suddenly magical instruments made of pure magic energy collected around Acnologia, and everyone stared in surprise while some looked back at Rizzo. She was glaring at Acnologia as her magic continued to build.

"Incredible." Makarov said. "Instruments made of pure magic energy."

He's never seen anything like it. Acnologia then let out another roar as it faced Rizzo.

"I won't let you hurt them anymore!" Rizzo shouted.

The instruments started playing with raging emotion as if they were trying to express Rizzo's feelings. Magic power hit Acnologia, and it roared out in anger. A bright light happened due to the magic energy clashing, and once it died down, everyone's eyes widened when seeing the dragon wasn't even fazed. Rizzo sat there panting with her eyes wide when seeing Acnologia didn't have a scratch on him.

"I failed." Rizzo said. "There's not even a mark."

Her body shook not believing that in the end she couldn't do anything to help. As the others started to feel despair, Gray crouched in front of Rizzo. He placed his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him as the tears rolled down her cheeks. He leaned in while pressing his forehead against hers. What were they going to do now? They then looked at the dragon as he got ready to fire a breath attack. Erza demanded that defensive magic users prepare to defend everyone, and it was decided everyone would lend their magic to Levy, Freed, and Sven who could write up enchantments and other script barriers.

"Everyone hold hands." Mirajane ordered.

Everyone moved to gather around each other, and Rizzo held Gray and Lucy's hands. Everyone gathered together to hold hands tightly in a circle.

"Okay, kids, let us all go home together." Makarov said.

Everyone smiled at each other as their magic built up together in the circle. Rizzo looked up at the sky refusing to cry any longer.

"Back home to Fairy Tail." They all said together.

The island then erupted into a bright light with smiles remaining on the mages' faces.

 _"We'll see each other again…back home…Until then, Fairy Tail_."

* * *

Coco: Well, that's the end of the Tenrou Island Arc! I hope you all liked it :D


	85. Back Home Again

SEVEN YEARS LATER

Raoul sat on a large rock on Tenrou Island as he looked out at the ocean just outside the golden sphere that protected the island. He then glanced over at Rizzo who was still stuck in her inanimate-like state like the rest of her friends. He let out sigh as he looked back out at the ocean.

"Raoul, you sound so melancholy."

Raoul turned his head to look over his shoulder to see Mavis approaching him.

"Do I?" Raoul asked.

"Yes, and today is supposed to be a happy day." Mavis said. "It's time that Tenrou Island resurfaces, which means everyone will wake from their deep seven year slumber."

Raoul nodded his head knowing that was true. Still he had wished he still had been able to make a difference seven years ago. He hadn't even showed up to help, but what would have appearing had done since he didn't have the magic power like he used to? Rizzo…she missed out on seven years, and who knows what might await her back in Magnolia. He also worried for the others too. How were all of them going to react to knowing seven years went by? If he had any of the power he had when he was alive, he might have been able to help.

"Don't look so guilty." Mavis said. "You did help me collect the magic from their strong bonds of family and friendship, so it could be turned into this spell. Thanks to you their safe."

"No, it's because of their bonds and feelings for each other that they're safe." Raoul said. "But thanks for trying to make me feel better. I guess I'm just starting to realize how much of an old man I am and that I can't do as much as I used to be able to do."

Mavis lightly laughed behind her hand, which had Raoul looking at her curiously.

"Now this doesn't sound like the Raoul I know." Mavis said. "Sounds almost as if you're calling yourself useless. And I know for a fact that you've helped a lot. You helped your great-great granddaughter grow into a more powerful mage, and you know as well as I that passing on our knowledge to the next generation is the greatest thing we "old folk" can do."

Raoul felt his lips twitch up into a grin as a chuckle slipped past his lips. He supposed she was right. Besides, this wasn't the time to be wallowing around while thinking of something that happened in the past.

"So it's time, huh?" Raoul asked.

"Hehe, yes." Mavis said nodding. "In fact, I sense more members of Fairy Tail heading here as we speak."

"Even after all this time they still come looking for their friends." Raoul said smiling. "Makarov sure raised one hell of a group of mages."

Mavis nodded her head in agreement before telling Raoul that they better greet these mages from Fairy Tail. Raoul nodded then followed Mavis. They flew up into the air before passing through the golden barrier. They went through the water before hitting the surface without a drop of water on them.

"See?" Mavis asked. "There they are."

Mavis pointed to the ship in the distance that was heading their way. Raoul was happy to see the ship while glad that Rizzo and the others would wake and have a way back home.

"I'll go speak with them." Raoul said. "Can you raise the island on your own?"

"Yes, I'll be fine." Mavis said.

Raoul nodded his head then disappeared from Mavis's side. He reappeared on the boat with the six members jumping at the sight of him.

"M-Master Raoul!" Alzach stuttered.

"Hello, everyone." Raoul said while keeping a strangely out of character serious mood. "It's good to see you all again Alzach, Bisca, Jet, Droy, Max, Warren."

The six members just looked at him in shock while wondering if he was really here, and if he was…Rizzo couldn't be too far away, right? Raoul can't go far from her.

"Master Raoul, the others…are…are they—?" Jet couldn't continue speaking as hopeful tears entered his eyes.

"They're all alive." Raoul said as he nodded.

Tears entered the others' eyes when hearing that their guildmates who've been messing for seven years were indeed alive.

"They're all in an inanimate state on the island." Raoul said.

"Uh, what island?" Max said.

Raoul pointed out towards the water with everyone looking. However, instead of seeing an island they saw a little girl standing there on top of the water.

"Is that a person?" Jet asked.

"There's no way." Warren said.

"She is indeed a person, and she is standing upon the water now." Raoul said. "Give her a moment and she will raise the island."

The Fairy Tail mages looked at Raoul in shock before looking back to the blonde little girl standing on the water. Raoul watched with the others as Mavis raised her hands, which had light shooting up from the water as the waves became bigger and rose higher from the water. The bigger waves rocked the ship, and the others grabbed onto each other to stay on their feet. Raoul smiled as the golden sphere wrapped around Tenrou Island lifted up out of the ocean.

"Oh my gosh, is that it?" Bisca asked.

"Yes, Bisca, you're looking at Tenrou Island." Raoul replied. "It's where everyone has been the last seven years."

The group stared in shock as the sphere around the now unsubmerged island disappeared.

"I'm sure you would like to see them." Raoul said. "Please, come to the island. Mavis and I will be waiting."

Before the others could ask any questions, Raoul vanished from the boat. When he reappeared he was on the island, which Mavis had retreated to.

"I will go to Rizzo and a few of the others." Raoul said. "I trust you can lead them to Natsu."

"Yes, of course." Mavis said smiling. "And I'm sure it will be a happy reunion."

"Yes." Raoul agreed as he smiled as well. "I'm so glad this day has come. After living so long the years started to blur by for me, but these seven years of waiting till this day felt like the last hundred I've been on this earth."

Mavis nodded in understanding before watching Raoul go farther into the forest, so to return to Rizzo' side where he had spent most of the last seven years. Mavis's smile softened as she watched him go. It was nice to see such a strong bond between family members. Rizzo was lucky to have Raoul as a great-great grandfather.

* * *

As light started to penetrate through Rizzo's eyes, she let out a small groan while starting to come back to consciousness. She opened her eyes seeing trees above her. Where…where was she again? It all soon came rushing back to her, which had her eyes widening. That's right they were being attacked by Acnologia before there was that blast of light from the dragon. She sat up quickly while expecting to see a dragon in front of her. However, what she saw was Max and Warren, who looked older and were crying, flying right at her.

"RIZZO!" They sobbed.

Rizzo cried out as they tackled her to the ground with their arms going around her. They sobbed while saying something, but it was hard for her to tell. She laid there letting them hug her as she wondered what was up with them. She heard laughter, so she turned her head seeing Raoul sitting on a log near them with a large grin on his face.

"Granddaddy Raoul, what's going on?" Rizzo asked.

"Just a happy reunion." Raoul said. "Just accept all the hugs, okay?"

Rizzo blinked again while still a bit confused, but she continued to let Max and Warren hug her.

"Hey, hands off!"

Warren and Max were pulled right off Rizzo by Gray who had an annoyed look on his face.

"I know it's been a little while since we last say you guys, but you're holding her a bit too close, got it?" He said.

He then grunted in surprise when Max and Warren hugged him just as tightly as they hugged Rizzo. He frowned wondering what was up with them. As Gray was getting hugged by them, Rizzo stood up onto her feet while looking around. She saw Bisca, Alzach, Jet, and Droy were here as well. They all looked a lot older, and Droy…looked like he gained two hundred pounds.

"What's going on?" Rizzo asked.

"Don't worry." Raoul said as he stood. "It will all be explained once everyone is gathered. Isn't that right, Mavis?"

Raoul looked up to the large rock in front of the group, and everyone else looked up as well. Mavis stood there with a smile on her face.

"Yes, everything will be explained soon." Mavis promised.

"Wait…did you say Mavis?" Makarov asked in shock. "As in First Master Mavis Vermillion?"

The others, who were all gathered now, stared at Mavis in shock as Raoul, who disappeared from beside Rizzo, appeared at Mavis's side.

"I suppose everything can be explained now." Raoul said. "Everyone is here after all."

The group all looked up at the first masters of Fairy Tail and Treble Chambers as they stood side-by-side.

"We might as well cut to the chase now." Raoul said. "You all who came here to Tenrou Island for the S-class Trials have been here…for seven years."

Rizzo along with the rest from Tenrou Island's group stared up at Raoul as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"It's really all thanks to Mavis that you survived." Raoul continued.

"Now, don't be modest, Raoul." Mavis chided lightly. "If you hadn't helped, I might not have been able to convert their bonds into magic in time."

Raoul supposed that was true, but considering how talented Mavis is he was sure she would have been fine on her own.

"When the dragon attacked, Raoul and I were able to convert the bonds of trust and friendship between your guildmates into pure magic power." Mavis continued explaining. "Their bonds were so strong that Fairy's Sphere was activated. One of the Three Grand Fairy Spells. It is an absolute defense spell capable of protecting the guild from all manner of evil. Those inside the impenetrable sphere were in a suspended state. And Raoul as said it's been seven long years, but the spell has finally been lifted."

Rizzo had tears in her eyes when hearing what her ancestor and Mavis did for all of them. If it wasn't for them, she and the others would have been dead a long time ago. However, now they could return back to Magnolia to their family.

"My word, to think we were saved by Fairy Tail and Treble Chambers' first masters." Makarov, who also had tears in his eyes, said.

"No, we're incorporeal." Raoul said. "We used what little energy we had left to convert the strong bonds you share into magic power."

"Yes, your unwavering conviction and love towards each other…they're what brought forth this miracle." Mavis said as she smiled. "You should be proud of the guild you've built. They're wonderful."

Rizzo smiled while not sure how to thank the two first guild masters for what they had done. They make it sound as if they did nothing, but Rizzo doesn't see it that way.

"Now, I think it's about time you all head home." Raoul said as he smiled. "I'm sure the people who care about you are waiting as we speak. Best not to keep them waiting any longer, yeah?"

Yes, Rizzo was ready…ready to head home back to Magnolia…where her Fairy Tail family was waiting.

* * *

Rizzo smiled as she watched everyone chat away and joke as if the last seven years never happened. Of course, to the Tenrou Island group it's only been a few days since they've seen the others. Last night when they all returned the members who were left of Fairy Tail made sure to give all of them a big warm Fairy Tail welcome home. Rizzo hadn't partied that hard in forever. In fact, everyone partied so hard that everyone ended up spending the night here at the guildhall.

It was a good thing the Tenrou team were able to find their bags and stuff on the island, or they wouldn't have had any clothes to change into. As Rizzo looked around, it was nice to see everyone so happy. Craylee and Juvia was sitting together at one table together with Juvia holding one of Craylee's hands as he was listening to Kinana explain how her life has been since everyone left. Breccan was over to the side with Mirajane and Elfman as the prior was taking his pack of cigarettes away from him, which had him pouting.

Rizzo chuckled still finding it funny that Mirajane was trying to get him to lessen the amount he smokes a day. At another table Sven was sitting with team Shadow Gear as Droy was stuffing his face. Sven almost seemed fascinated with how much Droy was able to put in his mouth at once. Jaser was sitting with Cana, or rather he was taking up two chairs to lay in, and he had his head in her lap as she was drinking. Resting on this torso was Sanjū who was enjoying tea as she usually did. It was nice to see things so normal after the craziness on Tenrou Island.

"You—you're married?!"

Rizzo blinked before turning her head to see that Erza was speaking with Alzach and Bisca. Wait did Rizzo just hear Erza say "married"?

"Congratulations." Erza, who was more than a bit upset, said as Rizzo got up from her chair. "When did this happen?"

Rizzo wanted to find out herself about the new relationship status between Alzach and Bisca.

"About six years ago." Alzach said as Rizzo came to stand beside Erza.

"Sure wish all you guys could have been there." Bisca said. "Poor thing nearly passed out when I proposed. It was adorable."

Rizzo coughed behind her hand to try and hold back the laughter as Alzach blushed.

"Did you have to bring that up?" Alzach asked looking embarrassed.

Rizzo, who saw Erza's hands reaching for someone to throttle, grabbed Max to push towards the redhead, so she wouldn't be Erza's victim. Max cried out as he started to be throttled after suddenly being grabbed by Rizzo.

"No!" Erza said. "How could you get married without me there?!"

She shook Max as if it was his fault, and Rizzo just felt the teeniest bit guilty for pushing him into Erza's clutches. Well, better him than her, right?

"Will someone stop her?" Max asked.

Well, Bisca and Alzach didn't want to get in the middle of that, so they opted not to help the poor guy out. Rizzo just ignored Max's question as she smiled at the married couple.

"Congratulations." Rizzo said. "It would have been nice to have been there, but I'm glad you're both happy."

She then hugged Bisca and Alzach in turn as they both smiled while thanking her for her kind words. Erza finally let go of Max to do this weird little dance to express how upset she was. It was as if she had become Vijeeter suddenly. Max leaned away from her while a bit scared to move too much.

"That's wonderful." Lisanna said. "Do you have any children?"

"We have a daughter." Bisca said.

"Yeah, we named her Asuka." Alzach added.

"Oh, I can't wait to meet her!" Rizzo said smiling brightly.

"Me either!" Lisanna said.

Rizzo would love to meet the next generation of the guild. It was hard to believe that there was a next generation member of the guild. Romeo kind of counted, but he's already a member, so he kind of didn't at the same time. Suddenly the door opened to the guildhall, so Rizzo turned her head to see who it was. Her eyes widened a bit while recognizing the six people standing there.

"Welcome." Kinana called out. "Can I help you?"

"Wonderful." Jura said. "It seems the rumors were true."

Rizzo felt herself start to smile when seeing her friends from Lamia Scale at the door.

"Who are these bozos? Elfman asked.

"I think I know." Mirajane said.

Sherry, who was standing beside, Sher, raised her hand to wave at everyone in the guild.

"Hello, my lovelies." Sherry greeted. "I'm glad to hear your deaths were exaggerated."

"You appear to be in great health." Jura said.

"The sentiment is a little redundant when they haven't aged in seven years." Yuka pointed out.

"I'm just glad to see them." Sher said as she grinned. "I was actually starting to get a bit worried we'd never see them again."

"Hmph, you've barely been back two days, and you've already trashed the place." Lyon said.

Gray just stared in surprise as he looked at Lyon who definitely looked seven years older along with the rest of them.

"No way." Gray said.

"It's Lamia Scale." Lucy said.

"Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale helped us search for Tenrou Island longer anyone else would." Max explained to the others.

As Erza expressed everyone's gratitude, Rizzo just laughed as she ran over towards Sher who's changed a bit in the last seven years. Her hair was grown out, and touched her shoulders now in waves. She also looked older, which was expected considering how time has passed since the last time Rizzo saw her. She also now wore a tightfitting white sleeveless top that stopped above her bellybutton. It was under a dark turquoise jacket that had a high collar with sleeves that stopped at her elbows. On her hands were black fingerless gloves, and she wore black cargo pants tucked into black combat boots. Finally on top of her head was a white military styled cap.

"Sher, it's so good to see you again!" Rizzo said as she hugged Sher.

Sher laughed while hugging Rizzo back. The older woman has missed Rizzo as well over the years, so it was nice to be able to see her. Lyon smiled at the pair while happy to see such a wide smile on Sher's face.

"Well, I guess we owe you one, man." Gray said to Lyon.

"I'd love to take you up on that, but I've got seven years on you now." Lyon said. "And I'm not the kind of guy who takes advantage of children."

"Yeah, rub it in." Gray said sarcastically.

"Daddy, is that him?"

Gray froze when he heard the little voice before turning his head to look down as Rizzo and everyone else did the same. Standing there holding onto Lyon's pants leg was a little boy. He almost looked like a mini copy of Lyon expect his eyes were a bit different in shape and the irises were blue.

"It's a mini Lyon!" Gray said pointing then blinked. "Wait did he say "Daddy"?"

Lyon chuckled before reaching down to pick the little boy off the floor and into his arms.

"Yes, this is Daddy and Mommy's old friend, Triton." Lyon said.

Gray just stared in shock as he looked at the little Lyon who was apparently named Triton. The little guy smiled at Gray while waving in a friendly manner. Gray found himself waving back while not sure what else to do.

"Wait, if Lyon is a dad now, does that mean you two got married?!" Rizzo asked Sher.

"Yes, we did." Sher said chuckling. "Lyon finally manned up and made a move about six years ago. Then a year after that he popped the question. Took me a bit by surprise. Not long after that Triton was born."

Sher reached out to ruffle her son's hair as she said that, which had Triton smiling at her.

"Everyone is getting married and having children without me here to witness it!" Rizzo complained. "Anyone else I should know about?"

"Well, Ren and I are engaged." Sherry said.

Rizzo looked at Sherry in shock as her mouth dropped open. Sherry giggled at Rizzo's reaction while not all the surprised by it.

"No way." Rizzo said.

"We really are." Sherry said as her smile widened. "Soon we'll be married and can start a family with our love~"

"That's it!" Rizzo, who suddenly had her pack over her shoulder, said. "I'm going to Blue Pegasus. I have to speak with Ren! I need details!"

Gray quickly grabbed his girlfriend before she could run out the door. Everyone laughed as Gray had to struggle to keep her inside the guildhall.

"Rizzo, cool it!" Gray said. "You can see those playboys later!"

"No, I have to see them now!" Rizzo cried. "Let go, Gray!"

Gray just continued holding on as Rizzo cried about missing too much and needing to see "her" boys, which had Gray a bit jealous. Everyone laughed as they continued to watch the two of them.

"Daddy, Mommy, they're funny!" Triton said as he giggled.

"That's sure one way of putting it." Lyon said as he continued to hold his son.

"What the hell else have I missed?!" Rizzo cried out.

As Gray was trying to get her to calm down, the Lamia Scale members joined in with the members of the Fairy Tail guild as they were drinking and chatting.

"Come on, Rizzo, calm down." Gray said. "Enjoy spending time with Sher while she's here."

"But I must question Ren about this development in his relationship!" Rizzo said. "I didn't even know he was in a relationship, dammit!"

* * *

Rizzo, who had finally gave up on going to Blue Pegasus, sat outside with Sher as the sun was setting. Triton was exploring the garden not far from the two women who were watching him.

"He really does look like Lyon." Rizzo said. "But he definitely has your eyes."

"Yes, he does take a lot after his father." Sher said chuckling.

She then smiled as Triton was watching a ladybug with fascination on his face as if the insect was the most interesting thing in the world.

"He even likes to take off his shirt every once and a while like Lyon." Sher said.

Just as she said that, Triton tugged his shirt off over his head to toss over his shoulder. He then went back to ladybug watching as if he hadn't just took off his shirt.

"And the stripping trend continues." Rizzo said sweat-dropping.

Sher lightly snorted while just grateful that Lyon and Triton keep on their pants in public. Gray seemed to have more of a stripping habit than Lyon, which had Sher wondering if his and Rizzo's future children would pick up his habit of stripping.

"Rizzo, while I'm here I feel like there's something I need to tell you." Sher said.

Rizzo blinked while turning her eyes on Sher who glanced at her, but kept Triton in her peripheral vision.

"Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale weren't the only ones who kept looking for you all the longest." Sher said. "Five mages from another guild helped for a long time as well even though their guild offered no help."

Rizzo tilted her head wondering who these five mages were. She couldn't think of anyone.

"The unspoken leader of their group is named Salem." Sher said.

Rizzo's eyes widened as images of Salem and the others flashed in her mind. They were all part of a guild now?

"They looked for as long as the rest of us." Sher said. "And when I asked them why they told me because once you and a few others from Fairy Tail helped them. In fact, Salem had smiled and said it was thanks to you that they were set free from shackles that held a hundred years' worth of pain and hate between two families."

Rizzo smiled though she didn't really do much. It was more thanks to Raoul that it all happened, and Salem and Dante weren't the only ones set free from those shackles.

"Since they seemed so close to you I kept tabs on them." Sher continued. "They had all joined a guild named Sabertooth, which had been small fries seven years ago. However, Dred had soon left the guild though he continued helping with the search. Apparently the big guy wanted a more peaceful life. Seraphim retired after the birth of her and Salem's first child, and Salem followed after her when she became pregnant with their second child a few months back. Only Dante and Miseri continue on with mage work now."

Rizzo's smile widened when hearing that all give of them had found their own lives to live. She had been worried about all of them, but knowing they were living as they wished made that worry vanish. However, it would have been nice if she had been around then to see them live their lives.

"I'm happy to hear that." Rizzo said as she continued smiling. "I hope to see them again soon."

Sher nodded her head while glad to see a smile on Rizzo's face. Sher had been sure that the pinkette would want to know about them.

"Mommy."

Sher looked down at Triton as he walked up to her carrying his shirt in one hand as his other hand rubbed at his eye.

"I'm seepy, Mommy." Triton said as he yawned.

Rizzo cooed at how cute he was as Sher lifted him up into her lap, so she could hold him.

"Okay, how about we go get Daddy and start heading home?" Sher asked.

Triton nodded his head while wanting to go home to his bed. He also missed Sherria even though he saw her before they all left. Sher stood up from the stump she had been sitting on with Rizzo doing the same. Sher and Rizzo looked up to the roof of the guildhall where Gray and Lyon, who were both shirtless, were sitting.

"Lyon, I think we should start heading home." Sher called out. "Triton is getting tired."

Lyon smiled down at his wife and son as he nodded his head. He and Gray quickly jumped down from the roof, and Lyon took Triton into his arms when he reached out to him.

"Ready to go home, Triton?" Lyon asked.

"Mm-hmm." Triton said nodding sleepily.

"Alright, we'll head home now." Lyon said. "Say goodbye."

"Bye, uncle Gray, aunt Rizzo." Triton said as he smiled at the two.

Rizzo cooed again while not believing that a little person could be so adorable. Gray smiled while reaching out to gently ruffle Triton's silver hair.

"See ya, kid." Gray said. "Get home safe, alright?"

The adults said their goodbyes before Lyon and Sher went inside the guildhall to get the rest of the friends. As they went inside, Rizzo smiled after them.

"Ya know, I want one." Rizzo said.

"Hm, want what?" Gray asked curiously.

"I want an adorable child of my own." Rizzo clarified.

Gray sucked in air in surprise, and ended up choking on it a bit. He looked at Rizzo with wide eyes while wondering if she knew exactly what she was saying.

"Gray, let's have one of our own someday." Rizzo said as she smiled up at him.

"HUH?!" Gray asked absolutely flabbergasted.


	86. Settling Back into Magnolia

Rizzo and Sanjū stood in front of their room in Fairy Hills with almost troubled expressions on their face. To them it's only been a week, but they haven't been back to their room for seven years. Laki told her that the girls that were still here these last seven years tried to keep it as clean as possible.

"I guess we need to go in, huh?" Rizzo asked as she glanced at Sanjū. "Staying out here isn't doing anything."

"Yes, I agree." Sanjū said.

Rizzo took a deep breath before opening the door. She and Sanjū stepped into the darkened room that only had a few beams of light from the moon peeking through. Rizzo reached for the light switch, and when it flipped on, it revealed that the room looked exactly as she left it. Nothing seemed out of place. It seemed the other girls really took care of it the last seven years. Rizzo looked down feeling guilt settle in her stomach.

"We've been gone for seven years." Rizzo said. "Most people would have given up, but everyone…went on…waiting for us to return."

"Yes, it seems so." Sanjū said. "I don't think we can thank them enough."

Rizzo shook her head knowing there was no words or deeds that could thank their friends enough for their kindness.

"I know it's only been nearly a week for us, but knowing how long it's really been makes being back here feel unreal." Rizzo said.

Sanjū nodded in agreement as she looked around the room. She saw all her things were as she left them as well.

"It's odd, but I almost feel weird being in here." Rizzo said. "It almost seems too big."

Which was funny considering that she's never felt that way before. Rizzo gave a soft sigh wondering if this feeling of being a stranger in her own room would go away. Did she really need all this space? She probably wouldn't be able to afford it much longer anyway since she cleaned out her entire account to pay for the last seven years' worth of rent. Rizzo then looked over at the instruments in their glass cases. D…Did she really need them anymore?

She looked down at her hand before clenching it into a fist. On Tenrou Island, Rizzo had unlocked a power that allowed her to call forth instruments without the use of her guitar case. Her magic had actually formed instruments perfectly without the same pain she used to feel bothering her. Raoul had explained on the way back to Magnolia that all the meditating to collect more magic had paid off because when she was in that state of desperation she had unlocked a second magical storage space within her that he described as a second origin.

Raoul theorized that Rizzo had finally reached the level she needed to use the evolved form of music magic all her training had been leading up to. Raoul had congratulated her then on developing the new technique when it was really him. He just made her strong enough to get there and desperation made it possible for her to unlock the magic's full potential without feeling pain. She had tried hard to get here, but now she didn't know what to do next.

Like, what was she to do with all these instruments now that she didn't need them? Did she just get rid of them though she made so many wonderful memories with them? And won so many battles with them?

"Rizzo?" Sanjū murmured when seeing her bothered expression.

"I'm fine, Sanjū." Rizzo said already knowing what her friend wanted to ask. "Just thinking."

Rizzo walked up to over to one glass case that held her guitar while placing her hand on the glass. To truly move on…would she need to get rid some of these instruments? Rizzo stared a bit longer, and then got this look in her eyes that showed she had made a decision.

"Sanjū, how would you feel about a room reduction?" Rizzo asked.

* * *

A few days later in the early morning, Rizzo stepped out of room while planning to head to Erza's room. She wore a pink corset like top with a black lace skull design stitched into bottom left side. The top stopped above her belly button, and over it was a black leather jacket that stopped mid-torso. She then had on a neon green miniskirt that had white belt going around it. She also had on white tights that went into black combat boots that had neon green laces. Finally on her hands were white fingerless gloves that had the Fairy Tail emblem on top in pink.

Rizzo walked down the wall having to go basically to the end to reach Ezra's door when it was only her and Erza on this side of the floor level. Rizzo knocked on the door hoping Erza didn't already head to the guild this morning because Rizzo had to discuss things with Erza about her room. It seemed she was in luck since Erza, who was wrapped in a towel, opened the door.

"Morning, Erza." Rizzo said. "Sorry if I interrupted your bath or anything."

Usually Rizzo wasn't this civil towards the redhead, but considering how things went on Tenrou Island Rizzo supposed she could start behaving a bit nicer to Erza. Besides, Rizzo needed a favor taken care of, so she had to act all nice to get Erza to agree to the favor.

"Actually I just finished." Erza said. "Is something wrong?"

Rizzo let out a small sigh before taking in a deep breath as she steeled herself for what she had to say.

"I need some help moving a lot out of my room today." Rizzo said. "I was wondering if you and a few of the other girls could help me out. Please."

She folded her hands in front of her in a pleading manner as she smiled at Erza sweetly. Erza sighed because Rizzo only acted this nice to her when the pinkette really needed help.

"Help you with what?" Erza asked.

"I'll be moving a lot out of my room today down to the post office to mail to Acacia Town." Rizzo said.

Erza's brow quirked wondering what Rizzo needed help packing down to the post office.

"I will be going with Master, Breccan, and Mira to see the Twilight Ogre Guild Master." Erza said. "But I'm sure the other girls wouldn't mind helping. I'll ask them."

Rizzo supposed that would do. Though she wasn't sure how sweet little Levy was going to help much. Some of the stuff Rizzo was moving was pretty heavy. She'd ask Erza if she could ask some of the guys to help, but she had the feeling the redhead would say now since boys weren't allowed in the dorms. Though Natsu and Gray come into her dorm room all the time.

"Thank-you." Rizzo said. "I stayed up all night to pack it all in boxes, so I just need to move them."

"Wait, you didn't sleep at all last night?" Erza asked. "And where did you get the boxes?"

She looked closely to see that there were slight dark circles under the pinkette's eyes. Rizzo must have been really serious about moving this stuff.

"Oh, I went to see Madam Cherie yesterday, and she gave me a few of her old shipping boxes." Rizzo said. "They're actually more like crates, which puts me at ease that what I'm shipping will be okay since those crates are so sturdy."

"What are you mailing out?" Erza asked.

"…my instruments…" Rizzo answered.

Erza's eyes opened wide when Rizzo said that. Rizzo wanted to get rid of her instruments?! Rizzo gasped when Erza suddenly grabbed her to pull her close. Erza placed her hand on Rizzo's forehead, which had the pinkette frowning.

"What are you doing?" Rizzo asked.

"You don't seem to be running a temperature." Erza said. "So you can't be sick."

Rizzo rolled her eyes now understanding what Erza was up to. Rizzo pushed Erza away while straightening her clothes.

"I don't need them anymore." Rizzo said. "You saw what I did on Tenrou Island. I created instruments out of magic energy, and you were there when Master Raoul explained that I'd be able to continue doing that without a problem. What you saw on Tenrou Island against Acnologia was actually what I was working up to during all my extra training."

Erza did remember that Rizzo mentioned a special technique that she couldn't use during their fight. So creating instruments out of magic energy was that technique she mentioned.

"Honestly, I was having trouble just creating just one instrument out of magical energy for a while, but my magic had spiked when I felt so desperate to save everyone…so now I don't have a problem with it." She said as she held out her hand.

A violin made of green magical energy appeared in her hand, and it even played a few notes without her having to touch the bow. It moved on its own across the strings.

"Yes, I can see you have grown." Erza said. "But you love those instruments, Rizzo. So I don't see why you wish to get rid of them."

"I have no use for them as I've said." Rizzo said as she looked at her violin. "Besides, if I sell them, maybe music magic will spread. It shouldn't just be something kept amongst the family when the family is just one person. I've only met one other person who practiced this magic, and that was that weirdo from that assassin guild. Music magic should be shared, so many other young mages have the chance of practicing it."

Erza stared at Rizzo for a moment while seeing that she seemed 100% sure about her decision.

"I will do this as not only a way to signify my growth, but so the gift of music magic can be shared with many more people." Rizzo said as she had the violin disappear. "However, I will be keeping my guitar."

The guitar had too much sentimental value. She could never get rid of it, and if she ever did have children, she wanted to pass it down to them.

"Well, if you're sure, I shall ask the girls to help you." Erza said.

Rizzo thanked Erza again then went to go get things ready to make it easier for the girls to help her move. As she headed back towards her room, she wondered what her brothers were doing now back in Magnolia.

* * *

"Let me get this straight, you put my things into storage and you're renting out my room to someone else, is that correct?" Craylee, who was now wearing fresh clothes, asked glaring at his landlord.

He had on a pinstriped blue-and-black dress shirt. He then had on a black tie with tiny blue bots over it was under a vest that had one side white and the other side black. He also wore black pants that were tucked into black boots. His chain was hooked around one of the buttons of his vest, and then went down into his pocket where his sewing kit rested.

"You better hope that isn't correct." Craylee said.

The small, balding man leaned away from the seamster who was ready to sew him to the wall. Craylee had stayed the night at Jaser's place since when he had come to his apartment last night he had walked in on some overweight, sweaty man eating dinner in front of his vision lacrima. All his stuff had been moved, and the landlord had refused to come speak to him last night, so he had to wait until today to speak with the man.

"Can you blame me?" The man asked. "You were gone for seven years, and I wasn't getting any rent money!"

He then gulped when Craylee's glare intensified with a dark aura hanging around him. The man felt as if he was staring at Satan himself. Actually Satan would probably actually be afraid of this guy.

"Where are my things?" Craylee asked in a cold tone.

If any of them were damaged or missing, Craylee would be sure that there would be blood to pay, and it certainly wouldn't be his blood.

"I have them all in the attic!" The man squeaked. "Please, don't hurt me! I can make it up to you! I have another apartment bigger than the one I had rented out to you the first time we did business. It's more of an apartment for a family since it has three bedrooms, a full kitchen, and one and half bath. But you can move into that one."

He wrote down an address on a slip of paper before holding it out to Craylee who took it.

"For the same price I was paying for my old one." Craylee added as he pocketed the slip of paper.

No way was he starting back out in magnolia with an even higher rent when business was obviously slow at the guildhall. The landlord went to protest, but when Craylee gave him another glare, he quickly agreed to Craylee's terms.

"And you will have someone take my things to this apartment." Craylee said. "And if any of my things are damaged, I will be back and it won't end well…for you."

The man nodded quickly in understanding. Craylee thanked him for his time then left the building, and as soon as the door shut behind him, the landlord fainted right there. Craylee stepped out onto the street with a sigh leaving his lips.

"This is a pain in the ass." Craylee said.

"Craylee-sama, please wait for Juvia!"

Craylee turned his head seeing Juvia running towards him. She immediately latched onto his arm when she reached him. He sighed softly since even after confessing his feelings for Juvia, he still wasn't very comfortable with all the affection Juvia gives him. Especially in public. He then shot an annoyed look at an elderly couple who were cooing at the sight of the younger couple. They didn't seem very affected by his glare since the elderly man chuckled murmuring something about Craylee being shy, which annoyed the seamster even more.

"Is something the matter, my darling?" Juvia asked worriedly while pulling his attention off the elderly couple. "Can Juvia help?"

"No, you can't help." Craylee said as he scratched the back of his head. "My landlord apparently gave my apartment to someone else, and put my stuff in storage. I just spoke with him to work things out."

"If you need a place to stay, you can stay with Juvia!" The water woman said.

Craylee sweat-dropped because he was sure he wouldn't be allowed in Fairy Hills. Erza would kill him, or maim him while throwing him out the door.

"No, like I said, I worked things out with the landlord." Craylee said. "He's giving me a larger apartment without the same pay as my last one."

"Larger apartment?" Juvia asked then lit up with an idea. "Then Juvia can move in with you."

Craylee wasn't sure if he was ready for that kind of commitment since he and Juvia just became an actual couple.

"Maybe not right away." Craylee said. "I haven't even settled down in it yet."

"Right!" Juvia said. "So Juvia can move in in a week?"

Craylee sighed seeing that she wasn't getting what he was trying to say at all. He shook his head knowing the next few minutes weren't going to be pleasant for him at all.

"Juvia, I mean, I'm not ready to live together with you yet." Craylee said. "Maybe in a year or two."

"…Oh, alright." Juvia said as she hung her head.

Craylee frowned not liking the feeling of guilt he felt when seeing her crescent fallen expression. He scratched the back of his head. How could he put it off her face?

"Hey, Juvia, want…to go get some lunch?" He asked.

Juvia's face lit up as she lifted her head to smile up at her beloved. Well, it's a good thing the sad expression was gone, but now he was worried about that excited look on her face.

"Yes, Juvia would love that!" Juvia said then started pulling him down the street at a quick pace. "Juvia saw a nice small café on her face to see Craylee-sama. I'm sure Craylee-sama would feel more comfortable there than at a restaurant since there isn't many people."

Craylee blinked when hearing Juvia said that. Even when he was doing something for her, so to make her happy, she still thought about him. This woman was indeed too good for him. As the thought that, he actually had a strong urge to kiss her, which wasn't something he was used to, so he was a bit uncomfortable with his feeling. However, he decided to go with it. He leaned in to place a simple kiss on her temple while not even pausing to stop walking.

Juvia's eyes widened to the size of saucers after feeling Craylee's lips on her temple. A dark blush then came across her face as she felt light headed. Craylee's eyes widened this time as Juvia fainted right there. Craylee hurried to catch her before she could hit the ground. He sighed trying to ignore all the stares he and Juvia were getting as he picked up his girlfriend into his arms to carry her down the street.

"I'm starting to think you're more trouble than you're worth." Craylee said.

His tone was so serious sounding that some people, who overheard him, believed his words and sweat-dropped. However, if Juvia was conscious right now, she would know her beloved was only joking. As if she heard him, Juvia smiled in her unconscious state with the blush still on her cheeks.

* * *

Cana let out a sigh as she sat in between Jaser and Gildarts. The prior, who insisted to get to know his little girl's boyfriend, was glaring at said boyfriend as Jaser was grinning away at him in return. Today Jaser wore a tightfitting sleeveless blue sherwani that had a collar that gently hugged against his neck. He then had on white churidars that hugged down around his ankles. He had nothing tied around his waist this time, but around his head was white scarf with some of his hair sticking out at the bottom. He had on normal looking sandals around his feet with a few golden rings on his toes. Then around his wrists were golden bangles, and there was a gold circlet around his upper arm. Around his neck was a golden plated necklace and in his ears another pair of long dangling golden earrings.

"So you're from Rajasthan, huh?" Gildarts asked.

"Yes, but I moved to Magnolia nine years ago…or I suppose it'd be sixteen now, right?" Jaser asked.

He looked at Cana to confirm this, and she nodded her head as she placed her hand over the one Jaser had on the table. He smiled at her while moving his hand, so he could hold hers. Gildarts frowned down at their two connected hands. He opened his mouth to say something about it, but one glare from Cana had him pausing before the words could get out of his mouth, which was partially open. He let out a breath as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"And just how old are you exactly?" Gildarts asked.

"Nineteen." Jaser said as he continued grinning.

Gildarts frown deepened since he didn't want his baby girl to be dating an older guy. Even if it was only a year difference. Of course, he didn't want his baby girl dating anyone really.

"How long have Cana and you been dating?" Gildarts asked.

"Not long." Jaser replied. "Not even a year yet."

"Yet, huh?" Gildarts murmured. "So you plan to stay with her a long time?"

Jaser nodded his head as he gently squeezed Cana's hand as the brunette was taking a sip of wine.

"As long as she wants me around." Jaser said with his grin widening.

Cana smiled up at Jaser when he said that, and Gildarts frowned even more. He was honestly having a hard time disliking this guy. Jaser seemed like a good kid, and he obviously cared about Cana. Jaser did nearly die trying to protect her after all. And since he protected Cana from Bluenote it gave Gildarts enough time to get there before anyone could be killed. In all honestly, Gildarts knew he owed the boy for protecting his daughter. However, Gildarts still didn't want to feel that way since he didn't want to like Jaser. It was like a father's job to dislike his daughter's boyfriend, right?

"Why don't you stop looking for flaws in Jaser and just have a drink or something?!" Cana asked getting irritable. "Even if you do dislike him, I'm going to continue dating him."

Cana didn't understand why Gildarts even cared who she was dating. He just found out about being her father a few days ago. Yet he was still pulling the Over-Protective-Father-Who-Doesn't-Like-His-Daughter's Boyfriend-Card.

"He seems decent enough, but doesn't mean I have to like him." Gildarts said. "But I guess I'll give him the chance to win my approval."

Cana snorted because she honestly didn't care if Gildarts approved or not. Cana would continue to date Jaser as long as she wished like she already said, and she didn't see herself breaking off their relationship anytime soon. Jaser is the only guy that has only made her think of keeping a relationship going as long as possible. Now, she doesn't see marriage or children in the future…but she did seem him. She looked up at said Dragon Slayer to see him grinning down at her as usual.

He always seemed to be grinning or smiling when looking at her. Sometimes it made her feel a bit self-conscious, which she wasn't used to. But there was something about those golden eyes of his that made her feel all warm inside. In fact, nearly everything about him could make her feel warm inside. Like his touch or like the time she woke to the sound of his deep voice after their first night together. Or his breath on her neck when he's holding her close to him. Honestly, she sometimes felt a bit giddy around him. And every time she felt like this, she mentally cursed and berated herself for acting like a school girl with a crush.

Gildarts looked in between Cana and Jaser to see they completely forgot he was even there. He sighed seeing there was no point in sitting around with them anymore. And he supposed he could trust Jaser alone with his daughter…at least for an hour or two. He silently got up from the bar stool to leave back to his house. He went to the door, but glanced one more time back at the couple as Jaser put his arm around Cana to lean his head against hers. He smiled guessing if his daughter had to pick someone to hers that Jaser was an alright choice. The kid was obviously good hearted, and Gildarts knew that Cana would be protected as long as Jaser was at her side.

"With all the love going around in the air, we might be having more next generation Fairy Tail members running around the guildhall soon."

Gildarts looked over at Makarov as the old man was sitting on top one of the tables drinking.

"Huh?" Gildarts asked intelligently while hoping Makarov wasn't implying what he thought the old man was implying.

Makarov chuckled at Gildarts's bothered expression as Gildarts looked back towards Cana and Jaser.

"I'm just saying it's a high possibility that we'll have more children running around the guild like when Natsu and the others were younger." Makarov said. "So many of my children seem to have found their significant other lately. Rizzo and Gray, Jaser and Cana, Bisca and Alzach, who already have Asuka-chan, and a few others. All I'm saying is that there might be more children running around soon if things continue as they are."

"My baby…having babies?" Gildarts asked looking bothered. "She's too young for that!"

His shout had nearly everyone in the guild turning to look at him, and he scratched the back of his head as Cana frowned at him. Jaser just blinked as Makarov was getting a kick out of Gildarts's outburst.

"Stupid deadbeat dad." Cana grumbled then returned to her wine.

"Well, anyway, I need to be going." Makarov said as he jumped down from the table. "I need to meet Erza, Mira, and Breccan at the Twilight Ogre Guild to discuss a few things with their guild master."

Macao and Wakaba, who overheard him, both paled since they had feeling things might end badly if Makarov goes to see the guild master of Twilight Ogre. In fact, they were certain things would end badly if Master was taking those three power houses with him.

"Master, wait for us!" Macao said as he hurried to his feet. "Don't do anything reckless!"

The two old men ran after the shorter and even older man to leave the guildhall in peace. Jaser chuckled at the liveliness while glad to be in such a familiar atmosphere. He rest his head back against Cana's head while closing his eyes. It was good to be home.

* * *

Sven hummed to himself as he walked through the streets of Magnolia. Sven had on a dark blue Henley shirt with the sleeves folded back to his elbows. He had on gray pants that had brown suspenders attached and over his shoulders. He also had on a simple black belt that had his book holster attached to it, so his book was resting against his hip. On top his head was a brown newsboy hat, and on his feet brown loafers.

He was heading for the guildhall to join the others. He had been at his apartment cleaning since it had been covered in dust. He was just glad things were where he left them. The landlord was really kind, and didn't rent out his place to anyone else or get rid of his stuff. The man even paid Sven's debt. Granted Sven had to use the cute kid routine to get what he wished, but it still worked in his favor. Now he just had to get a few jobs, so he could pay his rent, which was coming up soon.

"I wonder what kind of jobs there are." Sven said.

The other day he didn't see much requests on the board, and he was sure that was because of the current condition of the guild. Though it wasn't like he could blame the others for what happened to Fairy Tail. He and the others from Tenrou Island have been gone for seven years. He couldn't imagine what it was like for their guildmates to be alone for that long. They must have been heartbroken to lose a large portion of their family, and it must have been hard to try and stay afloat all that time.

Sven stopped humming as he felt guilt in the pit of his stomach. He even stopped walking as he started down at the ground. If there was a way to make things better, he would use all his power to do so. However, not even his magic could change things. He sighed shaking his head while knowing that worrying about such things wouldn't do him or anyone else any good. He started walking again with his hands in his pockets.

"Sven."

Sven paused once more then glanced back to see Freed standing a few feet behind him. Freed looked to the side with a small blush on his face.

"Hello, Freed, are you heading to the guildhall as well?" Sven asked.

Freed nodded his head as he tried to ignore the warming blush on his pale cheeks. Sven then looked around curiously.

"Where is the rest of the Thunder Legion?" Sven asked curiously. "You're all usually together."

At least Bickslow, Evergreen, and Freed usually stay close together. Amarante takes on more jobs since she's S-class, so it wasn't so unusual for her to be away from the group. However, with so little jobs to take now, Sven thought she'd hang around her friends more.

"T-they might be at the gu-guildhall already." Freed said.

He then mentally berated himself for stuttering since that'd only make him look suspicious. He cleared his throat before trying to speak again.

"Sven, would you like to walk to the guildhall together?" Freed asked trying to keep his voice even.

He closed his eyes expecting to be turned down on his offer, which would crush him inside.

"Sure." Sven said casually.

Freed's eyes snapped open wide in surprise when Sven agreed. However, he then smiled a small smile. He blinked when Sven held out his hand to him.

"It's a bit crowded today." Sven said as he smiled in a sweet boyish manner. "We don't want to get separated, right?"

Sven was right. It was a bit crowded on the streets today. Freed reached out to take Sven's hand while trying not to let his blush get any redder though he was sure he was failing. Sven's smile widened thinking the blush on the green-haired man's cheeks made him look cute. However, Sven kept this comment to himself as they started walking together towards the guildhall. Freed glanced back to see Amarante, Bickslow, and Evergreen peaking around an alleyway.

They had actually been walking with him a few seconds ago, but when they saw Sven a few yards in front of them, they decided to encourage Freed to walk with his crush. They had thought it'd be easier for Freed to get to walk with Sven alone if they ducked back, so that's what they did. They all gave Freed thumbs up in encouragement as they smiled. They then ducked back into the alleyway when Sven glanced up at Freed.

"Is everything, alright?" Sven asked.

"Uh, yes." Freed said as he looked back down at Sven. "Are you settling back alright? Were you able to get your apartment back?"

Freed himself had lost the apartment he was renting along with Bickslow, so the two were now looking for another place to stay. He was sure that things were like that were most of the male members of the guild. He was sure the women didn't have that kind of trouble since almost all of them lived in Fairy Hills. Well, Lucy might.

"Yes." Sven said nodding as he smiled. "My landlord kept my apartment, and didn't rent out to anyone. I then bumped up the charm, and he paid off my debt for me."

Freed frowned feeling a bit jealous when Sven said he used his charm on another man. He knew Sven just did that to take care of his debt, but the jealous feeling wouldn't go away. He thought he was the only man Sven charmed from time-to-time, but it seemed as if he was wrong. He felt Sven squeeze his hand, so he looked down at the blonde.

"Don't worry, Freed." Sven said with his sweet smile turning almost seductive. "You're my favorite."

Freed froze with his eyes widening when Sven's voice dropped in pitch when he said that. Freed felt a shudder pass through him as his body warmed. Did Sven really just flirt with him?! Before Freed could be certain Sven was back to acting all childish and sweet as he swung their hands between them as they walked. As Freed was trying to collect his thoughts, Sven was mentally chuckling in amusement thinking he'd tease Freed more if the reactions were as amusing as the one moments ago was.

* * *

Later that day Breccan stood in between Mirajane and Erza as the three of them stood behind the couch that their master was sitting in. He had on tightfitting long-sleeved black shirt with sleeves that rolled up to his elbows. The shirt had a hood attached to it that he had down. He then had on tight dark purple jeans with a black belt going around his waist. On his feet were his usual boots, which were starting to look very worn out. He had traded out the black feather earring for one silver earring that hung from his ear like a bar. He also had a few dark rings on his fingers. Finally on top his head was a white beanie.

He remained silent behind Makarov as their guild master was speaking with the Twilight Ogre master with members of the guild standing behind them. Breccan knew some of them were the mages that he and the others beat up after returning to the guild.

"I'm done playing games, old man." The guild master—Banaboster—said. "I ain't got nothing else to say to you, mmkay? There ain't no way I'm going to back down until you and your guild pay the debt you owe me?"

"I would like nothing more than to pay you." Makarov said. "But I'm sure you're well aware of the financial rut we found ourselves in."

And Breccan was sure Twilight Ogre was making them all poorer than helping them out.

"Your business records have a lot of holes in them." Mirajane pointed out. "Makes me wonder if we're making more than we really owe."

She said this all sweetly with a smile on her face, but on the inside she was quite angry with these people.

"Would you care to explain that?" Erza asked.

"Because we would like to know." Breccan added.

Their words seemed to upset Banaboster since he jumped to his feet to glare at them all darkly.

"You tramps, you bastard, are you accusing me of fraud or something?!" Banaboster asked.

"Not at all." Makarov said calmly. "You can be assured that we'll repay whatever we owe with proper interest. _Someday_."

Banaboster turned his glare on Makarov with his anger starting to grow with every passing second he had to deal with these Fairy Tailers.

"You're starting to try my patience, ya little piss ant!" Banaboster said.

"Forgive me that came out wrong." Makarov said still acting nonchalant about this whole situation. "What I meant is that we should start with renegotiating our interest rate."

Banaboster growled really, really becoming mad now, and he was two seconds away from hitting Makarov in the face.

"What?!" He snapped then leaned into Makarov's personal space. "I don't negotiate with deadbeats who rough up my boys and don't pay their debts, understand?!"

At the mention of those they beat up, Breccan glanced back to see them glaring holes at them. He smirked in a challenging manner that had the ringleader of the group from yesterday scowling t him.

"You think you're tough, little man, but I'll make you pay for being disrespectful." He said them pointed at the emblem on the pin holding his cloak closed. "Me and my boys have a reputation to uphold!"

Banaboster expected Makarov to show a bit of fear, but the old man just kicked his legs up and down in an almost kidlike manner.

"Understood." Makarov said. "We only came here to discuss money, but we can discuss your reputation as well. I have no problem telling you what I think."

Breccan looked back to Banaboster while trying to hide his smirk since he knew Makarov was just baiting the other guild master to give some kind of reaction. Banaboster gave a shot of annoyance as he kicked away the coffee table that had been in between the two guild masters.

"You wanna wear cement shoes, ya old geezer?!" Banaboster demanded.

" _'Get pay back for what's owe,'_ if memory serves, that's the Twilight Ogre creed." Makarov said then opened his eyes to glare at Banaboster. "Must like an eye for an eye."

Breccan and the girls then let their magic energy show as their bodies started to glow partially with it. Erza's was a red hue while Mirajane had a dark blue hue surrounding her. Breccan's magical hue was a dark violet that matched his hair, and all looked rather intimidating when wrapped up in these hues that represented their magical energy.

"Indeed." Erza agreed. "And when you think of it in those terms, you owe us for seven years of property damage and abuse."

"So it seems you owe us." Mirajane added. "It only seems fair that our guild be paid back for each and every claim during that time."

"And it so happens that today we have come to collect." Breccan said as he smirked with his eyes shadowed over by his bangs.

Banaboster gulped already feeling a bit frightened, and the fear grew when Makarov started growing in size to tower over Banaboster.

"The suffering my children endured at your hands," He began. "All these years I wasn't there for them…brings tears to my eyes! You hear me?! So if it's war you want, war you're gonna get!"

Breccan then turned around with the girls to face the underlings. Erza had reequipped into her Purgatory Armor while Mirajane transformed into her Satan Soul. Breccan didn't have a form or clothes to change into. However, he did let his magic blast out to make the entire building shake.

"Who's first?" He asked.

Seconds later the place was filled with screams and begs for mercy from the Twilight Ogre members. The entire building shook and started falling apart as the fight continued. Outside Macao and Wakaba smiled quite happy to hear their guildmates go to work inside. It seemed as if things were going to go back to normal…finally.

* * *

Rizzo let out a sigh as she walked out of the post office. After getting all the crates here, the other girls who helped, which were Levy, Laki, Kinana, and Lisanna who had stopped by left to go back to the dorms. Rizzo had thanked them all, and promised to take them out to lunch sometime to pay them back. It had taken all day to get things settled, and now all her instrument except for her guitar was on their way back to Acacia Town to Clyde. She had sent a letter along with them to explain things, and she asked for another guitar case. Now that it's all taken care of, she feels as if things really were changing for her. It was like a door closed in her life, or like a chapter ended.

"And a new chapter is about to begin." She said to herself.

She then smiled as she walked away from the post office towards Fairy Hills. She wasn't sure how life would be now after everything that's happened, but she was sure that as long as Fairy Tail stuck together that everything would be alright in the end. Rizzo looked up at the sky with a smile on her face.

 _"We're home, Fairy Tail."_


	87. Aiming For the Top!

Coco: Alright, it's the first chapter of the GMG arc! And after this I have one more chapter to post for today :D

Anyway, I have something important to say, so listen up! XD

The new cover art (which is fabulous) was not drawn by me...because I can't draw to save my life. This wonderful piece of art was drawn as Derpulies, and I can't thank her enough for drawing this form me. So thank-you so much, Derpulies!

OH!

And the poll I mentioned earlier is up and ready, so please go vote :D

* * *

A few days later Rizzo was sitting at the guildhall with the others. She had little Asuka, who she met the other day, in her lap as the little girl was playing with Rizzo's hands, which had the pinkette smiling.

"Who's Sabertooth again?" Natsu asked since he remembers someone mentioning the guild a few days ago.

Rizzo looked up curiously when he asked. She wanted to know who these guys were too. She remembers Sher saying it was the guild that Salem and his group joined.

"They're super strong." Romeo asked. "Like majorly. They surpassed Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale a while back, so they're the strongest magic guild around."

"I've never heard of them until now." Gray said.

Gray wasn't the only one who had no idea who these Sabertooth mages were.

"That's because seven years ago nobody had heard of them." Alzach explained.

Rizzo frowned wondering what had changed to get them all such a power boost to make them the strongest guild. She knew Salem and his group were strong mages, but if they joined a little over seven years ago then she was sure the guild would have become well known before Rizzo left for Tenrou because having them would have been a major power boost.

"Then what?" Gray asked. "They started growing crazy strong all of a sudden?"

"It started when they got a new master." Max said. "When he took over five incredibly strong mages joined as well. And that was all she wrote."

"Are you talking about Salem Diaboli and his group?" Rizzo asked.

Gray and Natsu looked at her with wide eyes because they had no idea what she was talking about.

"No." Max said. "It was another group of five. However, when the new master took over, suddenly this man name Salem showed his true power along with his group, which gave the guild an even bigger mega boost. But then three out of five of them have left."

"That's right." Alzach said nodding. "In fact, Misericordia Nihilum and Dante Diaboli are the only two left from the group. I hear they're both S-class mages."

Rizzo almost wanted to start crying. Mages who were younger than her made S-class first. Asuka blinked back at her aunt Rizzo while wondering why the pinkette looked so depressed all of a sudden.

"However, the guild didn't get much popularity until those five other mages I mentioned had joined the guild." Max said. "I don't know why but that Salem guy and his group had really been holding back their magic."

Rizzo frowned having a pretty good idea why they were holding back. They had been part of a well-known dark guild, so not to gain attention from anyone they most likely held back on their magic.

"Whoa, five mages made that big a difference?" Lucy questioned.

"Sounds like these guys have some serious guts." Natsu said grinning.

Rizzo hummed in an agreement as she twiddled her fingers, which had Asuka, who was still playing with them, giggling. The little girl smiled back at Rizzo happily, and Rizzo smiled at her in return. Gray watched the two of them while grinning when seeing Rizzo's smiling expression.

"If they're the number one guild in Fiore, does that mean Fairy Tail's number two?" Wendy asked innocently.

"Are you serious?" Happy asked.

"Wendy, would you take a look around you, child?" Carla asked.

Wendy blinked in confusion, and Rizzo chuckled in amusement when seeing that Wendy didn't get it.

"We're dead last." Romeo said.

"They call us Wimpy Fail." Alzach added.

"You just had to ask, didn't you?" Bisca questioned.

Wendy immediately apologized now realizing her mistake. She hadn't meant to hurt anyone's feelings.

"Wow, we're in last place?!" Natsu asked grinning. "This is perfect! This is going to be fun!"

Rizzo smiled already knowing what Natsu was thinking. She chuckled while standing up with Asuka still in her arms. Gray blinked at his girlfriend and Natsu while not seeing why they're so happy.

"For who?" Gray asked.

Rizzo and Natsu just grinned at Gray as Natsu jumped down from the bar stool to stand up with his fist raised.

"Just think about it, Gray." Natsu said. "It's gonna be awesome clawing our way back to the top all over again! I can't wait."

"Of course you can't." Gray said chuckling.

"I'm looking forward to it again as well." Rizzo said smiling. "We'll show everyone that Fairy Tail is still number one!"

Natsu grinned high-fiving Asuka since Rizzo couldn't considering she was holding the little girl. Lucy laughed happily since their excited mood was just contagious.

"There's just no keeping the two of you down." Romeo said. "I'm fired up now."

"Me too!" Wendy said. "I can't wait to show them what we got!"

The Treblemen, who were sitting at their own table, either grinned or chuckled. They too were looking forward to prove that Fairy Tail was the number one guild once more because it would show that the guild was still marching on.

"Sorry to interrupt." Cana said. "But have you seen Gildarts anywhere?"

"What's the matter?" Gray asked. "Is little Cana starting to get lonely whenever daddy isn't around?"

"Gray!" Cana and Rizzo reprimanded.

Rizzo even smacked him over the head for good measure as she balanced Asuka in one arm. Cana looked pointedly at Lucy, which had Gray's eyes widening as he realized his mistake.

"Oh, my bad!" Gray said looking towards Lucy.

"It's okay." Lucy said smiling. "Seriously, don't worry about it."

Gray nodded his head then put one arm around Rizzo as the pinkette was smiling at Asuka who put her little arms around Rizzo's neck.

"Gildarts and Master Makarov just left to visit the old guildhall." Erza explained as she walked into the current guildhall.

"Halle-freaking-lujah!" Cana exclaimed. "I'm going on a job before he realizes I'm gone. Come on, Jaser!"

She grabbed her boyfriend's hand then jerked him to his feet to tug him right out of the guildhall. Breccan and Sven chuckled as he watched the two go. Craylee just shook his head as he continued to sketch across the sketchpad resting on his knee.

"Gildarts does go overboard with the mushy-feelings when it comes to Cana." Happy said.

Sanjū, who was standing beside Lily, gave Happy a deadpanned look since he had no room to talk because he was the same way with Carla. By Lily's expression, Sanjū could tell he felt the same.

"And yet he's the most powerful mage we have at our disposal." Carla said. "What a funny little guild we are."

"That's putting it lightly." Sanjū said smiling.

Carla lightly chuckled because that was true. Saying this guild was just a little funny was definitely an understatement.

"Sanjū, aren't you going with them?" Happy asked.

"Well, I figured they might want some alone time." Sanjū said shrugging. "I can't tag along every time."

Happy nodded his head in understand as Sanjū turned around to walk over to Rizzo who was still playing with Asuka.

"You look very comfortable with her, Rizzo." Sanjū commented.

Rizzo blinked looking down at the feline who was smiling. Rizzo then noticed almost everyone was looking at her and Asuka now.

"Yeah, Rizzo, you're like a natural." Bisca said smiling. "You'd make a perfect mother."

"H-h-huh?" Rizzo stuttered.

She started blushing darkly as Asuka wiggled out of her grip so to play with Sanjū. She knew she said she wanted a kid someday, but it was a bit embarrassing to be praised about being a good mother someday.

"You and Gray should get busy." Alzach joked. "Bisca and I can't be raising the next generation on our own."

"Huh?!" Gray asked blushing now as well.

Everyone laughed as Alzach continued to tease Gray who just became redder in the face. Rizzo found herself smiling as he watched her friends laugh and joke. She was so glad to see such a familiar atmosphere. She then looked off to the side as she wondered how Miseri and Dante were doing in their guild. Did they have moments like this with their guildmates? Were they close like a family? Were they happy?

* * *

In another part of Fiore two mages were on top a hillside. One was a blonde young man who was sitting on some old rubble, and the other a dark haired man who stood with his back to his companion.

"Sounds like they're finally back." The blonde said.

Who was this man? Well, his name is Sting Eucliffe, and he is a mage of the strongest guild in Fiore known as the Sabertooth guild.

"Who's they?" His companion asked.

Now this man was known as Rogue Cheney. He too was a member of the Sabertooth guild, and he and Sting made up two of the three Dragon Slayers within the guild.

"The Fairy Tail members who went missing on Tenrou Island seven years ago." Sting replied.

"I couldn't care less." Rogue retorted.

"Don't try to play it cool with me." Sting said grinning. "You used to look up to Natsu like crazy."

"You're right." Rogue said. "I used too."

Sting just chuckled before lifting his head to see if he could spot the third Dragon Slayer of their group. Well, she wasn't normally part of his and Rogue's team, but the Master ordered that she come along with them for this mission. He hasn't seen her for a little while ever since she stormed the guildhall of the dark guild they were ordered to take down. However, he knew she could handle herself, so he wasn't worried. He just chuckled as he glanced back at Rogue.

"It sure takes you back, doesn't it?" Sting asked. "Last time we saw them, you came up to about here on Gajeel."

He raised his hand so far up the ground to show the rough estimate of how tall Rogue was seven years ago.

"Heh, you were a pretty big fan of his back then." Sting continued. "I didn't care for him. He was scary."

"Stop bringing up the past, Sting." Rogue said. "We chose to follow a different path than them."

They then heard the sound of footsteps hurrying towards them, but neither of them moved position. Not even when a member of the dark guild stopped at the bottom of the hillside they were at.

"I found you!" He said.

As he started running forward, Sting finally glanced up as Rogue just barely took a short look over his shoulder. The man notched an arrow quickly while preparing to attack.

"Take this!" He said as he fired.

The arrow went flying towards the back of Rogue's head, but using his quick reflexes Sting was able to catch the arrow before it could hit his companion. The dark mage screamed in shock while wondering how Sting managed that. He then watched with wide eyes as Sting started eating the arrow.

"He's…eating…the arrow!" the man said then gasped in realization. "Don't tell me it's him!"

Sting finished munching on the arrow, which he quickly swallowed. He then appeared to give a tiny breath, but it was followed by a white blast of light that brushed just by the man who was in lock because if it had hit him head on…he wouldn't have a head anymore. Though he wasn't completely unscathed, and the wall behind him had a large hole in it now.

"Ah, dammit." Sting, who was standing now, cursed. "Guess I'm outta practice. His head is still there."

Rogue, who was now facing the same direction as Sting now, said nothing as the two of them looked down at the quivering man.

"I knew it!" The man cried. "It really is you! The Twin Dragons of the Sabertooth guild in the flesh! White Dragon Sting and Shadow Dragon Rogue! The Dragon Slayer duo!"

The man gave another scream before throwing his bow up into the air as he ran off.

"Hold up." Sting called out. "Are you just going to ditch your pals? That's cold, man."

"He's part of a dark guild." Rogue said. "What did you expect him to do?"

However, the running man didn't get far since he was suddenly incased in ice. Sting and Rogue turned their heads seeing that their fellow Dragon Slayer had returned, and there were three Exceeds at her side. You might know this Ice Dragon Slayer as Misericordia Nihilum. She was once a member of the Devil's Lament guild until its collapse, which allowed her to finally be free from the Guild Master's rule. Of course, she's changed over the last seven years, and now works as a mage in the Sabertooth guild.

One look at Miseri showed she wasn't the same thirteen-year-old teenager from seven years ago. She matured over the years while developing the curves of a young woman in her early years of adulthood. She was, of course, much taller while now standing at about medium height for a woman. Her icy-blue hair was longer and no longer kept in two pigtails as it flowed freely down to her hips. Her lips had turned a bit plump over the years, and had a shell pink color to them.

Miseri wore a sleeveless blue wool dress that had a small blue shawl attached to it. The shawl stopped just below her breasts, and it had gray fur going around the edges. The dress stopped mid-thigh, and had fur around the edges as well. She then had on black tights that had gray boots covering them from her feet up to her knees. There was white fur sticking up from the top of the boots, and two white fluffy pompoms hung from each boot. She also had on white fingerless gloves that went up to her elbows. Then around her neck was her old white scarf, and finally white earmuffs over her ears.

"There are three Dragon Slayers of Sabertooth." The violet-furred Exceed to Miseri's left said as she looked at the man frozen in ice. "Maybe next time you'll remember that."

The Exceed's name is Violet, and she has been the loyal companion of Miseri for the last thirteen years.

"Miseri, there you are." Sting said then saw the Exceeds. "And there's Lector, Violet, and Frosch. Where have all of you been?"

"Taking care of the dark guild's numbers inside their guildhall." Miseri replied. "Their master has been disposed of as well."

Sting grinned while expecting no less from Miseri. She might have held back a lot back when he first joined Sabertooth, but he's learned that she's just as strong as he and Rogue.

"We were just doing some recon stuff." Lector said as he and the others walked over towards Sting and Rogue. "We thought we would find the enemy before they ambushed us. However, Miseri went to find them, and the others you two ready took care of, yeah."

Miseri didn't like to wait for her enemy to come find her. She preferred to find them as soon as possible, so to end her mission as quickly as possible.

"Those guys got what they deserved for messing with awesome Dragon Slayers." Lector continued to say.

"Yeah, you're the bestest ever!" Frosch added.

"Damn straight." Sting said.

He then knelt down on the ground to give Lector a high-five as the red-furred Exceed held up his paw.

"You're the man to beat." Lector said. "The strongest Dragon Slayer of all time. Look out!"

Violet scoffed rolling her eyes before she started walking after Miseri who decided she really just wanted to get back to the guild. Violet eventually just climbed up to Miseri's shoulder as Rogue and Sting started walking on either side of the female Dragon slayer with their feline partners on their other sides.

"Thanks, man." Sting said. "I'm feeling pretty good. Bet I could beat Natsu if I had the chance."

Miseri, who had heard about the return of the Tenrou Island team, looked down at the ground as she wondered how Natsu and Jaser were. She hasn't spoken to them since the Pied Piper incident.

"For sure." Lector said. "He couldn't hold a candle to ya."

"Why don't we find out for ourselves?" Sting asked. "What do you say?"

He looked down at Miseri then to Rogue as he wondered if they'd want in on some Dragon Slayer vs. Dragon Slayer action.

"I think I'll pass, thanks." Rogue said.

"Fro too." Frosch said.

"I have no interest in fighting Fairy Tail." Miseri said plainly.

Violet nodded her head in agreement. It was thanks to those two Dragon Slayers from Fairy Tail and their friends that they were set free from Lucifer…or rather Caspian's hold. They owe them for so much, so Miseri didn't want to be causing fights with them.

"Ah, come on, it'll be fun, Mis." Sting said.

"Still not interested." Miseri said. "I just wish to go home. This mission was tiresome."

That and she needed to get back to Lalita since the blonde never liked being left behind when Miseri went on missions. However, their master insisted only the Dragon Slayers go on this one.

"I agree." Rogue said.

Sting sighed wishing his fellow Dragon Slayers would stop being such sticks in the mud. However, he supposed they wouldn't be themselves if they suddenly started wanting to fight and brawl all the time like him.

"Besides, the games are coming up soon." Miseri said. "And I am certain Fairy Tail will be making an appearance."

Sting and Rogue exchanged a glance wondering how Miseri could possibly know that. Miseri just smiled a tiny smile while looking quite forward to see her old friends again, and she was certain the games would be quite interesting with Fairy Tail involved.

* * *

The next few days at Fairy Tail were peaceful as the Tenrou Island group were still settling in. Rizzo wasn't spending the day leisurely. She was out in the forest with the Treblemen. They were playing mage hide-and-seek like they used to as kids, so to train with their magic. Even though Rizzo has mastered this new magic she still needs to train with it as much as possible, and now she only had one instrument, which was her guitar, left anyway. However, Rizzo supposed she better put her head back into the game before—

"Sand Dragon: Soaring Fist!"

Rizzo had to jump to the side to dodge the sand covered fist that Jaser was sending at her. She flipped away almost like a professional acrobat. She landed on her toes on top of one of the large roots as she turned to face Jaser.

"Guess, I missed." Jaser said grinning. "Light on your feet as always, Rizzy."

"I try." Rizzo said. "Now, get ready to take a hit."

Jaser's grin grew as he motioned Rizzo forward in a challenging manner. Rizzo held out her right hand with magic swirling around it.

"Guitar." She ordered with a guitar manifesting in her hands.

She started playing cords with basic sound magic coming right out of her manifested guitar at Jaser, and his eyes widened since he didn't know how easily she could use this new magic now. He tried to dodge, but the attack caught him in the nose. He went rolling backwards until he slammed into a tree.

"It worked." Rizzo said grinned while still not feeling at pain at all.

This was all a good sign. As Rizzo had the guitar vanish, Jaser laughed while sitting up while holding his bleeding nose. Looked like he needed to be more careful.

"You've improved so much in these last few days." Breccan said as he appeared behind her. "But you left your back open."

He touched her back with his finger, and Rizzo cried out in surprise as a vibration hit her. It was hard enough to send her flying through the air. She landed on top of Jaser who grunted at the impact.

"Not cool, Breccan!" The two younger mages whined as they sat up.

Breccan chuckled as he put his hands into his pockets. Craylee and Sven landed in the branches above Rizzo and Jaser as they got to their feet.

"Gees, that's totally uncool." Craylee said as he twirled the needle in his mouth in between his lips.

"You sillyheads, should pay more attention." Sven added as he laughed.

Rizzo and Jaser exchanged a glance before grins pulled across their faces. Rizzo held out her hand with a trumpet manifesting, so she gripped it with both hands. Jaser bumped his fists together as his magic gathered. They both took deep breaths.

"Sand Dragon:/Song of ," They both began at once. "Roar!/The Trumpet's Fanfare!"

They both let out their attacks towards their friends. Sand hit Breccan right off his perch, and the wailing notes of Rizzo's trumpet sent Craylee and Sven through the air. Once they hit the ground, Rizzo and Jaser exchanged a high five. Rizzo's trumpet then vanished into thin air.

"We win!" They said in unison.

"Since when were we fighting as teams?!" Sven whined while pouting.

Rizzo and Jaser blinked then glanced at each other as Craylee frowned not believing he didn't see that coming.

"Oh yeah." Jaser said.

Before he could blink Rizzo sucker punched him right in the jaw, which sent him to the floor.

"Rizzo claims victory!" She said as she threw out a victory sign.

Suddenly a large attack that was fire mixed with lightening went right by her, which had her forgetting all about her victory. It was too close for comfort, and it singed the tip of her bangs right off. She blinked as she stood there with wide eyes. Sven, who was also near the path of the attack, had some of his blonde locks burnt along with his clothes. Craylee, who was missing part of his suit and had partial burns, narrowed his eyes while knowing who just used that attack.

"NATSU!" Craylee shouted, which was extremely rate for him.

* * *

Everyone at the guild was enjoying the comfortable atmosphere when the doors slammed open. Craylee stood there looking very pissed off, and Juvia gasped when seeing his wounds and the state of his clothes. Rizzo and the three other guys were behind Craylee and keeping their distance from the redhead.

"Where is Natsu?" He asked in a cold voice.

Max's eyes widened when realizing that Craylee must have been in the path of Natsu's attack earlier as it had cut through the forest. How was Carylee's arm not charred? Were his personally sewn magic clothes the reason why he was relatively in one piece?

"He and some of the others went to see if they could find a way to get stronger." Vijeeter said.

"He better hope he finds something because he'll need all the power he can get if he wants to survive after I get a hold of him." Craylee said.

Some of the guild members shuddered at Craylee's dark tone as the redhead walked forward. He sat at the table the Treblemen had practically claimed when they first came home.

"Oh, Craylee-sama, let Juvia see to your wounds." Juvia said.

She started fussing on him as Mirajane got the first aid kit from behind the bar. Once the first aid kit was put in Juvia's hands, she started taking care of her love. Craylee winced a bit as Juvia gently put disinfectant on the light burns on his arm.

"Dude, I was there when Natsu let out that attack." Nab said. "How are you not burnt black?"

"My clothes were reinforced with flame resistant thread, which makes my clothes fire proof. Ever since joining Fairy Tail I've learned having fire proof clothes was nearly essential." Craylee said as he pulled off his shirt, which was ruined. "However, they're not lightening proof."

Some people sweat dropped. So, the lightening hit full force….again how was he not hurt any worse? Speaking of lightening, Rizzo finally noticed that Laxus was here today.

"Laxus!" She said happily as she went over to him. "Long time no see."

She hugged his arm, and he sighed though he did pat Rizzo on top of the head as the Thunder Legion chuckled in amusement.

"Looks like you got a bit of that attack too." Evergreen said as she tugged at the ends of Rizzo's bangs.

"It's okay." Rizzo said grinning. "I'll live. I'll just trim my bangs or something."

Evergreen nodded her head then was distracted when Freed gave a startled gasp. Laxus, Rizzo, Amarante, Bickslow, and Evergreen looked at the green-haired man as he took in Sven's appearance.

"Sven, what happened?" Freed asked as he walked over

"Hehe, I got caught up in the attack too." Sven said smiling. "It hurts, but I'll be okay."

Freed growled already picturing an early death for Natsu. Juvia, who was attending to Craylee, looked up with her eyes burning in anger.

"Grr, Natsu will pay for hurting my Craylee-sama." Juvia said darkly.

The guild members all sweat-dropped while feeling sorry for Natsu when he returned because he'd have to deal with a pissed off Freed and a pissed of Juvia.

"Anyway what have we missed?" Jaser asked.

"Master Makarov tried to retire again." Mirajane said.

Rizzo's mouth dropped open in shock as Makarov just chugged the rest of his alcohol.

"He made Gildarts the fifth master." Mirajane continued. "However, Gildarts skipped town, and left behind instructions. He reinstated Laxus as a member of the guild though before passing the mantle back to Master."

"Really?!" Rizzo asked with a bright smile.

Mirajane nodded with a giggle as Rizzo gave a cheer while hugging Laxus all over again. Laxus actually smiled as he ruffled Rizzo's hair. The pinkette was smiling brightly due to being so happy to have Laxus back in the guild with them.

"And he made Makarov the sixth master." Mirajane continued.

This made Rizzo even happier! She loved Gildarts like the rest of her family, but she didn't want Makarov going anywhere for at least a while longer.

"Yay, now you can stay around for longer, Master!" Rizzo cheered as she threw her arms up into the air.

"My dear, how long do you expect me to be this guild's master?" Makarov asked as he sighed. "Until the day I die?"

"Uh-huh." Rizzo said nodding.

Everyone laughed as Makarov shook his head at the pinkette who was actually being very serious.

"And Gildarts instructed we once again restore Fairy Tail to its former glory." Mirajane finished.

"I'm all for that." Rizzo said as she held up her fist. "Even if it takes years, I'll work hard to show Fiore that Fairy Tail is still here and ready for anything!"

The others smiled as Rizzo hit her fist into her open palm. She meant what she said. She'd make sure Fairy Tail was back to number one even if it took from one year to ten or even more.

"You and Gildarts are out of your minds." Warren said. "You think we can be Fiore's number one guild?"

Rizzo looked curiously towards Warren curiously while wondering why he thought it was so impossible.

"It's going to take a miracle to make something like that happen." Max added.

"I don't think it's impossible." Erza said. "Besides, we should rise to the challenge."

Rizzo was in full agreement there. Since when were Fairy Tail mages ever afraid of taking on a new challenge?

"That's a pretty tall order." Warren said.

"Yeah, things are different these days." Max explained.

Rizzo frowned in confusion wondering what was so different from seven years ago.

"Sabertooth would be tough to beat." Alzach said.

"Not to mention that the Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus guilds have gotten way more powerful in the last seven years." Bisca said.

"All of them are super awesome." Asuka added.

Rizzo will admit those two guilds have always been tough opponents, but she still didn't see the big problem.

"We are off a lot better now that we have some of our major players back in action." Vijeeter relented.

"But the fact of the matter is that you guys are seven years behind everyone else." Laki pointed out.

Levy looked down in worry, so her two teammates gave her words of encouragement. Rizzo still didn't see the major problem here. What? Did they have to fight those three guilds to get the top stop or something? Did good old hard work on jobs not cut it anymore?

"You've got to admit that's a substantial training gap." Macao added.

"Whether you're talking about individual strength or even the guild's overall power, we still have a long way to go." Wakaba tacked in.

"I see your point." Erza said. "It seems it'll take a long amount of time and training to reclaim our standing."

Rizzo just frowned because it almost sounded as if her guildmates had given up. The spirit they once had wasn't completely present. Yet they had to have someone of it left if they held out for seven long years.

"I've waited for you guys for seven whole years." Romeo, who was standing on top the table now, said. "I'm sick and tired of waiting for something to happen."

Rizzo's brow quirked as a small grin pulled across her face. Looked like someone still had plenty of spirit left in him.

"Romeo." Macao called out in warning.

Romeo completely ignored his dad as a large grin pulled across his face. He was done sitting back and remaining silent. Now was the time to cause a stir and make noise.

"There's totally a way for us to be number one again." Romeo said. "You all know what it is."

Rizzo and Erza exchanged a glance in confusion. The rest of the Tenrou group was confused as well, but their guildmates seemed to know what Romeo was talking about since they all reacted unhappily to his implied idea.

"No." Macao said firmly. "Didn't I tell ya we'd never take part in that thing, again?"

Rizzo was even more curious now to find out what they were talking about. If it was a way to become number one again, she was all for it no matter what it was.

"And what might this thing be, Fourth Master?" Makarov asked.

"I'd appreciate if you didn't call me that, Sixth Master." Macao said.

Rizzo just frowned wanting someone to tell her what the hell everyone was talking about. Romeo and Macao just continued arguing back at forth, which was starting to get on Rizzo's nerves since she still had no idea what they were talking about.

"We're going to do it this time!" Romeo said. "You're not the master anymore, Dad!"

"Well, neither are you, ya little rugrat." Macao pointed out. "I absolutely forbid it! We're never going to get involved in that thing again, ya hear?!"

The doors then opened with Natsu and the rest of Rizzo's team walking in from wherever they had been. Natsu called out a greeting before shuddering when he felt killing intent pointed towards him. He turn his head seeing Craylee glaring right at him.

"Uh, what's with him?" Natsu asked.

"That attack of yours that cut through the forest earlier hit Craylee and nicked Sven and Rizzo." Max replied. "I hope you found something to make you stronger because Craylee's going to corner you sooner or later, bro."

"Nope, he didn't." Lucy said. "But Wendy sure did. I guess poor Natsu is just out of luck."

Natsu gulped feeling pale, and to make matters worse he felt Juvia and Freed glaring at him now too. He was so doomed. He was then distracted from his impending doom when he heard Romeo and Macao arguing.

"You don't make the rules anymore so just get over it!" Romeo said. "It's up to Makarov!"

"I'm expressing myself as a member of the guild." Macao argued.

"What's all the fuss about this time?" Gray asked as he stepped up beside Rizzo.

He glanced down at her to look her over to make sure Natsu's wayward attack hadn't caused too much damage. It appeared she was in one piece except for the obvious chunk missing out of her hair.

"Not completely sure yet." Rizzo said. "Romeo said something about there being a way to make us number one again, and I haven't figured out what yet since he and Macao just keep arguing. By the way, you're half naked."

Gray glanced down at his bare torso while wondering what happened to his shirt and jacket.

"Those of you with me, say aye!" Macao said as he raised his hand.

Many of the guild members raised their hands to agree except for the Tenrou Team and Romeo. Gees, Rizzo didn't like the fact that her guildmates seemed so ready to give up before anything really got started.

"But we've got the Tenrou Team will us this time." Romeo continued to argue. "Natsu and Erza and all those guys! There's no way we're going to lose with all of them on our side."

"I've been reduced to part of "all those guys"?" Craylee asked frowning.

Breccan pat his shoulder in a consoling manner. Though Craylee shouldn't be too upset. Taking time to say the entire group's names would take a while, so Romeo just had to shorten it.

"Haven't you been paying attention?" Warren asked. "They all missed out on seven years of training."

Rizzo sighed while having enough of listening to members of her guild trying as hard as possible to get out of something that could put them back on top. They deserved the top spot for waiting for Rizzo and the others for so long.

"May I cut in and express myself as a member of the guild?" Rizzo asked as she stepped forward.

Everyone turned towards the pinkette as she crossed her arms over her chest in a stubborn manner.

"I know it must have been a long, hard seven years without us, but you held on this long, which shows how strong you are." Rizzo said. "You've just gotten beat around a few times and lost your confidence. It also seems that you've forgotten something Master Makarov has taught all of us. Which is no matter how strong the enemy or how unbeatable the odds are…we can always make it out on top as long as we work together. As long as our feelings and emotions are strong it doesn't matter how much of a gap there is between us and our opponents because we will win."

Everyone started silently at Rizzo with wide eyes as she pointed towards her heart with her thumb. Romeo grinned widely as members from the Tenrou Team smiled.

"I know for a fact that Fairy Tail has the strongest emotions and bonds out of every other guild in Fiore." Rizzo continued. "Which is why I hate seeing you all shrink away from whatever this challenge is. You held on this long, so keep your heads high and remember the principles our guild was built on. We stick together as a family as we fight together as a family to beat any odds in our way. We don't ever give up. That is the way of the Fairy Tail guild."

It was silent for a long moment as some of the members looked to the side with tears in their eyes. Makarov smiled at Rizzo feeling quite proud as he looked at the young woman she has become. Her team also looked at her with smiles as Gray put his arm around her shoulders with his hand resting on one of them. Rizzo then turned towards Romeo who was gazing at her in awe.

"Now, what's this thing you keep mentioning, Romeo?" Rizzo asked.

"Well, while all you guys were stuck on Tenrou Island, a tournament started to determine Fiore's number one guild." Romeo explained.

Natsu grinned at the sound of that as Happy let out an awed "ooh" for good measure.

"Sounds like a whole lot of fun to me." Natsu said.

Rizzo had to nod in agreement. It sounded like a lot of fun, and something that was perfect to get into, so they can reclaim the number one spot again.

"Guilds from all over the country face off against each other in magic events." Romeo continued. "They call it…the Grand Magic Games."

Jaser felt his own grin pull across his face as he exchanged an excited glance with his brothers. Even Craylee had a small grin on his face as he leaned forward with his elbows resting on the table.

"Oh yeah!" Natsu said excitedly.

He exchanged a high-five with Rizzo who liked where this was going. If Makarov agreed to this, they'd be number one soon enough.

"That sounds totally amazing." Lucy said.

"Yeah, I'd love to play some games." Wendy added.

"I'm sure these aren't going to be some kiddy games." Breccan said then smiled. "Which makes it sound all the more fun."

Sven nodded his head in agreement as the guild members who have been here the last seven years started to look worried.

"So it's kind of more like a magic festival?" Gray asked.

"I understand." Erza said. "Sabertooth is known as the top guild in Fiore these days because they won the last go around."

"That's right." Romeo said. "But if we can beat them and win the games this time we'll be number one instead."

Everyone from the Tenrou Team "oh-ed" in understanding. Rizzo was feeling more pumped up by the second at the thought of joining in on these games.

"That would be nice, but I'm not entirely convinced we can win given our current state of disarray." Makarov said.

"That's my point exactly!" Macao said.

"Come on, Master, Macao, we're always in disarray!" Rizzo said. "Like it'll make that big of a difference."

Some of the others laughed as other sweat-dropped at how true that statement was.

"And if we do win the guild will get like 30 million jewel in prize money!" Romeo said.

And those were like the magic words since Makarov grinned while all form participating now.

"We're in!" Makarov said.

Rizzo laughed happily as the group not from Tenrou Island tried to protest against Makarov's decision. They brought up the seven year gap again and all sorts of complaints, but Makarov was firm in his decision.

"Well, this year we'll just have to beat all those other guilds to a pulp!" Makarov declared.

"Sabertooth thinks they're hot stuff?" Natsu, who had one foot on the table and a fist of fire held up, asked. "We'll just see about that."

"Put a cork in it!" Jet said.

Natsu just ignored Jet as he and Rizzo went to stand in front of Romeo with large grins on their face.

"So when does this thing go down anyway?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah, how much do we have to wait until we can get in on the action?" Rizzo questioned.

"It kicks off in the three months!" Romeo said.

Rizzo and Natsu shared a fist bump as the two of them continued to grin broadly.

"More than enough time to train, right, Natsu?" Rizzo asked.

"That's right!" Natsu agreed. "But we'll have to start training ASAP! We're going to put Fairy Tail back on top, and no one is going to get in our way."

"They can try, but we'll crush them every time." Rizzo added.

Everyone from Tenrou Island grinned at the two pinkettes who were both pretty fired up and ready to go. Everyone from the island started getting geared up at the thought of the games, which had Rizzo grinning even more. The others just complained and whined while not looking forward to this even after Rizzo gave that amazing speech.

"Now that the final decision's been made there's no time for this moaning and groaning." Makarov cut into the complaining. "So let's get to work, and win that 30 million jewel and the title of Fiore's number one guild. Fairy Tail is entering the Grand Magic Games and aiming for the top!"

"YEAH!" Everyone cheered.


	88. The Teams Are Selected!

The next day at the guildhall everyone gathered to discuss how training would be going and who was going with whom and where they would be going. Laxus and the Thunder Legion we're going to a distant town to train in the forest surrounding it. Amarante at the moment was pouting as the rest of the Thunder Legion held out their hands to her.

"Come on, you have to hold one of our hands." Bickslow said. "Do you want to get lost?"

"I'm not a child!" Amarante whined. "I can walk on my own."

She went to walk right out the door to show them she could, but not even a second later, she turned direction since she got distracted by a bug on the floor. Rizzo chuckled with many others of the guild, and for the ones, who were waiting for seven years, it felt good to see such a familiar sight again.

"Alright." Laxus said walking over to her. "Come on."

He grabbed her hand to tug her along, and ignored her when she tried to protest. The Thunder Legion smiled at Laxus and Amarante as the blonde finally told her to shut-it when she kept whining.

"It's good to see them together again." Evergreen said.

"Yeah." Bickslow agreed.

Freed just continued to smile then looked back to the others who were grouping up.

"We shall be leaving." Freed said. "We shall see you in a week."

"Alright, take care." Rizzo said waving.

Evergreen waved in return then left with the rest of the Thunder Legion after Laxus. Gajeel and Lily then left without a word after Gajeel finished speaking with Levy. Rizzo called out a farewell to them as well, and while Gajeel ignored her, Lily turned to wave at Rizzo and Sanjū, who was on Rizzo's shoulder, with a grin on his face. Sanjū waved back.

"We better start heading out too." Cana said as she stood with the Strauss Siblings. "Are you coming too, Jaser?"

"Actually, my sibs and I are heading back to Acacia Town." Jaser said as he pointed at his brothers and Rizzo.

Natsu and Gray exclaimed "WHAT?!" in surprise as they looked towards Rizzo. They had no idea she wasn't coming along with them. She smiled at them sheepishly while supposing she should have told them earlier.

"We decided we wanted to train on our former guild's sacred grounds." Breccan explained.

"It's been a long time since the five of us have trained together in the caves like when we were kids." Sven added with a laugh.

"After training yesterday, we thought it was the best decision." Craylee said as he stood with Juvia.

"So, in other words, the five of us are going on a family training camp for the next three months." Rizzo said holding up three fingers.

Juvia pouted since that meant she would be away from her beloved Craylee, but she supposed that she couldn't ask to tag along when he obviously wanted to train with just his siblings.

"But, Rizzo, the beach." Natsu whined.

Rizzo apologized to Natsu as Jaser gave Cana a big hug in farewell, and she put her arms around him as well. Juvia latched onto Craylee saying she'd miss him greatly until he arrived home. Rizzo smiled at her two brothers before turning to Gray who was pouting.

"Oh, don't pout." She said as she stepped up to him. "We'll see each other soon enough."

He sighed guessing that was true, but three months seemed like a long time to be apart from each other. However, he supposed he'd just have to deal with it.

"Okay, I guess I'll just have to try and find a way to live without you for those three months." Gray said chuckling. "What am I going to do?"

"That's a very good question." Rizzo said as she laughed. "I don't see how anyone could live without me for even a week let alone three months."

Gray snorted at her sassy reply before bringing her into his arms. He kissed the top of her head as she hugged him in return.

"Stay safe while you're gone." He said. "I'd like you back in one piece."

Rizzo pulled back to lightly shove him with a small frown on her face though she wasn't very upset.

"I can take care of myself." Rizzo retorted. "Thank-you very much."

"I know, I know." He said holding up his arms in a placid manner. "Sorry. I can't help but worry, ya know."

Rizzo rolled her eyes at him then leaned up to place a small peck at the corner of his mouth.

"I'll be fine." She promised him then grabbed her pack. "I'll see you in three months."

She then waved to the rest of her friends, who waved in return, before she joined her brothers by the door. She smiled at her friends one last time before turning to follow after Breccan as Sven walked alongside her while holding her hand. Craylee and Jaser brought up the rear of their group as the headed towards where Reedus had left them a pig drawn cart, which would take them to Acacia Town. As they walked, Rizzo was sure that they'd get stronger in three months' time. They had too, so they could come back to Fairy Tail ready for the Grand Magic Games and to get back the title of Number One Guild.

* * *

Rizzo, who had arrived to Acacia Town earlier with her brothers, stood in front of the graves of the Guild Masters of Treble Chambers. Her brothers were all behind her with their heads bowed respectfully to the graves. When they arrived to town, they had decided to pay their respects to their fallen loved ones and to ask for their blessing as they tried to strengthen their magic to help the guild that had taken them all in.

"It was kind of the townspeople to add this cemetery for Treble Chambers." Breccan said.

Craylee nodded in agreement while remembering the day this cemetery had been opened to the public to pay their respects. It was sad yet moving, but there were two cemeteries in this town. One for the townspeople, and one dedicated to the members of Treble Chambers. It was so kind of the townspeople to give this cemetery to their former guild. It was also sad though that so many died on one day that an entire cemetery could be filled.

After this cemetery was built, any members from before the accident that had passed on and buried in the town's first cemetery were moved here. All the Guild Masters were buried in a row with Raoul's grave, which was empty, in the center. It was the largest grave with the Treble Chambers's creed engraved in the front. Rizzo bowed her head to the former masters' graves just like her brothers, which she had decorated with flowers she had bought from the flower shop in town.

"We ask that you watch over us as we go through this training." Rizzo said. "I know we're getting stronger for Fairy Tail, but sadly the time of Treble Chambers is over for now. Fairy Tail has protected us, helped us become strong, and given us a family, so I hope you can call give us strength as we work to help bring Fairy Tail back to number one."

It was silent as a breeze blew by, but Rizzo almost felt as if the breeze were the gently touches of her fallen former guildmates as they gave her their blessing. It brought a smile to her face as she clasped her hands in front of her chest. Her brothers smiled as well while feeling the same as her. After another moment of silence, Breccan raised his head.

"Alright." He said getting his siblings attention. "It's time to start training. We've only got three months, so we better make them count."

Jaser laughed in excitement as he punched his fist into his open palm to crack his knuckles.

"I'm ready to clock in some serious training hours." Jaser said grinning. "What about you, Craylee?"

"I will be sure to work hard." Craylee said as he adjusted his tie. "There is no possible way I'd ever let you surpass me."

Jaser's grin grew as Rizzo and Sven laughed at Craylee's reply since it was something they'd expect of him.

"I'm ready to get to it!" Sven said throwing his arms up into the air. "How about you, Rizzy?"

Rizzo turned completely around to face her brothers, who all looked at her, with determination burning in her eyes as she nodded her head.

"I'm ready to give it all I've got." Rizzo said. "We have to become stronger because in three months' time we'll be fighting to take back our title of Fiore's Number One Guild. And this time having that title is important because gaining that title will show the entire kingdom that Fairy Tail is still here."

All her brothers smiled or half grinned in Craylee's case as they nodded their heads in agreement.

"Alright then." Breccan said. "Let's get to it."

* * *

THREE MONTHS LATER

"Song of Enchantment!" Rizzo said then started playing a flute she conjured with her magic.

A soft melody came from the instrument and the notes enveloped around Jaser. He looked around seeing that his surrounding were changing. Suddenly he was in a forest that was dark and filled with fire flies. A small waterfall was to the side, and it fell into a small pool that glistened due to the moonlight and light of the stars. It was almost magical. However, he knew it was just an illusion, and he knew it could be broken if he forced Rizzo to stop playing her flute. He took in a deep breath while aiming where he heard the flute coming from.

"Sand Dragon: Roar!" He shouted.

The illusion suddenly broke as he heard Rizzo curse. He then watched as Rizzo barely dodged his attack, which was strong enough to punch a deep hole into the rock behind where she had been standing.

"You'll have to do better than that, Rizzy." He said grinning then motioned her forward. "Try again."

Rizzo narrowed her eyes then conjured a bass into her hand, and a few amplifiers appeared behind her. She started playing low, fast pace thumping cords on her guitar that had the entire ground shaking.

"Sound of the Earthquake." She said.

She picked up her playing with the ground shaking even more until it finally started to crack. Jaser looked around feeling impressed before he noticed that the earthquake had caused rocks to come loose from the side of the mountain…and they were reading right towards him. His little sister didn't pull any punches, did she? He then grinned guessing that if he didn't want to be squished that he'd have to destroy all those boulders. However, before he could even get ready to do so the boulders were sucked up into a large wormhole courtesy of Craylee. Rizzo and Jaser both pouted over at the redhead as he stood with Breccan and Sven.

"You should quit your pouting." He said. "It's time to head back to the guildhall. Or had you forgotten?"

The blinks of confusion he received were replies enough, and he sighed shaking his head. Sven laughed in amusement as Breccan silently grinned.

"I can't believe it's already been three months." Rizzo said as she grinned. "I wonder how much stronger the others have become."

"We will not know until we return home." Craylee said as he turned around to start heading towards where the carriage awaited them. "Now stop standing around."

His siblings watched him go while knowing he didn't like wasting time, but this time…it seemed as if he was more irritable. His siblings then exchanged a glance wondering what could have him so worked up. Sven then grinned as a certain person came to mind.

"He must be missing a certain water woman.~" Sven said in a singsong voice.

Breccan, Jaser, and Rizzo all looked back towards Craylee wondering if that was true. When they all saw his taunt shoulders, they got their answer. Rizzo then cooed while grinning goofily.

"That's just adorable." Rizzo said. "I never thought I'd see the day that Craylee was impatient to return to someone let alone his girlfriend."

Mostly since she never saw Craylee having a girlfriend. Now, she knows her youngest older brother isn't some slouch, but most of the time he brushed girls off claiming he didn't have the time nor patience for them. Said man turned to give Rizzo a glare for her teasing, but she just grinned in return.

"Alright, alright, let's stop teasing him." Breccan said. "He is right that we have to head back after all."

"Right." The other three said nodding.

Rizzo then grinned in excitement as she held her fists up in front of her with her eyes shining.

"I wonder who Master is going to pick for the team." Rizzo said. "I'm sure I have a chance!"

She and her brothers then went to get their things, so they could go down to the carriage. As she grabbed her pack, she wondered who would be playing in the games from the other guilds.

* * *

At the Lamia Scale guild, Sher let out a small sigh as Ooba was shouting at everyone…again. In her arms was Triton, and he seemed to be getting a kick out of Ooba's ranting.

"You kids, have no shame!" Ooba accused. "That's the only explanation! Why else would you be content with second place every year?!"

Others from the guild sighed as well as Ooba started spinning, which couldn't be good since that meant she was getting really worked up.

"We might have just seen it as fun and games before, but not this time, you hear me?!" She demanded. "I'm going to work you ankle-bitters into shape!"

"Ugh, shut-up, Ooba!" Tobi snapped.

You'd think as the guild master her "subordinates" would treat her with more respect. However, that was hard to when she was usually ranting and acting senile.

"Can't call it a day without the old hag going senile." Yuka said.

Ooba ignored the two of them since she was used to their whining while turning her attention on two strong members of the guild.

"Lyon, Jura, I want you two in the games this year!" She snapped.

Lyon, who was standing beside his wife, let out a small yet accepting sigh as a small grin appeared on his face.

"Alright, if the Hag says jump, we jump." He said.

"Jump!" Triton added throwing his arms up into the air.

Lyon smiled at his son while reaching out to pat him on top the head, which had Triton smiling.

"Well, the festival should be a nice distraction if nothing else." Jura said.

The guild erupted into cheers thinking the victory would be in the bag this year around.

"And if we add Sher, there really is no beating us!" Someone called out.

Sher really wasn't in the mood for playing some games. Besides, she didn't want to take the chance of her and Lyon being down in the stadium together with Triton alone. Technically he'd have his guildmates, but she still felt better if she or Lyon were nearby to get to him quickly if needed.

"Sher won't be participating this year." Ooba said surprising everyone. "At least she won't be on the main team."

Oh, so Ooba wanted to use Sher almost like a trump card this year around. But if Sher wasn't going to be on the main team, then what about the other tree positions?

"Sherria!" Ooba snapped.

Sherria, who had been standing in between Sher and Sherry, jumped when Ooba shouted her name.

"Yes, old hag?" Sherria asked.

"You'll be taking Sher's usual position on the team!" Ooba said as she pointed at the youngest Blendy.

Sherri looked nervous when Ooba said that, but when her older sister placed her hand on her shoulder, she felt for at ease before Sher even opened her mouth.

"You'll be fine." Sher said. "I have complete faith in you."

Sherria smiled nodding her head as she felt her sister's love and support. She could do this as long as she had Sher cheering in her corner.

"Sherria can beat anyone!" Triton cheered.

The guild laughed at his outburst as Sherria took her nephew into her arms to give a big hug. As Sherria held Triton, Lyon slipped his hand into Sher's hand. He gave it a squeeze as she looked up at him.

"I suppose I'll have to live with not having my girl at my side this year." Lyon said.

"I'll still be there, grunt." Sher said as she poked his chest. "I'll be in the stands is all."

Lyon chuckled at the familiar nickname before leaning in to place a soft kiss on Sher's lips. As he pulled back, he absently wondered if Fairy Tail would be making an appearance this year.

* * *

Over at the Blue Pegasus guild, things were bustling as always as the members of Blue Pegasus entertained their guests. One of the members was a young man who looked to be thirteen or fourteen. He had dark brown hair that was neatly groomed with his bangs sweeping to the right side of his face and curling up. His skin was deeply tanned though nowhere close to Ren's tanned skin. He also had deep green eyes that stuck out against the dark lashes he sported. He was on the short-side due to his young age, and was actually an inch shorter than Eve. He was a handsome young man with a nice smile, and ever since joining this guild, the ladies have been eating him up.

He wore a lilac dress shirt with pale turquoise trim around the collar. The shirt was under a black vest that had three charcoal buttons going down the middle to hold it closed. Around his neck was pale turquoise bowtie, and in his ears two simple silver studs. He had on black dress pants as well, and they were held up by a simple dark turquoise belt. On his feet were black dress shoes that looked as if they had been polished just earlier today since they shined in the lighting of the room.

"What?" He asked looking surprised as he served drinks to Hibiki's table. "Master Bob, wants me as a reserve member on the team for the Grand Magic Games this year?"

He couldn't believe it. He's only been here three years now, but they already wanted him as a reserve member that could possibly end up representing Blue Pegasus in the Grand Magic Games. It seemed unreal.

"Yes, he does." Hibiki said. "You have talent despite your age, and due to your magic it's almost like you're a mascot for our guild anyway, Prince."

Prince—yes, that's his actual name—deflated a bit when he understood a bit more. They really wanted to use him as a mascot. This really wasn't about his magic power.

"Don't look so glum, my protégé." Hibiki said smiling. "You really are a talented young mage, and becoming a reserve member this year means you might become a first pick for next year's team."

Prince supposed that was true, but he was still a little upset about the whole mascot thing.

"Besides, you're a crowd favorite." Hibiki said. "Just after your first year here all of Fiore knew who the Pegasus Prince was, and we can't deny your fans a chance to see you. That is not the way of Blue Pegasus after all."

"Yes, of course." Prince said nodding.

* * *

Meanwhile at the Sabertooth guild, Miseri was with Sting and Rogue in the guild's courtyard. Miseri didn't know why the two other Dragon Slayers decided to join her since she only came out here to read. However, it seemed that whenever she turned around nowadays that they were there. She mentally frowned wondering if the reason for them being around so much was _that_ man's doing. Was he posting them as her bodyguards or something to make sure she didn't step out of line?

"Hey, Sting!"

The three Dragon Slayers looked up seeing Lector, Frosch, and Violet returning from their adventure into town. Lector was carrying a few shopping bags, and Miseri was sure that it was Violet who got him to carry her things. The red-furred Exceed would do anything to make Violet happy even if she usually brushes him off.

"What is it, Lector?" Sting asked curiously.

"You'll never guess what we heard earlier." Lector said as he set down Violet's bags. "Rumor has it that Fairy Tail is joining in the games again, but this time their team will be made up with some of the members who meant missing seven years ago."

Sting grinned when hearing this as Miseri's brow quirked. Honestly she was surprised. She knew with that group back that they wouldn't be able to pass up the chance at playing in the Grand Magic Games.

"Natsu, and the others are entering the Grand Magic Games?" Sting asked looking excited.

"Yep, yep, that's the humor going around Magnolia anyway." Lector said.

"Frosch heard it too." Frosch added cutely.

Violet turned her attention onto Miseri as the Ice Dragon Slayer closed the book she was reading.

"If Natsu is competing, it is a high chance that Rizzo will be as well." Violet pointed out.

"Yes, those two never seem to be far away from the other especially in battle." Miseri said.

Violet nodded in agreement as Rogue looked at them curiously. The way they spoke of those Fairy Tailers…it was almost like they knew them personally.

"Things just got a whole lot more interesting!" Sting said. "This should be awesome."

"I couldn't care less." Rogue said as he looked away from Miseri and Violet.

His only interest was in fighting Gajeel, and if Gajeel wasn't competing, he didn't care what Fairy Tail did. Sting shook his head at Rogue then looked to Miseri.

"I'm bet your excited, Miseri." Sting said.

"I am intrigued." Miseri admitted. "And with how the Grand Magic Games are this year, it means even I have a chance of fighting against Fairy Tail."

Sting nodded with his grin growing. While he was sure he didn't need this new benefit the Grand Magic Games has now, he hoped Miseri made it into the games too. He wanted to see her in action since it was rare to see her go all out or get excited for a fight.

"Miseri-neechan! Sting-san, Rogue-san!"

Miseri turned her head along with the others to see a young girl heading their way. The young girl stood at about 4'11 with long, flowing golden blonde hair she had tied up into pigtails with black ribbons. Even tied up the pigtails dropped down to her waist in two perfectly curled spirals. She had a pale skin complexion and dark lashes, which had her large, doe-like blue eyes standing out. She had a heart-shaped face with a button nose that had a dusting of freckles going across it. Her cheeks were also very rosy as if she was always flushed.

She wore a pale blue dress that stopped above her knees and had white ruffles at the bottom. Her sleeves stopped at her shoulders, and puffed out a bit. The collar of the dress went up to around her neck, and had black bowtie perfectly tied. Over the blue dress was a white apron like garment that had ruffles around the edges, and it had heart-shaped pockets. She then had on black-and-white stripped stockings and on her feet were black Mary Janes. She carried a white side back that had that had blue lace flowers stitched in, and hanging from the bag was a keychain in the shape of dice.

"What is it, Lalita?" Miseri asked curiously.

"Master, has called for us." Lalita said. "He wants to pick the two teams for the Grand Magic Games now."

Miseri frowned really not wanting to deal with their master, but she supposed they had no choice.

"Very well." Miseri said as she stood up. "Shall we?"

"Ready to go." Sting said as he started walking alongside Miseri. "Maybe we'll be on the same team this year."

Miseri hummed in acknowledgement to his words while not really caring either way.

* * *

"What do you mean I wasn't chosen?!" Rizzo demanded as she stared at Makarov.

Behind her directly stood her brothers, Laxus, Mirajane, Gajeel, and Juvia with the rest of the guild—minus her usual team, which consisted of Natsu, Gray, Erza, Lucy, Happy, and Carla—behind them.

"You weren't back soon enough for me to place you with the first team, my dear." Makarov said. "My hands were tied, and I had to put the team together without you."

A split second later Rizzo was over in a corner sniffling as a cloud of despair hung over her.

"I wasn't chosen." She sniffled. "And I worked so hard, and wanted to show people that Fairy Tail was still number one."

She then let out a loud sob while wiping at her eyes with her hands. She couldn't believe this was happening.

"Oh, the poor thing." Mirajane said as she placed her hand on her cheek.

Lisanna and Juvia went to console Rizzo as everyone else sweat-dropped at how depressed she was acting. As she was crying, Craylee realized something.

"Master, you said the first team." Craylee said getting everyone's attention. "Does that mean…we can have more than two teams in the games?"

Everyone looked to Makarov, and the elderly guild master grinned in a mischievous manner.

"I'm glad you asked, my boy." Makarov said.


	89. Let Preliminary Round Begin!

Coco: I thought I only had six chapters to post, but then I remembered I finished a seventh one early yesterday morning before going to work XD So here's another chapter for you all :D

* * *

As the sun was starting to set, Rizzo looked around at Crocus remembering that the last time she was here that she had broken something important, which resulted in her apologizing to the council. She didn't enjoying having to apologize to those stuck up councilmen, but the last time she was in Crocus sure had been fun.

"Alright, remember we need to meet at our inn by midnight." Breccan said as he and his siblings stopped in a plaza. "Since we're on a different team, we won't be staying with the first team or the rest of the guild at the Honey Bone Inn."

"We're staying at the Tulip Hill Inn, right?" Sven asked.

Breccan nodded his head then looked at the rulebook that Makarov had given him. Breccan already read through most of it after borrowing Craylee's wind reader glasses. He still needed to finish the rest of it.

"Well, until then, I guess we enjoy our time in the capital while we can." Breccan said.

"Okay!" Jaser said. "I'm going to find Cana!"

He then dashed off to find his girlfriend without even saying goodbye to his siblings, and poor Sanjū, who was on his shoulder, had to hold on tightly, so not to fall off. Rizzo smiled shaking her head in amusement.

"Craylee-sama, would you like to go get something to eat?" Juvia, who was walking with them, asked.

"Sure." Craylee said. "I am a bit hungry."

Juvia smiled brightly then looped her arm around is as they started walking down the street.

"I'm going to the bookstore!" Sven said. "Maybe they'll have something interesting to read."

He waved goodbye to Breccan and Rizzo then went on his way to find himself a bookstore.

"Are you going to explore the city?" Rizzo asked Breccan.

"No." Breccan said shaking his head. "I still have a bit of reading to finish, and I want to get us checked in. You go have fun."

Rizzo nodded her head then gave Breccan a hug before she walked off to go look around. She wondered what she could do before she had to be back to the inn by midnight. She also wondered if she'd run into anyone she knew while here considering how many guilds should be in the capital at the moment. She started humming to herself as she continued walking.

"Maybe Gray and the others have made it to Crocus by now." Rizzo said with a tilt of her head.

She smiled hoping they really were. She'd like to spend time with Gray before all the craziness of the games started. It seemed as if she'd get what she wished because she suddenly spotted Gray not far from her. Her smile widened before she lightly jogged towards him.

"Gray!" She called out.

Gray turned his head with his eyes widening when he saw Rizzo. He then grinned broadly at her as he turned to completely face her. It's been three months since he last saw her…or more like a week since he spent most of that time in the Celestial World, which only lasted a day there. But the point was that he's missed seeing her. He opened his arms as she reached him, and he wrapped them around her as her arms went around his torso. She missed him after being a part from each other in the last three months.

"I didn't expect to see you, but I'm glad you're here." Gray said as he pulled back to look down into Rizzo's face. "Did you come all this way by yourself?"

"Of course not." Rizzo said. "Everyone from the guild is here for this. We're here to cheer you on."

Did he really think that the guild would stay back in Magnolia during something like this? And she knew she was lying a bit, but Makarov made her, her team, and Team B swear not to say anything about them participating in the games to Team A.

"I guess nobody's busy taking on any jobs, huh?" Gray commented then shook his head. "Anyway, it's good to see you. I've missed you."

He leaned in to kiss her lips as he tightened his arms around her once more. Rizzo, whose eyes closed, kissed him back in return with her hands pressed against his chest. After they pulled their lips a part, Gray rested his forehead against Rizzo's.

"How about getting something to eat?" Gray asked. "I'm a bit hungry, and it'll be my treat."

"I suppose I could go for a bite to eat." Rizzo said as she pulled back. "And who am I to deny free food?"

Gray snorted as she winked at him teasingly. He then took her hand, so they could walk down the street together. They didn't get far before spotting some faces they knew.

"Sher, Lyon," Rizzo said, which had the married couple stopping.

Rizzo then smiled at Triton who was standing in between his parents as he held their hands. He smiled up at her in return, and she almost cooed at how cute he was.

"Gray, Rizzo, I can honestly say I'm not surprised to see you both here." Lyon said. "Rumor has it that you're participating in the games this year, Gray, right?"

"Yeah," Gray replied as he frowned.

Lyon smirked as he looked directly at Gray while letting go of Triton's hand, so Sher scooped him up into her arms.

"It's no use because Lamia Scale will surely emerge the victor." Lyon said.

"I thought you guys always came in second place." Gray pointed out.

Lyon didn't seem to like his words before he head-butted Gray with an annoyed look in his eyes even if he remained smirking. Gray head-butted him right back as Sher and Rizzo stood off to the side shaking their heads.

"And your guild always comes in last place." Lyon pointed out in return. "But this year will be different for us because Jura and I will be participating in the games for the very first time."

He then pushed Gray a bit back using his forehead, and Rizzo could practically hear Gray's skull groan in protest.

"That means we'll be stronger than ever before!" Lyon finished.

Gray pushed Lyon back this time as Sher wondered if the two of them would ever just get along without any fighting whatsoever.

"We happen to have our own ace in the hole known as Erza Scarlet." Gray said. "So don't count us out of the race just yet!"

The two then practically growled at each other like two alpha wolves. Sher shook her head having enough of their pissing contest, so she handed Triton over to Rizzo. The younger pinkette blinked in confusion then watched as Sher walked over to the two men.

"That's enough!" She snapped while shoving the two of them apart. "Put the rulers away, boys, and zip up your pants."

Rizzo snorted at the metaphor as Gray and Lyon trembled at Sher's scary aura.

"Yes, dear." Lyon said. "Please, forgive me for acting childishly."

"Right, sorry." Gray added as he nodded.

Sher glared at them one more time as Triton and Rizzo were off giggling to the side. Triton always thought it was funny when his mommy got angry at his daddy since Lyon always made funny faces and his eyes always got really big whenever he managed to upset Sher.

"How about we all go get something to eat together?" Rizzo suggested. "It should be fun, and we're not rivals yet, right?"

Gray frowned at Rizzo wondering if she was being serious, and by the glare she sent him that told him to behave, he could tell she was.

"That's a great idea." Lyon said. "There's actually a restaurant nearby that we always take Triton too when we come here. It has a large aquarium in the center, and he enjoys looking at all the creatures inside."

Lyon didn't mind spending time with Rizzo since he has a respect for her, and he knows that she's Sher's friend. He was Sher would like to spend time with the younger pinkette anyway after the seven year gap. And honestly, they didn't have much time to talk the first time Lamia Scale checked in on Fairy Tail after hearing the Tenrou Team was back.

"They're really pretty and colorful." Triton added smiling.

"Then we must go see them." Rizzo said smiling in return. "Will you point out all your favorites to me?"

Triton nodded his head excitedly as Rizzo placed him down onto his feet. He then took her hand to pull her along. Sher walked beside them with Triton using his other hand to take hers. Lyon and Gray followed after with the latter watching as Rizzo spoke with Triton with a smile on her face.

"She seems really good with children." Lyon commented.

"Yeah." Gray agreed.

"Which means you should get a move on, and have some of your own together." Lyon added with a sly grin on his face as he pat Gray on the shoulder.

Gray turned beet red just as Lyon knew he would, and that brought a chuckle of amusement from Lyon.

"We're not ready for that!" Gray whisperingly shouted. "I mean, I know it's been seven years, but for us it's not even been a full year since we started dating."

"So?" Lyon asked. "I knew barely a year after dating Sher that I wanted to marry her, and that I wanted a family with her. Probably because I knew I was in love with her just months after meeting her."

"Well, things are different for Rizzo and me." Gray said. "It used to be that we couldn't stand each other."

"Oh really?" Lyon asked with a quirked brow.

Before Gray could ask him what he meant by that short question, Lyon walked up to join his family and Rizzo. He took Sher's hand and smiled down at her as she looked up at him. Gray never thought he'd see the day that Lyon Vastia was married and with a kid. Lyon could be colder than him, and tended to push people away. Especially after the incident with Ur. Yet here he was looking happier than ever and more open than ever with a family at his side.

Gray then looked to Rizzo as she was still beaming at Triton. Did she really want a child of her own? A child with him? Was she expecting to have one soon? They haven't even…He blushed a bit as he scratched the back of his head…they haven't even had sex yet. So why even think about children when they weren't ready for that stage of their relationship yet? Or was Rizzo ready, and he's the one not moving forward? He frowned wondering why Lyon had to go and say those things because now his head was spinning with so many questions.

"Gray, hey….Earth to Gray….Gray!"

Gray finally snapped out of his thoughts to look down at Rizzo who was frowning up at him.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "You completely zoned out there for a second."

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine." Gray said nodding while not wanting to tell her what exactly he had been thinking.

She frowned a bit more thinking he might be hiding something, but decided to let it go. So in the end she took his hand to tug him along. As they walked after the Vastia Family, Gray unconsciously tightened his hand over Rizzo's. He hoped she was happy with how things were now between them. He didn't want to disappoint her in anyway. Gray felt Rizzo squeeze his hand back, so he looked down at her.

"I don't know what's bothering you, but please, don't worry about it." Rizzo said. "I don't like to see you troubled, Gray."

Before he could reply, she gave him a quick peck on the lips that was an affectionate yet quick kiss. He felt more at ease after that, and smiled at her.

"Aright." He said. "Let's just enjoy dinner."

"Sounds like a plan to me, Frosty." Rizzo said winking.

* * *

After having a nice dinner with Gray, Lyon, Sher, and Triton, Rizzo arrived to the inn that she was staying at with her brothers. She went up to the floor where she was told her room was at, and opened the door to see all her brothers were already there. It seemed some of them had been there a while since they were settled down and in comfortable clothes. Sven was wearing a pair of violet capris with a white sweater like shirt that was one size too big, so it hung on him with one of his shoulders uncovered. Then on his feet were bunny skippers.

Breccan was already dressed for bed as well with only a pair of sweats and a tank top on. Craylee and Jaser were still wearing their outfits from earlier, so Rizzo guessed they probably recently came back as well. In fact, Craylee was still standing while pulling out a chair from the small table in the room. Sanjū was in the room as well while curled up in Jaser's lap looking ready to fall asleep at any second.

"Welcome back." Sven said smiling at Rizzo. "We were starting to get worried about you."

"Sorry." Rizzo said as she set her bag onto the last bed that she assumed was hers. "Guess I lost track of time, but I got back before midnight."

Just barely though since it was three minutes until midnight. Breccan gave Rizzo a stern look, which had her looking away.

"Yes, but you cut it a bit close." He said.

"Yes, very sorry about that." Rizzo said as she scratched the back of her head.

Jaser snickered a bit as Rizzo was scolded then choked down the snickers when that stern look was directed at him.

"You and Craylee aren't much better." Breccan said. "You came in with six minutes to spare while Craylee came in with four."

Craylee didn't look guilty or sheepish at all when Breccan turned the stern look at him.

"I was told to be back by midnight, and I did as I was told." Craylee said. "I have no reason to feel bad."

Rizzo sweat-dropped though expected nothing less from Craylee. It wasn't an easy task to make him feel guilty or sorry for whatever he's done to upset others or annoy them. Breccan was about to tell them they should still be mindful of the rules and try to do better next time, however before he could, the clock tolled midnight.

 **"Attention all contests participating in this year's Grand Magic Games!"** A voice came from outside. **"Gooood Moorning~~"**

Rizzo, Sanjū, and the boys frowned before going out onto the balcony to see that there was a large hologram outside of a person with a pumpkin on their head.

"What the heck?" Rizzo asked frowning.

"What's with the pumpkin man?" Jaser asked.

"How should we know?" Craylee asked frowning.

Jaser shrugged his shoulders guessing they wouldn't, but doesn't mean he couldn't ask anyway.

 **"To narrow down the 115 guild in this year's games to a more manageable ten, let's begin the preliminary round!"** The pumpkin man said.

Rizzo frowned wondering if there were even that many guilds in Fiore. Was it really a 115 teams since each guild could put three teams up for the running?

 **"Although the numbers of guilds increase and multiply each year, 'the games have gotten boring now', is all I ever hear."** Pumpkin man said as he did a little dance. **"Let's whittle them down, I say to you, and give just ten a cheer! The rules for this preliminary round are simple!"**

Rizzo then gasped as their inn started shaking. Craylee grabbed her arm to keep her upright as he frowned wondering what was going on.

 **"Now, you all will be participating in a race!"** Pumpkin man said. **"The finish line is at the Domus Flau Colosseum. The first ten teams to reach it will move on to the first round of the Grand Magic Games."**

A path then appeared in front of them to lead up to what looked like a large labyrinth in the sky. Sven "whoa-ed" while certain he's never seen anything like that in his entire life.

 **"You're allowed to use magic in anyway you see fit."** Pumpkin man continued. **"There are no restrictions, but remember only the first ten teams to reach the finish line will clear this round. However, all five team members must cross the goal for it to count."**

That all sounded simple enough to Breccan, and he was sure with their combined abilities that he and his siblings would have no problem passing the preliminary round.

 **"One more thing, we're not responsible for any loss of life that may occur in the Labyrinth."** He said. **"So without further ado let the Grand Magic Game's preliminary round Sky Labyrinth begin!"**

"Well, if this is a race, we better get going!" Rizzo said then jumped from the balcony onto the path.

She started running up the path while not even waiting to see if her brothers were following.

"Well, you heard her." Jaser said laughing. "Let's go! See you later, Sanjū!"

"Good luck!" The Exceed called back.

Jaser then jumped onto the path with Sven quickly following after him. Craylee sighed shaking his head as Breccan chuckled. The two of them then jumped onto the path to go after their siblings. They made it into the labyrinth while looking around at the crazy lay out.

"It really is a crazy labyrinth." Sven said. "This might be more than just a simple race."

Breccan hummed in agreement as he closed his eyes searching through the vibrations around the labyrinth. He could feel different sets of vibrations that were other mages. And he picked up vibrations that were familiar to him from the west side of the labyrinth and towards the north. So Team B was north of them while Team A was west of them.

"We'll have to be careful with what paths we take while keeping our eyes out for the mages from other guilds." Craylee said.

Though he wasn't too worried about fighting off a few other mages, and he was sure that getting through this labyrinth wouldn't be that hard as long as he had that thread in his sewing kit. And he was almost completely certain he packed it. Rizzo opened her mouth to suggest they come up with a quick plan before the other teams could get too far ahead of them. However, she was interrupted by Pumpkin Man's voice.

 **"Remember, the Grand Magic Games Planning Committee is not responsible for any loss of life that may occur in the Sky Labyrinth. Goood luck, Everyone!"**

Rizzo frowned still wanting to know what was up with that pumpkin head, but she knew now wasn't the time to concern herself about that.

"Alright, how do you want to tackle this?" Rizzo asked her brothers. "Just running around blindly isn't going to help."

"Don't worry." Craylee said as he reached into his sewing kit. "I believe we have the advantage this round."

His siblings all looked at him curiously as he threaded golden thread that was literally sparkling like gold into his need.

"What in the world is that?" Jaser asked curiously as he leaned in closer.

"It's known as Winding Path Thread or Lost Man's Hope." Craylee said. "I've even heard it be called Labyrinth Thread."

All his siblings moved in closer when he said this with looks that told him to explain more.

"In other words, this thread helps people find their way out of mazes, labyrinths, and complicated layouts whether they be manmade or part of nature." Craylee said.

"That's so cool." Sven said smiling. "With this we'll surely make it there first."

Rizzo grinned thinking the same. Craylee instructed them to stand still since he had to sew the thread into their clothes to connect the five of them together.

"Now that it's sewn into our clothes only the five of us will be able to follow the thread." Craylee said. "We don't want anyone else following our thread."

Craylee then pulled out the other end of the tread, which was actually rolled together like a yarn or twine ball. He tossed the thread ball down the steps, and it rolled and unraveled quickly. His siblings then watched as the thread made a turn all on its own to take a different path.

"It really does show the way." Jaser said grinning.

Craylee was about to ask him if he really doubted Craylee's thread, which he always carefully picked and inspected, but he was cut off when Breccan pat this shoulder.

"Well done." Breccan said. "Now we should get moving before the other teams get to far ahead."

"Right!" Rizzo, Jaser, and Sven agreed saluting.

Craylee sighed supposing they needed to get going. The five of them quickly ran down the stairs to hurry after the thread ball. As they were running, something occurred to Rizzo.

"Hey, Jaser, how are you feeling?" Rizzo asked as she looked towards her brother. "Feeling sick or anything?"

"Nope." Jaser said shaking his head. "You'd think this place would mess with me, but I feel fine."

 **"Allow me to explain!"** Pumpkin Man said as he appeared on a holographic screen next to them. **"A special magic was cast Sky Labyrinth allowing participants with weaknesses such as motion sickness and fear of heights to be able to compete on equal terms in the preliminary round!"**

Huh, well Rizzo guessed that helped them out in the end, didn't it? But the team didn't dwell on it too much as they kept going after the thread ball that was still moving along. As they ran, Rizzo wondered if somewhere in this maze was Miseri or Dante.

* * *

"Hmm, my sense of smell doesn't work in here." Miseri said. "I suppose Pumpkin-san really made it where all teams must be on equal terms."

"Then we'll just have to get through the labyrinth using other means than your sense of smell." A masculine voice said.

Miseri turned her head to face Dante after he spoke. Dante had changed a lot since from when he was a young teenager. He was taller than his teenager self-had been, and he had become more muscular. His black hair fell to his shoulders in a bit of a mess, and he had a noticeable scar on his jaw now then one across his nose. He wore a white kimono top with a black undershirt that was tucked into black hakama pants. Around the bottoms of his pants the ends were under white bandages that wrapped around his feet, which were in geta sandals. Around his waist was a red sash that now had two blades instead of one.

"Yes, I suppose you're right." Miseri said as she looked away from him. "But I am not the only one with a strong sense of smell. Nook."

After calling for the man, he stepped forward while having to lean down to get closer to Miseri's level due to his large form. He hand long wild brown hair that fell down to his shoulders. His golden eyes were catlike, and usually made people think of the eyes that belonged to the very animal his guild was named after. His skin was deeply tanned with many scars littering his torso and arms. He wore a simple brown loincloth that was pinned to a fur strap that went across his chest with a bone. Then around his neck was throng necklace that had several claws and fangs decorating it.

"How is your nose working?" Miseri asked.

Nook lifted his head to sniff the air a few times, but he couldn't pick up anything.

"Nook cannot smell in here." Nook said shaking his head.

Miseri sighed supposing they'd have to rely on something else to get them through the labyrinth after all. Nook apologized for not being to help, and Lalita, who was also a member of Sabertooth Team B, pat his arm in a consoling manner.

"There is no reason to apologize." Miseri said. "It cannot be helped."

Miseri then turned to the last member of the group wondering if she had any suggestions.

"Divya," Miseri began. "Do you believe your magic may be able to help."

The woman that Miseri addressed looked of Rajasthan decent. She had the bronze skin much like all the people of her country have. And she had deep raven colored hair that she had up in an elegant bun. Her eyes were also a burnt orange color and framed by dark eyelashes. Also in the middle of her forehead was a blue oval like mark that signified that she was a member of the Gobi Tribe, which was the rival tribe to Sahara Tribe. She had a beautiful angular face with high cheek bones that seemed to almost glow in the sunlight. She was young looking to be about sixteen or seventeen, but had a mature figure that was covered in beautiful tattoos.

She wore a backless green choli that had golden embroidery at the hem of the shirt that stopped above her bellybutton. The sleeves stopped a bit before her elbows, and had golden embroidery at the ends. She also wore a violet sari draped over her left shoulder before wrapping down around her right hip. She then had on white churidars that were rather loose except around calves and ankles. On her feet were simple sandals, and on her toes a few golden rings. She had many bangles on her wrists, and going up her arm was an elephant tattoo. Finally around her head was a golden jeweled piece that rested on tip of her head and weaved within her hair before it dangled across her forehead.

"I can try something." She said. "However, perhaps Nook can still help us. We can use our magic, correct? If he uses one of his other forms, perhaps then he will be able to sniff out where we should go."

Miseri hummed supposing that was true. If it didn't work, they'd find a way to get to the end in some way or another. She couldn't afford to lost here. Normally she did not care about these games but her bastard of a master made sure they she would give it her all this year.

"Nook, please, use your take-over magic." Miseri said.

Nook nodded his head then transformed into his sabertooth form. Nook used Take-Over: Ancient Beast Soul, which was similar to that of Elfman of Fairy Tail, but Nook the form of beasts that were supposed to be long since dead. The large feline with long sharp fangs sniffed the air, and when his tail swished in an excited manner, Miseri knew that he could pick up different smells.

"Alright." Miseri said. "Lead the way."

Nook took off running down one path with his teammates following after him. As they were running, Miseri spotted Sabertooth Team A not far from them heading in the same direction with Rufus in the lead. He could probably use his strong sensory ability to find the goal. Sting looked over at their group, and he smirked while waving over at Miseri. She frowned at him in return then heard Rogue telling Sting to stop pestering her. This is why she preferred Rogue over the blonde Dragon Slayer.

"Let's pick up the pace." Dante said from ahead of Miseri. "If we get to the goal after them, we'll never hear the end of it."

Miseri had to agree with that, and she honestly didn't feel like having to deal with Sting's boasting. She picked up her pace while soon running alongside Nook.

"Miseri-neechan is so cool!" Lalita said with sparkles in her eyes.

They all then heard the alarm go off, which had Lalita frowning in confusion. What's with that noise?

* * *

Rizzo and her brothers paused in running when the alarm continued to go off within the labyrinth.

"That doesn't sound too good." Breccan said frowning.

His statement was proven right when the entire labyrinth started to shake and shift. Rizzo stumbled backwards, but Jaser grabbed her wrist to pull her into his arms, so he could keep her upright. Craylee put his arm around Sven's shoulders as the blonde's tiny fists held onto his vest. Breccan sensed through the vibrations trying to figure out what was about to happen. The labyrinth then started to rotate, which meant if they didn't grab hold of something soon they'd be falling to their deaths.

"Craylee, what about the thread?" Breccan asked.

"It will continue on its path." Craylee said as he pointed to the thread.

It was still going and the shaking and turning of the labyrinth wasn't affecting it at all.

"That's good." Rizzo said. "But it does nothing for us if we fall."

"I might be able to help with that too." Craylee said as he let go of Sven for a moment.

He pulled out his sewing kit as his siblings were struggling to keep their footing. Craylee quickly sewed something into the back of Sven's shirt then activated the thread. Sven gasped as wings sprouted from his shirt.

"Cool!" He said then flapped his wings.

Craylee then activated the wings on his own back to fly over to Breccan to quickly do the same to his tank top. Once Breccan had wings, Craylee hurried towards Rizzo and Jaser. He finished sewing the wings into Jaser's clothes when the labyrinth turned so much to the side that it sent Rizzo falling.

"Shit!" She cursed as she was falling.

"Don't worry, Rizzy, I got ya!" Jaser said as he flew down to her.

He scooped her up into his arms then flew her back up to her brothers as the labyrinth stopped moving. He set her down on the platform, and Craylee was quick to add the wings to her shirt.

"Thanks, Craylee." Rizzo said smiling. "Now we literally fly through the labyrinth."

"Flying should be faster." Craylee agreed.

"And it's fun!" Sven said as he flew around.

"Sven, time to focus." Breccan said. "Follow the shiny thread."

He pointed at the sparkling thread, and Sven immediately started going after it. The others quickly followed while ignoring all the other teams that had been disqualified. They didn't even pay any mind to the labyrinth as it started moving again since it didn't affect them in the slightest.

"Finish Line, here we come!" Rizzo said smiling.

* * *

Coco: Yes, I'm ending the chapter here because I want the places of Rizzo and Miseri's teams to remain a mystery to everyone until next chapter where the teams walk out.

And a quick warning is that some of the canon fights that happened won't be. Like, I didn't want the entire GMG being OC vs. OC, so I mixed up some of the canon fights. You'll see what I mean when it's time to start the battling on the first day XD

Anyway, until next time~


	90. The Teams Are Announced!

Coco: Sorry for the typos. I just finished nine hours of work and have six other things to get published/posted tonight since I won't have much time tomorrow or Thursday before I have to clock in back on Friday. Sorry again. I'm just so tired.

* * *

The next day at the Grand Magic Games, Team A, who still had no idea there was more than just one team, was in their locker room discussing what Elfman was going to wear since a uniform wasn't ready for him when there was a knock on the door.

"Who could that be?" Lucy asked.

She walked over to the door to open it to reveal Craylee standing there with clothes folded over his arms.

"Craylee?" Lucy asked.

"I have Elfman's uniform." Craylee said. "The second I heard he was stepping in for Wendy, I constructed a uniform for him."

Craylee stepped into the room wearing new clothes. He wore a maroon dress shirt under a charcoal vest that had three white buttons on each side fastening it shut. On the left side of his vest was the Fairy Tail emblem in white. Tucked under the vest was a white tie with a skull face design up were the tie was tied. The chain to his sewing kit was hooked to the bottom right button of the vest as the box itself rested inside the pocket of his black pants that were tucked into black combat boots.

"Here." Craylee said.

He held the uniform out to the big man, and Elfman took it while thanking Craylee. The seamster nodded in return.

"Wait, you made these outfits?" Natsu asked frowning.

"Yes, do you have a problem with them?" Craylee asked glaring at Natsu.

Natsu stiffened feeling as if someone reached into his chest to squeeze his heart.

"No, not at all." Natsu said quickly.

"Good." Craylee said then turned to leave. "Good luck today."

"Thanks." Lucy said smiling.

Craylee nodded before he stepped out of the locker room. He then walked over to a few doors down, and stepped inside of it to see that his siblings were waiting.

"I love this outfit, Craylee." Rizzo said looking at herself in the mirror as he shut the door behind himself.

Rizzo was wearing a pink tube top that stopped just above her bellybutton, and over it was a sleeveless neon green jacket that stopped below her breasts. The hood was pulled up over her head, and on the front of the jacket over her left breast was the Fairy Tail guild mark. She had on tight fitting black skinny jeans with pink high tops on her feet. Finishing her outfit were black fingerless gloves that went up almost to her shoulders.

"Yeah, I think we all look great!" Sven said smiling.

Sven spun around to show off his new outfit as he continued to smile. He had on a blue jersey styled hoodie that fit him loosely. He then had on brown cargo shorts, and his book holster, which had his book resting against his hip. Then on his feet were white socks and simple running shoes. Finally on top his head was a blue cap that had the Fairy Tail Emblem on the front.

"They're easy to move in as well." Breccan added.

Breccan was sitting over to the side while wearing a tightfitting sleeveless black top that showed off his muscular torso. Over the black top was a white sleeveless jacket, and on the back of the jacket, in between his shoulder blades, was the Fairy Tail emblem in black. He then had on a pair of tightfitting jeans, and his usual black boots with the pointed ends.

"So comfortable too." Jaser said grinning.

Jaser had on a sandy yellow sherwani that stopped at his torso. The sleeves went down to attach to golden rings that went around his middle fingers, and on the left sleeve was the fairy tail emblem in white. He then had on white churidas that were being held up by a white scarf. Wrapped around his head was golden scarf. He had no shoes on his feet, but did have bangles on his ankles. Then in his ears were long golden earrings.

"A seamster always enjoys hearing his work being praised." Craylee said. "Now, we should focus on the games. We all should be heading out into the arena soon."

Rizzo turned away from the mirror with a look of determination in her eyes. She was ready for this, and prepared to take on anyone who got in their way.

"Alright, let's go." Rizzo said as she held up her fist in front of her. "I'm ready to kick butt."

Just as she said that there was an announcement that told the teams to get ready for to step out.

* * *

Outside in the stands of the colosseum the hands cheered loudly as the announcer got ready to introduce the teams.

 **"We're just moments away from the start of the Grand Magic Games, folks."** The announcer said. **"I'm lead commentator Chapati Lola, and I'll be handling the play-by-play while former councilmen—Yajima—provides commentary."**

He then looked to the elderly man who actually looked not that different from seven years ago.

 **"Yajima-san, good to have you with us, sir."** Chapati said smiling.

 **"Glad to be here."** He said.

Though really all he was interested in seeing was how Fairy Tail would do this year in the Grand Magic Games with their strongest back.

 **"And let's not forget our special guest—a member of Blue Pegasus and current title holder of Miss Fiore—the ravishing Jenny Realight!"** Chapati introduced. **"And she brought with her the Pegasus Prince himself—Prince Kingston!"**

There were cheers from Prince's fangirls as said young man blushed while sitting beside Jenny. The blonde put her arm around his shoulders to bring him close as she smiled.

 **"Blue Pegasus is bringing home the gold this year!"** Jenny said with certainty. **"Isn't that right, Prince?"**

 **"Yes, of course."** Prince spoke smoothly like Hibiki taught him to do even when he was nervous.

His blush then intensified when Jenny pinched his cheek. He was so glad there was no lacrima vision in the booth.

 **"Now, the time has come to meet our competitors."** Chapati said as the last place team walked into the stadium. **"First up in tenth place, an old school bunch of mages from Magnolia! They had luck in the prelims and now they're ready to take first place back by force! It's Fairy Tail!"**

Natsu raised his fists expecting cheers, but he and his teammates were shocked when all they received was booing.

"What the hell?!" He demanded while looking around unsure how to react.

He wasn't the only one since his friends seemed just as confused by the booing as him. They definitely weren't used to this kind of treatment. Is this what their guildmates have been getting for the last seven years?

"I didn't see that coming." Gray said.

He then looked around trying to spot Rizzo in the crowd, and you'd think a pink-haired, neon wearing, rock star girl would be easy to spot. However, he couldn't see her anyway.

"I wanna go home now." Lucy said frowning.

 **"Who would have thought they'd make it this far after losing every year?!"** Chapati said as Jenny was waving down at them.

She had nothing against Fairy Tail. Especially since they helped her guildmates in the Nirvana incident seven years ago. Prince clapped for them politely since it was the right thing to do as he wondered if things would be different now that the strongest mages of Fairy Tail were now back after their seven year hiatus.

 **"Securing a spot in the prelims was no small feat for them."** Chapati added. **"Will the Tenrou Team's sensational return help Fairy Tail become Fiore's greatest guild?"**

Lucy just looked down really starting to feel the pressure now, and she didn't like this feeling.

"Don't let it get to you." Erza said.

 **"I'm proud of them."** Yajima said smiling. **"Way to go, Kiddos. Now get out there and show them what you can do!"**

Lucy felt a bit better when hearing Yajima's support, and she then blinked when cheering broke through the booing. She and the others looked to the side seeing their guildmates all collected in one spot in the stands cheering their hearts out. Gray thought he'd see Rizzo over there, but she wasn't. He frowned wondering where she could be.

"The cheers of our comrades are all the support we need." Erza said.

Natsu then blinked when he saw something or rather two someones he hadn't expected.

"Hey do you see that?" He asked.

His friends were shocked as well as they looked over at their guild to see Mavis and Raoul sitting side-by-side and cheering along with the rest of the guild for Fairy Tail. Since their appearance shocked the guild the cheering stopped for a moment. Natsu laughed at the entire thing with a big grin on his face.

"Even Master Mavis and Master Raoul came out to cheer for us!" Natsu said. "We've got this in the bag!"

"At least the ghosts like us." Gray said.

Natsu just continued grinning thinking it was so cool that two greatly revered first masters came to cheer them on.

 **"Next the team that came in ninth place in the prelims,"** Chapati began as the next guild started walking out. **"The rowdy army of hellhounds Quatro Cerberus!"**

This guild received cheers as they stepped out, and Natsu blinked sure he's never seen any of those guys before.

 **"And coming in eighth is the guild brimming with the fairer sex,"** Chapati continued as water magic swirled around this next guild. **"The dancers of the great blue sea—Mermaid Heel!"**

This guild of all female wages walked into the arena with some of them waving while their leader didn't even lift her head to greet the crowd.

 **"In seventh place, with agile wings that glimmer in the darkness, it's Blue Pegasus!"** Chapati said as Ichiya, the Trimens, and bunny pal were lit up with spotlights.

 **"Hey, guys, do your best!"** Jenny called out. **"Prince and I are rooting for you."**

Hibiki chuckled while looking up towards the commentary booth to see his protégé blushing as Jenny was holding him close with his cheek being pressed against her bosom. Explosions of color then took over the field as the next guild made their appearance.

 **"In sixth place, the goddess of love and strife; the scared destroyer—Lamia Scale!"** Chapati introduced.

Lyon walked across the arena with a serious look on his face, but when he heard Triton's voice, he looked up into the stands to see Triton waving down at him as Sher was helping him see over the railing.

"Do your best, Daddy!" Triton called down to him.

Lyon smiled up at Triton as his son continued to cheer for him and Lamia Scale. Triton and Sher then looked over at Ooba who was back to ranting and not looking pleased.

"Why'd you come in sixth place, huh?!" She demanded. "I thought I told you kids not to hold back."

"Yeah, sorry about that, old hag." Sherria said as she looked up at Ooba. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

As if to prove her point, she tripped right there, which had Sher lightly sighing and shaking her head. It seemed as if her sister still had a long way to go before they broke that clumsy streak out of her. Once Sherria was up on her feet again and Blue Pegasus stopped with their flirting with the girls of the other teams, Chapati continued introducing the other teams.

 **"Now to introduce out fifth place contestants."** Chapati said as darkness seemed to partially fill the arena. **"What a shocker! Swooping in from a midnight dreary, this dark and gloomy bunch are making their debut in this year's games. Give it up for Raven Tail!"**

Chapati introduced this guild there was a lot of confusion and slightly horrified reactions.

"What the heck are they doing here?!" Natsu demanded.

Most of the guilds there knew that Raven Tail was not a light guild, or it hadn't been in the past. So why were they allowed in the Grand Magic Games when one of the rules started dark guilds were not allowed to participate?

"This is bad." Erza said. "Their leader is Master Makarv's son Ivan.

"That means they're…." Lucy trailed off with a worried expression on her face.

From the stands Makarov was boiling in anger not believing that a dark guild was in the voices. He even voiced this loudly enough for nearly the entire stands to hear as he demanded to know why they were allowed in the games. He wasn't the only one who wished to know.

 **"Well, their records appear to be in order."** Chapati said from the booth. **"They're an old guild. Official orders state they've been active over seven years, but they were only recently approved for official guild status from the Magic Council."**

Yajima frowned because he knew very well that having Raven Tail in the Grand Magic Games was not a good thing for Fairy Tail or anyone else.

 **"If they have official status, they are technically not a dark guild."** Yajima said. **"And therefore eligible to compete."**

Though he wasn't happy about it, and he was sure that Makarov was even unhappier than him.

 **"Hold on, we've still got four teams who made it through the qualifying round!"** Chapati said to bring everyone's attention away from Raven Tail. **"Now in fourth place…Oh wow, what a surprise! This year's competition just got a whole lot more interesting folks!"**

Everyone then looked towards the tunnel with eyes widening when they saw sparks flying from the tunnel with the Fairy Tail emblem being displaced within those sparks.

 **"It's Fairy Tail Team B!"** Chapati shouted as the sparks dispersed to reveal Gajeel, Juvia, Laxus Mirajane, and…. _Msytogan_.

The crowd reacted in surprise and outrage as Natsu's team stared with wide eyes when seeing some of the guildmates stepping out into the arena. As everyone expressed how they feel about this, Fairy Tail Team B smiled.

 **"You know, I think the newly imputed rules, may have left our audience a bit perplexed, Yajima-san."** Chapati said. **"Care to explain?"**

 **"Sure thing."** Yajima said. **"The committee in charge of the Grand Magic Games permitted each guild to enter three teams, which they felt would make the preliminaries more exciting."**

Lucy looked over towards Makarov almost feeling a bit hurt that they were kept in the dark.

"Why didn't you tell us this was your plan, Master?" Lucy asked.

Makarov just laughed while glad to see that at least two of his teams made it into the games. He wondered if the third did as well.

"Ya like that?!" Makarov asked. "That's how the Fairy Tail guild takes care of business, baby!"

He felt so proud of himself for choosing to put three teams into the Grand Magic Games. Now, they'd have the clear advantage, and he didn't care who thought it was unfair since he's still going along with the rules of the game.

 **"I'm not sure the committee thought this rule through."** Chapati said. **"I mean, this is a team based competition. Won't having two teams from the same guild kind of stack the odds?"**

 **"Hmm, you worry too much."** Yajima said. **"To be honest, I don't think it will be a problem."**

 **"Well, it's totally unfair if you ask me."** Jenny said. **"Let's say there's an event that each team choses a member to compete against the others in a battle royal, there's nothing stopping the Fairy Tail members from teaming up with each other."**

 **"Actually, I agree with Yajima-san."** Prince said.

Jenny and Chapati looked surprised at Prince, and some of the fans were shocked to hear this as well.

 **"Besides, it's not unfair."** Prince continued while ignoring the tiff happening on the field as Natsu was shouting at Team B. **"Each guild had the chance to put in three teams, and all of those teams had the chance to get one or more of their guild's teams into the games. It's not Fairy Tail's fault that their guild managed to be one of the guilds with more than one team in the games."**

His words caught the attention of everyone when he said "one of the guilds with more than one team". That meant there was another guild with two teams in the games.

 **"I suppose you have a point."** Chapati said. **"And he's right when he says there is another guild with two teams in the games. Let's get to introducing them shall we? Coming in third place, is a crowd favorite, and part of the guild that holds the current title of number one Guild—Sabertooth Team B!"**

The crowd erupted into cheers as Sabertooth Team B walked out into the arena. Miseri didn't bother with being flashy or egging on the crowd as she led her team out. Beside her, Lalita jumped up and down and waved to everyone in the crowd. Dante remained silent as well since he wasn't here to be a crowd pleaser. Divya and Nook waved to the crowd though more to be polite than eat up the attention.

"Whoa, that's Miseri!" Natsu exclaimed in surprise.

Miseri turned her head towards the Fire Dragon Slayer when hearing his surprise. She offered him a small smile, and he grinned in return while waving. Dante and Erza exchanged nods with small grins on their faces.

 **"And things just become even more surprising since our first place runner ups are none other than Fairy Tail Team C!"** Chapati announced.

"WHAT?!" Nearly everyone screamed.

There was then an explosion near the entrance to the tunnel flowed by the sound of a guitar playing. Rizzo, who was using her actual guitar, stepped out playing a rock tune (We Will Rock You) on her guitar with her brothers following her out. Gray's mouth nearly hit the ground in shock when Rizzo continued to play her guitar with the music blasting through the colosseum.

"No way!" Natsu said pointing at Team C.

Sven waved over at the other Fairy Tail teams as theirs stopped to stand alongside the other. Rizzo finished her song with an awesome guitar riff before slamming down on the chords to let them echo through the arena.

 **"What an entrance, folks."** Chapati said. **"It seems Fairy Tail Team C is ready to rock this competition."**

No one laughed at his joke since they were all shocked to hear Fairy Tail had three teams in the games this year.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Gray said. "Rizzo, why didn't you say anything?"

She had plenty of time to mention it yesterday when they were having dinner, but she hadn't said a word.

"Sorry, Gray, Master swore the rest of us to secrecy since he wanted it to be a surprise." Rizzo said smiling sheepishly.

Gray frowned towards Makarov who was celebrating even more now that all three teams were in the games. Mavis also looked excited while certain Fairy Tail would bring home the win. Raoul cheered loudly for Team C since all had once been part of Treble Chambers, and Jaser and Sven waved over at him as they grinned broadly.

 **"And now last but certainly not least is the team who came in first place in the preliminaries!"** Chapati said with the crowd getting excited again. **"That's right! You know them, you love them! Now get on your feet and scream for the most powerful guild in all of Fiore! The one and only Sabertooth Team A!"**

Rizzo's brow quirked as she glanced back at the tunnel to check out the biggest competition. Rizzo had already seen Miseri and her team, but considering Miseri and Dante were friends of hers, she saw Sabertooth Team B more like friendly rivals. However, Sabertooth Team A was a completely different story. She watched as the group was led out by a long who held up his fists in the air while grinning broadly. Beside her, Jaser shifted.

"He smells of dragon." Jaser said as he narrowed his eyes. "So does the dark-haired one with red eyes."

Rizzo was even more interested now to hear these two were Dragon Slayers that mean Sabertooth had three Dragon Slayers, which was rather impressive. But that didn't matter to Rizzo. She's fought against Dragon Slayers before namely Jaser and Natsu during training, but she's also went against Laxus and Gajeel before as well. She knew how they moved and fought, and while she might not have the same forceful power, she wouldn't be perturbed if she had to go against either of those two Dragon Slayers. Sabertooth Team A stopped beside their Team B with the blonde going to stand beside Miseri.

"Ready for this, Mis?" He asked.

"Are you?" She retorted.

Rizzo looked between the two sensing slight hostility from Miseri. Did Miseri not like her own guildmates? Rizzo then noticed that Jaser seemed bothered once more as he and one of Miseri's teammates stared at each other. That's when Rizzo noticed the girl's appearance and the mark on her forehead.

"Whoa, it's a member of the Gobi tribe." Sven said with his eyes widening.

Craylee's brow quirked thinking the games would be very interesting. Not only did Sabertooth have their own Dragon Slayers, but they had a Rajasthan Native who so happened to be from tribe that have been rivals of the Sahara Tribe for over four centuries.

"The tension is almost suffocating." Breccan said casually.

Rizzo hummed in agreement while feeling the obvious tension between her own guild and the Sabertooth guild, and she was sure everyone else could too.

 **"All in all I'd say we have an impressive group of mages here."** Chapati said. **"Any comments on our lineup, Yajima-san?"**

 **"Yeah, Mermaid Heel makes me pine for my youth."** Yajima replied.

Rizzo snorted in amusement at his reply though didn't expect any less from the former councilman.

 **"That's not quite what I meant."** Chapati said then returned to commentating. **"We kept everyone waiting long enough. It's about time we unveil the schedule for this year's tournament!"**

A large stone wall popped up out of the ground for everyone to see, and Rizzo tilted her head at it as she read it over. Most of the information was still missing, so Rizzo supposed the committee wanted to keep everyone waiting in suspense. However for today it seemed as if something called "Hidden" would be taking place, and then followed by a battle or maybe multiple battles.

 **"Each one of the rounds will begin with a contest."** Chapati explained. **"Participants will then be ranked to first to tenth place. Teams will be awarded points depending on how they rank in the contest."**

That all seemed simple enough to Breccan. If Fairy Tail wanted to be number one they'd have to rank fairly high in the contests, so to start gaining points.

 **"Additionally, the teams are allowed to select, which of their members they want to compete."** Chapati continued.

That sounded good to Rizzo since that meant they could pick whoever they thought would be the best for the contest that day.

 **"After that we have battles."** Chapati said. **"These bouts should come as a treat to all you loyal fans since it was your suggestions that created these matchups."**

Does that mean who fought against whom wouldn't be up to the teams? Craylee supposed that made some kind of sense. Besides, letting the teams try to draw straws or something would take too long. Letting the audience decide would most likely let things go faster.

 **"The battle rules are simple."** Chapati stated. **"Each team will square off as shown here."**

The lacrima vision zoomed in on the side of the stone that showed how the battle matchups worked.

 **"The winning teams will be awarded ten points while the losing teams get jack squat!"** Chapati said. **"In the case of a draw, both teams will be awarded five points. Ready for action? Let's get things started with the first contest of the Grand Magic Games! One that we call Hidden!"**

The crowd looked confused as to what kind of contest could be about to happen. Rizzo wasn't quite sure herself, but given the name she had an inkling that it had something to do with hiding.

 **"At this time, we would like each team to select one member to compete."** Chapati said.

Rizzo frowned really wondering if they wouldn't know the rules of the game or regulations before they picked who went first.

 **"Once you selections are made, the rules will be explained in their entirety."** Chapati said.

Well, that answered Rizzo's unasked question, didn't it? She mentally shook her head while turning to her brothers.

"Who do you think we should send?" Rizzo asked while ignoring Quarto Cerberus's selection as it was announced.

"Well, if it has to do with hiding, maybe we should send our smallest teammate." Jaser suggested.

He looked towards Sven who pouted at being called small, but it wasn't like Jaser was wrong.

"Or our best at hiding." Craylee said as Mermaid Heel, Raven Tail, and Blue Pegasus made their selections. "And if seeking is involved, he'd be the best to seek as well."

That would be Breccan since he was raised in an assassination guild until he was seven. Then his magic would be the best to find the other participants as well.

"I'd rather hold off on sending in our team's S-class." Rizzo said as both Sabertooth Teams chose who would represent them. "We need to get a feel for the games and a read on our opponents, and I think we should send our best at analyzing out first."

She looked directly at Craylee as she said this. Craylee really was the best when it came to analyzing a situation or taking in great details even in the heat of battle. So she thought he was the best choice.

"Hmm, I have to agree with her." Breccan said.

Craylee shrugged his shoulders not caring either way. He didn't care to go first for their team, and he'd be sure to take in every detail he could during the contest. As they decided who they'd send, Lyon stepped up to represent Lamia Scale, and Lyon joining the contest prompted Gray to step up for Fairy Tail Team A. Rizzo honestly wasn't surprised considering the rivalry between the two. She then pat Craylee on the shoulder as she grinned.

"Go get 'em, bro." Rizzo said.

"Right." Craylee said then stepped forward.

 **"From Fairy Tail Team C the magical tailor Craylee Satterfield steps forward!"** Chapati announced.

Juvia smiled brightly when seeing her love standing there looking nicely dressed and as dashing as always.

"If Craylee-sama is competing, Juvia must as well!" She said with hearts in her eyes.

"Hey, don't go throwing the fight for your boyfriend!" Gajeel snapped at her.

Juvia didn't seem to hear him, which had him sighing in annoyance in return at her as Chapati announced her involvement in the first round.

 **"The competitors have been chosen, and the long wait is finally over."** Chapati said. **"Grab a refreshment and get glued to your seat cause you're not going to miss a single nail-biting moment of Hidden!"**


	91. It's Time to Play Hidden!

"Now will each team's participant of the Hidden Game please kindly step forward." The pumpkin man was yesterday asked.

Craylee silently walked up with the others doing the same, so they could stand in front of the tiny pumpkin man.

 **"There are two questions on everyone's mind."** Chapati said. **"First and foremost, just what kind of game will Hidden be? And who would you say is the favorite in his competition?"**

 **"Hmm, it's safe to say that Rufus of Sabertooth on odds favorite, but Gray and Craylee of Fairy Tail are two dark horses in the running."** Yajima said.

"Of course, Craylee-sama is~" Juvia said as she smiled at her love.

Craylee sighed though pat Juvia on top the head, which seemed to make the water woman very happy. Gray chuckled at the pair of them then glanced back at his own girl. She was currently chatting with Miseri with that Sting guy hovering very close to the bluenette with a frown on his face as he looked in between Miseri and Rizzo.

 **"Let's ask today's special guess—Jenny Realight-san from Blue Pegasus."** Chapati said.

 **"My fav?"** Jenny asked. **"I'll be rooting for Eve, of course. He's got this in the bag, right, Prince?"**

 **"Yes."** Prince said simply as he continued to look down at the arena.

All the participants looked ready to get this contest started to start racking up points for their team.

"Craylee-sama, Juvia hopes you realize that even though our souls are connected I don't intend on losing to you." Juvia said.

Craylee chuckled with a small smirk on his face as he gave Juvia a sideways glance.

"Of course." Craylee said. "I came here to win as well, and I will show no mercy to you nor Gray. You cross my path during this competition, and I will crush you just as I will do to any of the other participants."

Some people's jaws dropped at how cold he sounded, and some shuddered when seeing his smirk. His guildmates, however, just chuckled since they expected no less from their resident soulless seamster.

"Oh, Craylee-sama, you're so cold~" Juvia said practically swooning.

People looked at her as if she was crazy not to be upset by what Craylee had said to her. In fact, it was the opposite. She seemed to be happy he treated her coldly.

"You can try, but I'm not going down easy." Gray said grinning as he pat Craylee on the shoulder. "But before any of that, there's a question I want to ask."

Craylee's brow quirked wondering what was on the ice mage's mind. Gray looked to the pumpkin man with a frown on his face.

"What are you?" Gray asked.

The man seemed taken off guard by the question as he leaned away from Gray.

"That's actually a very good question." Craylee said. "I would like to know as well."

The pumpkin looked between both men as they leaned forward to look at him with narrowed eyes.

"Who me?" He asked. "My silly boys, I'm a pumpkin as you can plainly see."

Craylee frowned because this guy wasn't just some pumpkin. It was a person wearing a pumpkin head, and said person seemed reluctant giving a name. In fact, he seemed nervous Gray's even questioning him.

"Sorry." Gray said when seeing how nervous the guy was. "Was I not supposed to ask you that or something?"

"Well, he certainly looks like a pumpkin to Juvia." Juvia said.

"Well duh." Gray replied. "Of course, he looks like pumpkin on the outside. But what's inside there?"

The pumpkin man looked even more nervous with all the looks and questions. Was his identity really that important to him?

"He's always been a big part of the games, so I guess I never really thought about it." Eve said.

"Yeah, I figured he had to be somebody on the event staff in a costume." Beth added.

She and Even then gave formal bows to the pumpkin man, which took his attention off Gray.

"Good job, sir, you created an excellent character." They said in unison.

"Thank-you, but I'm really only doing this because it's so funkin!" He said.

Craylee and Gray leaned back with frowns on their faces as the little man struck a pose.

"Those bad puns are going to get old real quick." Gray said.

"I believe they have already gotten too old." Craylee added.

Gray nodded feeling the exact same way as the seamster mage did. If they had to listen to anymore of those bad puns, they might have to hurt the pumpkin man.

"Before we start, I've got a little problem, see?" Nullpudding commented. "I don't know exactly what this hidden game is all about, but I think something stinks around here. And that there are three Fairy Twerps competing in this thing. No other guild is going to get the chance to have three members in each round. So I say they got an unfair advantage."

"What?!" Gray demanded as he turned towards Nullpudding.

He then looked to Craylee as the redhead placed his hand on Gray's shoulder to calm him.

"There is no reason for us to become upset, Gray." Craylee said. "We went along with the rules of the game, and if the other guilds have complaints, they should have put in more than one team or had strong enough guildmates to slip two or more teams into the first round of the game. Besides, we're not the only guild with more than one team."

Everyone looked to the two Sabertooth participants as Rufus and Dante stood side-by-side.

"So let the dog bark all he wants." Craylee said.

Nullpudding glared at Craylee, but the redhead didn't even spare the short, purple-skinned man a glance.

"He has a point." Pumpkin man said. "However, I do understand your concerns, but it can't be helped. We never dreamed that one guild could have two or more teams pass the qualifier. It really is an amazing feat."

Nullpudding still seemed very displeased as he continued to throw dirty looks at Fairy Tail.

"I don't see a problem with it." Dante said. "It's as Craylee-san said. If wanted the same advantage Fairy Tail has then you should have put in more teams."

"I have no qualms against it either." Rufus said. "In fact, I remember something that I once heard. As a wise man once told me, two heads are necessarily better than one. The same could be said for three heads. Of course, the same goes for myself and my guildmate as well."

He gestured to himself then Dante since they two had the "advantage" of having more than one guildmate playing in this first game.

"If I've got to beat three fairies, bring it on!" Yeager said.

"I sure ain't going to raise a fuss over Fairy Tail's three members or Sabertooth's two." Beth added.

Nullpudding became even more displeased since he was hoping the other contestants complaining could work in his favor. However, they all appeared to be alright with how things are.

"Are you giving us some advice?" Gray asked Rufus. "Some words of wisdom from the reigning champion?"

"All I'm saying is that having a comrade could prove as a disadvantage." Rufus said. "There are a meridian of ways they could be used against you. If they were to leak information, or be held hostage, your hand would be easily forced. You'd be wise to remember that."

"Yeah, sure I'll write it down later." Gray said sarcastically.

"Couldn't the same be said for you?" Juvia asked. "You have a guildmate with you as well."

Everyone looked towards the water woman when she spoke before glancing at Rufus to see what he'd say.

"No." Rufus said. "In Sabertooth things work differently. We only ally ourselves with the strong. If Dante was to be captured, I wouldn't lift a finger to help him because the weak does not even belong in our guild."

The Fairy Tail mages seemed surprised by Rufus's reply since that was just cold. Guildmates weren't supposed to feel that way about each other. Gray looked over at Dante to see if he agreed with Rufus, but based on the bothered/frowning expression on his face, Gray could tell Dante didn't agree with Rufus.

"Open the field!" Pumpkin man then ordered.

Craylee realized he needed to learn this guy's name since he couldn't be Pumpkin man forever. He then looked around with the others as buildings were popping up around them. People in the stands gasped in surprise at the sight as a miniature town appeared before their very eyes. As the town finished constructing itself, Craylee glanced around seeing he had been separated from everyone else.

"Hmm, perhaps this Hidden game is something familiar to me after all." He murmured.

Like the Mage Hide-and-Seek he has played with his siblings many times, so that they could train together.

"So am I the one to be hiding?" Craylee asked. "Or is my prey waiting for me to find them?"

He walked forward guessing he would find out eventually. If it was like the game he played with his siblings then he should be hiding and seeking all at once.

 **"Those of you in the stands can catch all the exciting action in crystal clear lacrima vision."** Chapati said with his voice carrying over the entire arena. **"I bet the ten contestants in the arena wished they were that lucky, but that would make it too easy. Speaking of easy, here are the rules of the game: All players are riding and seeking at the same time!"**

From her position in the stands with her brothers, Rizzo grinned because this was beginning to sound like their childhood game. If it was, Craylee had the advantage since he knew exactly how it worked.

 **"The main objective in hidden is to locate the other players."** Chapati explained. **"Once you do that, you'll have to land an attack on them. There player that successfully connects their attack—whether or not it does any damage—will then will be awarded one point."**

More magical images then started to appear around Craylee, which had him looking around with a quirked brow. Finally the images took full form, and he saw they were copies of his opponents. Well, this would make the game slightly more complicated.

 **"I know they're pretty, but those copies aren't just for show folks."** Chapati said. **"Attack one of your fake competitors by mistake, and it will cost you one point. It's time to disappear like a black cat in a dark alleyway. Think fade into your surroundings and hide in plain sight."**

A gong then sounded in the air, so Craylee assumed that meant the game had started.

 **"Let's play Hidden!"** Chapati said.

The crowd cheered as the competitors all decided to move and come up with a strategy. Well, almost all of them. It seemed as if poor Juvia was distracted by all the Craylee imposters running around. She was so enamored with them that she hugged one happily…which cost her a point, and put the first score on the board. Her teammates all sighed though Mirajane just seemed amused. Craylee shook his head when he heard Chapati say what Juvia had done.

"Maybe she'll learn her lesson not to hug knock-offs." Craylee murmured to himself.

"Now you are allowed as many restarts as you wish, but the game only lasts thirty minutes." Chapati said. "And the team with the most points at the end takes first place."

Craylee didn't want a restart, so he would have to be careful how he moves and attacks. Craylee walked forward keeping an eye out for any of the originals. He didn't rush around since that would be pointless and make him stick out like a sore thumb. He'd have to keep his movements casual, and behave like all his copies.

"This all should be easy enough." Craylee said to himself. "Now it's time to find my first victim."

Up in the stands, Rizzo was frowning as she watched Gray take another hit from that Raven Tail guy. It seemed as if his only focus was to putting the hurting on Gray.

"Come on, Gray." She whispered. "You can do this."

She then looked at the other screen that showed the real Craylee. He was calmly walking around to blend in with his copies. And though it looked as if he wasn't doing much, Rizzo knew he was keeping his sights out to look for the originals. She was sure with Craylee's sharp eye that he'd be able to pick the originals out without a problem.

"I bet with my nose, I would have been able to find one of the originals by now." Jaser said. "But I'm sure Craylee will be fine and bring us a lot of points."

He sounded really confident when he said this, and his siblings felt the same way as him.

"Looks like hiding is over." Breccan said.

Everyone glanced back at him before looking to the lacrima vision to see most of the competitors had come across each other and were ready to fight to gain points.

"And looks like Craylee came across the fighting." Sven said smiling.

Down in the fake town, Craylee stood on the edge of the crowd as in the middle of the circle of the crowd many of the contestants were fighting. He could land multiple hits now, but if he comes out into the open, he gives himself away. However, he could land a few hits then melt back into the crowd of fakes. With that in mind he rushed forward then lashed out his foot kick Yeager right in the face. The Quarto Cerberus Mage flew right into one of the fake walls that cracked at the impact.

 **"Whoa, and Craylee Satterfield of Fairy Tail joins the fray!"** Chapati said. **"And right off the bat he lands a strong kick on Yeager. He'll be feeling that one in the morning, folks!"**

Craylee landed on his feet while moving his bangs from his face as the lacrima vision did a close up on his face. Some of the girls in the stands swooned thinking Craylee was rather hot even if he was from Fairy Tail. Craylee then flipped out of the way to avoid an attack from Lyon who fired ice at him.

"Nice reflexes." Lyon said. "But you can't avoid my attacks indefinitely."

Craylee just twirled the needle around in his mouth as he stood straight with his hands in his pockets. The two then heard a shout from above, which had them looking up to see Juvia jumping down from one of the buildings.

"You can't hide from Juvia, Craylee-sama!" Juvia said as her skirt flew up.

Craylee sighed because the woman was showing off her underwear. Lyon quickly looked away because of that since he knew it was indecent to stare, he was happily married, and the woman he was married to would kill him for looking to long. In the stands, Sher narrowed her eyes wondering if she should punish Lyon for getting an eyeful of another woman's underwear. Since Lyon looked away, he wasn't able to see that Juvia's feet were reading right for his head. He grunted in surprise as he hit the ground hard.

"Juvia, I do no need your help." Craylee told her. "Also, you should be careful when jumping around in a skirt. Lyon wasn't the only one who saw your panties."

Juvia blushed at his statement while not believing she hadn't thought about that when she jumped. Since she was distracted, Craylee moved in quickly. He pulled out his needle and thread to sew Juvia into the wall where she was trapped.

"Now stay here until the end of the game." Craylee said as he turned away from her. "I'll be back to get you then."

"Craylee-sama, don't leave Juvia like this!" Juvia said.

"Think of it as punishment for hugging a knock-off as if it was me." Craylee said.

Juvia blushed when he said punishment with a lot of different thoughts coming to mind.

 **"And just like that, Craylee pulls in another point for his team!"** Chapati said. **"He didn't even hesitate to sew up his guildmate. And from what I hear Juvia isn't just his guildmate, and the two happen to be a couple."**

Some of the girls in the stands booed at this, or whined since they were hoping Craylee was single.

 **"Oh, Craylee has a girlfriend?"** Yajima asked. **"Good for him. I was always worried that personality would make it impossible for him to get a girl."**

Craylee frowned with his eye twitching in annoyance when he heard Yajima say that. Up in the stands his siblings were snickering in amusement. Craylee then had to dodge Gray who he had forgotten about for a moment.

"Sorry, Pal, but I need to get some points on the board." Gray said grinning. "No hard feelings, right?"

"Of course." Craylee said. "I hope you feel the same after I gain another point after landing a hit on you. I can't lose to you or Juvia because my team and I would like to win this round, so we get the reward Master promised."

Gray frowned not liking the fact that Master promised an award to the winning team. Because usually the losing team is punished in some form or another by either Master himself or the winners.

"What did he promise?" Gray asked.

"That whatever team comes out on top gets to order the losing teams around for an entire day. He said this so we'd agree to be Teams B and C since none of us liked being second and third choices." Craylee said. "But I'm sure you can understand why my team really wants to win. We don't want to be on the punishing end, understand?"

Yeah, Gray could understand that completely. He doesn't want to lose now more than ever since he didn't like the thought of any of his guildmates having the option to tell him to do anything that came to mind, and he not be able to say now. He then growled in annoyance since Gramps should have told his team and himself all about this "award".

"Hey, Gramps, if you're going to make crazy rules like that then they gotta be fair!" Gray snapped while not knowing his face was getting a close up on the lacrima vision that was facing the Fairy Tail booth. "That means they got work if our team wins this thing too!"

Craylee shook his head at Gray's outburst, but couldn't really blame the ice mage.

"Are you ready to fight now?" Craylee asked curiously.

"Yeah, yeah." Gray said as he nodded his head.

The two geared up to fight, but before they could Nullpudding showed back up.

"Two fairies for the price of one!" Nullpudding said.

He hit Gray first then went to hit Craylee, but the seamster managed to narrowly dodge the attack. Nullpudding didn't slow down though, and managed to hit Craylee in the shoulder.

"Craylee-sama!" Juvia called out in worry as her love landed in a crouch while holding his shoulder.

She then gasped when Nullpudding turned sights on her. He went to attack, but Craylee was on his feet in a split second. He kicked the purple man right in the face to send him flying. Then as he landed on his feet, he snapped his fingers, which had the thread holding down Juvia release her.

"I know I said I wouldn't go easy on you." Craylee said. "However, even I'm not cold hearted enough to leave anyone as a sitting duck."

"Oh, Craylee-sama, you are so gentlemanly~" Juvia swooned.

She went to hug him, but he stepped to the side to avoid it, which had Juvia tripping forward.

"Sorry, but I don't need to lose anyone points." He said simply.

"Juvia understands." She said from her spot on the ground.

Some sweat-dropped at the couple while trying to figure out how they even worked together if Craylee would just let his girlfriend face plant. Craylee then looked up as it started to snow, which had the temperature dropping. Whoever was doing this must be trying to flush out the originals by making them cold, which will result in them shaking and their breath being visible.

"Smart." He said.

"I see you!" He heard Eve shout. "Right there."

Craylee had to duck back into one of the alleys to avoid being hit by the snow blizzard Eve sent through the street. The attack hit Nullpudding, Beth, and Yeager, which racked Eve up with three points. However, one of those points was soon taken from him by Lyon who hit him with some of his ice-make magic.

"Unfortunately for you, I spent nearly my entire life training in the cold." Lyon said.

"Yeah, I kind of figured." Eve said.

"Yay! Go, Daddy!" Lyon heard some the stands.

Hearing his son cheer for him brought a smile to his face, and he mentally swore that he would pull in more points. Lyon then caught sight of the real Craylee to the side as he was moving from the alleyway.

"There you are!" Lyon said.

He went to attack Craylee. However, suddenly he was slashed by a sword as Dante appeared out of nowhere.

"Time's almost over." Dante said as Lyon fell. "Time for the tigers to strike."

Dante then turned to the grouping of his opponents as they all stared in shock at his sudden appearance.

"Demon Racer." He said sweeping his hand over his blade.

The form changed into a sword that almost looked as if it was meant for fencing. Dante then vanished as he rushed forward with blinding speed. Beth, Yeager, Eve, Nullpudding, and Juvia were all hit, which had them falling after being cut. Then before Gray could blink, he was cut down as well. Dante turned his eyes on Craylee, and rushed forward. Craylee dodged Dante's sword thrusting forward before he sewed something into Dante's sleeve.

"Fire Thread: Explosion!" Craylee said.

Dante grunted in pain as the thread exploded on his sleeve to hurt his arm. That made him lose a point as Craylee had three points scored now. He then stiffened when suddenly things went dark, but he started glowing.

"Night of Shooting Stars." He heard from above.

Before he knew what was going on exactly, he was hit hard by a bright attack that sent him into the ground.

"Rufus." Dante said frowning then sliced through Rufus's attack with his blade, which returned to its katana form.

Dante looked up at his guildmate as Rufus was smirking down at the others. He then was attacked by Nullpudding. However, the purple-man didn't land a hit since he attacked the memory of Rufus. The present Rufus attacked Nullpudding who wasn't able to dodge this time around. The darkness then faded away as the crowd cheered loudly for the two men from Sabertooth.

 **"And the hits rain down from above turning the scoreboard upside down!"** Chapati said excited. **"This is what you would expect from two men like Rufus and Dante! Sabertooth takes the lead!"**

While Sting and his team smirked at the announcement, Miseri's expression didn't change. She continued just watching silently as the game continued.

"The organizers really need to work harder." Rufus said. "These games aren't the least bit interesting. After all I was still able to claim victory without even needing to hide. They may have spotted me, but no one even came close to spotting me. The best they could do was merely chase my memory."

Craylee frowned up at the guy while feeling the urge to sew that man's mouth shut. Gray tried to get one hit in on Rufus before the round was over, but Nullpudding took him down. Craylee glared at the man from Raven Tail since he's been nothing but a nuisance since the game started. The bell then rang meaning the end of the match. As Chapati brought the attention to the score board Craylee saw that both Sabertooth teams had the top places, and all three Fairy Tail teams were at the bottom with Team C leading them and Team A at the very bottom.

"Dammit." He muttered to himself while walking away.

He didn't react to the booing from the crowd, but he heard them loud and clear. He should have done better in that game. He's been playing it since he was a child. Yet, his score only got him third from dead last? Craylee returned to his siblings with his head down.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up." Rizzo said as she placed her hand on his shoulder. "There's still plenty of time to rack up points. You got us started, Craylee, and that's enough for me."

"Yeah, us too!" Sven said nodding.

Jaser and Breccan grinned at Craylee as the man straightened up his poster. However, he said nothing as he put his hands into his pockets. Rizzo looked at him in worry when seeing his bothered expression. She then glanced back at the tunnel where Gray had disappeared to.

"You should go check on him." Craylee said. "I don't need to be coddled, but that boyfriend of yours probably does."

Rizzo nodded her head then went after Gray by entering the tunnel. She saw he hadn't went far, and she didn't even question why he was shirtless.

"Gray," She began but jumped when he punched the wall hard enough to crack the stone.

He was silent for a moment, and Rizzo remained quiet as well, so to give him for a moment.

"I will get them back for this." Gray said. "Both that purple bastard and the pompous jerk."

Rizzo just walked forward to place her hand on his shoulder. He looked over his shoulder at her, and she gave him a smile.

"I know you will." Rizzo said. "I believe in you."

He stared into her eyes for a moment before turning to pull her into his arms. She hugged him in return as he tucked her under his chin. After a few silent minutes, Rizzo pulled back to look up at Gray.

"Now are you ready to watch some battles?" Rizzo asked.

"I think I'm going to take a shower first." Gray said. "To calm down."

He went to go do as he said, but Rizzo pushed him against the wall, which had his eyes widening. She smirked up at him that had his heart racing.

"Oh?" Rizzo hummed. "I can think of more fun ways to take your mind off things."

He gulped as she leaned in closer with her chest friends firmly against his own.

"Ye-yeah, but I don't think your ways will calm me down." Gray said.

More like rile him up. Rizzo's smirk just widened as she leaned up on her toes to press her lips against his. Gray was stuck in place for a moment, but he soon melted into the kiss as he put his arms around Rizzo to draw her even closer. Gray was about to nibble her lip, but she pulled back, which had him blinking in confusion.

"Feel better now?" She asked.

Gray's eyes widened realizing she was trying to make him forget about the anger he had been feeling. He sighed while leaning in to place his forehead against hers.

"Yeah," He said then grinned. "But just because your little plan worked doesn't mean we have to stop."

He pulled her in to place his lips against hers once again. He's missed being with her like this, and he might as well enjoy it while they have time alone due to everyone being distracted by the games. When they pulled back this time, Gray's grin grew.

"If losing leads to this every time, I might just have to lose more often." Gray joked.

Rizzo rolled her eyes knowing he'd never do that since his pride wouldn't let him.

"How about this?" Rizzo began. "You start winning more, and I'll give you more than just a few kisses."

Gray's eyes widened at her offer as she smirked. Then before he could ask if he heard her right, she winked and walked away to go watch the battles. She hoped she got to fight today. She was ready to show all the haters that Fairy Tail won't be going down easy this year.


	92. The Ice Queen vs The Man of Msytery

Coco: Sorry for the typos. I just finished nine hours of work and have six other things to get published/posted tonight since I won't have much time tomorrow or Thursday before I have to clock in back on Friday. Sorry again. I'm just so tired.

* * *

Rizzo stood up in the stands nearly growling as Lucy laid on the ground crying after losing her battle. She glared over at Raven Tail knowing they had cheated in some manner. If Raven Tail kept interfering, she'd crush them all with her bare hands.

"They're asking for it, and if any of us end up as their opponents, I want them put six feet under." Rizzo said.

"Believe me, we all feel as angry as you." Breccan said as he looked forward. "And in the end they won't get away with hurting our guildmates."

Rizzo nodded her head then turned her focus back onto the games as the next battle was being announced.

 **"Now let's move onto to the next match!"** Chapati said. **"It seems we'll be seeing quite an interesting battle folks! Because next up is the icy beauty Misericordia Nihilum from Sabertooth, and she shall be facing the mysterious Msytogan of Fairy Tail!"**

The stands went wild with cheers for Miseri, which made it appear as if she was one of the crowd favorites. Rizzo's brow quirked as she glanced over at the booth that the two Sabertooth teams were sharing. Just how strong has Miseri become over the last seven years? Rizzo supposed she'd seen soon enough. Over with Miseri and her guild, Sting put his arm around her shoulders.

"I know you've got this in the bag." Sting said as he grinned. "Give them a show, okay?"

"I didn't come here to entertain." Miseri said.

Sting lightly snorted though wasn't surprised that was how Miseri replied to his words.

"Yeah, do well, Miseri-neechan!" Lalita said smiling.

She then giggled as Miseri pat her on top the head in an affectionate manner. Miseri walked down towards the arena.

 **"Msytogan is such a mysterious person that only a select few in Fairy Tail have ever seen his face."** Chapati said as both contesters entered the arena.

Rizzo frowned knowing that Jellal would have to be careful. He couldn't blow his cover in front of all these people. Not only would it lead to this arrest…but Fairy Tail would also be disqualified from the Grand Magic Games, and it's only the first day!

"Don't look so worried." Jaser said grinning. "I'm sure it'll all work out."

Rizzo really hoped he was right. She mentally shook herself then looked back at the contesters as they met in the middle of the arena with only five feet or so in between them.

"Honestly, I didn't wish to personally fight against anyone of Fairy Tail." Miseri said. "However, it seems as if I will have no choice."

Jellal, who was masquerading as Msytogan, looked into Miseri's eyes seeing in them that she truly didn't want to be doing this. So why was she even participating?

"I do apologize ahead of time, but I will not be holding back." Miseri said.

"Nor will I." Jellal replied.

The two then silently squared off as they waited for the okay to start their battle.

 **"Fairy Tail B's man of mystery going head to head with Sabertooth B's Ice Queen!"** Chapati said. **"So let's get this second match on its way! Right now!"**

Jellal then loosened the strap going across his chest, so to start preparing to let go of the staves on his back. Jellal, who was glad to fight for his friends in Fairy Tail, immediately released the staves on his back to start the battle. Miseri watched him charge forward while not looking worried at all by the attacking Fairy. Miseri jumped up out of the way before Jellal could ensnare her within a circle of his staves. Miseri then spun around mid-air while coming down to deliver an ice covered kick on Jellal, which sent him rolling across the ground.

"Yeah, that's our girl!" Lector cheered. "Show him how it's done!"

Violet rolled her eyes at Lector's cheering as she continued to silently watch the match from Lalita's arms. Jellal managed to right himself even when he was still skidding across the ground. He then quickly sent out his magical staves at Miseri, and they did circle her this time before she could move.

"Five Layer Magic Circle: Sacred Song!" Jellal cast.

Miseri was soon hit by a tower of magic that had some people in the crowd murmuring in worry. Rizzo narrowed her eyes highly doubting this was over.

"Come on, don't tell me she was already beaten." Orga said from the Sabertooth booth.

Dante said nothing though he did frown at the lack of confidence that Orga had in his own guildmate.

"Nah," Sting said as he leaned forward with a grin on his face. "Miseri won't be easily beaten."

Rogue looked silently at his teammate as Sting's eyes remained glued on the magical tower that Miseri was engulfed within. It seemed as if the blonde was nicer and warmer to Miseri than the rest of their guildmates. Sometimes Sting treated Miseri with more kindness than Rogue himself, and they've known each other longer. But Rogue noticed since the day the White and Ice Dragon Slayers met that Sting immediately lit up at the sight of her. He didn't even seem to notice it himself, but whenever Miseri was around, Sting always seemed to be in a better mood.

"Yes, I have no memory of Miseri ever being beaten." Rufus spoke up. "I highly doubt she would start losing now."

"Miseri-neechan is going to win for sure!" Lalita said giggling.

After saying that, the tower of magic that had been on top of Miseri exploded as she let out a breath attack. People gasped in shock and awe as her ice then trickled down looking like sparkling gems. Miseri turned to face Jellal while still in the air while holding her arms out as they collected ice to form what looked like beautiful wings made of ice. Natsu, who was watching with Elfman and Erza, stared with wide eyes while seeing that Miseri had definitely gotten stronger over the years.

"Ice Dragon: Wing attack!" She said.

She moved her arms like a dragon would flapping its wings, and the movement sent over three dozen sharp shards of ice towards Jellal. He quickly held up his hands to cast a defensive spell.

"Three Layer Magic Circle: Mirror Water!" Jellal cast from the ground.

Once Miseri's attack hit the circle, they bounced back to start flying towards Miseri once more.

"Miser-neechan, watch out!" Lalita called out in worry.

She then looked back at Divya as the older girl placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Do not worry." Divya said. "All will be well. Miseri can handle herself, yes?"

Lalita nodded her head before looking back at the fight as Miseri shattered her own ice with a breath attack. Miseri then landed on the ground a few feet away from Jellal. She rushed forward with Jellal not able to prepare for the many melee attacks she sent his way once she got close enough. He could only take the hits before rolling away from Miseri who paused in her assault as if giving him a moment to catch his breath.

He laid there on the ground not surprised at how bad he was losing since he was using a magic not his own. He didn't want to lose this match, but how could he win using someone else's magic. A spark then came to his eyes as an idea came to mind. He got into a crouched like position as Miseri tilted her head curiously.

"Meteor!" Jellal said.

He took off like comet around Miseri who frowned at the sudden change of magic. The magic he was using now definitely wasn't staff magic. In the stands, Rizzo's mouth dropped open in shock. He couldn't really think it was okay to use the magic he was known for when there was a Wizard Saint and former councilman in the stands!

"He's an idiot." Rizzo said.

Breccan sighed nodding in agreement as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Jaser and Sven sweat-dropped as Jellal kept zooming around the arena with Miseri watching him. Jellal zoomed right towards Miseri who tried to use ice to block him. However, he was able to change direction on a dime, and zoomed around her defense to hit her. She stumbled a bit, but besides that the attack did very little.

She frowned knowing she needed to slow him down, and she knew exactly what she needed to do to do that. Suddenly the temperature changed in the entire colosseum that had people shivering as they hugged themselves. The cold temperature was coming from Miseri who was blowing with pale blue magic energy.

"Whoa, it feels as if the temperature just dropped fifty degrees." Rizzo said as she rubbed her freezing arms. "What is Miseri doing?"

"I believe she is trying to drop the temperature enough to slow _Msytogan_ down." Craylee said as he finally rejoined his siblings. "Once things even if moving quickly start to get colder, they slow down, and once he's slowed down, she can move in to finish him off."

Rizzo nodded guessing that made sense, and it was a good plan on Miseri's part. But she had a feeling that Miseri had more than just slowing Jellal down.

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art," Miseri began, which had Natsu and Jaser's eyes widening.

She was able to master a secret art?! They know they shouldn't be surprised considering it's been seven years, and Miseri has obviously grown up since then. Still it seemed unreal that the little girl they had once fought seven years ago was now capable of performing a secret art.

"Subzero." Miseri said.

An explosion of ice shot out from Miseri to coat the arena in thick ice, and by doing that it had also coated Jellal in a bit of ice. He was forced to crash to the ground while feeling as if his entire body was being frozen from the inside out.

" **Whoa, in just that one move Miseri turned the entire arena into an icy frozen wasteland, and froze Msytogan right in his tracks!"** Chapati said. **"Completely incredible!"**

String grinned broadly not surprised at all how well Miseri was doing. She was a member of Sabertooth after all. Miseri walked forward with the ice crackling under her feet.

"Since most Ice Dragons are completely made of ice they sometimes must manipulate the space around them to freeze, so their own bodies don't melt." Miseri explained. "My father Hielo tried to teach me that ability fourteen years ago, but my body had been too young and frail to handle it. However, three years ago I spent a whole year in the frozen mountain range to strengthen my body enough to perform this spell and one other."

She was about to get closer to Jellal, but when he chuckled, Miseri paused with her senses warning her something was wrong. She then looked up into the sky to see seven magic circles in the sky. So that was why he had been flying around like that. He was putting magic circles in place. Jellal cracked some of the ice as he moved his hands to cast his magic.

"May the Seven Stars bring judgement upon you," Jellal began. "Grand Chariot!"

The starts started to rain down on Miseri who looked up without any worry in her face. She took the hit straight on, which had some people gasping. The blowback from Jellal's attack had people jerking back in shock. Once the dust cleared there was only chunks of ice laying on the ground. Rizzo's eyes widened thinking Jellal completely annihilated Miseri. Jellal sat there on his knees with his eyes wide with horror since he never wanted to hurt her that bad. He didn't want to kill her. He hung his head thinking he took things way too far.

" **W…where is Miseri of Sabertooth?!"** Chapati asked. **"Was that attack so power that when it hit nothing was left of her?!"**

The crowd was all silent, and over in the Sabertooth guild, Sting was glaring forward with his pupils like slits. He had a small growl building up in this throat as he glared down at Jellal. He knew Miseri was alright, but also knew that the attack had hurt her. He never liked Miseri being hurt. Even if it was the barest amount, he would become mad, and if he found out someone caused it, he would hunt them down to make them pay.

"You should quit growling." Rogue said. "You know she's fine."

"Yeah, but using the technique she did still hurts her." Sting replied.

Rogue knew that was true, and a part of him was concerned as well. However, he knew Miseri would recover quickly.

"Wait!" Chapati called out gaining everyone's attention. "The ice…it appears to be moving!"

Jellal's head snapped up in shock as everyone else looked on in surprise as Miseri's body reformed in ice. The ice then shattered leaving behind Miseri in one piece.

"The second magic I learned was to construct my own body like ice just as the ice dragons." Miseri said simply as if she hadn't just been pieces. "While they cannot reform if they melt, they can reform if they happen to be shattered. I master the technique, so that I may do the same. That means you can hit me with that attack again, and I would just return to this shape."

Of course, using this attack used a lot of magical energy, but it took time for her organs to set right after being shattered like that. At the moment it was actually hard for her to stand, but she couldn't afford to show weakness or lose this magic. She had to end this as soon as possible. She would do more secret art that would hopefully end this fight. She took a stance knowing she had to hit Jellal as he was still shocked that she was indeed alive.

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Frozen Shard Tundra Dance!" Miseri said.

She sent a spinning vortex of ice at Jellal who took the hit head on since he hadn't the time to move. He was hit hard with the ice hitting him immediately freezing over to pin him down. He frowned knowing there was nothing he could do. He mentally apologized to his Fairy Tail friends as his entire body was frozen over. Once the attack stopped, the bell rang as Miseri was announced the winner. As the crowd cheered, Sting left the booth to wait for Miseri at the entrance to the tunnel.

"Whoa, she's definitely not the same little girl from seven years ago." Jaser said.

Rizzo hummed in agreement as Miseri walked over to Jellal's frozen body. Erza was looking on in worry as she wondered how Jellal would be affected by being frozen. Miseri's finger pierced through what looked like Jellal's forehead, which had the crowd gasping.

"What is she doing?!" Erza demanded.

Then in front of everyone the ice shattered off of Jellal who fell to the ground after being released. Even though he looked tired and worn, he seemed to be alright. Jellal looked up as Miseri offered her hand to him.

"I am sorry for the rough treatment." She said. "I just couldn't afford to lose."

Jellal stared at her hand for a moment before he took the hand that she offered him. After helping him up, she winced holding her torso, which was aching since her organs were still resetting.

"Are you alright?" Jellal asked.

"Yes." Miseri said. "It is just that your attack hurt more than I let on, but I will be fine. It has been a while since I've had to use that magic, so thank-you for the interesting battle. And I know Fairy Tail will do well in these games, so do not feel discouraged by this loss, and please tell the others that as well."

Jellal was shocked by her words, but before he could ask why she would say that, she turned to leave. She needed to get out of the public's eye since she was about to fall. She made it to the tunnel, and immediately crumbled as soon as she was out of sight from the crowd. However, before she hit the ground, she was caught by Sting. She looked up at him as he was holding her up.

"Need to go to the infirmary?" He asked.

"No." Miseri said shaking. "I just need to sit for a moment…away from the others."

She knew Orga would give her heck for looking so weak, and then Lalita and the rest of their team would worried about her. Sting stared at her for a bit longer as if seeing she was telling the truth. He then picked her up, which had her eyes widening.

"I do not need to be carried." She said as she pushed against his chest. "Please, set me down."

"Not a chance." Sting said. "You're obviously in pain, and you'd walk too slowly on your own."

Miseri frowned as she looked up at his face. She didn't understand him. He wasn't this kind to anyone else from their guild. Lector being an exception. But the point was that he would never do this for anyone else of their guild. He'd mock them for looking so weak, and leave them on their own to deal with their pain in silence.

"I don't understand you sometimes." Miseri said as she stopped struggling.

Sting didn't understand it completely himself, but he constantly felt the need to be near Miseri. To take care of her if she is injured, and he even felt the urge to keep her happy. He didn't understand it. It was just after meeting her that she became as important to him as Lector.

"You did a great job." Sting spoke as he continued walking. "Not that I'm surprised. You're one of the strongest we have in the guild. Not strong as me, of course."

He chuckled as he said this while hoping to get a smile from Miseri. However, she just looked off to the side knowing she had just did what she had too. If she didn't continue to do well in these games then that man wouldn't hold up his end of the bargain. She then ducked her head hoping her friends of Fairy Tail wouldn't hate her after everything is said and done.

* * *

During Ren and Arana's match, Rizzo was leaning forward in interest since she still needed to speak with Ren about him and Sherry.

"So the two of them are really engaged?" Rizzo, who was actually in the Blue Pegasus booth, asked.

"Yep." Eve said nodding. "Been engaged for nearly a year now."

"Then why didn't Ren tell me sooner, dammit?!" Rizzo demanded.

Hibiki chuckled at her little outburst as on the battlefield Ren was shouting at Sherry's guildmate that they weren't engaged. Rizzo ignored that comment, however, since she knew how Ren could be.

"Well, you have been missing the last seven years, Rizzo." Hibiki pointed out.

"That's no excuse because Sherry found the time to tell me as soon as I returned from Tenrou Island with the others." Rizzo pointed out.

Granted the only reason Sherry said something was because Rizzo wanted to know who else's weddings she had missed and if there were more children she needed to know about. And the only reason Sherry was even at the Fairy Tail guildhall was because Lamia Scale came for a visit, but that was all beside the point.

"Once the battle is over, you can give Ren an earful for neglecting to tell you." Hibiki said as he smiled. "Until then, may I have a hug, sweet Rizzo? It has been a long time since we have gotten to see each other."

Rizzo sighed guessing she should glad to see Hibiki, Eve, and Ren again. Hell, seeing Ichiya again was nice after being parted for so long.

"Alright." Rizzo said smiling.

Hibiki smiled in return before he and Rizzo hugged for a moment. However, Rizzo kept it brief, so Hibiki wouldn't have time to move his hands a bit lower. She then hugged Eve tightly since she missed him, and even though he's older than her now, he still looked so much like the Eve of seven years ago even if his hair was styled differently.

"I missed you both." Rizzo said. "And I'm sorry to have worried you over the last seven years."

"It's alright, Nee-chan." Eve said smiling. "We're just glad to have you back."

Rizzo was about to say something else, but the bell rang out signaling the end of the match. Rizzo glanced back the arena while not surprised to see that Ren had won his battle. She then grinned wickedly while know now was the time to interrogate Ren all about his relationship with Sherry. She dashed out of the room to meet Ren down below. Hibiki and Eve watched her go silently.

"Ya know," Eve began. "I feel a bit sorry for Ren."

"Yeah." Hibiki agreed. "Poor guy doesn't know what's coming his way."

Down below in the tunnel, Ren stepped in while surprised to see Rizzo standing there. He was about to greet her in his typical manner, but thought being a bit nicer would be alright since it has been seven years. However, he paused when seeing her devious look.

"Ren, we need to talk…about Sherry." Rizzo said chuckling.

Ren paled thinking he might not like this talk, and that he might be a bit scared afterwards.

* * *

After thoroughly interrogating Ren, who had looked almost frightened by the end of the talk, Rizzo returned to her brothers. It appeared the match after Ren's had ended in one move by Orga of Sabertooth A, and apparently, Rizzo had missed Orga's horrible singing as she was off interrogating. She was going to count her lucky stars for that one. Now it was the time for the final match, and Rizzo knew it'd be someone from her team and Lamia Scale that faced off.

 **"Day One's matches are about to come to a close, but we still have one more battle."** Chapati said.

" **Fairy Tail C and Lamia Scale must be competing since they're the only teams we haven't seen yet."** Yajima pointed out.

Yeah, and Rizzo was hoping to get chosen since she wanted to kick some ass to show people not to underestimate Fairy Tail.

" **These two guilds used to be equally skilled, so this should be an interesting fight."** Jenny said. **"I can't wait to see what team comes out on top."**

" **Fairy Tail C has a lot of strong mages on their team, so I wouldn't be surprised if they pulled out a win even after all the losses Fairy Tail as a whole has racked up today."** Prince added his two cents.

He's heard a lot about Rizzo from Hibiki, and knew she was a strong mage based on how Hibiki spoke of her. He then knew that Rizzo was the younger sister of the rest of her teammates, and apparently the five used to train together all the time growing up. So he was certain they were all roughly the same skill level. Though considering one does hold the title of S-class, Princess supposed he was the strongest of the group.

" **Okay, folks, are you ready?"** Chapati asked. **"The final match of the first day is going to be…Fairy Tail C's Sven Toblerone vs. Lamia Scale's Jura Nikas!"**

The crowd went wild for Jura as Sven's siblings looked back at him. Rizzo felt sympathetic towards the tiny blonde since she's seen how scary strong Jura is. Of course that was seven years ago, so he's probably gotten stronger since then.

"Well, it's my turn." Sven said smiling. "Don't worry I'll do my best."

Jaser gave the blonde a high five, and after Rizzo hugged him, the blonde went down into the arena to meet Jura. The two stood a few feet away as the crowd continued to cheer. Freed, who was up in the stands with the rest of the guild, looked concerned as he saw the tiny Sven facing off against a man three times his size.

"That little kid is supposed to beat Jura?!" Someone from the stands called. "There ain't no way!"

"Yeah, he'll be crushed!"

The jeers continued, which had Freed starting to boil in anger at how the crowd was treating his beloved!

"You all there!" Freed shouted as gestured to the crowd. "Silence your jeers!"

He leaned forward to keep shouting at them, but Evergreen and Bickslow held him back. From across the arena, Laxus shook his head at Freed's outburst."

"He seems really upset." Amarante, who suddenly popped up beside Gajeel, commented casually as she munched on some popcorn.

Gajeel actually jumped at her sudden appearance since he hadn't even smelled her scent until she spoke. He then frowned since he didn't like being snuck up on.

"What was your first clue?" Laxus asked. "What are you doing over here anyway, Amara? Aren't you supposed to be with the rest of the guild?"

Amarante turned her violet eyes onto Laxus as she continued to much on the popcorn.

"I went to buy popcorn during the Blue Pegasus and Mermaid Heel fight." Amarante said. "When I tried to make it back to the others, I found myself over here instead."

"No one's sense of direction should be allowed to be that bad." Gajeel commented as he sweat-dropped.

Mirajane giggled behind her head since it was such an Amarante thing to do to head for one place, and find yourself on the complete opposite side of the place you needed to be.

"I suppose I should head back to them though, huh?" Amarante, who started to leave, questioned.

"No." Laxus said while taking her hand to stop her. "You'll just end up on the other side of Fiore if you walk by yourself. Stay at my side, and leave me, okay?"

Amarante blinked before she tightened her hand around Laxus's hand, which had him looking down at their hands. He hadn't even realized he had grabbed her hand in the first place. He then looked back to Amarante as she smiled at him silently. He then noticed Mirajane and Gajeel watching them, which actually embarrassed him. He looked away though didn't pull away from Amarante. Gajeel rolled his eyes before looking back to the arena as Sven stood in front of Jura with a bit smile on his face.

"I hope we can have fun playing together, Jura-san~" Sven said with a cute boyish giggle.

Half of the women in the crowd awed at how cute he looked as the large four lacrima screens focused in on his face. Freed turned red faced now angry at how many women were fawning over Sven.

"Yes, I am interested to see how this fight goes." Jura said. "I look forward to it."

" **Now, I hope you all are ready because the final match of day one is about to begin!"** Chapati said. **"Sit back and relax because you're not going to want to miss it!"**

* * *

Coco: Haha! Cliffhanger! Sorry, but you won't be able to see Sven's fight until the next chapter...which I'm not sure will be up.


	93. The Forest of Imagination

Coco: Hello, everyone, how have you been? Good I hope. Anyway XD I just wanted to remind you all that vote on my poll that I have posted on my profile. About ten people have so far, and there are so many ties that need to be broken XD lol. And I wanted to let you know that at the end of this chapter I'll post the score results for the first day of the GMG. The scoring is a bit different than in the canon since I added in two of my own teams, but the teams rankings before the fifth day is nearly the same as the canon in the end after I added everything up. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and there will be one more to post after this too!

* * *

Sven and Jura faced each other as the crowd was going wild around them. Sven had his hand on his Children's Storybook with a serious expression coming on his face to replace the smiling one. He had to win this fight for his guild, and for the others who have suffered losses already. He wanted to show them there was no reason to become discouraged now. It was just the beginning, and they could and would still win it all.

"Personally, I would love to see Fairy Tail do well in this competition." Jura said. "But I'm afraid the old hag could throw a fit if I were to let you in."

Sven didn't comment while knowing he'd have to go all out if he wanted to beat someone like Jura who is at the same level as Master Makarov.

"My sincere apologies, but I won't be holding back." Jura said.

"You don't have to hold back." Sven said. "Because I don't plan to."

Jura grinned when seeing the determination burning in Sven's violet orbs that showed he meant business.

 **"Whoa, just look at that determination in Sven's eyes, folks!"** Chapati said as the lacrima vision was still focused on Sven. **"This little guy means business."**

Some people "awed" thinking it was cute someone as young as Sven looked ready to go all out.

 **"Actually, I think I should point out that Sven is not as young as he looks."** Yajima commented.

 **"What do you mean, Yajima-san?"** Prince asked curiously.

 **"Sven uses a magical item known as the Children's Storybook."** Yajima said. **"Since it is a book for children, the book keeps it current owner looking like a child. Sven is actually 21."**

People exclaimed "WHAT?!" in shock as they looked at the blonde in surprise. Rizzo laughed at their reactions as Jaser and Breccan chuckled. Craylee even grinned partially as he stood off to the side with his hands in his pockets. In the stands, sitting beside the Sabertooth guild master and his guildmates, a young man frowned as he looked down at Sven.

"So you still look the same as the last time I saw you, Sven." He murmured.

"Did you say something, Mavi?" One of his guildmates asked.

"No, nothing at all." Mavi replied.

The man beside him blinked while certain Mavi said something, but the man didn't plan on pushing the matter.

 **"Now, I think it's time to get this fight on its way, don't you, folks?!"** Chapati asked.

The crowd cheered loudly in agreement as the two competitors prepared for the fight. The bell rang signaling its start, and Jura didn't waste any time in attacking first. Jura had pillars of rock shoot out of the ground to head towards Sven as the blonde pulled out his book and quill. He was hit up into the air with his friends gasping, and the crowd gasped as well when Sven was suddenly enveloped into a bright light. When he landed on the ground, the light was gone, and he was in his older form.

 **"Wait, what's this?!"** Chapati asked. **"Sven suddenly looks ten years older."**

 **"I suppose you can say that's the boy's true form."** Yajima said. **"To increase his magic power Sven can revert momentarily to his real body, which becomes big enough to hold more magic energy. That in turn allows him to use more powerful attacks on his opponents."**

Down in the arena Sven had to dodge Jura's next attack while writing in his Children's Storybook. He seemed to mumble to himself, and before the crowd's very eyes the entire arena changed. They gasped as it turned into what looked like a forest made of candy and other sweets. If Lucy was here, she'd recognize this scenery as the same Sven had in section of the mountain in Raoul's Forest. His siblings knew what this scenery was, and the boys grinned.

"Brings back memories, doesn't it?" Breccan asked.

"Yeah." Jaser said grinning.

Jura looked around at the scenery with a small frown on his face as he tried to understand the purpose Sven had for changing the arena to look like this.

"This place is what I call the Imagination Forest." Sven, who was leaning against one of the trees, said. "It looks similar to my Candy Forest that was filled with candies that were actually explosives or something similarly dangerous. However, in this forest, I can imagine anything I want, and in come to be without me having to write anything in my book or recite it allowed as if telling a story."

Freed's eyes widened realizing Sven had modified this space to work, so he could use his magic more like the Arc of Embodiment that Rustyrose used. Sven also had found a loop hole in the magic that was trying to prevent its user from using the Arc of Embodiment, which the creator of the book had seen as dark magic.

"You see imagination is supposed to be limitless." Sven said. "However, the Children's Storybook puts nothing but limitations on the user, so I decided I would use this book to create a zone that couldn't limit my imagination, which I have an abundant of."

Up in the Fairy Tail Team C booth, Rizzo grinned while knowing Sven worked hard the last three months to be able to create this limitless imagination zone.

"Sven seems to have become very strong in the last few months, hasn't he?" Evergreen commented.

Freed nodded in agreement while silently sending out a good luck to the blonde.

"Hmm, such intriguing magic." Jura said. "It truly is remarkable. However, I don't believe it will be enough for you to win."

Jura then had pillars of earth shoot out from the ground, but these were different from the first. These were much longer, and moved around like snakes as they tried to attack Sven. Sven dodged out of the way with the pillars hitting some of the gumdrop trees, which exploded at the impact. The crowd gasped covering their faces for a moment as the heat blazed. When it died down a bit, the crowd saw that Jura tried to protect himself with a rock wall, but the explosion had been so humongous that part of the wall was crumbling away. The crowd even saw Jura's clothes and partially his right side had light burns.

"Oh, and just because I changed up the zone doesn't mean the candy and sweets aren't any less dangerous." Sven commented from where he sat on a large rock made of jawbreaker. "You should be careful what you break."

Jura grinned thinking this fight would be a truly exciting one if things kept up like this. Jura then went to attack Sven head on once more with the rock he sent towards Sven shaped like a fist. Sven held out his hands in front of him with a large glowing shield appearing in front of him. It redirected the attack towards Jura, which had some people gasping. However, Jura just sent the fist right back, and it curved around like a slithering snake. It was about to hit Sven, but suddenly the blonde was airborne with wings of light jutting out from his back.

"Divine Light!" Sven shouted.

His wings started to glow so brightly it blinded Jura, which is exactly what Sven wanted.

"Now I call upon the light of the heavens to vanquish my enemy so that I may shine victory onto my comrades!" Sven said.

Suddenly orbs of light appeared on his wings, and as he flapped them the orbs went falling towards Jura at blinding speed. Jura quickly cast a spell to offer him some kind of protection. As the two types of magic hit, a blast of magic so strong hit that it sent a blast of wind through the colosseum that sent some people and objects flying. And it didn't help that the candy in the forest started to explode due to being hit. Once the attack started to clear and the explosions stopped, Sven landed on his feet with the wings disappearing from his back.

"And you're still standing." He said with a sigh as the dust cleared to reveal Jura looking in one piece and grinning. "You're sure one scary strong guy, Jura-san."

Jura chuckled as the crowd cheered loudly in excitement since this fight just getting better and better.

"I could say the same to you." Jura said. "You're obviously a very strong and talented mage."

Sven shrugged modestly then knew he'd have to try something else if he really wanted to beat Jura.

"Now I didn't want to use such a strong attack on the first day, but I suppose there's no choice." Sven said then took a stance. "Pandemonium Consurgo!"

Suddenly the arena exploded in chaos with loud noises blaring and random explosions happening. Jura looked around with wide eyes as burst of magic started firing around him. He was hit around a few times before he could finally block with his earth magic. It was hard to concentrate on that, however, with all those noises blaring. The ground then started to shake, which almost had Jura lose his footing. The crowd was shocked when seeing that Iron Rock Jura was being overwhelmed.

"Yeah, way to go, Sven!" Natsu cheered.

The rest of Fairy Tail cheered as well when seeing that it seemed they'd finally get a win today.

"The little punk has some power." Laxus said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "And it's smart to use so much chaos at once since it'd overwhelm any opponent."

"Sven definitely is a forced to be reckoned with." Mirajane said smiling. "I'm surprised that Master didn't choose him for the S-class trials in the beginning."

Sven then ran forward to get in a few hits in as well. He started fighting hand-to-hand combat style with each of his hits sending out an explosion of magic that would send Jura flying. Jura landed on his feet a few feet away as he frowned knowing he had to think of some way to stop this. He looked at the book at Sven's hip knowing that was the source of the boy's power. If he could take that out, or at least get it away from him, Jura should win the battle. Jura shot out his hand with a spike of earth shooting out from the ground to pierce the Children's Storybook. Sven cried out in pain while feeling as someone had pierced him through the heart.

"Sven!" Rizzo shouted with fear clearly in her tone.

The magic created by Sven's book vanished as the blonde fell to the ground on his knees. He fell forward with his hands barely catching him in enough time to keep him from falling completely to the ground. He coughed roughly, and Jura was shocked to see blood.

"End the match now!" Breccan shouted, which had people shocked.

Even though Mato was confused as to what was happening, he called the match, which left Jura the winner. Rizzo jumped over the railing from her booth with her brothers following. Rizzo ran over to her eldest brother then dropped down beside Sven to move him, so he was resting against her. He gasped for breath with blood running down his chin. Freed's eyes widened in horror when seeing the pain on Sven's face. Craylee was quick to start patching up the Children's Storybook.

 **"What's going on?!"** Chapati asked. **"It seems as if Sven Toblerone is in a lot of pain after that attack from Jura. Can we can a few medics on the field?!"**

A few medics hurried onto the field as Craylee swiftly continued his work, but Breccan and Jaser kept them back since they would be of no help.

 **"What happened?"** Jenny asked looking concerned for the blonde.

 **"I can explain."** Yajima said. **"You see the Children's Storybook and Sven are connected because to use the book the mage must make a blood contract with the book. So if the book is harmed, Sven is harmed in return. That means when Jura pierced the book through the middle, it caused direct damage to Sven's heart. To ease his pain it actually has to be the book that receives treatment, which is why Craylee is quickly trying to patch it."**

Rizzo held Sven closely with her head pressed against the top of his. She looked up as Jura stepped forward.

"I am truly sorry." Jura said. "If I had known this would be the result of attacking his book directly, I would not have attacked it."

"It's alright." Rizzo said as she tightened her hold on Sven. "You didn't know, Jura."

Jura nodded, but still felt guilt in his chest. It was tense for a few more moments before Sven's breathing evened out and he fell into a restful state after Craylee finished his patch job.

"Now we just need to move him to the infirmary." Breccan said.

Jaser and Breccan went to move Sven, who had shrunk down to his child form once more, and as they were doing that Freed was leaving the booth, so to meet them in the infirmary.

 **"It seems as if that is the end of the games today, folks!"** Chapati said. **"And what an intense battle we had just seen. If this is just happening on the first day, I cannot wait to see what is in store for us tomorrow!"**

* * *

In the infirmary, Porlyusica helped settle Sven down to rest in the bed beside Wendy, who was sitting up by now, as his siblings and the Thunder Legion—minus Amarante—stood around his bed.

"I'm sorry for losing everyone." Sven said as he looked up at the ceiling.

"Don't be." Rizzo said as she placed her hands on her hips. "You did great, and even if you didn't win, I'm pretty sure the crowd saw just how powerful a mage of Fairy Tail can be."

She winked at her blonde brother with a grin on her face, and he lightly chuckled though the small grin on his face didn't completely reach his eyes.

"You really shouldn't dwell on it." Craylee said as he sat down in the chair beside Sven. "Sure neither of us did well, but our guildmates will make up for our losses. We all work together, win together, and lose together, and it's not over by a long shot. We still have four more days."

And if Craylee was part of the games any more, he'd make up for his poor score in the first contest. Sven smiled a bit more naturally this time as he nodded.

"Right." Sven said nodding.

Craylee nodded in return as he moved from the chair, which Freed quickly took. He didn't plan to leave Sven's side until he was better once more. He wanted to reach out to take the blonde's hand, but resisted the urge since he didn't know if it'd bother Sven or not with so many people in the room. Rizzo looked between the two script mages before making a quick decision.

"Well, I'm sure we should leave you to rest." She said as she started ushering people out the door. "You have to be tired. But, Freed, you should stay here to look out for him. Maybe write up a few enchantments for him and Wendy since we never know when those Raven Tail jerks might be back. Bye, Sven, we'll check on you later!"

She shoved her brothers, Bickslow, Evergreen out the door despite their protests. She then pulled the curtain around Wendy's bed to separate the young bluenette from Sven and Freed.

"I hope you get to feeling better too, Wendy." Rizzo said smiling as she waved.

Wendy blinked in confusion not knowing what exactly was going on. She then watched as Rizzo left the room while shutting the door quickly behind her. From Sven's side of the curtain, the blonde snorted in amusement at his sister's actions. He then felt his hand being taken by Freed, so he looked to the slightly younger man as Freed was looking down with a blush on his cheeks.

"Will you be alright?" Freed asked.

"Yeah," Sven replied. "I just need some rest."

Freed still looked worried as he looked towards Sven's chest. He heard Yajima say Sven's heart took damage when the book was hit. Was it still hurt…and was it causing Sven pain? Sven squeezed Freed's hand to get the greenette's attention.

"I'm fine." He said as he smiled. "I promise."

Freed nodded his head while squeezing Sven's hand back in return. He'd stay here with Sven until he knew for certain that the blonde would be alright.

* * *

Later that night, Rizzo walked towards the pub that the others said they'd be in to "celebrate" their defeat. She was running a bit late since she had spent a bit of time with Miseri and Dante after the games were over for the day. As she was heading for the inn, she paused when seeing "Msytogan" sitting up alone on a building across from the pub. She smiled up at Jellal while waving up at him. Jellal waved at her in return before he jumped down from the building to walk over towards her.

"You seem to really be sticking to character by missing out on the parties." Rizzo joked as she heard how rowdy her guildmates were being outside the pub.

Jellal chuckled as he listened to Fairy Tail give a cheer after Makarov gave a short yet inspiring speech.

"Well, I do not wish to blow my cover." Jellal said.

Rizzo nodded in understanding as she put her hands into the pockets of her pants.

"Rizzo, there is something I wish to ask you about?" Jellal asked.

Rizzo looked at Jellal with a quirked brow as she wondered what was on his mind.

"Earlier after my might with Miseri...she told me that she didn't want me or any of us from Fairy Tail to be discouraged by the losses we suffered today." Jellal asked. "And that she knew we would do well. Do you know why she would say that?"

It confused Jellal since it was his understanding that Sabertooth was the Fairy Tail guild's biggest rivals. Rizzo smiled when Jellal told her this with a chuckle leaving her lips.

"Miseri is a close friend." Rizzo said. "I knew here when she was Wendy's age seven years ago. She was going through something rough along with the guy Dante from Sabertooth, and we had to fight together to bring down a bad guy. We bonded since then."

Jellal nodded in understanding. So even though they were part of different guilds now, their friendship remained strong.

"Anyway, I've heard you've been busy the last few years." Rizzo said. "You have your own guild now from what I've been told. And speaking of your guild, how is Meredy doing?"

Jellal silently pointed towards an alleyway, which had Rizzo blinking back at it. She looked back at Jellal, and had a feeling he was smiling even if she couldn't see his expression. She finally started walking over to the alleyway, and when she peeked inside her eyes widened. Standing in the alleyway was an older Meredy with long pink hair and a mature figure. Rizzo's face then lit up as she stepped completely into the alley.

"Meredy!" Rizzo said happily as she hugged the girl who hugged her in return. "You've grown so much."

"Rizzo, it's good to see you again." Meredy said while actually feeling like crying. "I had been so worried about you and Gray, but now you're back."

Rizzo's smile widened, and Jellal who was waiting at the end of the alleyway smiled glad that the two were so happy to see each other. He's heard Meredy speak often of Rizzo over the years, and how the music mage changed her life for the better and forever. Once the girls pilled apart, Rizzo wiped at her eyes.

"Jun wanted to see you again too, but Jellal was worried it'd be a bit too risky to have Jun and I both see you." Meredy said. "But I guess you know him as Silk."

Rizzo stiffened at the mention of Silk, whose actual name is Jun, with a disturbed shudder traveling through her body.

"H-He's around h-he-here?!" Rizzo stuttered while looking around frantically as if expecting the zombie mage to pop out at any moment.

Meredy chuckled at Rizzo's reaction to the mention of Jun since she couldn't blame the pinkette for being freaked out. Meredy knows Jun can be a bit…pushy when it comes to his love and affection.

"He's away with Ultear, and she promised to keep him at bay." Meredy said.

Rizzo let out of a breath of relief since she had been really worried there for a second. She was afraid she would have to start running away from Crocus to go to another town and change her name and appearance to hide from Jun.

"I'm sorry to cut this reunion short, but we can't risk Meredy being out in the open much longer." Jellal said as he continued to "guard" the entrance to the alleyway.

"Right." Rizzo said nodding.

She then hugged Meredy tightly one more time, and Meredy hugged her as well.

"I hope we can take more time to catch up soon." Rizzo said.

"Yeah me too." Meredy said.

The two then separated, and Rizzo left the alleyway. However, she paused besides Jellal.

"Thank-you for that." Rizzo said. "I missed her."

Jellal nodded his head then watched as Rizzo walked away towards the pub. She stepped in in just enough time to see her guildmates were being as rowdy as ever. Natsu finished fighting Max, Cana drank Evergreen and Bickslow under the table, and Gajeel seemed to be trying to egg Laxus into a fight with Amarante laughing in amusement as Levy was trying to get him to stop.

"Rizzo, there you are." Gray said walking up to her. "Did you get lost on the way here?"

"No." Rizzo said snorting. "Do you think I'm Amarante or something?"

"Hey!" Amarante, who heard Rizzo, cried indignantly.

She then pouted as she crossed her arms over her chest. Laxus, who was finally being left alone by Gajeel, told her to stop pouting as he pinched her cheek, which had her whining that he was being a meanie. That had him grinning in amusement.

"Oh, Amarante, I need to speak with you now that I think about it." Rizzo said. "With Sven on the sick bed we need you to fill in for him. Welcome to Fairy Tail Team C."

"Alright!" Amarante said smiling brightly. "I'll do my best, believe it!"

She'd fight whoever she was pointed out, and win too since she refused to lose.

"Whoa, I can't believe it!"

Rizzo blinked then turned towards the exclamation to see Wakaba and Macao looked at Cana, who was laying on her back drunk, in shock as the man next to her kept drinking.

"Wait, was Cana just drunk under the table?!" Rizzo asked in shock.

The others just seemed as surprised as her since they've never seen Cana drunk under the table. The man stood up laughing. He leaned over Cana seeming to be reaching for her, but he was grabbed by Jaser who glared at him.

"You should watch your hands." Jaser growled. "Because you might lose them if you touch what's not yours."

The man grinned seeming more excited than scared of Jaser's threat. It was tense for a moment, but the two men were pushed apart by Erza.

"Calm down, Jaser." Erza ordered. "We can't start wrecking the place."

Jaser snarled though finally just turned to crouch beside Cana to pick her up into his arms. Erza then turned towards the man as Jaser carried Cana away.

"Bacchus, I should have known I'd run into you in a bar." Erza said as Bacchus swayed on his feet. "Still a drunk."

"And when I'm sober, you'll still be smoking hot, Erza." Bacchus said then hiccupped.

"You know him?" Lucy asked as she walked over.

Rizzo did as well since she wanted to know how Erza knew this drunk guy. Erza usually didn't associate with people like him. Cana being an exception.

"I heard you went into hiding a while back." Bacchus said. "Seemed like such a shame."

"Something like that." Erza said.

She wasn't going to correct him considering it'd take way too long to explain, and since he's drunk, he probably wouldn't remember.

"What about you?" Erza asked. "I heard you're actually competing in the games."

This intrigued Rizzo as the pinkette crossed her arms over her chest while Bacchus let out a laugh.

"At first I saw this little trip as an excuse to get hammered and sample the local color." Bacchus confessed. "But after watching War Cry make a fool out of himself and our guild, my manly spirit got thirsty for vengeance. So I entered the game as a reserve member, and I plan to cause all kinds of trouble."

He gave another hiccup as the turned around to start leaving the pub, and as he was passing Rizzo she got a feel for his magic signature. And she felt a chill when sensing how strong it was.

"My soul is a shaking and a stirring!" Bacchus said. "Maybe we'll have our own little party in a battle round. It will be nice to settle the score. You know what we always say in our guild, 'you will always be…'"

"Wild." Erza deadpanned while not putting any feeling behind it.

Bacchus gave another drunken laugh as he opened the door to the pub, so to step out.

"At least you're still good for a chuckle, Erza!" He said.

He was then gone as Lucy frowned in confusion since she didn't get that guy at all.

"Who was that walking distillery?" Lucy asked.

"A member of Quarto Cerberus." Erza said. "He's one of their S-class mages. I've run into him on jobs more than a few times over the years. I know his strength all too well. Drunken Hawk Bacchus, master of the drunken-chop-hanging-palm. We've fought on many occasions, but there has never been a clear winner."

Rizzo felt another shiver travel through her when hearing this, but it wasn't in fear. She felt excitement build up in her as she grinned.

"I want to fight him." Rizzo said as her hands clenched into fists.

"WHAT?!" Lucy exclaimed in shock.

"How could I pass up fighting against someone as strong as Erza?" Rizzo asked. "He's the perfect person to try my newest magical style on."

Rizzo continued grinning hoping she and Bacchus will meet in a battle. Tomorrow is a new day, so there is a chance of it.

* * *

The next day during the second contest, Rizzo was grinning as she watched Bacchus use one kick to break up the chariots. He really is strong. However, she then looked up at the screen with a sympathetic look in her eyes as she watched Jaser struggle to take one step after the other. The poor guy was nearly dead last with Natsu, Gajeel, and Sting of Sabertooth.

"We really shouldn't have chosen him for this contest." Craylee said. "Even that little girl from Sabertooth is doing better than him."

It was true. Lalita, who had chose to participate in this contest, was near the head of the pack. However, she had been tripped up when Bacchus destroyed some of the chariots. However, she had gotten back up after Bacchus ran by.

"He wanted to get in on the action when hearing Natsu and Gajeel were participating." Breccan said.

"And then Bacchus decided he wanted to join in, and since Jaser didn't get to punch his face in last night for nearly touching Cana, he was set firmly on getting in on this contest, so to show him up." Rizzo added.

Craylee rolled his eyes because Jaser was doing the exact opposite in this contest.

"At least he's giving it his best." Amarante said smiling.

"Yeah." Rizzo agreed as Bacchus crossed the finished line.

He was followed closely by Black Snake of Raven Tail, which had Rizzo frowning. Lalita followed after Black Snake, which meant the small girl took third place. It seemed to take a lot out of her since she was hunched over gasping for breath. Despite being tired she had a big grin on her face as she stood up straight to wave over at her teammates and Sabertooth Team A. Divya and Nook waved back as Dante gave her a thumbs up. Miseri had a small smile on her face, which had Lalita looking even happier.

 **"And sweet little Lalita of Sabertooth Team B takes third place."** Chapati announced while cooing. **"Isn't she adorable, folks?"**

The crowd cheered in agreement as Risley ran into fourth place. The order then went Yuka and finally Ichiya, which left the four Dragon Slayers as the only ones not to cross the finish line.

 **"That just leaves a four way battle for last place."** Chapati said.

The crowd laughed at the four sick Dragon Slayers who were currently suffering through the slow ride. Miseri shook her head as she watched Sting still manage to mock Gajeel despite looking sick.

"Okay, he thinks puking in slow-mo is entertainment?" Orga asked.

"Is this a common affliction amongst your kind, Rogue, Miseri?" Rufus asked.

"I thought just the three of us had trouble with motion sickness, but it seems I was wrong." Rogue said.

He was glad he wasn't the one out there right now. It would have been completely embarrassing.

"I wonder if second generation Dragon Slayers have the same problem." Miseri said while not openly admitting she did have this problem.

Rogue wondered as well since second generation Dragon Slayers weren't taught at all by actual dragons. Rizzo, who was wondering the same from her booth, turned to look at Amarante.

"Hey, Amarante, do you know if Laxus has the same problem as first and third generation Dragon Slayers?" Rizzo asked.

"Yes, he does." Amarante said then gasped as she covered her mouth. "But I probably shouldn't have told you that."

"Too late now." Craylee deadpanned.

Amarante bit her lip hoping Laxus didn't learn about her little slip up, or he'd be annoyed with her and pinch her cheeks. She hates it when he does that. Rizzo laughed while not believing the mighty Laxus got motion sick. She then looked back to the screen wondering which sick Dragon Slayer would get last place. The three Dragon Slayers of Fairy Tail pushed on, and were neck-and-neck as Sting brought up the rear. Rizzo smiled when she heard Natsu's refusal to lose this time.

"You can do it, boys." Rizzo said. "Show them how strong Fairy Tail really is."

Down at the chariots, Jaser let out a groan, but refused to toss his lunch as he kept going. He couldn't come in last place. He had to keep pushing forward for his guildmates.

"Talk about uncool." Sting said. "Anyone could see you have no strength left. You're just making fools of yourselves."

Sting then frowned when seeing the three just kept pushing on despite his words.

"Fine, whatever." Sting said. "I don't need this win, so I'll just let you guys have it. Sabertooth is just going to keep racking up the points after this. In the end one measly little point isn't going to change the outcome."

"One point ain't nothing to scoff at, Kid!" Gajeel said. "Don't you forget that!"

Gajeel and Natsu then out shouts of determination as Jaser grinned while moving just one inch closer to the goal.

"I don't get it." Sting said. "Can you explain something to me?"

The three Dragon Slayers of Fairy Tail paused to look back at the Dragon Slayer of Sabertooth as Sting was frowning.

"Why did you even bothering entering the tournament?" Sting asked. "Seriously? I mean, you're nothing like the Fairy Tail I knew growing up. You're obsessed with how tough you are, and what the rest of the world thinks of you. What happened to the Fairy Tail of my childhood? The guild that did whatever the hell it wanted whenever it wanted? They never cared about what anyone else said or thought of them."

It was silent for a moment between the three Dragon Slayers of Fairy Tail before Jaser opened his mouth.

"Shouldn't it be obvious why we're here?" Jaser asked then moved forward. "The only reason we're here is for our friends who waited seven whole years for us when most people would have given up."

Sting and many others were shocked as those words left Jaser's mouth. However, the Tenrou Island Team knew exactly what he meant.

"That's right." Natsu said as he inched forward as well. "Our friends who fought through the pain and the heartache! They were humiliated, but even so…they stayed strong. And they kept our guild together. We're doing this for all of them! And we're going to make sure that everyone here knows that the Fairy Tail guild never gave up, not for an instant! So there's no way we're gonna give up now!"

Up in the stands, Rizzo grinned as she crossed her arms over her chest while she heard the cries of her guildmates. Even Amarante teared up a bit, so Breccan pat her shoulder in a comforting manner. Soon the three Dragon Slayers crossed the finish line with Natsu nabbing seventh place, Gajeel nabbing eighth, and Jaser nabbing ninth.

"Now this is where things change." Rizzo said as she started walking away. "Time for Fairy Tail to break out all the stops and rack up the points."

* * *

Results

Sabertooth Team A- 20

Sabertooth Team B-19

Raven Tail- 18

Lamia Scale- 17

Blue Pegasus-15

Mermaid Heel-4

Quarto Cerberus-3

Fairy Tail Team C-2

Fairy Tail Team B-1

Fairy Tail Team A-0

Coco: This is just the results for the first day. I'll show the results for the second day once all second day battles have ended. I hope you liked the chapter! :D


	94. God of Wine and the Musical Maiden

After checking in on Jaser and Natsu, Rizzo returned to the arena to see Toby on the ground crying as Black Snake of Raven Tail was walking away.

"What the hell did Raven Tail do now?" Rizzo asked glaring down at the dark mage.

"Let's just say Raven Tail were being their evil selves." Craylee replied.

Rizzo frowned while really wanting to beat the shit out of those Raven Tail bastards. If she ran into on in the games, she'd put them six feet under, and not care if there are witnesses. She then let out a sigh supposing it'd be time for the second round of the battles to start soon.

 **"Now let's move on to round two of today's battles."** Chapati said. **"First from Quarto Cerberus it's the God of Wine Bacchus!"**

Rizzo became really interested when hearing his name as the crowd gave a large cheer. Bacchus walked down into the arena raising his fist to the crowd, which had them cheering even more.

 **"Fighting a member of Fairy Tail Team C."** Chapati said.

This had Rizzo grinning. This meant she had a strong chance of being Bacchus's opponent. She was ready to go out onto the field and win ten points for Fairy Tail.

"That means it's one of us." Breccan said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Considering he uses a fighting based magic I'd say Jaser or I would be the best opponent against him, but it's not up to us to decide."

Rizzo didn't care who'd be "ideal" to be Bacchus's opponent. She just wanted to test out her three months' worth of training out on someone strong enough to take it when she's not holding back.

"Fight!" Rizzo heard Cana shout from Fairy Tail Team B's booth. "Someone avenge me! I don't care who it is!"

Rizzo chuckled at Cana's shout while seeing that Gajeel was having trouble trying to restrain her.

"Well, she's certainly high strung today, isn't she?" Craylee commented as he placed his hands into his pockets.

Rizzo couldn't really blame Cana for being upset considering Bacchus had humiliated her last night in that drinking contest. And it was the first time anyone has seen Cana get drunk under the table.

 **"Rizzo Sweeney!"** Chapati announced loudly.

Rizzo's grin widened, and she didn't even bother taking the stairs. She jumped over the railing to her booth to land in the arena in front of Bacchus as some of the crowd was shocked to hear her name being called. Gray looked a bit nervous as he looked down at his girlfriend who looked more than ready to get started.

 **"Looks like Rizzo Sweeney is ready to get this fight started."** Chapati commented.

 **"She always has been eager for a good fight."** Yajima said. **"Just like her late hotheaded father Link Sweeney. The two are like two peas in a pod."**

"That's an understatement." Laxus said as he snorted. "Everyone I met from her family was always ready for a fight."

Well, there was that one person who was a bit different than the rest of them. Laxus looked over to where he knew Mavi was in the stands to see the man was frowning at Rizzo as his hands clenched into fists. He hasn't seen his cousin in person for over ten years. The last time they saw each other, they had just happened to be passing through the same town as the same time.

 **"Cool!"** Jason shouted through the mic. **"It's been a long time since I've seen Rizzo in action! I can't wait to see what kind of show she gives us! I know it'll be cool!"**

Rizzo grinned at Jason's words as she stood across from Bacchus, who was laying on the ground on his side casually, with her hands on her hips.

"Hey, beautiful, how'd you feel about making our own little bet?" Bacchus asked. "Like those last guys did."

Rizzo's brow quirked as she tilted her head. What brought betting up? Was it something that happened in the first round? Well, whatever, she did feel a bit interested.

"What do you have in mind?" She asked.

Bacchus grinned broadly when seeing that Rizzo was interested to see what he had to say.

"Well, you're one smoking hot little number." Bacchus said as he looked her over. "So, if I win this match, you keep me company tonight. How does that sound?"

Rizzo didn't react, but there were sure some unpleased reactions from her guildmates.

"Oh, how dare he even think to ask such a thing!" Sanjū, who looked uncharacteristically pissed off, shouted. "What nerve!"

She then looked as if she was ready to go down there, which had Lily holding her back with Happy's help.

"Calm down, Sanjū!" Happy said.

Sanju didn't seem to hear Happy since she was too busy hissing towards Bacchus as the others looked mad. Breccan and Craylee glared down at the Quatro Cerberus man for what he had the nerve to ask. Laxus wasn't too pleased either, and there were a few sparks dancing around his fingertips.

"Bastard better watch his mouth." Laxus said with narrowed eyes.

"Someone is getting overprotective." Gajeel commented.

"Can you blame him?" Mirajane asked. "Bacchus is crossing a line, and Laxus has always looked after Rizzo after all."

Well, there was that period of time where the two couldn't look at each other without glaring, but that was water under the bridge now.

"What a scumbag." Cana said frowning.

She wasn't the only one to think so since Evergreen was feeling just as appalled.

"What that'd bastard say?!" Gray demanded as he leaned forward. "He's asking for it!"

Gray was ready to go down there to give Bacchus a piece of his mind and an ass kicking, but Erza grabbed his shoulder to stop him.

"I understand she's your girlfriend, Gray, but Rizzo can handle herself." Erza said.

Gray frowned guessing that was right, and it wasn't like Rizzo would accept this guy's bet.

"Fine, I accept." Rizzo said.

There was a collective shout of "WHAT?!" from the people in the arena ranging from Rizzo's guildmates to the other guilds to even the audience. Bacchus ignored them though as he grinned.

"Rizzo, are you crazy?!" Gray demanded. "Why'd you agree to this bastard's terms?!"

Rizzo ignored him, which pissed him off even more, and if Erza wasn't holding him back, he'd already be in the arena.

"Oh really?" Bacchus asked.

"Yes." Rizzo said nodding. "I won't be losing this match, so I don't see the problem with agreeing to your bet."

Bacchus let out a barking laugh as people were still shocked Rizzo agreed to the bet.

"So you think you can beat me, girlie?" Bacchus asked in between chuckles.

"I know I can." Rizzo said. "And I will because after what Natsu, Jaser, and Gajeel did in the Chariot Contest, I'd be completely ashamed of myself for losing. They opened the door to what's going to be Fairy Tail's greatest comeback, so there's no way in hell that I'll lose."

Gajeel grinned as he leaned forward feeling excited for this fight. He knew how tough the little rock punk was. They've had their fair amount of brawls, and he knows she's as stubborn as Natsu. So when she says she's going to win, he knows she's going to win.

"You've got spirit for sure, Rizzo Sweeney." Bacchus said grinning. "And it's sure got mine shaking and stirring. Now what do you want if you win this fight?"

"Oh, I just want you and your guildmates to change your name to Quatro Puppy." Rizzo said as she pointed at Bacchus. "I think it's much more suitable for you all."

The "wild men" all couldn't believe their ears as some people in the crowd laughed. Cana was certainly pleased with this. Bacchus blinked before he let out a chuckle as he got off the ground.

"Alright, Rizzy girl." Bacchus said. "You've got yourself a deal."

Rizzo grinned feeling quite excited about all of this. She'd win this fight for sure, and bring home the points.

 **"Now let's get this fight started!"** Chapati said.

The gong rang to start the fight, and Bacchus didn't hesitate to shoot forward to land a few hits on Rizzo. She went flying backwards as her friends gasped. Rizzo flipped in the air before landing on her feet. She wiped a bit of blood of her cheek, and despite being hit by such strong attacks she didn't seem to be fazed. She's been hit way harder by her very own guildmates during simple brawls in the guildhall. Bacchus moved in again to attack, but Rizzo managed to dodge this time around.

 **"Is it just me, or does Rizzo seem to be missing something?"** Chapati asked.

 **"It's her guitar case."** Yajima explained. **"Rizzo uses a type of magic known as music magic that was developed by her ancestor Raoul Sweeney. This magic allows a person to transfer their magic into special instruments made for channeling magic to cast various spells depending on how the music is played. Rizzo is a master of over 100 instruments, and to carry them all with her she has a special case that connects her to her instruments. In other words, her magic is a holder type, which means she needs to her case and instruments to perform her magic."**

This had the crowd wondering why the pinkette didn't have said case with her since she needs it for her magic.

 **"Do you think Rizzo plans to win this fight without magic?"** Chapati asked as Rizzo took another hit from Bacchus.

Rizzo skid across the ground on her feet. As she stopped in a crouched position, she grinned thinking it was time to reveal her new form of music magic. Just as Bacchus was moving in on her, Rizzo stood with green magic collecting in her hands, which had the crowd's eyes widening as it turned into the shape of a guitar. She hit a few hardcore cords that sent out a wave of sound magic towards Bacchus. He hadn't been expecting it, so he was sent flying backwards. He landed on the ground while lying there for a small moment as he wondered what just happened.

 **"Wh…what just happened?!"** Chapati asked. **"Did Rizzo really use her music magic without the aid of an instrument?"**

Yajima started in shock as he looked at the guitar made of magic power that was in Rizzo's hands.

 **"Not exactly."** Yajima said. **"It appears Rizzo used her own magic power to form a guitar out of it to play music notes, which resulted in the blast of music magic."**

Over with the Fairy Tail guild, Raoul grinned looking quite proud. It seemed she had complete control over it now.

 **"Does this mean Rizzo somehow learned to evolve her ancestor's magic?"** Chapati asked.

 **"Yes, it would appear that way."** Yajima said. **"Raoul Sweeney took sound magic, which was a castor styled magic to turn it into music magic, which turned into a holder styled magic. Now it appears Rizzo turned music magic back into a castor styled magic, which had to take a lot of training on her part to do so."**

 **"So cool!"** Jason shouted.

Bacchus then chuckled from his spot on the ground before flipping back onto his feet.

"That's sure a neat trick." Bacchus said as he grinned. "Sure, has me shaking in excitement."

He ran forward to attack Rizzo as the pinkette had the magic in her hands disappear. She then held out her hand to her side with her magic starting to build. Everyone watched with wide eyes as many green glowing instruments appeared in the arena. Rizzo's outfit changed into her conductor mode with a green glowing baton appearing in her outstretched hand.

"It's her conductor mode!" Happy exclaimed with a big grin on her face. "She'll win for sure now!"

Sanjū, who was standing beside the blue feline, just continued to watch on silently after she managed to calm down. Even so Lily remained holding onto her paw just in case. Rizzo stepped forward as the podium and scorebook appeared in front of her. Bacchus stopped in his charge to look around as the instruments circled around the arena.

"What's this?" He asked.

"It's my conductor mode." Rizzo said. "It allows me to play many instruments simultaneously by conducting them. Also since there are so many instruments playing it allows me musical combinations, which means I plan play stronger spells. For an example I shall play for you and the rest of crowd the Song of Fairy Tail."

She swept her arm out in front of her with the music starting up to play the intro. As they played, Rizzo's magic power seemed to increase.

"Let's start with a bit of lightning action." Rizzo said. "Now, Movement of the Lightning Dragon."

Suddenly a copy of Laxus appeared in front of Bacchus, and the crowd gasped in shock. Laxus blinked looking surprised to see a copy of himself in the stands. Erza wasn't shocked at all since she's already seen Rizzo's song of Fairy Tail.

 **"What's going on?"** Chapati asked. **"Did Rizzo create a copy of Laxus Dreyar? And what could be her purpose for this?"**

 **"I can explain."** Craylee, who was suddenly in the commentators' booth, said as he sat down in front of a fourth mic that appeared out of nowhere.

This had Chapati, Jason, and Yajima jumping in surprise since they hadn't been expecting him.

 **"Whoa, how did you get in here?!"** Chapati asked.

 **"I used the door."** Craylee deadpanned. **"Now do you want an explanation or not?"**

Some of his guildmates were laughing at how Craylee just welcomed himself into the commentators' booth while others shook their heads. Jason thought it was cool how he just showed up out of nowhere, and was shaking in excitement to hear what he had to say.

 **"O-oh, yes, please explain."** Chapati said.

 **"What we are all seeing now is known as Rizzo's Song of Fairy Tail."** Craylee said. **"It is a very complicated piece that Rizzo has been working on for nearly six years as a dedication to our guild, and it is meant to show off the power of Fairy Tail. It has many magical technicalities, but its main magic is mimicry and creation magic. In simple terms, it creates a copy of one of our guildmates based on whatever movement she is playing, and then that copy uses the magic of the original. However, it's more than simple mimic magic because Rizzo took a small portion of all our power, so to make the magic used by the copies more authentic."**

Laxus did remember that Rizzo once ran up to him one day asking if he'd give a bit of magic to her scorebook. It was a few months after she had joined the guild, and he remembers she had told him what the book meant to her. He grinned guessing she finally got to complete the work that she had told him would become her greatest.

"Whoa, that's insane." Gray said looking shocked and impressed.

"No kidding." Lucy agreed.

Erza just smiled sensing that this spell was stronger than from when Rizzo used it on her. She couldn't wait to see how much Rizzo has grown since their battle on Tenrou Island.

"Oooh, this is sure interesting." Bacchus said as he tilted his head to the side. "That makes it wild."

"You going to stand there gawking all day?" Fake Laxus asked as he held up his fist with his coat slipping off his shoulders. "Or are you coming to come get some?"

He motioned Bacchus forward, and it was almost scary how like the real Laxus he was acting. Bacchus grinned before shooting forward. He went to hit Fake Laxus in the face, but he vanished in a flash of light. Bacchus was then hit ub the back by lightning, which had him stumbling forward. He turned around quickly just in time to dodge Fake Laxus's fist. Fake Laxus sent out a kick next, but Bacchus moved quickly to take Fake Laxus in the center of the chest. He was sent flying backwards, and Rizzo coughed with a bit of blood leaving her mouth.

 **"What's this?!"** Chapati called out. **"It seems that even though the copy took the hit that Rizzo Sweeney is wounded**."

 **"I can explain that as well."** Craylee said. **"When one of the copies it hit, Rizzo takes half of the damage while the copy takes the other half. Doing this means the copies will last longer than if they took complete damage."**

 **"That is a bit risky though."** Yajima said. **"Because if Rizzo becomes too injured to keep conducting, it won't matter what kind of state the copies are in because they'd disappear regardless."**

That was true, but Rizzo was all about taking risks, so she wasn't too worried about it. She just grinned as she continued conducting. Fake Laxus zipped towards Bacchus and started sending out melee attacks covered in lightning. Bacchus returned those hits while laughing in excitement at it all. With each hit landed on fake Laxus, Rizzo felt half the force, and even if it was only half, it started to pile up. She felt beaten up and tired, and people could see that.

"Come on, Rizzo," Sher murmured as she stood beside Lyon. "I know you're not done."

Lyon looked at his wife as she looked down at Rizzo with a look that showed complete confidence in Rizzo. Hibiki was giving the same look as he leaned forward to watch the fight.

"Show them, Rizzo." Hibiki said. "Show them what makes Fairy Tail strong."

Gray grit this teeth together as he stood tensely in between Erza and Lucy who were both watching on silently. Rizzo let out a breath knowing she needed to try something else to win this game.

"Lightning Dragon Movement End." She ordered with a sweep of her hand.

The Fake Laxus vanished from sight, which had Bacchus blinking in confusion.

"Getting tired, girlie?" Bacchus asked. "All that talk about winning just for show?"

Rizzo narrowed her eyes then took a deep breath as she stood up straighter while refusing to give up.

"Now, Movement of Vibrations." Rizzo ordered.

A copy of Breccan appeared in the arena with a smoke between his lips and everything.

"Oh, a new opponent? Looks, like you're still ready to go. Well then," Bacchus said then reached for his drink. "Last call!"

He guzzled down his sake, and after drinking it all, he tossed the bottle to the side. He shot forward to attack Fake Breccan, but the copy dodged every attack sent at him with apparent ease. Fake Breccan then moved in to attack, and hit the pressure points going up Bacchus' arms. Bacchus jumped back with a grin on his face.

"Hitting pressure points ain't going to help you when I'm wearing this." Bacchus said.

He then gasped in surprise when his sleeves suddenly shattered and fell from his arms.

"What the?" Bacchus asked. "He got me?"

 **"Uh-oh, Bacchus might have double vision, but he didn't see that coming!"** Chapati said.

Bacchus looked back at Fake Breccan and Rizzo as the pinkette stood with determination in her eyes as she grinned.

"I'm not done by a long shot." Rizzo said. "You wanna win this fight you're going to have to hit harder than that."

Bacchus grinned as well feeling his heartbeat pick up in excitement. He turned to face the copy of Breccan and Rizzo while ready to keep going.

"Man, you sure are wild, girlie." Bacchus said with his cheeks flushed.

It was silent for a moment as the two opponents stared each other down knowing this fight's victor would soon be decided.

"Well, you going to attack or not?" Rizzo asked as she continued to conduct with one hand while the other motioned Bacchus forward. "I don't have all day."

"I like your style, Rizzy girl!" Bacchus said. "You sure know how to get my blood pumping!"

Bacchus rushed forward with Fake Breccan meeting him in the middle. The two swapped blows with Fake Breccan putting his vibrations in every hit. Rizzo winced feeling the hits too, but she refused to back down.

"It seems as if I cannot hold back," Fake Breccan said as he dodged a blow to the head from Bacchus. "If that's the case."

He collected a large amount of vibration magic on his fists before punching Bacchus in the center of his chest. The force was so hard, Bacchus went sailing backwards, and the instruments opened up to let out crash into the wall of the arena. It cracked around him as the ground gasped. He then fell forward to hit the ground. He looked unmoving, so Rizzo dropped the conductor mood. She bent over with her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath.

 **"It appears the battle it over, folks!"** Chapati called out. **"And our winner is Rizzo Sweeney of Fairy Tail Team B!"**

An explosion of cheering came from the crowd as Rizzo grinned when hearing that.

"Yeah, thatta girl!" Cana shouted.

"Rizzo, you're the greatest!" Lisanna shouted.

Rizzo let out a shout of victory as she raised her hands up into the air, and the crowd cheered louder. Some of the others chuckled when hearing her cry of victory, but it was a nice sound to hear.

 **"Is this shout of victory the sound of Fairy Tail's resurrection?"** Chapati asked.

Some people believed it just might be as they clapped and cheered.

"Hey, Fairy Tail!" Rizzo shouted.

All her guildmates looked to Rizzo as the crowd quietened down a bit to let the winner speak.

"It's time to stop messing around!" Rizzo declared. "We came here to prove the strength of Fairy Tail for those who kept waiting while we were away! From here on out there will be no losing, you hear me?!"

There were shouts of agreement from her guildmates as some even teared up a bit. Craylee and Breccan smiled while quite proud of their sister's victory.

"And to the rest of you guilds competing!" Rizzo called out. "You can give it all you've got and then some, but Fairy Tail is walking away with the title of Fiore's Number One Guild!"

More cheering came from Fairy Tail, and the crowd as the other guilds reacted to Rizzo's words. Lyon, who was holding Triton, and Sher chuckled from the Lamia Scale booth as they looked down at Rizzo's grinning face.

"Challenge accepted." Lyon said. "Lamia Scale won't hand over victory so easily."

"But at least we know we have some competition." Sher said chuckling once more.

The Quarto Cerberus—or rather Quarto Puppies—all just looked like they wanted to cry at this latest loss. Goldmine even had his head hung in shame. Over in the Blue Pegasus booth, the Trimens all grinned with amusement on their faces.

"You know, I have missed her spunky attitude." Hibiki said. "It brings back memories to hear her getting ready to fight against all the odds."

Eve and Ren nodded in agreement as the Mermaid Heel and Raven Tail guilds just narrowed their eyes at the challenge. Sting of Sabertooth had a frown on his face as well as he looked down at Rizzo. However, he turned to look towards Dante and Miseri when he heard the prior chuckle.

"Looks like we're going to have to go all out if we wanna win this year." Dante said.

"Yes, Rizzo means business." Miseri added as a tiny smile graced her lips. "Victory won't be so easy to claim now that she's rallied the rest of her guildmates up."

Sting shook his head not believing his guildmates actually thought that Fairy Tail had a chance. Fairy Tail's time was over.

"You two can't seriously think those losers have even a chance of winning." Orga said frowning.

"You can scoff at them all you want." Miseri said. "But I learned a long time ago to never underestimate the Fairy Tail guild. They never back down from a challenge, and working together they overcome any obstacle in their way. They're a guild that can pull off miracles."

Sting frowned then looked back into the arena as Rizzo was finally walked away towards the tunnel. Did people really think that would victory would mean anything in the end?

* * *

Coco: Just a few parting words before we bring this chapter to a close...GO VOTE ON MY POLL! *Ahem* I hope you liked the chapter. Until next time~


	95. A Fight Between Real Men!

Coco: I replaced the Author's Note for Chapter 95 with this "legit" chapter XD, but here are the poll results again in case you didn't get to see them earlier.

Rizzo's Team Up: Rizzo(&Sanju)/Gajeel(&Lily)/Cana, and I decided to throw Juvia in on their team since I had a brilliant idea hit me for their mission, and Juvia has to be present for the mission!

Sven's Team Up: Sven/Romeo/Wendy(&Carla)

Breccan's Team Up: Breccan/Alzach/Bisca(&Asuka)

Jaser's Team Up: Jaser/Lucy

Craylee's Team Up: Craylee/Wendy(&Carla)

Those are the results though I am thinking about redoing Craylee's and Sven's team ups since Wendy is in both team ups. I don't know if that'd bother you all or not, so just leave a review to let me know what you think, and then I can decide whether to do re-poll on Craylee and Sven's team ups.

* * *

After Rizzo's fight with Bacchus, Rizzo thought she'd be celebrating, but apparently there was no chance of that happening anytime soon. As of this moment, she was getting a lecture from her boyfriend, who had pulled her off into one of the spare rooms at the colosseum, about agreeing to that bet with Bacchus.

"I mean, what possessed you to agree?!" Gray asked as he paced in front of her.

Rizzo was sure he's asked that question more than once since he started his lecturing a few minutes ago. She has yet to get to answer though since he usually plowed on to continued ranting. However, he actually paused this time, so Rizzo decided to reply to his question.

"I knew I wouldn't lose, so I didn't see the big deal." Rizzo said honestly as she shrugged. "Besides, not agreeing would look cowardly."

Gray frowned as he shook his head. She couldn't have been certain she'd win. Even if she thought so, if she had loss…Gray shuddered just thinking about it. He'd have had to kick Bacchus's ass the second the match was over to make sure the older man couldn't get his hands on Rizzo.

"It was still stupid to agree." Gray huffed as he frowned directly at Rizzo. "Did you even think about how I'd feel when you agreed?"

Rizzo sighed actually feeling guilty when he asked that because she hadn't thought about him when she agreed.

"No, and I am sorry." She said sincerely.

She then walked up to Gray to put her arms around his torso. He wouldn't look at her at first as he looked to the side stubbornly upset. Rizzo thought for a moment on what might get him to forgive her. When something came to mind, she decided to try it out.

"And I'm sorry I upset you." Rizzo said then leaned up to kiss his cheek. "I'm sorry if I worried you. I'm very, very sorry, Gray."

She kept giving a few more apologies while giving him a peck on his face each time she did so.

"I'm extremely sorry for not even pausing to think about how you would feel." Rizzo finished.

She kissed his jaw next as he finally cracked due to all the sweet kisses she had given him. He looked into her eyes to see she really seemed to be repentant. He sighed then leaned in to kiss her lips.

"Just don't go agreeing if some other guy tries the same stunt." Gray said when he pulled back. "Alright?"

She smiled when seeing that he had forgiven her, which made her very happy.

"I promise." She said.

Gray smiled at her in return before leaning in for another soft kiss as his arms went around her. When they pulled back, Rizzo smirked up at Gray.

"You do know that if I wanted to keep someone company in bed, I'd just let you know, right?" She asked in a purring tone.

Gray felt his face grow a bit warm as he stared down at Rizzo who seems to have gotten flirtier lately. Was she trying to hint that something? Was she ready to take their relationship the next level? Was he ready for that? He won't lie…he's had more than he'd care to admit "steamy" dreams about Rizzo, or had many images of her in that racy underwear of hers. However, he never thought about acting on those fantasies.

"Gray?" Rizzo's snapped him out of his thoughts.

He shook his head to look back down at Rizzo who was looking at him with a mix of concern and confusion.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"Ye-yeah!" He said with his voice cracking.

He mentally kicked himself in the butt for letting his voice crack as Rizzo frowned knowing he was lying. She was about to press the issue, but Gray was suddenly pulling her out the door in a rather flustered manner.

"We better get back to the others!" Gray said. "We have to watch the other matches still, ya know? Can't miss them!"

Rizzo sighed letting him pull her along. She must have made him uncomfortable by flirting with him in there. She guesses she'll have to hold back on the hints and nudges until Gray is more ready for that part of their relationship. Not that Rizzo is completely ready since she has her own worries about taking their relationship a step rather, but another part of her just wants to get close to Gray in every way possible. To share something intimate with him that no one else could, but it seemed as if he wasn't ready for that just yet. They soon joined the others since Fairy Tail Team A and C decided to share the same booth.

"Glad you could join us." Erza said smiling. "Did you two finally settle things?"

Gray didn't reply as he looked to the side unable to look at any of the others, which had Erza blinking in slight confusion. Rizzo sighed while deciding to answer for her boyfriend.

"Yes." Rizzo said nodding. "Did we miss anything major?"

"Elfman was chosen for the next battle." Jaser, who was back with them, said. "He's going against that wildman from Sabertooth Team B."

Rizzo looked down into the arena as she stepped up beside Natsu. She saw Nook and Elfman facing off with the crowd going wild for Nook. The man, who indeed looked wild, moved side to side as if unable to keep still as he kept his eyes trained on Elfman like a cat keeping its eyes on its prey.

 _"I am sure this will be one interesting fight folks since the two mages in front of us both use Take-Over magic!"_ Chapati said. _"Elfman of Fairy Tail uses Beast Soul to turn into some gnarly beasts while crowd favorite Nook uses Ancient Beast Soul!"_

"Ancient Beast Soul?" Elfman asked.

He's never heard of such a thing before in his life. What made it different than his Beast Soul? He wasn't the only one confused since most of his Fairy Tail family had looks of confusion on their faces as well.

 _"For those of you who don't know let me explain Nook's powers and some of his past."_ Chapati said. _"Nook grew up on an isolated island south of Fiore that a powerful mage froze in time many years ago. The island has been stuck in prehistoric times ever since with beasts and creatures that long went extinct everywhere else still thriving there. While growing up amongst the beasts, Nook took over their shapes using the magic within him, so now he can change into those ancient creatures of long ago!"_

Rizzo had to admit she was impressed, and knew that Elfman had one hell of a fight a head of him. However, she knew he'd win. She had faith in the big guy.

"That guy has some crazy power." Gray said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Elfman will have to be careful."

He knew Elfman was strong, but this Nook guy was obviously a pretty powerful made as well.

"Elfman's got this!" Natsu said grinning broadly. "Kick his ass, Elfman!"

Rizzo grinned at Natsu's enthusiasm as the gong rang meaning the fight could start. Nook shifted into one of his many forms in a split second, and charged at Elfman in the form of a sabertooth lion. Nook let out a roar while quickly attacking Elfman. He pounced on the large man who barely had enough time to switch into his lizard man form to avoid having Nook's fangs rip into his flesh. Elfman then threw Nook up into the air away from him, which had people gasping in worry.

However, Nook just twisted in the air before landing on his feet with ease. He then ran forward again though before hitting Elfman, he changed his form into a large triceratops. He rammed into Elfman, which sent the man flying backwards. He crashed into the side of the arena with the stone cracking around him as he left a crater. The crater was deepened when Nook charged forward to hit Elfman again. Elfman got caught between Nook's horns, so Nook threw back his head to send Elfman flying up into the air. He hit the ground hard when he landed, and his sisters gasped in worry.

"Nook ain't holding back." Sting said grinning. "He's really beating the crud out of this guy."

Well, it wasn't like he could against the opponent he had. He couldn't take the chance of losing since losing wasn't tolerated in the Sabertooth guild.

"Yeah, that's our guy!" Lector said smiling. "There's no way he'll lose this!"

Lalita smiled and cheered for Nook as Miseri stood silently beside Rogue as the two watched the fight with unreadable expressions on their faces. Elfman got to his feet as he shifted out of his lizard man form. He let out a huff as Nook, who was still in triceratops form, turned around to face him.

"You sure are tough." Elfman said. "But I'm not done yet!"

He then turned into his leopard man as Nook ran forward to continue their fight. Elfman was able to dodge Nook's attacks since his leopard man form gave him enhanced speed, and Nook's form was too bulky to be a swift. Elfman was about to dodge again when Nook transformed mid swing back into his original form. He hit Elfman around the neck with his arm, which had Elfman flying back before hitting the ground to skid across it.

 _"Even in his human form, Nook can still pack quite the punch, can't he folks?!"_ Chapati asked the crowd who roared loudly in reply.

 _"So cool!"_ Jason cried out.

"Nook is not done either!" Nook informed Elfman. "Nook can fight all day like real man!"

Rizzo and some of the others sweat-dropped when hearing that line they were all very used to. Looked as if Nook and Elfman had a lot in common. Elfman, who was back in his human form again, picked himself off the ground, but was soon wrapped into a trunk that belonged to Nook who turned into his Mammoth form. He slammed Elfman into the ground a few times and swung him around in the air, which made him a little sick. He was then slammed into the ground again while Mirajane and Lisanna watched on feeling worried for Elfman. Nook then threw Elfman across the arena again, so he could smash into the side once more while leaving an Elfman shaped crater.

 _"I've seen a lot of one-sided matches in my day, but this is just embarrassing."_ Chapati said. _"Did Elfman come to lose even after Rizzo Sweeney fought so hard for their guild?"_

Rizzo frowned while crossing her arms over her chest. She wasn't about to write Elfman off. She knew he was stronger than this. Elfman fell to the ground while not believing how weak he was. His friends were waiting for him to win this…and here he was being a disappointment after Rizzo pulled out that victory for their guild.

"Elfman!"

Elfman lifted his head seeing it was Rizzo who was calling out to him from the stands. She was standing up in the booth with her arms crossed over her chest with an almost stern expression on her face as her green eyes started down at Elfman.

"Get up and show this guy that Fairy Tail is done taking things lying down!" Rizzo shouted to him. "Show him you're not a pushover! Be a man, Elfman!"

Elfman's eyes widened a bit as more encouragement came from his guildmates as they yelled at him to get up. His hand curled into a fist as he started pushing himself off the ground. That's right. His pals are here with him…cheering him on. Most of them waited so long to be reunited with him and the others who went to Tenrou Island. They suffered so much, so there was no way he was going to lose here. Elfman quickly turned into his beast form that was a mixture of different beasts as Nook who returned to his sabertooth lion form ran swiftly towards him.

"Looks as if he isn't done." Dante commented. "Nook better end this quickly if he wants to win because if it drags on, Elfman will get his second wind."

Miseri hummed in agreement as she sat down in one of the seats that was in their booth. Sting sat down next to her while putting his arm behind her to rest on the seat. She glanced at it as if it was some kind of intruder, but said nothing as she looked at Sting who had a slight frown on his face.

"Do you really think Nook can be beaten by this Fairy loser?" Sting asked.

"No one thought Fairy Tail would do anything in these games, but one battle has already been won." Miseri said. "And with that one victory the spirit of Fairy Tail was born anew. There's no way any of them would lose without a fight, and while Nook is certainly powerful…power alone doesn't determine a battle. And Fairy Tail's will to win and their strong bonds are something we all should be wary of because it's those things that made them the top guild seven years ago."

Sting frowned with a tilt of his head. He's noticed that Miseri seems to speak of Fairy Tail as if she knows them personally. It's as if she had some kind of bond with them. He then noticed Miseri looking forward towards the other side of the arena where Fairy Tail teams A and C were watching the fight. Her eyes seemed mostly focused on Natsu Dragneel and Jaser Sahara. This made his frown deepen as he wondered why she had her eyes on them.

"Nothing is impossible for those who fight with their friends at their side." Miseri said.

That was a lesson she learned from Rizzo and her friends. It was a lesson that Jaser and Natsu taught her after defeating her seven years ago.

"Of course, I am not writing Nook off." Miseri said since she definitely didn't want him to lose since she knew the punishment for losing in their guild. "He could win this. However, he'll have to do it quick because Elfman seems to have gotten his second wind."

As soon as the words left her mouth, everyone watched in shock as Elfman slammed Nook into the ground, which cracked due to the impact. Nook, who was still in sabertooth form, let out a hiss of pain before he bit down into Elfman's arm. Elfman roared in pain before throwing Nook away. Nook landed on his paws a few feet away with his lips curling back in a snarl as a bit of blood trickled down from his fangs. Nook then rushed forward again while changing his shape once more. This time as he was in front of Elfman he turned into a Giant Sloth.

He swiped at Elfman with Elfman's eyes widening when Nook's claws ripped into his shoulder. Elfman then punched Nook in the face to try and get him to back off. Soon it became a hitting match with the two exchanging blow after blow at each other.

 _"What an intense battle, Folks!"_ Chapati said. _"The two keep swapping blow after blow! Who will fall first in this battle of manly strength?!"_

Rizzo and the others kept cheering for Elfman as the big guy tried to ignore his aching body that was screaming at him to collapse, so to end the onslaught. He wouldn't fall. He'd win this match for Fairy Tail for certain. Elfman gave a roar before he punched Nook right in the face to send Nook falling backwards. The crowd gasped as Nook hit the ground while reverting to his human form. It was silent for a moment as Nook laid unconscious on the ground.

 _"I don't believe it!"_ Chapati said. _"Elfman just defeated Nook using a knock-out punch to the face! The victory goes to Fairy Tail Team A!"_

All of Fairy Tail let out roars of happiness as did some of the crowd. The members of Sabertooth were shocked to see one of their strongest out cold on the ground.

"I don't believe it." Lector said. "He…he lost?"

"It would appear so." Violet said with a sober expression on her face.

Miseri sighed with an almost sad look in her eyes as she looked down at her lap. She then stood to start heading out the door.

"Come along." She said to her team. "We must retrieve our teammate."

"Right behind you, Miseri-neechan." Lalita said looking uncharacteristically somber.

Dante and Divya had bothered expressions on their faces as well as they followed after Miseri. As she walked on, she knew tonight when the rest of the guild gathered that they would be losing one of their own, and while the rest of the guild didn't care, she and her friends did. If she could, she would leave the guild since it is no longer the home she once knew. However—Miseri glared forward with her hands clenching into fists—that man made sure that would be impossible, so now she'll have to stand back and watch as her own friend is sent away. But soon she would have what she wants…and that man won't have a hold on her any longer.

* * *

"You did a good job, big guy." Rizzo said grinning at Elfman. "You kicked ass—manly style."

The others chuckled at her joke as Elfman blushed a bit at the praise while Lisanna wiped some sweat from his face.

"You were totally on fire out there, man!" Natsu added.

"Thanks." Elfman said. "I'm starting to feel like I'm at my own funeral or something."

He then winced as Lisanna gently pressed the cloth to his cheek, which was sore.

"I don't see why anyone is surprised." Lisanna said. "Taking a beating has always been your strong suit."

"Sorry, bro, but that's a pretty lame strong suit." Natsu said.

"Tell me about it." Rizzo added.

The two snickered together as Elfman told them to shut their traps, which just had them snickering even more in amusement.

"I think what you did out there today was super impressive, Elfman." Wendy said.

"You did a very amazing job." Amarante, who had gotten a new outfit as the rest of Team C, said.

Amarante wore a yellow kimono top that had a pink flora design with the sleeves unattached to the main top. The sleeves were tied to her arms with pink ribbons, and they were long and flowing. She then had on a pink skirt, which was attached to the kimono top that looked as if it belonged to a school girl uniform. A large pink sash went around her waist, and it was tied into a bow in the back. She had on white stockings that went up to the edge of her thighs, and on her feet were geta sandals.

"I really do appreciate the kind words, guys." Elfman said. "But Wendy is going to have to tag back in."

"Right." Wendy said nodding.

There was then a knock on the open door, which had people turning to face Miseri. She was holding something in her hands as she stood in the opened doorway.

"Miseri, what are you doing over here?" Natsu asked curiously.

"I bring a message to Elfman from Nook." Miseri said. "Nook wanted to congratulate Elfman on his win in person. However, he is unable to move at the moment."

Elfman was surprised someone from Sabertooth wanted to congratulate him. Sabertooth hasn't been exactly friendly towards their guild. Miseri then stepped farther into the room to look directly at Elfman.

"He also wanted to thank-you for a memorable fight." Miseri said. "He said if he had to be beaten by someone he is glad it was someone with a manly spirit that matched his own."

Of course, he didn't say is exactly like that since Nook was a man who kept things simple in his words.

"He even sent this." Miseri said holding out a small pouch. "This is an ointment made of some of the ancient plants on his home island. They have magical properties that sooth one's body and heal wounds faster."

"Wow, tell him thanks." Elfman said.

Miseri dipped her head promising she would as she handed the ointment to Porlyusica when the older woman reached out for them.

"I also wish you a swift recovery." Miseri said then glanced at Sven. "To you as well, Sven."

"Thanks." Sven said smiling boyishly cute.

Miseri said her goodbyes before heading towards the door, but she paused when Elfman called out to her.

"You guys really are tough." Elfman said. "And I can see why with people like Nook in your guild."

Miseri's hand curled into a fist, which didn't go unnoticed by Rizzo and Natsu.

"Yes, we're very lucky to have someone like Nook in our guild." Miseri said. "And thank-you for the kind words."

Miseri then left without another word as Rizzo and Natsu wondered why she had become so tense. Was there something wrong? They exchanged a glance wondering if they should be concerned for their friend.

"Well, we better head back." Gray said. "We don't want to miss the next battle."

"Yeah, it's Mirajane's turn to fight." Jaser said.

"And I am certain Breccan would not want to miss that." Craylee said as he started walking out the door.

Breccan frowned after Craylee as some of the others laughed in amusement at Breccan's expression. They all headed out the door expect for the Thunder Legion who decided to stay with Sven and Elfman. Well, Amarante went with her teammates while certain her three friends could guard Sven and Elfman just fine on their own.

"I wonder how kick ass Mirajane's fight is going to be." Rizzo said grinning.

Natsu nodded in agreement while feeling excited. Wendy was about to say something, but she was bumped into by someone who was running through the hall in a hurry. The two tumbled to the ground as everyone's eyes widened. Rizzo blinked seeing a kid who seemed about Wendy's age lying on top the girl. The two kids whined in pain before realizing the position they were in. Wendy blushed as she looked into deep green eyes.

"Oh, please forgive me." The boy said as he quickly stood up. "I was not watching where I was going. You're not hurt are you, miss?"

He held out his hand to Wendy who took it almost shyly, so to pull her off of the ground.

"I'm okay." Wendy said. "Sorry about that."

"No, it was completely my fault." The boy insisted. "I was rushing to get something for Ichiya-sama, who is in the medical ward, that I did not think to watch where I was going."

"Ichiya-sama?" The group asked in unison with wide eyes.

They all of course knew who Ichiya was, and Erza shuddered just thinking of the little troll. Lucy then seemed to notice the Blue Pegasus guild emblem on the front of the boy's vest.

"You're a member of Blue Pegasus?" Lucy asked seeming shocked.

"Yes." The boy said. "I am Prince Kingston. Pleasure to meet you."

He gave a charming grin as he dipped his head towards the group of Fairy Tail mages.

"And you are, Miss?" He asked Wendy.

"Uh, Wendy Marvell." She replied.

He said it was nice to meet her as Rizzo tilted her head at the boy. She's heard his voice before, and his name sounded familiar.

"You were the kid in the commentators' box yesterday." Rizzo realized.

"Yes, Jenny-san decided to pull me into the box with her." Prince said as he scratched the back of his head. "Speaking of Jenny-san, her match is about to start. I am sorry to rush off, but I must retrieve Ichiya-sama's order, so that I may return to cheer on my guildmate."

He bid them all farewell before hurrying off to do as Ichiya had ordered him. As he ran off, the group walked on to get to the arena faster, but Wendy paused a moment to watch where Prince had run off. Something about him really stuck out to her.

"Wendy, are you coming?" Rizzo called back to the girl.

"Oh, yes, sorry!" Wendy called out.

She hurried after her friends while deciding to push Prince to the back of her mind...for now. As the walked, Rizzo grinned thinking Mirajane's fight was going to be totally kick ass.


	96. Fan Service!

"This isn't kick ass at all." Rizzo said as she stood with Lucy, Erza, Amarante, and Wendy in their booth.

Down below was not the knock-down-drag-out fight she was expecting. Nope, what was happening down below…was a pose off between Mirajane and Jenny of Blue Pegasus. Rizzo shook her head with a sigh. This was a total disappointment in her book. She wanted to see Mirajane kick some serious ass. Not pose around in skimpy bikinis.

"What kind of battle is this?!" Gray and Natsu demanded.

"Are you liking what you're staring at, Gray?" Rizzo asked frowning at him.

Gray quickly shook his head as he looked away from Mirajane and Jenny. He didn't want to die today that was for sure.

"They won't expect me to do this kind of nasty stuff, are they?" Wendy asked.

"I'm pretty sure this is a special arrangement between the two of them." Lucy said. "At least I hope so."

She would feel too embarrassed to do something like that. Amarante just laughed thinking it looked as if Mirajane was having fun.

 _"Two bodacious babes who are both masters of transformation magic!"_ Chapati said. _"This is truly the stuff that dreams are made of! Somebody pinch me."_

A lot of other guys were practically drooling and panting as they started down at Mirajane and Jenny, which had Rizzo shaking her head at how disgusting they were acting.

 _"Again I'm joined by a real ladies' man himself, Yajima-san!"_ Chapati said. _"And our cool guest—Jason—has shot dozen of centerfolds for Sorcerer's Weekly."_

 _"I'm really feeling like a young man today."_ Yajima said.

 _"This is gotta be the coolest thing I've ever done!"_ Jason shouted.

Craylee rolled his eyes thinking they should show more restraint instead of acting like perverted animals in heat. Breccan had the same thought as Jaser was wondering why a lot of people in the crowd was acting weird.

 _"I can't wait to see what they'll change into next."_ Chapati said.

"Not so fast!" Came the cry from Lisley of Mermaid Heel. "You don't expect us to let these bubble-headed bimbos hug all the attention!"

Everyone looked over as Beth, Lisley, and Arana all dropped down into the arena to pose in revealing/tightfitting clothing.

"We've strong and beautiful chicas as well!" Arana pointed out.

"Team Mermaid Heel is the ultimate in girl power." She and Lisley said together.

Beth just said this was embarrassing as the men went even wilder when seeing more hot women in the arena. Rizzo couldn't believe what she was seeing.

 _"Well, I definitely didn't see this one coming."_ Chapati said. _"Mermaid Heel has joined the party. Even Lisley has ditched the junk in the drunk and brought the va-va-voom!"_

"Hold it you guys!"

Rizzo frowned wondering who was joining in this time around. She turned her head with her eyes widening when she saw the Blendy Trio, who were in bikinis now, jumping down from the Lamia Scale booth.

"All these girls are missing the most important thing." Sherry said. "What's the point of scathing around in your little swimsuits if you don't have the love to back it up?"

They landed on their knees with Sherry and Sherria holding Sher, who did not look pleased, in between their arms as they hugged. Rizzo's surprised they managed to get Sher in a bikini and down there.

"If you want love then you've gotta give love." Sherry said.

"And the three of us are busting at the seams with it!" Sherria added.

Sher's eyebrow just twitched in annoyance as she heard all the men cheering in delight. Lyon was blushing from up in the stands as his wife was knelt on the ground in a turquoise bikini that left little to the imagination.

"Daddy, why is your face so red?" Triton asked curiously. "Are you sick?"

"Um, no, Triton." Lyon said. "Your father is just fine."

Triton blinked not completely convinced since Lyon was still looking awfully red in the face.

 _"And now the cute Blendy Trio from the Lamia Scale have thrown their bodies into the arena!"_ Chapati said.

Rizzo wasn't a shy person. She could walk around in a bikini fine. However, the thought of doing it in front of a bunch of perverted men made her uneasy. She was just glad she had more sense than to go down there. However, it didn't seem as if she had a choice since the First Master got involved.

"You shouldn't just stand here like a bunch of party poopers!" Mavis said smiling. "Let's go down there together!"

Rizzo eyes widened a bit while not expecting their ghostly first master to suggest they join in on what was happening in the arena. Rizzo then blinked…maybe she shouldn't be surprised. You'd have to be a bit…eccentric…to start a guild like Fairy Tail after all.

"For real?!" Lucy asked.

"There's no reason we should stand idly by while all our competitors are taking the spotlight." Erza said.

Rizzo supposed that was true. She didn't want Fairy Tail outshined, and their guild had plenty of hot babes to show off anyway. Still didn't mean she had to like it.

"And it looks like fun!" Amarante, who was already in a yellow bikini, added as she giggled.

Wendy and Lucy looked at Amarante and Erza like they were crazy, but they were soon in bathing suits and pushed into the arena. Even Juvia was soon in on the action with the other girls of Fairy Tail. Laxus shook his head from up in the stands, but did look Amarante up and down as she posed alongside Erza.

"I'm not sure if I like being stared at like a piece of meat, but I refuse to let our guild be outdone by any of the others." Rizzo said then struck a seductive pose. "So eat your heart out, boys."

Many men whistled and cheered at Rizzo who threw in a wink. Gray turned beet red at the sight as Rizzo blew a kiss in his direction.

"Miseri-neechan, I want to join in on the fun!" Lalita said as she smiled up at Miseri. "Please!"

Miseri's eyes actually widened in shock as Lalita begged to go down there with the other girls. She then looked to Divya when the Rajasthan put her arm around Miseri's shoulders.

"It will be a nice way to have fun." Divya said as she smiled. "And do you really want to be outdone by the other guilds? Sabertooth has to prove we're best in not just strength, right?"

Miseri knew she was just saying this, so Miseri would agree to go down there. Sting didn't want her to go because he didn't want a bunch of perverted men making eyes at the blue-haired beauty. However, he didn't get what he wanted since Miseri soon caved to Lalita's wishes like she normally does. Lalita cheered before hurrying to get down to the arena. Soon all competing guilds—minus Quarto Cerberus and Raven Tail—had their female guildmates down below in the arena posing, which had the men even happier than before.

 _"If you wanted a heaping helping of fan service then, ladies and gentlemen, Domus Flau is definitely the place you'd like to find yourself today!"_ Chapati said.

 _"And unless we want an actual riot on our hands, we have no choice, but to let this madness continue."_ Yajima said.

 _"This is amazing!"_ Jason exclaimed. _"Oh man, the Sorcerer's Weekly cover story! I'll call it "The Big Battle of the Busty Bathing Bombshells"! So hot and cool!"_

Chapati then reminded the crowd that only Jenny and Mirajane would receive any points since it's supposed to be just their battle, which had most of the girls wondering why they were even down there to begin with. Lucy frowned feeling so embarrassed about all of this.

"I just wanna go back into the stands." She whined. "This is so embarrassing."

She then gasped when two arms went around her from behind. She turned her head seeing Laelaps, who was in a bikini as well, there with a big smile on her face.

"Don't worry, Alpha." Laelaps said. "I'll stay with you, so you're not as embarrassed."

Lucy appreciated the gesture, but she was sure the position they were in were turning those perverts on even more.

 _"Oh, and even Lucy's celestial spirit Laelaps is getting in on the action!"_ Chapati said. _"Isn't she adorable, folks, with her fluffy dog ears and cute tail?"_

The fans cheered as Laelaps pulled back from Lucy with her tail wagging behind her, which seemed to get more cheering. Cana paused by stretching out onto the ground, and she looked up into the stands to see if she was having any effect on Jaser. She honestly wasn't surprised when she saw he just had a big grin on his face as he cheered her own. She sighed shaking her head. Juvia posed as well while trying to get Craylee's attention, and she was a bit disappointed when seeing a look of indifference on his face. However, on the inside he was blushing…but just a bit.

 _"Wardrobe change!"_ Chapati said. _"School swimsuits!"_

Lalita posed in her swimsuit alongside some Fairy Tail girls with Wendy beside her looking embarrassed.

"This is starting to get a little too creepy for me." Levy said frowning.

"Wendy doesn't seem to be that out of place in hers." Lisanna said.

"I feel out of place!" Wendy said.

"Aw, it's not so bad." Lalita said smiling. "Isn't it fun to be doing something with your guildmates? And it's a nice way to have a friendly competition in between guilds!"

Wendy blinked at the girl from Sabertooth before smiling a bit since Lalita's was so contagious.

 _"Bikinis and thigh highs!"_ Chapati shouted.

Lucy paired with Juvia and Laelaps in this one as Jenny was sitting on the ground with her own outfit. Laelaps had on a black bikini with golden thigh highs.

"It covers more skin, but it's more embarrassing." Lucy said.

Laelaps just smiled not feeling uncomfortable at all, and from the stands a certain lion spirit, who let himself through his gate as usual, was practically drooling.

"I must be in heaven." He said as he gazed at Laelaps.

Laelaps heard his voice, and turned to look at him. She felt a bit embarrassed to see his stare, which had her tail wrapping around her almost protectively as her cheeks warmed. It made her look in more sexy in Loke's eyes.

"Loke, when did you get here?!" Gray and Natsu exclaimed.

Loke didn't reply as he kept staring at his celestial bombshell who looked so hot in a bikini and thigh highs.

 _"Who likes girls in glasses?!"_ Chapati asked.

Mirajane posed with her glasses on, and Breccan wouldn't like…she looked very cute at the moment.

"This is pretty much the look a role with everyday." Laki said smiling.

Divya, who was in a golden bikini with bangles on her arms and feet, pushed her glasses down a bit to peer over them.

"I don't need to wear glasses." Divya said as she posed to the side. "However, I suppose I can work with this look."

Up in the Sabertooth booth, Rogue tried to ignore the slight warming in his cheeks as he looked away from Divya.

 _"Cat ears!"_ Chapati shouted.

Sting was the one blushing now as he watched Miseri, who was in a pale blue bikini printed with leopard print with cat hears on her head and a tail on her backside, pose on the ground. She held up one hand to curl her finger in a "come hither" motion that drove the men crazy. Sting gulped feeling hot around the collar.

"How do these look on me?" Amarante asked doing a small spin with her cat ears and tail on.

"Super cute!" Many men shouted.

Laxus frowned at the panting men as they stared down at Amarante with lust clearly in their eyes. If they weren't careful he'd zap them into oblivion.

 _"Bondage gear!_ " Chapati said.

"Sometimes love has to hurt a little!" Sherry said as she used a hip.

Sherria was a bit disturbed by her cousin's action, so she turned to look at her sister. Sher had a whip in hand while weary a sexy warden outfit that even came with glasses. She had a lightly evil smirk on her face as she stood there.

"I have to say a whip doesn't seem like such a bad thing." She said.

Sherria's mouth dropped open in shock as Lyon felt the need to hide, but he was also very flushed at his wife's appearance.

"You three look good, but when it comes to wearing leather, I pull it off the best." Rizzo said.

She had a leather bikini top then black leather arm warmers that were on her arms tightly. Then her leather bikini bottoms were attacked to leather chaps. She had a whip in one hand with black boots on her feet.

"Who's ready to be punished?" She asked winking.

A bunch of men begged to be punished as Rizzo started having more fun with all of this. She looked up to smirk at Gray to see he was extremely red in the face. The best part of all of this was getting to mess with Gray who seemed to be getting hotter and hotter in the face.

"How about a blushing bridge challenge?!" Chapati suggested. "So, Ladies, grab a lucky guy and squeeze into some wedding dresses!"

Rizzo didn't see what being in wedding dresses had to do with fan service, but she supposed she'd go along with it. So she soon found herself in a white wedding dress. It was short with a rocker like vive with white fishnet fingerless gloves on her hands. Then she had on white thigh highs and white combat boots on her feet. Around her neck was a white choker, and finally mini white top hat on top her head. She felt a hand take hers, so she turned her head to see Gray, who was in a suit, beside her. He grinned at her as she smiled in return.

"You clean up nice, Frosty." Rizzo said.

"You look amazing too." Gray said chuckling.

Rizzo felt herself blush a bit at the compliment as love shined within Gray's eyes. As the two continued to hold hands, others started coupling up as well. Sher and Lyon stood with each other while smiling down at Triton as he shyly held the hand of Asuka who had wanted to make friends.

"Now that is just the cutest thing." Bisca commented.

Sher agreed with the green-haired woman as Sanjū stood off to the side with Lily. She was trying not to blush as he held her paw while Carla and Happy paired up. Not far from them Mirajane had her arm looped with Breccan's arm.

"I appreciate the help, Breccan." Mirajane said sweetly as she smiled up at him. "Thank-you."

"Well, I figured it'd help out the guild." Breccan said as he chuckled. "Though I do feel a bit uncomfortable in this monkey suit."

Mirajane giggled while briefly imagining herself with Breccan in a few years at their own wedding. She immediately pushed away the thought since she and Breccan aren't even together.

"Craylee-sama, you look so handsome!" Juvia said as she and Craylee stood off to the side together.

Craylee sighed adjusting his tie to the suit he was wearing. It was like his usual suits, so not the traditional wedding suit, but he still felt uncomfortable in it.

"I feel ridiculous." Craylee said frowning.

He didn't mind wearing suits. He wore them often, but wearing one for something like this was stupid in his opinion. He then looked Juvia over thinking she looked rather beautiful in her wedding dress. He didn't say this out loud though while simply just taking her hand into his, which was enough for her.

"Do you think we'll ever get married?" Jaser, who was wearing a more traditional wedding suit of his country, asked Cana as he held her in his arms bridal style.

"Wha-what?!" Cana stuttered.

She never thought about marriage before with Jaser, and the very thought actually brought a blush to her face. Jaser grinned at her when seeing her blush while taking it as a maybe.

"I don't understand why I'm down here." Laxus grumbled as he stood with Amarante who was in a beautiful white wedding kimono.

"Because you didn't want to leave me down here on my own since you care about me." Amarante said. "Right?"

Laxus looked down into Amarante's face as her tiny hand rested on his forearm. He could tell she was really wanting an honest answer by the look in her eyes.

"Yeah." He said. "I suppose that's true."

Amarante smiled looking truly happy, which had Laxus smiling slightly as he looked at her in return. Lucy smiled at them before realizing something. She didn't have someone to partner with. She looked around wondering who she would partner with her.

"Who do you suppose I'm with?" Lucy asked Laelaps.

Laelaps looked around before spotting Natsu off by himself to the side. Laelaps smiled thinking she found the perfect partner for her master.

"There's someone for you, Alpha!" Laelaps said pointing.

Lucy before over at Natsu then before she could react, Laelaps shoved Lucy towards Natsu. Lucy fell right into the Dragon Slayer, and Laelaps grinned when they ended up on the ground together.

"Playing match maker, are you, Poochie?" Loke asked as he appeared at her side. "You look very beautiful by the way."

Laelaps tried not to blush at his words as Loke took her hand to place a light kiss on her knuckles.

"So, I have a question for you." Loke said. "Will ya marry me?"

Laelaps did blush this time as she sputtered a few times trying to think of a reply. Loke smiled thinking she was so cute flustered as Rizzo and the others of Fairy Tail laughed in amusement at the scene. Over where the Sabertooth girls were standing, Miseri looked very unpleased as she stood in her wedding dress. Off to the side Divya was partnered with Rufus who had been the only one man enough to put on a suit in their guild. Well, him and Dante who was standing with Lalita. He was the only one Miseri trusted around the young girl.

"Hey."

She turned her head while a bit surprised to see Sting standing there in a white suit. He looked a bit uncomfortable, but he took a deep breath before holding out his hand.

"Need a partner?" He asked.

Miseri blinked silently for a moment before she finally reached out to take his hand. He was a bit surprised she did, but soon grinned as he stepped closer to her. He kept a hold on her hand with his larger fingers, which weren't in gloves, gently rubbed against hers to note her skin was so smooth. Miseri ignored the gesture, and how her chest seemed to tighten when he gently rubbed her digits. She won't lie. There are times where she needs to feel close to Sting as well, but she never tries to act on these feelings since she knew the blonde would probably tease her if he ever found out. There was then a bell that signaled the wedding was over.

 _"Now that the wedding is over let's go back to another swimsuit round."_ Chapati said.

"Stop this is an outrage! I can't take anymore of this!"

Rizzo blinked in confusion at the voice as Sher sighed since she knew the owner of the voice very well.

"This won't end well." Sher said as Chapati asked who spoke.

Lyon nodded in agreement as he kept his arm around his wife's waist with his hand resting on her hip. Everyone then looked up to see Ooba at the top of one of the statues.

"You foolish young people!" Ooba snapped. "Let Ooba teach you a lesson!"

She then jumped from the statue to start heading down towards the ground where everyone else was.

"So place close attention, and learn what it's like to be a real woman!" She said as she landed on the ground and rid herself of her cloak.

Rizzo and everyone felt as if someone scared their minds with a ragged dagger as Ooba posed in her own bathing suit. Rizzo's eye twitched in disturbance as she covered Gray's eyes, but the damage had already been done. He'd never be able to full wipe clean what he had just seen from his mind. It was going to haunt him in his nightmares for certain. He wasn't the only guy sure of that either.

 _"And with that crash course in reality, the mood in the arena has been brought down to Earth Land."_ Chapati said. _"Party's over, folks. The other teams on the field have begun to clear out."_

 _"Cool."_ Jason said, but without any of the enthusiasm he usually has.

Rizzo quickly left with the others while glad to be back in her other clothes since she felt more comfortable in them. She went up into the stands with the others as Mirajane and Jenny prepared for the final showoff between them. Rizzo barely listened to the little bet they made about posing nude in the next issue of Sorcerer's Weekly since it didn't interest her. However, she did pay attention when Mirajane, who switched into her strongest Satan soul, turned the last round into a battle with Jenny too frightened to protest Mirajane's decision.

"Well, looks like another victory for Fairy Tail." Rizzo said then shared a high five with Amarante who giggled.

Breccan chuckled as Erza was sporting a grin from where she was standing beside him. The match was over in two seconds flat after that after Mirajane defeated Jenny with one strong blow, which had Jaser and Rizzo cheering loudly for the white-haired woman.

"And that's how we do things in the Fairy Tail guild." Natsu said grinning as Team B received ten points for their victory.

"But wasn't this supposed to be a beauty contest?" Gray asked.

The others—minus Rizzo, who was just pleased with how the fight ended—wondered the same thing.

"Most of it was anyway." Erza said, which had the others looking towards her. "And no one ever said they couldn't fight. Mirajane just found a way to bend the rules."

"That seems to happen a lot with this guild." Wendy said giggling.

Craylee scoffed because that was so truthful that it was almost painful, but it wasn't like he had room to talk.

"You said it, Wendy." Lucy said sighing.

"Nothing wrong with a little rule bending." Rizzo said grinning. "Especially if it brings in the points."

Natsu laughed in agreement as he and Rizzo exchanged a high five. It seemed as if day two of the Grand Magic Games would start the turnaround for Fairy Tail. From here on out they were going to bring in the wins. Rizzo then looked forward into the arena as Chapati called for the next match to begin. It would be Sabertooth Team A against Mermaid Heel. Apparently a girl named Yukino would fight the strongest woman in Mermaid Heel Kagura.

"I wonder who will be winning this fight." Rizzo said.

Over in the Sabertooth booth, Miseri sighed after she sensed the magical power difference between Yukino and Kagura.

"We'll be losing two tonight." She said sadly before turning to walk away. "I won't watch this."

She left as Dante gave a sigh. He knew watching their guildmates lose was hard on Miseri since they both knew what happened once a person lost in Sabertooth. And if they could, they would leave. However, that wasn't possible since that man was holding Miseri on a tight leash, and as her friend, he would not leave her side to face their master alone.

"Hey, where did Miseri go?" Sting asked as he looked around.

"She decided she had enough of watching these games." Dante said as he placed a hand on Lalita's shoulder as the blonde was cheering on Yukino.

String frowned while feeling a bit concerned for the Ice Dragon Slayer. She usually kept things to herself if they were bothering her, and it seemed lately she was keeping a lot to herself.

"Miseri." He said to himself as his frown deepened.

* * *

As Miseri stood beside Dante with Lalita in front of her, she grit her teeth harshly while watching as their master forced the two to undress, so to wipe away their guild marks. She wanted nothing more than to step forward to stop this from happening. However, she knew what would happen if she did…and she couldn't allow that. Finally she couldn't continue to watch as the two went to erase their marks, so she looked away. She even felt tears enter her eyes as a part of her prayed someone would stop this and change the ways of Sabertooth.

* * *

Results (including Day One's scores)

Raven Tail-37

Sabertooth Team B-27

Lamia Scale-22

Mermaid Heel-21

Sabertooth Team A-20

Blue Pegasus-19

Quatro Puppy-13

Fairy Tail Team A-13

Fairy Tail Team B-13

Fairy Tail Team C-13


	97. Paying a Visit to Sabertooth

Rizzo let out a yawn as she headed for her inn. She felt so tired, and she would have turned in earlier. However, she stayed out a bit later to spend time with Gray at the bar since they never seem to get enough alone time. He had offered to walk her back to her inn, but she declined since there was no point in him having to stay out any later. She was about two blocks away from the inn when she heard sniffling. She paused looking around curiously until she saw Miseri sitting on the edge of the street with her knees pulled to her chest.

"Miseri?" Rizzo asked.

Miseri lifted her head, and Rizzo was shocked to see tears in the young woman's eyes. Rizzo hurried to the bluenette's side before kneeling down in front of her.

"Miseri, what's wrong?" Rizzo asked as she placed her hands on Miseri's shoulders. "Did something happen?"

Miseri wiped at her eyes before replying while trying to get a bit a hold of herself. She hadn't meant to come down here towards Rizzo's motel, but she couldn't stay around her guild after losing Nook and Yukino. She had to get away for a bit, and when she picked up Rizzo's scent even if a bit stale, she just seemed to follow it here.

"I'm sorry." Miseri said. "It's just…I had to get away from my guildmates for a bit…and felt the need to speak with someone. And I thought…you'd understand better considering the situation."

"Situation?" Rizzo asked curiously.

Miseri nodded her head as Rizzo moved to sit down next to the young woman who had finally composed herself.

"You and your guildmates love each other like family." Miseri said. "And I know if someone of your guild were to be sent away or went away from the guild that you would be sad."

Rizzo nodded her head because that was true. If any of her guildmates left the guild, it'd break her heart to lose a member of the family. She remembers crying over Msytogan leaving even if she didn't know him that well.

"It isn't like that in Sabertooth." Miseri said. "Well, it was like that when I first joined, but after Master Jiemma took over things changed. It turned into a guild that only allowed the strong, which is why Salem, myself, and the others all showed our true power because we didn't want to be kicked out of the guild that became our home."

Rizzo frowned wondering if this Jiemma guy would have really cast Miseri and the others to the side if they kept their power hidden.

"As the years passed, we lost more and more members because they weren't strong enough in Master Jiemma's eyes." Miseri said. "Most of the others have come to accept that our guild doesn't act like family or comrades. However, some of us, like myself, would like to be a family like your Fairy Tail is…which is why it hurts me when we lose someone. And tonight Master Jiemma…threw Nook and Yukino as if they were trash…made them strip down in front of everyone…and erase their mark."

Rizzo's eyes widened when she heard Miseri say those words. That bastard made his own guildmates erase their mark in front of everyone…and he humiliated them even more by making them strip.

"I wanted to stop him." Miseri said. "I still do, but he's holding something over my head…he promised that he could help Lalita if I remain with the guild to make them strong and if I remain obedient to him."

"Lalita is that little girl at your side, isn't she?" Rizzo asked while trying to remain calm for a bit longer.

Though on the inside, she was already thinking about all the ways she could beat the crap out of this Jiemma guy. Miseri nodded her head as she brought her knees closer.

"I found Lalita on a job." Miseri said. "She was just wondering around not seeming to know where she was going. When I approached her, I learned she only remembered her name, and nothing else. She was a crying mess wondering where her family was…and if she even had a family. She was so afraid of being alone…and I guess a part of me understood her since I had been the same as her when Hielo vanished. I had felt so scared and alone then, and knew what it was like….I ended up taking her in."

Rizzo was a bit surprised to hear this, but remained silent, so to let Miseri continue.

"Over the years her memories didn't return, and I was becoming desperate to return them to her because it was obvious that it saddened her to not know if she had a family." Miseri continued. "I was even thinking about leaving the guild, but Master Jiemma approached me…he promised he could restore Lalita's memories. But I had to win this year's games for Sabertooth or he wouldn't…and I have to remain part of the guild…the guild that I'm not even sure I can call family anymore. The only people I still can hold dear are Lalita, Dante—who agreed to stay at my side—, and Divya."

Rizzo's hands clenched into fists as a few more tears ran down Miseri's face as a small sob left her lips. This man has pissed her off. Not only by how he treats his guild, but also because he's the reason Miseri is crying. And Miseri is Rizzo's friend, and Rizzo won't forgive anyone who made a friend cry or anyone who is causing her friend pain. And this bastard is even manipulating Miseri. Rizzo stood up, which had Miseri looking up at her curiously.

"Is Lalita and Dante at the inn right now?" Rizzo asked.

"No, He and Divya took Lalita out for late night ice cream to make her feel better." Miseri replied. "I asked Violet to go with them since Lalita likes having her around."

"Good." Rizzo said with her eyes set in a glare. "Stay here. I'm making a visit to your guildmates."

* * *

Rizzo arrived at the Sabertooth guild, and barely blinked when she saw Natsu arriving too.

"Got business with Sabertooth?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah." Rizzo asked. "These bastards made Miseri cry."

Natsu growled feeling even more pissed off than earlier when Yukino explained what happened with her and Nook who had been at her side.

"Let's beat some sense into them." Natsu said. "You don't treat your guildmates like they do."

Rizzo nodded in agreement as she and Natsu walked up the steps to the front door of the inn.

"You wanna knock, or should I?" Rizzo asked.

Her reply was Natsu busting in the door with one swift punch, so she shrugged guessing that answered that. She walked in after him with a guitar manifesting in her hand as she heard the mages of Sabertooth panicking over what could be happening. Natsu and Rizzo started busting up the place to get the master of the guild's attention, and if they had to bust out a unison raid, they would. A few members of the guild tried to get in their way, but Rizzo blew them away no problem.

"This is supposed to be the mighty Sabertooth?" Rizzo asked frowning. "It looks as if more of you should be kicked out the door. That is how things work around here, isn't it? You lose, you leave?"

The mages on the floor cowered in front of her as she glared at all of them with anger. She then had to dodge one person who tried to get her from behind, but she soon sent him spiraling into the ground after hitting him with her manifested guitar in the head. Natsu then busted down another door to send more of those Sabertooth punks flying, and he and Rizzo made quick work of more them in a blink of an eye.

"Where is your Master?" Natsu asked then kicked one man in the gut. "Tell us!"

"We want to see him right now!" Rizzo added.

Sting, who had finally made it to the scene, looked on in shock at how much damage only two mages were making by themselves.

"Yeah, you better bring him out now." Natsu growled as he stood beside Rizzo.

A large man with a long beard stepped forward with the Sabertooth mark on his forehead. Rizzo guessed he was this Master Jiemma that Miseri mentioned.

"If you have something to say to me, you should say it." Jiemma said.

Rizzo glared directly at the man while prepared to have more than just a few words with him.

"You the master of this sorry bunch?" Natsu asked. "So it's one loss and you're out on the street, huh? Heh, those are some hardcore rules, pal. Let's see if you play by them."

He hit his fist into his open palm with both catching on fire as his magic started to build.

"If you lose to me then you've got to quit the guild too!" Natsu said.

The mages of Sabertooth were shocked to say the least when Natsu dared to say those words to their master.

"They're from Fairy Tail." Rufus said.

"Yeah, but why?" Sting asked.

Rizzo looked towards him when he asked that question, and he was shocked at just how much anger was there.

"You made a friend of mine cry." Rizzo said. "Which is bad enough. However, that friend happens to be your guildmate, which makes what you all did completely unforgiveable."

Sting's eyes widened wondering who she was talking about. He then caught a faint scent coming off of Rizzo that he recognized immediately.

"Miseri." He whispered.

He looked around just realizing Miseri wasn't with the rest of them. Had she gone to see Rizzo? And why had she been crying?

"You really don't want to tangle with our master, you runts." Orga said.

Rizzo, who looked back towards Jiemma, and Natsu didn't look worried at all as they glared at the large master.

"Did you both seriously come here to challenge me?" Jiemma said. "Very foolish."

"We came here to teach you not to turn your back on people you are supposed to care for." Natsu said. "So you better listen!"

"Because we don't like to repeat ourselves twice." Rizzo added.

Rogue and Sting were shocked that they were even this upset about Nook and Yukino. It wasn't like they were friends.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Jiemma said. "But is sounds to me as if you think everyone else should behave by your personal moral code."

"How the hell do you not know what we're talking about?!" Natsu snapped.

"Hey, Dobengal, deal with these intruders." Jiemma added.

A man wearing ninja gear showed up at the master's side while obediently saying yes to his bidding.

"What are ya scared?" Natsu asked.

"I don't feel like wasting my time deposing of two insects like you." Jiemma said. "I am the Master of this guild, so if you both wish to challenge together me, you must prove yourselves to be a worth adversaries."

"Both?" Rizzo asked looking confused. "Who said anything about the both of us challenging you at the same time?"

The mages of Sabertooth looked confused as well when Rizzo asked this. Since they assumed Rizzo and Natsu came here together to challenge their master since that'd be the smart thing to do if they want to fight someone like Jiemma.

"We just happened to show up at the same time here." Rizzo said. "We both headed here tonight planning to fight solo."

"That's right!" Natsu said as he pointed towards Jiemma. "So let's go! You and me, right here! Right now!"

The mages of Sabertooth looked at the two of them in absolute shock thinking they had to be nuts.

"Hey, Natsu, you can't go declaring a one-on-one battle with him like that." Rizzo said pouting. "We have to decide the proper way who's going to fight him."

"Oh, right." Natsu said as he scratched the back of his head. "Guess I got carried away. Ready?"

Rizzo nodded her head turning towards Natsu as the Sabertooth mages wondered what they were going to do now. Rizzo and Natsu raised their fists high in the high.

"Rock!—Paper!—Scissors!—GO!" They said in unison while bringing their fists down.

"That's how they're deciding?!" Orga demanded.

"Are they trying to make a joke of us?" Rufus asked frowning.

Jiemma practically growled in aggravation as Natsu cheered he won since he used rock while Rizzo used scissors. It was like the two were mocking Sabertooth by how nonchalant they were treating the situation.

"Fine." Rizzo said sighing. "You get to fight their master. I'll take care of the ninja boy and anyone else who decides to interfere."

Natsu thanked Rizzo with a big grin on his face. However, the both soon returned to serious as they looked back to Sabertooth. Rizzo then rushed forward with the ninja boy running towards her as well.

"I won't let you near our master!" He said.

He threw at a pillar of rainbow light at Rizzo who twirled out of the way to dodge. She then dodged the few kicks and punches he threw her way. He then landed in a crouch not far from her.

"Although I might not be participating in the Grand Magic Games this year," He began before disappearing then reappearing behind Rizzo. "I'm just as skilled in battle as those who represent our guild!"

He vanished again before reappearing above Rizzo who didn't look very impressed at the moment.

"Now you will taste the true power of Sabertooth!" He said.

He threw down smoke bombs around Rizzo, and Sting looked towards Natsu thinking the Dragon Slayer might look worried for his friend. However, he saw that Natsu was grinning instead with no trace of worry whatsoever.

"Are mages of Sabertooth only good at hiding?" Rizzo asked from within the smoke.

She then sensed something coming at her, so she raised her guitar to swipe forward to deflect the sharp shards of light sent her way. She dodged the next fray of them, which brought her out of the smoke as Dobengal appeared behind her.

"I suggest you leave at once or face the consequences." Dobengal said as his hand turned into a rainbow like dagger.

Rizzo sighed before ducking down to avoid the blow. She then whirled around with her guitar to hit Dobengal right in the face. He went flying right past Sting to crash into the thick doors. He fell to the floor unconscious with his guildmates shocked.

"Holy crap!" One of them exclaimed. "She beat Dobengal!"

Frosch and Lector looked freaked out as they stared at Rizzo with wide, shocked eyes.

"She just took out one of the toughest guys in our guild as if he was nothing!" Lector said.

"Natsu, you're free to move in." Rizzo said. "I doubt any of them has the guts to step forward now. And if they do…"

Rizzo trailed off to grin at the mages of Sabertooth as she motioned them forward.

"I'll gladly take them on." Rizzo said. "I'll beat some sense into these kids."

Most of them had been younger than her seven years ago after all, and if she hadn't been frozen on Tenrou Island for all those years, she'd be older than them now. Most of the "kids" glared at her, and Sting stepped forward ready for a fight.

"Master, I'll take them both." Sting offered.

"You can take the boy." Jiemma said. "I won't fight someone who hasn't proved themselves."

Sting frowned since he wanted to take on both though didn't disobey as Natsu and Rizzo went rushing forward. Rizzo flipped right past Jiemma towards Sting whose eyes widened.

"Sorry, but that's not how it works." Rizzo said then blasted a wave of sound magic towards Sting with her guitar. "Natsu won the right to fight with your master fair and square. That means I'll be your opponent."

Sting frowned as he landed on his feet a few feet away from Rizzo. Behind them Natsu tangled with Jiemma who he actually landed a hit on, which shocked the guild.

"Do you really think you can take on a Dragon Slayer?" Sting asked frowning.

"Blondie, I fight Dragon Slayers on a daily bases." Rizzo said. "Whether it be training with Natsu and Jaser or duking it out with Gajeel or Laxus. Don't think your title of Dragon Slayer is going to scare me."

Sting's eyes widened a bit more as Rizzo started playing complicated riffs on her guitar.

"Song of the Wild Things." She said as she continued playing.

Monsters appeared around Sting and they all tried to attack him at once. He had to dodge most of them, but one did hit him in the back, which sent him to the floor. He managed to get up in time to avoid the next attack. The Sabertooth guild watched on with wide eyes as their master kept receiving blow after blow as Sting was having the slightest difficulty with the creatures Rizzo summoned. Natsu was going in for the finishing blow on Jiemma as he activated his Lightning Flame Dragon mode.

"Lightning Flame Dragon: Firing Hammer!" Natsu shouted as he brought his fist forward.

The attack was strong enough to blow some of the room off of the top of the building, which had people outside freaking out. As the dust cleared, Rizzo frowned when seeing her monsters were frozen in place, and that someone had interfered with Natsu's fight.

"Tsk, tsk, cousin." A familiar voice said as the rest of the smoke cleared out. "I see you still like to cause a ruckus."

Rizzo froze at the sound of that familiar voice as Mavi was revealed to be standing in front of Sting with his hand raised. Looking at Mavi showed an obvious family resemblance between the man and Rizzo. He had the same skin tone, and his eyes were the same vibrant green color. Actually due to his feminine facial features he could pass as Rizzo's twin except his hair was a dark turquoise and long. He had it braided up into a partial bun with a green hair piece holding it up before the rest of the brain fell across his left shoulder were it was tied with a green ribbon. He wore rather simple monk styled clothes that were colored dark turquoise like his hair and pale yellow. In his ears were dangling earrings that looked like ghosts, and finally around his neck was a beaded necklace.

"Mavi." Rizzo said with a growl in her tone as she glared at her cousin.

"What an expression." Mavi said chuckling. "Is that the look you always give your family."

Members of Sabertooth looked showed as they looked between Mavi and Rizzo. The family resemblance was uncanny. They couldn't believe that they were just now noticing.

"You're no family of mine." Rizzo practically spat. "If it wasn't for the shared blood between us, I wouldn't even acknowledge your existence."

Mavi shrugged his shoulders not caring one bit if Rizzo acknowledged him as family or not. After all he couldn't stand her just as much as she can't stand him.

"Hate me all you like, Cousin." Mavi said. "But, please do send away your little pets. We both now that they are useless with me around."

Rizzo frowned though did end the song, which sent the large beasts away. She then backed up towards Natsu as Mavi advanced. However, it wasn't out of fear. She just didn't want the bastard any closer to her than he already is. She stepped up next to Natsu as the mystery woman smirked at the both of them.

"Certainly you both will agree this little quarrel of ours has gone too far." She said.

"I have to agree with you, Minerva." Mavi said. "However, I highly doubt my cousin does."

Rizzo narrowed her eyes into a glare as she continued to look at her cousin in hatred.

"How dare that you both interfere." Jiemma said. "This does not concern either of you."

"Our apologies, Master.' Mavi said as he dipped his head to Jiemma. "We didn't interfere because we doubt yours or Sting-san's skills, which we don't."

"Yes, Father, that was not the reason." Minerva added. "We both know that you could have easily defeated this boy and Sting defeat the girl."

Jiemma's expression didn't change, so it was hard to tell if he accepted their apology or not.

"He's your dad?" Natsu asked frowning.

Rizzo really didn't seem a family resemblance. Of course, not all families resemble each other like she and Mavi do.

"We must take in consideration how this altercation might appear to outside world." Minerva said. "Despite the two of you are clearly the aggressors in this situation, our master killing other competitors would leave Sabertooth in a very awkward position to say the very least. It would certainly put a damper on the games."

Rizzo frowned not really caring about all that, and she and Natsu weren't about to be killed by this bastard and his flunkies. This guild wasn't strong enough to take them out.

"You know what I think?" Natsu said. "You're scared of seeing this geezer being put down."

"You two have both enraged my father and his men." Minerva said. "And they are not the types to take this kind of provocation lightly. What do you say? Will you allow me to resolve this situation in a peaceful manner?"

Rizzo's frown deepened because she didn't like this woman. Something about her put Rizzo on edge. Not to mention, Rizzo had the strong urge to wipe the smirk off of her face. Suddenly she recreated one of those orbs between her hands, and Rizzo was shocked when a crying Happy popped out of it into Minerva's arms.

"Be aware that will be the only way your kitten will be returned to you unharmed." Minerva added.

Happy let out a cry as Minerva continued to hold him hostage within her arms.

"Happy!" Natsu and Rizzo exclaimed.

"Sorry, Natsu, Rizzo." Happy said as he continued to cry.

Rizzo grit her teeth together harshly as her hands curled into fists. Minerva was playing dirty, which showed just cowardly Sabertooth really is.

"Dammit." Natsu growled.

"You seem to have taken out your anger on quite a few of our members." Minerva said. "But I'm willing to overlook this incident entirely if you'll cooperate. Behave like grownups and we can continue the games like nothing happened."

Natsu and Rizzo didn't give verbal replies, but they did look down in a way to show they were done. Minerva released Happy who immediately went running to Natsu who crouched down to hug Happy when the blue feline reached him. Rizzo knelt down as well to pat Happy on the head to give him comfort.

"I'm sorry." Happy said. "They caught me by surprise."

"Don't worry, little buddy." Natsu said. "I should be the one be the one to apologize for leaving you behind like that."

Happy sniffled as he pulled back to look up at Natsu and Rizzo who both smiled at him softly.

"Yeah, there's nothing to apologize for, Happy." Rizzo said. "I'm sorry if you were scared, but it's all going to be okay now."

Happy wiped at his eyes then nodded his head. Natsu then picked him up as he and Rizzo stood up.

"Let's get out of here." Natsu said.

"Aye." Happy agreed.

Rizzo didn't move at first as she and Mavi locked gazes. The looks being exchanged between the two cousins certainly weren't friendly either.

"Let's go, Rizz." Natsu called over her shoulder.

"Coming." She said.

Rizzo went to turn around though threw one more glare at Mavi before following after her friends.

"You've got some serious guts for such a fool." Jiemma said to them.

"We can settle this matter once and for all inside the arena." Minerva said. "Where we'll show you no mercy."

Rizzo and Natsu paused in front of the broken door, and Rizzo's hand slightly curled into a fist.

"Fine, but you'll never beat us." Natsu said as he and Rizzo looked back at them. "We're at a whole other level. Because a real guild treats its members like family. That's why we came here tonight."

"And if we can't beat that truth into you tonight, we'll gladly do it in the arena." Rizzo said. "You can act as tough as you like, but it will be all of you looking for mercy once we're through with you."

She then left with Natsu while mentally swearing that she would either end Sabertooth or beat enough sense into them to make them see that how they work is wrong. And if things are settled during the games, she'll just keep the beatings coming after that.

* * *

Rizzo cried out holding her head after Breccan bonked it rather harshly. She just returned to the inn, and told Craylee and Breccan what happened at the Sabertooth guild's inn.

"Can you not think straight?" Breccan asked frowning. "That stunt was uncalled for, and you should have controlled your temper."

Rizzo frowned looking to the side with a stubborn look in her eyes, which showed she didn't regret what she did. Breccan sighed as he placed his hands on his waist. She obviously wasn't listening to him.

"Can you really blame her for going to kick their asses?" Craylee asked calmly from the small table in the room as he reading. "They made a friend of ours cry, and are manipulating her to boot."

"Yes, I don't even know this girl personally as you three do, but even I probably would have done the same as Rizzo." Amarante added. "People who are that cruel should have sense knocked into them."

Breccan frowned knowing that Craylee and Amarante both had good points, and a part of him was angered as well. However, going to pick a fight like Rizzo had hadn't been the right choice.

"Get back at them in the games." Breccan said to Rizzo. "There's still three days left to the games, so plenty of time for you and the rest of us to beat up some punks from Sabertooth."

Rizzo nodded her head in understanding, and since she seemed to understand, Breccan decided to drop the subject. Rizzo then looked around the room noticing that Jaser wasn't in the room. Sven was still in the infirmary since it takes him quite some time to recover from his book being attacked as it had, but Jaser should be here.

"He's still at the bar with Cana." Craylee said. "He's trying to ease her out of there since she's been sleeping there the last two days."

Rizzo snorted because that did sound like something that Cana would do. Jaser had his work cut out for him that was for sure.

* * *

"Cana, come on." Jaser said. "We need to get you out of here, and into a proper bed."

Cana just giggled while totally hammered. Jaser shook his head though had a small fond smile on his face. He decided picking her up to carry her out would just be way easier. He went to do just that when the door to the bar opened. He stiffened when the scent from the Rajasthan girl reached his nose. He slowly turned his head to see Divya standing there. Jaser moved slightly, so that his body shielded Cana in case Divya came to fight.

"I have been looking for you, Son of the Sahara Tribe." She said. "I wish to speak with you."

Jaser narrowed his eyes wondering if she only wished to speak, or if she had more in mind.

"You needn't be prepared to fight." Divya said holding her hands up in a surrendering manner in front of her. "I only wish to speak. If I really felt the same as my family did towards yours, don't you think I would have tried to attack you earlier?"

Jaser frowned supposing that made sense. However, he didn't relax his guard. Divya sighed though supposed she couldn't blame him.

"What do you want to speak about?" Jaser asked.

"We need to have a long talk about the current situation in Rajasthan, and where your rightful place is in our homeland." Divya said.

Jaser's frown deepened though he motioned for her to continue while not knowing that Cana had become more aware to listen in. This was a conversation she didn't want to miss.


	98. Dragon Force, A Dragon of Wind and Sand

Rizzo stood with her teammates the next day at the games as Chapati was announcing the contest for today, which was called Pandemonium.

"Pandemonium, huh?" Rizzo asked. "Sounds interesting."

Craylee hummed in agreement though his expression made it look as if he could care less.

 _"As usual we will have just one member from each team competing, so please choose wisely."_ Chapati made sure to say.

As the other teams started deciding who they wanted to send out for the game, Fairy Tail Team C needed to make a selection as well.

"Who's taking this one?" Rizzo said.

She looked towards Amarante and Breccan since they're the only two who haven't gotten to have a go at the games yet. One of them could take their turn if they wished. Or maybe Jaser would like to redeem himself a bit from yesterday. Breccan was about to volunteer to go, but Jaser noticed that Divya volunteered for her team, so he stepped up.

"I'll take this one." Jaser said.

His siblings blinked seeming a bit surprised at how quickly he spoke.

"Well, if that's what you want." Breccan said shrugging.

"Yeah, it might be a good idea to hold off on our S-class." Rizzo said. "I'm sure the games will just get harder and harder, so we'll need our power houses for them. And if either of you happen to fight today, it'll be best that you hadn't already used magic."

Breccan and Amarante nodded their heads since that made sense. They all then wished Jaser good luck as he headed down into the arena. As he was heading into the arena, Cana frowned from up in the stands as she stood with Fairy Tail Team B. She didn't like that Jaser seemed to jump at the chance to join in when that Rajasthan woman did. Her frown deepened as she remembered the conversation she overheard the two of them have last night.

-FLASHBACK-

 _"Yo…you want me to return to Rajasthan?" Jaser asked sounding shocked._

 _Cana's eyes widened as well, but she didn't move more than that since she wanted the two conversing to think she passed out._

 _"Yes." Divya said. "Our country has been in chaos for far too long, and it grows worse as the days go by. My own father sent me here to protect me from the chaos. We need someone strong enough to unite us once more, and it should be you, Jaser. You have the mark of Sahara on you, which means you are of the direct royal lineage. Ruling over our country and its people is your birthright, and I am sure if you return to claim your right, that the war can end."_

 _"I won't be able to just claim what you say belongs to me, and people fall in line." Jaser said. "No, there would have to be even more bloodshed before that."_

 _Cana knew Jaser didn't want to hurt anyone native to Rajasthan since he believed his countrymen has already wasted so much of their blood in this war._

 _"Yes, that's true." Divya replied. "But if a third party does not step in to make a difference, soon there will be nothing left of our country at all. Do you want something like that?"_

 _It was silent for a long moment, and Cana didn't even seem to notice she was holding her breath until Jaser spoke._

 _"…No…I don't." Jaser confessed._

-END OF FLASHBACK-

Now Cana was worried that the Rajasthan brat down there would convince Jaser to go back to Rajasthan, which means take him away from her…and their guildmates for good. Because if he went back…there was no guarantee he'd return.

"I'll be going in for our team." Cana said with no room for argument in her voice. "And before you ask where Msytogan is, remember who the guest commentator is."

Lahar was the one to arrest Jellal after all, so it'd be best if he didn't stick around here. Cana then went to head into the arena as her teammates blinked after her.

"She seems to be in a bad mood." Laxus commented.

"Yeah, what's got her panties in a twist?" Gajeel asked.

Mirajane looked down into the arena to see Jaser and Divya staring at each other as they stood at opposite ends of the group. Mirajane knew Jaser wasn't staring at Divya because he was attracted to her, which he wasn't because Mirajane knew how much Jaser loved Cana. However, she could understand why Cana might feel uneasy.

"I have a good guess as to what has her in a bad mood." Mirajane said.

The boys blinked in confusion, but Juvia saw the same thing as Mirajane, so she understood. Down in the arena, Jaser finally looked away from Divya as he was joined by Erza and Cana who threw him a frown, which confused him. He was about to ask what was wrong, but was interrupted by Chapati who announced the competitors after they finally all made it onto the field. Jaser then looked up with the others as a giant magic circle appeared in the sky. A tower that was upside down then came down from it, which had some people gasping in shock.

"What is this?" Erza said.

"I don't know." Millianna replied.

Jaser got a little sick just looking at the upside down tower, but tried to keep the bile from rising to this throat. He gagged looking away from it for a moment, and Erza pat him on the back in what was supposed to be a comforting manner. However, she hit him so hard it hurt, and it nearly sent him tumbling forward. However, Cana grabbed his arm to pull him backwards, so to stable him on his feet. Even if she wasn't very happy with him for not bringing up last night, she couldn't just let him face plant. She then rubbed his back, so to help him get passed the sick feeling.

"I'll see what Archive brings up." Hibiki said.

As the tower got closer to the ground, a staircase fell from it to hit the ground with a loud thud.

"Before you stands a castle filled with vicious monsters!" Mato said. "That's Pandemonium."

Jaser, who was finally able to get past the sick feeling, grinned thinking this game already sounded interesting. He hasn't gotten to have a good fight yet, so he was ready to wail on some monsters.

"Holy crap." Cana said.

She then glanced at Jaser seeming how excited he seemed already, which didn't surprise her.

"I take it we are to do battle with these monsters." Jura said.

"Yes!" Mato said. "You are correct, sir! 100 terrifying beasts are lurking in the castle walls, but don't panic there is no chance of them escaping and attacking the crowd. They're magical projections we created solely for this game. They're classed by their degree of difficulty."

Hibiki made sure to add that into his Archive, so he could work more on a strategy for this contest.

"We have five classes." Mato continued. "D, C, B, A, and S! The distribution break down is shown here."

He gestured to the lacrima vision that showed the ranking and such, so everyone could see that D was the lowest class and S the highest.

"To give you an example let me show you how strong a D-class monster is." Mato said. "They're the weakest remember?"

The lacrima vision shifted to show inside the castle, and Jaser saw a beast that he guessed was the D-class monster. It let out a roar before completely destroying a pillar in one hit, which had most of the crowd gasping. Up in the stands Rizzo was pouting, however, since she didn't decide to volunteer for this match. It seemed as if it was going to be a lot of fun.

"The Pandemonium Castle is filled to the brim with these vile creatures." Mato said. "And many more that are far stronger. 100 monsters await you!"

Yep, Rizzo was now really bummed she didn't jump at the chance to ask to go in for their team. Now she couldn't fight monsters.

"Monsters of a higher class are two times stronger than the ones beneath them." Mato continued to explain. "So if you think that D-class guy looked nasty, you'll lose your mind when the S-class rears its head. I'm not even sure a Wizard Saint can beat one of those."

Jaser just looked more excited as Mato kept talking. He wanted to fight the S-class monster as soon as possible.

"You will all take turns choosing what number of monsters you wish to fight during each round." Mato said. "We call this the competitor's right to challenge."

"So we make the choice?" Erza asked.

"That is correct." Mato said.

He then explained how a person could fight three monsters at a time, and if they defeat those monsters, they pull in three points. The rounds continue on like this until all the monsters are defeated, or the mage runs out of magical energy. Also, if a mage cannot defeat every monster in their round then they don't get points for that round. However, keep the points from the previous rounds that they scored. Also the monsters would be chosen at random, so a person could get the S-class right form the get go.

"Now to decide the order you'll go in, I'd like everyone to please draw a straw." Mato said as a box of straws appeared in his hand.

Jaser chose with all the others, and frowned when seeing he was second to dead last.

"I'm going first." Erza said.

"Lucky." Jaser said pouting.

Cana pat him on the head while holding up her straw to see she was going dead last.

"I guess that means you'll also get the most amount of turns." Cana said. "Meanwhile Jaser and I are last."

Jaser kept pouting about it, which had Erza lightly chuckling in amusement. She almost felt bad for what she was about to do since she knew he was excited about fighting monsters, but she had to make sure to secure a win for her team.

"Interesting." Erza said. "I had assumed victory in this event relied entirely on the luck of the draw."

"It's far more than that." Mato said. "You have to considering pacing, your opponent's strength, the likelihood of getting a really nasty monster…the list goes on and on. It is quite the complex game if you think about it."

Erza grinned as Jaser looked at her getting the feeling she was about to do something crazy. Of course, crazy was something he and his guildmates were good at.

"No, in fact this is no longer even a game." Erza said as she started to step forward. "Inside this castle awaits 100 monsters. I choose to challenge…all of them!"

Almost everyone gasped in shock, or were stunned silent. However, Rizzo was laughing while expecting no less of Titiana Queen of the Fairies. She wasn't the only one laughing since Natsu and Gray were doing the same in their booth.

"I knew if Erza or Jaser got the luck of being first that it'd turn into a 1 vs. 100 battle." Craylee said as he placed his hands into his pockets.

Breccan chuckled in amusement as he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Do your best, Erza!" Amarante cheered down to her fellow S-class mage.

Meanwhile, Jaser was off to the side pouting since now he wouldn't get a chance to fight any of those monsters. Cana tried to comfort him as some sweat-dropped at his behavior.

"You don't seriously mean to challenge all the monsters at once, do you?" Mato asked. "We designed this event to be completed by multiple mages."

"I don't care." Erza said flatly, which had Rizzo snickering at Mato's shocked expression.

She then turned to start walking up towards the castle where the monsters were waiting for her. She made it inside while looking around ready for something to pop out. Outside the tower, Rizzo and everyone else had their eyes glued to the lacrima vision to watch what was about to happen.

"Well, looks like Team A is going to get 10 points right from the start." Rizzo said as Erza challenged the monsters. "Guess this means we'll have to pick it up if we don't want to be showed up."

She then watched on as Erza reequipped into her Heaven's Wheel. She hit the monsters with a barrage of swords. It wiped out many of the D-class in one attack.

"Smart." Rizzo said grinning. "Testing them out from the get go."

"Now she should know, which armor to use against which beasts." Amarante added.

Erza reequipped again into her Black Wing armor, which gave her a major boost in magic power. She easily cut through more D-class beasts without even batting an eyelash. More rushed her way, but they were quickly sliced in half by Erza's blade. One then fired flame magic at her, which had some people gasping in worry. However, Rizzo continued grinning knowing flames like that couldn't hurt Erza not when she has her Flame Empress Armor, which she changed into. The beast fired at her again, but this time she put out the fire with a water sword.

"It's the blade from her Sea Empress Armor." Breccan said.

"She's mixing things up like she did in our fight, so she has the proper defense and offense to go against a beast that uses fire." Rizzo said.

Erza used her Sea Empress blade to cut through the beasts that used fire with ease. As Erza continued fighting, the castle was taking quite the beating itself. Rizzo wondered if it'd be up to handle Erza's power, or if it'd fall just like the monsters were within it. Chapati kept commentating the action, but Rizzo didn't need him to since she saw everything with her own eyes.

"She added her Flame Empress Sword to get more destructive power." Craylee commented. "And it looks as if all this reequipping is starting to take a toll on her."

Rizzo could see Craylee was right since Erza was panting after that last attack.

"Come on, Erza." Rizzo whispered.

Another kind of beast appeared in front of Erza, and it seemed as if this one used water attacks. So Erza quickly changed into her Sea Empress Armor to protect herself against the water attacks while adding the spear from Lightning Empress Armor to attack the monster. It was another good combination. She took down a few monsters using her spear, but one hit her into the wall.

She reequipped again into her Flight Armor to give her speed, but used her Purgatory Sword to cut through the tough hides of the monsters. It was just like she did against the monsters Rizzo conjured during their fight back on Tenrou Island. Chapati announced half the monsters were already defeated, which brought cheering from the crowd and Fairy Tail.

"Thatta girl, Erza!" Rizzo cheered. "Keep it up!"

Erza kept destroying monster after monster before finally coming across her first A-class monster, which she defeated. As the fighting continued, it led to the outside where Erza kept defeating monster after monster until only the S-class remained.

"Alright, it's time to bring home the win!" Rizzo shouted.

She was then shocked with everyone else when seeing how tiny the S-class monster was when it finally made an appearance.

"Eh, what is that thing?" Rizzo asked.

"It's the S-class." Breccan said as he lightly frowned. "Don't let its appearance fool you. It's definitely dangerous."

"Yes, look at Erza's body language." Amarante said as she pointed at Erza, who was wearing her hakama and wielding her crimson blossom sword. "She's gearing up for a tougher fight."

Rizzo saw that Amarante was right, and when Erza brought forth another sword, Rizzo knew the real fight was about to happen. Suddenly the monster gave off a huge burst of magic that had everyone shocked. Then things became even more confusing when the monster seemed to transfer itself and Erza back inside the castle. Rizzo watched with everyone else as the monster suddenly grew into some kind of large beast. That was two times bigger than the A-class monsters.

"Whoa, Tiny isn't so tiny anymore." Jaser said from down below.

Cana had to agree there, and she watched as the monster started to overwhelm Erza. Rizzo frowned watching as Erza was hit around a few times.

"Come on, Erza!" Rizzo said with her guildmates echoing her calls. "You can't be defeated like this. Get up!"

As if Erza heard the sound of not only Rizzo's voice but her guildmates' voices as well, she stood with determination in her eyes. She held her blades firmly in her hands before rushing forward to continue fighting. The beast kicked her into the air when she got close, but she spun around while falling back towards it to attack. She sliced at it with her two blades while completely destroying its hands. Rizzo grinned as Erza appeared behind the beast to cut off the top corner of the beasts head.

The S-class monster retaliated by hitting her away, but instead of falling Erza soared forward. She cut up the center of the monster that looked like a giant eye, which had it crumbling away much to everyone's shock. The crowd went wild as members of Fairy Tail shed tears at the inspiring victory. Even Rizzo got a little teary eyed as Chapati announced that Erza Scarlet triumphed and won the contest for Fairy Tail. Down in the arena, Jaser hugged Cana to spin her around happily as the two of them laughed.

"That's our Erza!" Jaser cheered as he finally set Cana down.

Cana sniffled wiping at her eyes while trying to get rid of the tears quickly. Once again Erza proves just how amazing she is. The castle then disappeared with Erza, who looked a little worse for wear, standing there with a smile on her face. As her Jaser congratulated her, the crowd continued to cheer.

"And that's how the Queen of the Fairies gets things done." Rizzo said smiling.

Over in the Sabertooth stands, Miseri had to wipe away a few tears of her own. Dante put his arm around her shoulders to give her a comforting squeeze as he grinned down at Erza. The guild that made such a difference in their lives really was back, and after seeing such Erza win so inspiringly made it nearly impossible not to cry. Once again Fairy Tail proved they could work miracles.

"All those years of worrying seem like a distant memory now." Miseri said.

"Yeah." Dante agreed.

Sting looked over at the two of them still not understanding their connection to Fairy Tail. Even back when they use to help look for those missing seven years ago, they never explained why they felt so strong about finding those who had been lost. He then frowned remembering that Rizzo mentioned a friend last night in Sabertooth that they had made cry, and he remembers Miseri's scent on Rizzo. We're they really friends? But why?

"Looks as if they will be testing the others in a different manner." Mavi, who was now on Sabertooth Team B, said.

Sting blinked before looking back down into the arena as Mato was walking up to the other contestants.

"Yes, I wonder if it will be as entertaining as just what happened." Minerva commented.

Sting had a feeling nothing could top what just happened. At least he doubted the games planning committee could come up with something as cool as Pandemonium in such short notice. Down in the arena, Jaser turned towards Mato as did the others to see how things would go now.

"Okay, after some deliberation, we decided that the nine remaining teams still need to be ranked, so we're having another contest." Mato said as some weird device floated down next to him. "This game might be a bit on the boring side compared to Pandemonium, but I think it will suffice."

Jaser tilted his head to the side wondering what they would have to do, and what the machine had to do with it.

"What is that thing?" Nobra asked.

"The Magic Power Finder or MPF for short." Mato explained. "Pretty snazzy, huh?"

Jaser just blinked since this really did seem very boring. Was he supposed to hit that thing or something?

"So in other words, it measures a mage's magic power?" Jura asked.

"Righto!" Mato said. "If you cast a spell on this device your magical power will be displayed in numerical form. We'll use this number to decide the rankings for the remaining teams. Quick and easy!"

And very boring in Jaser's opinion, but he'd give it everything he had. He grinned thinking this would be the perfect opportunity to try out that new technique he had tried three long months to master. Though he will admit it's still a bit unstable, but should put anyone in harm's way…hopefully.

"Is this simply a contest of strength?" Hibiki asked. "I wonder if there is some way I can work around it."

However, he then forgot about the MPF as he turned to Cana to smile at the brunette.

"However, the real question is, are you free later tonight?" Hibiki asked Cana.

Before Cana could reply, Jaser snarled at Hibiki while moving his girl to his other side away from the Blue Pegasus mage. Hibiki sweat-dropped while gulping slightly.

"Got it…she's taken." Hibiki said as he stood a step back.

Jaser narrowed his eyes at the pretty boy before turning back towards Mato as Cana was chuckling at Jaser's protective side. Up in the stands, Rizzo was laughing with a grin on her face.

"Hibiki really needs to watch who he flirts with." She said.

"Yeah, or he might lose an arm." Craylee deadpanned.

Of course, Craylee was being completely serious. If Hibiki wanted his limbs to remain attached to his body, he better not make a pass at Cana again.

"Let's begin, shall we?" Mato asked the contestants. "Since you all drew straws earlier let's continue in that order!"

"That means it's finally my turn!" Millianna said.

She then shed her cloak while looking ready to give it everything she had on this one attack.

"Here it goes!" Millianna said.

 _"Oh my,"_ Chapati said. _"The cape is off, and the sexy meter is off the charts."_

Millianna then hit the MPF while receiving a score of 365, and since no one knew it that was good or not there wasn't much clapping.

 _"Millianna scores a score of 365."_ Chapati said. _"That being said since we didn't set a bench mark for comparison, I'm not really sure if that's a good number or not."_

Sher, who was used to MPFs from her time in the Rune Knights, knew what Millianna scored was typical for normal ranked captains of Rune Knight units.

 _"Maybe I can help."_ Lahar said. _"We, Rune Knights, use MPFs in training fairly often. She actually did very well. That score would quality her for Squad Captain."_

This had people cheering and Millianna seemed very pleased with the score she had gotten.

"I am one pumped up kitty!" Millianna said posing.

Rizzo tilted her head wondering if the score was really that impressive. She wasn't trying to put Millianna down, but from what Rizzo knew of her, she knew Millianna wasn't a power house. Nobra then took a shot at it while scoring a very tiny score of 124.

 _"Coming in at a score of 124 is Nobra of Quatro Puppy."_ Chapati reported. _"A bit on the low side, wouldn't you say?"_

Rizzo snorted when he said Quatro Puppy since it was a nice reminder of her victory earlier. Not to mention it was funny to see the faces the mages from that guild made every time someone used their new name. Hibiki then stepped forward, which had his fangirls going crazy.

"I have a feeling his score is going to be lower than Nobra's." Rizzo said sweat-dropping.

"Why do you say that?" Amarante asked curiously.

"Because raw power is far from Hibiki's strong suit." Rizzo replied.

Amarante blinked then looked down as Hibiki attacked the MPF with a blast of magic. The score came back under three digits, which had Hibiki hunched over in depression and crying.

"Yep, knew that was going to happen." Rizzo said while sweat-dropping more.

Over in the Blue Pegasus booth, Prince still cheered for his mentor, which had Hibiki raising his head. He saw Prince waving down at him, which brought a slight smile to his face. At least his protégé still thought he was cool. Raven Tail then stepped up to take their turn, which had all of Fairy Tail frowning and watching on closely. Rizzo crossed her arms over her chest as Obra took his turn, and her eyes narrowed when he only scored four. She didn't believe that score for a second. There's no way the person who drained Wendy and Carla of magical power was that weak.

"Okay, Millianna of Mermaid Heel is currently in the lead with 365 points!" Mato shouted out for everyone one to hear.

He then gasped when Millianna grabbed his hands to start shaking them up rapidly while partially lifting him off the ground.

"Meow~" She purred. "This is better than chasing my own tail!"

"I'm about to change that." Orga said as he stepped up.

Millianna blinked to stop her little celebration moment as the crowd cheered loudly for Orga who held out his hands.

"Lightning God: 120mm Black Lightning Cannon!" Orga said.

He hit the device hard with people gasping at the backlash caused by the attack. Divya lightly frowned knowing that Orga had held back even if just a bit. Jaser had a grin on his face as his hair and his clothes were whipped around due to Orga's attack. This guy was strong, and Jaser would love the chance to get into a fight with him. The score then popped up with people seeming surprised by how high it was.

 _"Whoa, it's almost 4,000!"_ Chapati announced, which had Millianna exclaiming in disbelief.

Up in the commentators' box, Lahar was shocked with what he saw. He hasn't seen a score that high since he and Sher were in training together as Rune Knights. Speaking of Sher, the ex-Rune Knight frowned when seeing that Orga matched her old score. It must be a God Slayer thing. Rizzo hummed thinking the score was impressive. However, she was sure Jaser could top it if he used that new technique he worked on during the three months of training. She then frowned when hearing Orga singing into the microphone. She has nothing against people who like to sing, but he was mostly just shouting into the mic. Someone should show him the proper way to sing into a microphone.

"We could do without the singing, okay, Big guy?" Mato commented.

Divya shook her head at her guildmate who didn't seem to hear what Mato had said.

 _"Things are really heating up down there."_ Chapati said over Orga's singing. _"Now, let's see how Divya of Sabertooth Team B does compared to her guildmate."_

People cheered loudly for Divya as she stepped forward to face the MPF. She moved her arms in a fluid like manner with some of the tattoos on her body starting to move as if they were alive.

"What the heck?" Cana asked as the tattoos moved to different places on Divya's body with one coming to rest on her right arm.

"It's Divine Summoning magic." Jaser said. "It's actually a common technique in Rajasthan that the Gobi Tribe developed. It is said that the members of the Gobi Tribe allied themselves with the guardian deities my people worship to be granted the power to call upon them in battle. And when this contract was formed, the mage would be marked by the gods we worship to show the union shared between the divine and the mortal. People say the Gobi looked for this power, so to bring down my family who allied ourselves with the Sand Dragons of old."

Cana's eyes widened a bit while watching as the tattoo that moved to Divya's arm started to glow.

"Come forth, Shiva the Destroyer!" Divya called out strongly.

Suddenly the tattoo sprung off of Divya's arm to form what looked like a dark skinned man, but this man had inhuman red eyes with other features that were a dead giveaway that he wasn't human. He raised his spear up into the air with a large magic force collecting around it.

"It's like summoning magic." Lucy said from up in the stands. "Like how I summon my spirits!"

Everyone then watched as Shiva gave a shout as he brought down his weapon to hit the MPF with a blast of magical power. Everyone gasped while momentarily blinded by the bright light caused by Shiva's attack. Once the light dimmed, Shiva had returned to a tattoo on Divya's arm as the other tattoos came to a halt.

 _"And Divya scores an impressively high score of 3,234 for Sabertooth Team B!"_ Chapati said.

Divya bowed respectfully to the crowd when they cheered for her before looking towards her team as Lalita, who was holding Violet in her arms, was jumping up and down while cheering for her. Divya smiled at the blonde as she waved towards Lalita who excitedly returned the gesture.

"Not bad." Jaser commented.

His comment has Cana frowning as she looked up at Jaser who was looking at Divya curiously. They then moved onto Jura who stepped forward asking if he could give it his all. As he received permission, Rizzo felt like ducking down since she's seen how strong Jura is firsthand more than once. The feeling to duck down grew when the ground started to shake due to Jura building up his magical power. He then hit the device with everything he had, and everyone seemed shocked by his power.

"I don't see why everyone is surprised." Rizzo said. "He is one of the Ten Wizard Saints."

Mouths dropped open in shock when seeing he had scored over 8,000 on the MPF. Rizzo sighed thinking that Jaser wouldn't be able to beat that one even with his new technique.

"I'm really going to have to bump up the power if I want to score even close to that." Jaser said frowning.

He then rolled his shoulders as he stepped forward while uncorking a bottle that he had had attacked at his waist. He tipped it back with sand falling into his mouth.

 _"Looks as if Jaser Sahara is having a little snack before he takes his turn."_ Chapati said.

 _"Well, Dragon Slayers become stronger after consuming their natural element."_ Yajima said. _"And for first generation Dragon Slayers, I hear that if they consume enough of their element that they can unlock the Dragon Force to give them even more power."_

 _"Perhaps that is what he intends to do."_ Lahar said. _"If he could unlock that power, he'll surely score an impressive number."_

After Jaser finished off his sand, he tossed the bottle over his shoulder towards Cana who caught this.

"You might want to step back." Jaser said. "What I'm about to do next isn't exactly stable."

Cana blinked wondering what Jaser had in mind, but she did step back since even in her slightly hammered state, she knew to listen. A burst of power then came from Jaser, and people gasped as a large sand twister picked up around him. People were even more surprised when wind seemed to mix into the attack to make the sand move quicker. Natsu grinned seeing Jaser activated his Wind Sand Dragon Mode.

"What is this?!" Chapati shouted over all the wind and sand. "It's almost as if the wind is also bending to Jaser's will! Is he seriously using two different elements?!"

The Third Generation Dragon Slayers of Sabertooth seemed absolutely shocked as they stared down at Jaser.

"Two elements?!" Sting demanded. "How is that possible?"

"It's like what Natsu did with the lightning last night." Rogue said. "He had it mixed into his fire."

Sting frowned remembering that, but this was different. The power Jaser was giving off was much more.

"He's activated the Dragon Force." Miseri said. "And look, he's consuming wind now to add to his power."

Sting and Rogue watched on in shock as Jaser started sucking in air as scale like markings appeared around his eyes and on his arms and body. His hair turned white suddenly as he used Dragon Force in his dual element mode and his eyes a light pinkish color. Jaser then took a stance with the wind and sand picking up around him. The crowd gasped when two dragon like shapes seemed to take form within the cyclone of wind and sand. One was made of sand and the other made of wind. The two stood behind Jaser, and almost seemed to roar, which had people thinking they were actually looking at two dragons.

"Wind Sand Dragon Secret Art: Twin Dragon Rumble!" Jaser shouted as he moved forward in a fluid motion with his arms moving in a flowing manner.

The two dragons made of sand and wind soared forward to hit the MPF meter head on. An explosion of power happened with people having to hold onto anything to keep from being blasted backwards by the sand and wind. After things calmed down, everyone looked down into the arena at Jaser who was still in Dragon Force mode. Everyone then saw the score on the MPF, which was 8,545. People were shocked when seeing the score since no one had expected it.

"He…he managed to score higher than a Wizard Saint?!" Makarov shouted from the Fairy Tail booth.

Mavis and Raoul laughed with large smiles on their faces as the Fairy Tail mages cheered for Jaser.

"He did manage to do so, but look at how exhausted he is." Raoul said. "He won't be able to do something like that again for a while."

Makarov looked down at Jaser while seeing the young Rajasthan looked as if he could kill over at any second. That attack must have really took a lot out of him, and eating something that wasn't his natural element had to mess with him as well. It was so amazing that he was able to combined those two elements, and go into the Dragon Force while wielding the two elements. Makarov has never seen anything like it.

 _"It's incredible, Folks!"_ Chapati said. _"Jaser Sahara managed to pull out enough power to beat Wizard Saint Jura by one point! What an amazing display of power!"_

The crowd cheered loudly for Jaser who panted as the Dragon Force went away with his hair and eye color returning to normal. He tumble backwards looking completely exhausted, but he managed to remain on his feet.

"That is very impressive, young man." Jura complimented from beside Jaser. "You have a lot of strength it would seem."

Jaser thanked the man for the compliment before the two moved back since it was Cana's turn. Jaser finally sat down on the ground since he couldn't stand anymore. He looked to Cana when she crouched down beside him.

"That was pretty impressive, Jas." Cana said smiling.

Jaser grinned at her in return with his grin widening partially when she kissed his cheek.

 _"The final challenger is Fairy Tail Team B's Cana Alberona!"_ Chapati said.

Cana got up though stumbled a bit since she has had quite the bit to drink in the last few minutes. As she stumbled forward to take her turn, her teammates sighed certain they were going to be a laughing stock since Cana couldn't even walk straight at the moment. Everyone was then surprised when she took off her small white jacket.

"What is she doing?" Rizzo asked blinking.

"Who knows?" Craylee replied not seeming to care.

Rizzo tilted her head to the side when spotting a tattoo on Cana's arm that she knew the brunette didn't have before. Wait, didn't Lucy mention something about Cana having a tattoo on her arm on Tenrou Island? And it had been like something important to do with Fairy Tail, and one of the Grand Magic Spells of their guild.

"Now the Grand Finale!" Cana said grinning as she held up her arm, which was glowing. "It's time to assemble! Oh, River of Light that's guided by fairies!"

Rizzo's mouth fell open while realizing just what spell that Cana was using. She had read about it once in some of the old guild records, which she had to clean up once as punishment for destroying something important.

"Shine your light, so that I may vanquish the things of wickedness!" Cana said as she was knelt on the ground.

Rizzo looked up as did everyone else as a golden ring started to descend into the arena. She grinned having a feeling that Fairy Tail would be nabbing the three top spots in today's contest.

"Fairy Glitter!" Cana shouted.

The ring smashed into the MPF with people gasping as another backlash of power occurred. From his spot on the ground, Jaser laughed with a big grin on his face. It looked as if he'd be taking third place. The light dimmed with people shocked to see the MPF was completely destroyed by that one attack.

 _"Oh my goodness, I can't believe it, ladies and gentlemen!"_ Chapati said. _"The MPF is history! Her power is off the charts! This guild is beyond incredible! Fairy Tail has taken today's event by storm! Is this their true strength?! Can anyone stop them now?!"_

Cana smiled while looking up at the crowd while spreading her arms out wide.

"There's no stopping us!" Cana shouted. "We just started to rock your world! Fairy Tail will be number one again!"


	99. Eve vs Breccan vs Rufus!

Coco: So, I've made it to chapter 99! I feel as if I should do something special for chapter 100...but I don't know what XD Like I'm at a complete loss. Anywho~ I added something into this chapter that I hope you like. Like, I really decided to mix things up a bit in the battling lineups XD Enjoy, please!

* * *

 _"And now it's time for the battle rounds!"_ Chapati said once the hype from the contest wore off. _"And to make things more exciting the Planning Committee decided to throw in two wild cards!"_

The crowd cheered loudly for this as the Fairy Tail teams blinked in confusion since they had no idea what wild cards were.

 _"For those of you who do not know what the wild cards are, let me explain."_ Chapati said. _"In past games, any of us three commentators—with the Planning Committee's permission, of course—can choose to throw in wild cards to make a one-on-one battle a three way battle between three different guilds! And these three competitors will be chosen at random by taking a spin on our jackpot slot, but be assured that after one person from a guild is chosen, no one else from that guild can appear on the slot."_

Rizzo's eyes widened slightly since she had not been expecting that to happen. Though it did make things sounds interesting.

 _"Now, a three way battle is scored much like a regular battle."_ Chapati said. _"The winner takes ten points while the losers get nothing. And if there happens to be a tie the mages still standing get five points whether it be two mages or all three. These wild cards can be thrown out anytime during these battles, so don't be surprised if we suddenly declare a three-way battle! Now let's get started with our first battle of the day! First up the kitten with major claws—Mermaid Heel's Millianna—against Quatro Puppy's towering giant—Semmes!"_

The crowd cheered for the two mages as the two of them stepped down into the arena. Rizzo looked towards Craylee with a grin on her face.

"How much do you wanna bet the kitten beats the puppy?" Rizzo asked.

"I'm not an idiot to take that bet." Craylee said smirking.

Rizzo snickered while knowing that this fight would be over very quickly. The fight started with Semmes turning himself into a large human spinning top. He went towards Millianna who tried to tangle him up, but her attack bounced off of him, so she took a hit head on.

"That was a tough hit." Amarante commented.

Amarante then winced when Millianna was hit again after her attack once again did nothing to stop Semmes.

"Yeah, but that won't slow down Millianna." Rizzo said. "She won't lose this fight. It's obvious by the look in her eyes that she has too much of a will to win to lose to someone from Quatro Puppy."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Millianna managed to get one of her Bad Kitty Restraint Tubes around Semmes as he was spinning. He jerked her around the arena, but Millianna refused to let go. Suddenly the two crashed, which had the crowd gasping as they leaned forward wondering who won. The dust cleared with a very happy looking Millianna sitting on top of a defeated Semmes. Rizzo clapped for the girl as everyone else cheered.

 _"Millianna is treating the arena like her own personal cat box, and she's got something big to bury!"_ Chapati said.

"Does he even realize how that sounds?" Craylee asked frowning. "It sounds vulgar."

Breccan shrugged his shoulders as Jaser finally returned to them after getting a quick check up from Porlyusica since Cana had been worried how his body would react to consuming so much wind.

"What's vulgar?" Jaser asked blinking.

"Nothing of importance." Craylee replied.

Jaser blinked once more, but decided not to press the matter since Chapati said it was time for round two.

 _"And we're throwing in a wild card folks!"_ Chapati called out, which had the crowd cheering. _"Pull up the slot!"_

On the lacrima vision what looked like a slot machine appeared with an animated Mato standing beside it. The animation pulled the lever on the machine, and the lacrima vision zeroed in on were the images would show up. One came to a stop to reveal an image of Eve, then the second stopped to reveal an image of Breccan, and the final one stopped to reveal an image of Rufus.

 _"And what a match up we'll have, folks!"_ Chapati said. " _It seems we'll have a three-way battle between Eve of Blue Pegasus, Breccan of Fairy Tail Team C, and Rufus of Sabertooth Team A!"_

Breccan's brow quirked thinking this fight might be interesting. He then looked to Rizzo as she pat him on the shoulder.

"Show them what you've got, bro." She said smiling. "And don't hold back. Eve is tough, and this Rufus guy has some strange magic."

Breccan nodded his head before he left his siblings and Amarante who cheered for him. He went down into the arena as the other two competitors were arriving. Mirajane looked down smiling at the violet-haired man while sure he could win this.

 _"Rufus spanked the little guy on Day One, but will he get his kumquats today?"_ Chapati asked. _"And how with Breccan fair against his opponents?"_

Lahar narrowed his eyes at Breccan since he remembers meeting the young man before. Also, no he could see a large scar on Breccan's shoulder that answered the suspicion he had from seven years ago.

 _"I've known Breccan since he was a small boy."_ Yajima said. _"Even then he was talented. Not to mention his skills and power was enough for him to gain the title of S-class without going through the trials all guild masters tend to put their guildmates through."_

Some people gasped at this because they had no idea. Mavi, who knew Breccan from back then, didn't seem all that surprised.

"So he's a talented mage?" Minerva said.

"He isn't to be underestimated that is for certain." Mavi said. "Not only is he a powerhouse, but he can control his power so well that he can focus all that power into precise needle sized strikes to hit certain parts of a person's body to cause internal damage without breaking the surface of their skin. He is also very good at throwing off his opponents mentally."

Dante knew that since he experienced Breccan's fighting firsthand from back in the day. He had been able to shake his and Salem's souls just by explaining his powers to them. Then he demonstrated just how much he had by making the entire mountain shake before also showing he could focus that power into one lethal hit. The gong finally rang meaning that the fight had begun, and Eve didn't waste any time in attacking.

"Snow Magic: Blow White Furry!" Eve said as he shot two torrents of snow towards his opponents.

Breccan easily dodged the attack as the attack went right through the memory of Rufus.

"What you struck was merely a memory of me." Rufus said from a few feet to Eve's right.

"I got a taste of your techniques during the Hidden Game." Eve said as he rushed forward. "And I've got them all memorized now."

Rufus smiled in a mocking yet amused manner as he watched Eve charge him without hesitation.

"Oh really? Is that so?" Rufus asked. "Well—!"

Before either one of them could get in an attack Breccan appeared in between them. He hit Eve in the gut with his fist without using his magic, and the smaller man went flying. Breccan then spun around to kick up dirt into Rufus's eyes not only to check if he was the real one, but also so Rufus could be too distracted by the sand in his eyes to use his magic to avoid the hit coming his way. The sand hit Rufus in the face, which proved he was indeed the real one, and he gasped in shock while quickly trying to dust out the sand.

However, soon he was kicked in the jaw, and sent flying across the arena as people gasped. He hit the ground and rolled a few times before coming to a stop. Breccan stood alone in the arena as he looked in between his opponents who were pushing themselves off the ground.

"Looks as if I will have to try harder." Breccan said as he scratched the back of his head.

Rufus glared at Breccan wondering if the man really thought that one kick would be enough to bring down a mage of Sabertooth. Rufus got up while placing his fingers to his temple as the place became dark. It seemed as if he was preparing that attack from the first day.

"Night of Shooting Stars!" Rufus said.

One attack hit Eve head on as the boy was still knelt on the ground, but "Eve" shattered into snow meaning it was a clone. Another attack then went towards Breccan, and Rufus grinned knowing he couldn't dodge it. He and everyone was then shocked when Breccan spun around into the air to kick the attack away as if it was nothing. He landed on the ground before swatting away the next star with the back of his hand.

"How is that possible?!" Rufus demanded.

Breccan raised his hand to show steam rolling off of it, but there also seemed to be kind of magical membrane over it.

"I studied your magical signature and power during the first day." Breccan said. "Like everything else, your magic moves and shifts, which means it has its own vibrations. I memorized them and know exactly how much magic I need to put out to cancel out your attacks, so to speak."

Rufus narrowed his eyes while knowing he'd have to think of a way to beat this man without just straight forward attacks. Breccan then grinned as he moved one hand forward to motion Rufus and Eve forward.

"If you want to beat me, you better throw everything you've got at me." Breccan said. "Even then I will not fall."

Eve grinned not looking angered by his words. Only ready to fight as hard as he can for Blue Pegasus.

"Yeah, you tell them, Breccan!" Rizzo and Jaser cheered from the stands. "Kick their butts!"

Breccan chuckled in amusement at his siblings as he glanced up at them briefly to see Rizzo even pulled out a pompom to wave around with Craylee shaking his head at her. Breccan then looked back towards Eve as he unleashed the white blizzard from the first day. The temperature did become colder, but Breccan barely bat an eyelash at it. Unlike Rizzo and Jaser, Breccan had no problem with the cold.

"You know that's pointless." Rufus said to him.

"Yeah, right, that's what you think." Eve said. "My White Blizzard might not look like much, but it's going to help me take you out by finding the real you!"

Rufus didn't seem worried in the slightest as he continued to smile that mocking smile.

"Right there!" Eve said. "Go get him, White Fang!"

Eve sent a torrent of snow towards the real Rufus who jumped high into the air to avoid the attack. He was about to say something snarky, but suddenly Breccan was behind him. Breccan twisted in the air then kicked Rufus in the back with a foot covered in vibration magic. Rufus hit the ground hard with it slightly cracking underneath him.

"Rufus needs to be careful." Miseri commented. "He doesn't get into many confrontations where he has to deal with an enemy who uses blunt, physical attacks like Breccan. Rufus's magic also isn't really a hand-to-hand combat type either, which means his body isn't made to take hit after hit like that."

"That is true." Rogue agreed.

Sting frowned knowing the two were right, but he was sure that they wouldn't lose anymore members of their guild. Only the strong remained now that Yukino and Nook were gone. Rufus got off the ground with an angered look in his green eyes.

"I will no longer play around." Rufus said. "I am ending this with memory make."

He placed his fingers to his temples as Lyon and Gray looked on in interest since they've never heard of maker magic like Rufus's. Suddenly the place started to become very hot, which had Breccan frowning as he felt as if he had stepped into the desert portion of the mountain back in Acacia that had belonged to Jaser.

 _"Great Noogly-woogly, what's happening down there?"_ Chapati asked.

 _"It looks like this fight is starting to warm up."_ Yajima said.

 _"I'm sensing an incredible surge in magic power."_ Lahar said.

He then continued to focus on the fight while wondering how Breccan would handle the next attack. Giant pillars of what looked like hardened lava appeared around Eve and Breccan.

"Karma of the Scorching Earth!" Rufus said as he brought his hand down to the ground.

Fire and lava shot forward from the ground as it cracked and gave way. Breccan immediate used his own vibration magic to blast him up into the air without being hit by the attack. However, Eve wasn't as lucky since he took the blunt force of the hit. He cried out as he was shot up into the air. He hit the ground, and as the dust cleared, Breccan landed on his feet on solid ground. He glanced back at Eve as the small blonde was laying on the ground with multiple burns and looked as if he couldn't move.

 _"And it looks like this match has turned into a one-on-one battle between Breccan of Fairy Tail Team C and Rufus of Sabertooth Team A!"_ Chapati said. _"Poor Eve will no longer be participating, and will probably be feeling that in the morning."_

Breccan and Rufus turned to face each other, and Breccan knew the thirty minutes they had to fight was almost over. He needed to hurry and finish this for his team. He went rushing forward deciding to attack straight on since Rufus obviously wasn't a combat specialist. However, before he could get close enough, he came to a skidding halt when seeing Sesshōmoto in front of him. He looked exactly the same from back when Breccan was a child. Amarante gasped when seeing her father, and stiffened in fear.

"It seems as if this man from your memory frightens you." Rufus said suddenly from behind Breccan.

He then hit Breccan hard in the back of the neck, so Breccan did stumble forward. However, he quickly recovered as he quickly whipped around to face Rufus.

"Perhaps the way to beat you is through your memories." Rufus said. "I see them, and they are quite disturbing. Like this one."

Suddenly the image of a young Breccan being held down by chains appeared in the arena with a shadowy figure loomed over him with a branding iron in his hands. Breccan's eyes widened as he watched the young him beg for help. Everyone else was shocked as they watched this, and some of the crowd gasped in horror at what they were witnessing.

 **"Why won't someone help me?!"** Young Breccan asked as he sobbed.

He then screeched in pain as the branding iron was pressed against his shoulder, which had the present Amarante looking away while clutching her own shoulder. When the iron was pulled back the mark of Shadow Undertaker was branded on young Breccan's arm. Lahar's eyes widened not realizing the members of Shadow Undertaker branded children to add them into the guild. Rizzo and her siblings were glaring down at Rufus in hatred as he continued to torture Breccan with his past.

 **"Please, stop!"** The young Breccan begged. **"I don't want this!"**

Breccan, whose eyes watered, continued to watch the younger him cry and sob, which completely distracted him from Rufus. Which meant Breccan couldn't prepare for Rufus's next attack. Rufus blasted Breccan with a spell from his memory, and Breccan went rolling across the ground hard.

"Breccan!" Mirajane called out in worry as Breccan came to a stop on the ground. "Breccan, please, get up!"

Breccan just laid there a moment as a lone tear rolled down his cheek while stuck in his own mind as that memory played over and over in his mind.

 **"Momma! Daddy!"** The younger Breccan sobbed. **"Help me!"**

Of course, they didn't answer his pleas. They were there the whole time, but just stood back and watched.

"What horrible memories you have." Rufus said as he walked towards Breccan. "They're all so dark, and even after things got better, you were still haunted every night by horrible nightmares. How long has it been since you've gotten a decent night's sleep?"

Breccan didn't answer even when Rufus was looming over him with a smirk on his face. Rufus kicked Breccan in the side, and it actually had enough force to send Breccan rolling across the ground again.

"Breccan, get up!" Rizzo shouted.

"Breccan!" Mirajane called out as well. "You're not alone! We're here with you, and always will be, Breccan! Whenever you need us, we'll be here just as we are now!"

Her words seemed to stir something within Breccan, and he remembered the day Mirajane held him even after knowing what kind of guild he had come from…and promised him she'd always be there. Rufus moved in for another kick, but a blast of magic came from Breccan sent Rufus flying backwards. Rufus landed on his ass with his eyes wide as Breccan got off the ground. The entire arena then started to shake, which had people gasping in absolute shock. Breccan looked towards Rufus with a murderous glare as the shaking continued.

 _"Whoa, is Breccan the one causing this earthquake?!"_ Chapati asked.

 _"Yes."_ Yajima said. _"Breccan controls vibrations, which doesn't seem like it would be much. However, you can feel just how powerful he is during this earthquake. I definitely wouldn't want to make him angry because when he's angry he doesn't hold back like had been in the beginning."_

Lahar lightly narrowed his eyes wondering what would happen next.

"I don't appreciate that trip down memory lane." Breccan said. "I try to avoid it, which I'm sure you understand since you've seen how disturbing my memories are."

Before Rufus could even react, Breccan shot forward at blinding speed. Breccan sent melee attacks towards the blonde who could do nothing, but take them.

 _"And it looks like Breccan is back with vengeance!"_ Chapati said. _"After what Rufus made us all witness from his memory, it isn't like I can blame him. But…what exactly did we witness?"_

 _"It appears that when he was a boy that Breccan was a member of the dark guild Shadow Undertaker."_ Lahar said. _"The guild brands their members instead of putting an emblem on them. I had no idea they branded children so young."_

That fact made him feel quite sick actually, and he wasn't the only one. Up in the stands, Doranbalt looked quite sick as well.

 _"Breccan managed to escape from that guild when he was still very young."_ Yajima said as he was glaring down at Rufus. _"He hasn't been a member of Shadow Undertaker for over a decade."_

Everyone then focused back on the fight as Rufus took another hit from Breccan. He stumbled backwards while certain he might not live to see the end of the games. Breccan moved in to do one final attack on Rufus's heart that could very well kill him. His eyes were hard like steel, and he looked as if he wouldn't slow down. However, he caught sight of Mirajane's smiling face in the stands as she cheered for him.

That smiling woman, who was pure like snow, promised to remain at his side, and if he truly wished for her to remain at his side…he couldn't allow himself to be like the very people he hated from Shadow Undertaker. Breccan slowed down in hesitation, and even if it was only for a second, it was a second too long since the bell rang.

 _"And the time is up on this battle, Folks!"_ Chapati said. _"That means this three-way battle has ended in a tie between Breccan Indigo and Rufus Lore!"_

The crowd cheered for the competitors as Rufus looked at Breccan with wide eyes. Rufus had felt the intent to kill coming from Breccan seconds ago…so where had it gone? And why didn't he finish the job. Breccan silently turned around while ignoring the cheering. He went over to Eve to pick the blonde up into his arms bridal style. He started walking towards the entrance to the tunnel, so he could take Eve to get some medical treatment.

"Why didn't you finish me off?" Rufus asked. "You had your chance before the bell rang."

"I'm not the type of man to kill someone for something as petty as ten points." Breccan replied.

He then continued walking off, and was met by Hibiki and Ren who came for their guildmate.

"We can take him from here, thanks." Ren said then took Eve from Breccan.

Breccan nodded to the two before walking on while ignoring the eyes that he felt on him. Breccan made it halfway through the tunnel before he came to a stop to see Mirajane there. She smiled at him sadly as she stepped forward. She opened her mouth to say something, but gasped instead when Breccan pulled her into his arms.

"Thank-you." He whispered into her soft white-hair.

Mirajane wasn't sure what he was thanking her for, but she just smiled as she snuggled into his chest feeling quite happy to be in his arms. As Breccan held her, he swore to become the kind of man that deserved to have her at his side. Breccan pulled back to look into Mirajane's eyes as she tilted her head back to look up at him.

"May I stay at your side?" He asked.

Mirajane smiled softly while nodding her head to him silently, which was enough for him.

"Always." She spoke up.

* * *

"And now it's time for the third match of the day!" Mato called out.

The crowd cheered when hearing this as Rizzo leaned forward with a grin on her face as Laxus entered the arena. She was still a tad worried about Breccan, but she saw that Mirajane had went to comfort him, so Rizzo was sure he'd be okay.

"Bringing the lightning is Fairy Tail Team B's Laxus Dreyar!" Chapati said. "Going up again the mysterious man in the metal mask; Raven Tail's Alexei."

"You can totally kick his ass, Laxus!" Rizzo called down to him. "Light his ass up!"

She continued cheering for him with Amarante joining in, which brought a small snort of amusement from the blonde.

" _It seems as if Laxus has quite the cheer squad."_ Chapati joked as he heard the two women cheering.

" _Well, Laxus has known Rizzo since she was in diapers."_ Yajima said. _"I remember a time when he used to tote her around the old Treble Chambers guildhall. Then when he had to set her down to leave, she would kick up a fuss. She's always been very attached to him."_

Some people in the crowd awed at this, and Rizzo blushed in embarrassment as Amarante giggled.

"Stop sharing embarrassing stuff with the crowd, Yajima-san!" Rizzo called out to him.

Yajima chuckled from the commentators' box as few other people around the stands did as well. Makarov had a smile on his face while remembering those times. It had been so cute watching Laxus carry Rizzo around. He usually refused to set her down the entire time they were visiting. Everyone then forgot about the blushing Rizzo since the match was about to start. Rizzo even forgot about her own embarrassment as she leaned forward with the grin back on her face.

" _Last time we saw these two guilds go head to head it ended pretty brutal for Fairy Tail."_ Chapati said.

"Yeah, but it'll be different this time." Rizzo said as she held up her fist. "Any of those Raven Tail creeps try anything, and Fairy Tail will be ready to stop them from cheating this time around. Besides, even if they were cheating, that wouldn't stop Laxus from winning."

Amarante smiled at Rizzo's faith in Laxus as the blonde moved to meet Alexei near the center of the arena.

"Let the battle begin!" Chapati ordered.

The gong rang meaning it was time for the fists and magic to start flying in the arena.

"A mysterious from my old man's guild." Laxus said. "Nice mask. Wanna tell me who you really are?"

His reply was a rushed attack that hit him hard. Rizzo's eyes widened as Laxus was literally thrown off his feet with his coat falling off of him.

"What the hell?!" Rizzo demanded as Laxus took another hit. "This isn't like Laxus at all!"

The Laxus she knew would have fried this bastard with one strong attack. He didn't get knocked off his feet. Rizzo kept watching on in disbelief as Laxus took blow after blow. Something wasn't right here. Something wasn't right at all. Amarante narrowed her eyes knowing for a fact that something was indeed off. She wasn't the only one frowning. Craylee had a frown on his face as he blinked. He was seeing double or something in his eye that still retained sight. He saw one Laxus that was kind of hazy getting his ass kicked by a hazy looking Alexei. Then there were two others who were clear as day to him.

"What the hell?" He hissed as his head throbbed in pain.

He placed one hand on the side of his head as it continued to throb. Rizzo looked up at him as he winced.

"Craylee, what's wrong?" Rizzo asked.

"No…nothing." Craylee said. "Just a headache."

Rizzo didn't look convinced though didn't press the issue since she knew Craylee wouldn't reply. They watched the fight continue with Laxus still losing. Amarante shook her head knowing this couldn't be happening. Something was up.

"Laxus, come on!" Rizzo shouted as Laxus took more hits. "You can do better than this!"

She wasn't the only one to shout out to Laxus to keep fight, and it seemed as if their words might have reached him because he hit Alexei so hard he went flying into the wall. Laxus stood there with sparks dancing around his body. He then ran forward to start delivering multiple blows to Alexei.

"That's it!" Rizzo shouted. "Get him!"

Laxus hit Alexei with a Lightning Dragon Breath that had everyone thinking the fight was over. Rizzo cheered loudly for Laxus looking happy for his victory. However, Amarante and Craylee frowned even more since they knew it wasn't over. The clear copies of Alexei and Laxus hadn't moved an inch during this entire fight, and Craylee had a feeling they were the real Alexei and Laxus. So the fighting pair were illusions of some sort. Amarante couldn't see what Craylee saw, but she knew something was wrong. As the dust cleared, everyone was shocked to see Alexei standing there looking unfazed by Laxus's attack, which shocked everyone. They were surprised even more when Alexei hit Laxus hard enough to send him into the ground with a crater forming.

"Laxus!" Rizzo called out in worry.

The beating continued with Alexei back on top, and Rizzo grit her teeth knowing something had to be wrong here.

"Something is wrong." Rizzo said. "Laxus wouldn't lose like this. I know I see it happening…but it can't be true. I don't believe it. I can't because I know Laxus is too strong to be getting a thrashing like this."

Amarante looked at Rizzo as the pinkette shook as she looked down with her hands clenched tightly into fists. Rizzo had more faith in Laxus than most. While almost everyone else thought Laxus was getting his ass kicked, Rizzo knew it couldn't be true.

"Hmm," Amarante hummed. "I will see what I can do. Raven Tail is most definitely playing some kind of dirty trick."

Rizzo, Craylee, and Jaser looked towards Amarante as she stared down into the arena.

"How are you going to do something without being seen by the judges?" Jaser asked curiously.

"Don't worry." Amarante said. "I have just the reequip for this occasion."

Amarante then glowed with her clothes changing she turned into a pure white short kimono dress that had a hood attacked to it. There was a large silver sash around her middle with it tied into a bow in the back. She then had on white thigh highs and white ballet slippers.

"This will let me be in the arena without anyone seeing me." Amarante said.

She had another outfit that made her invisible, but this one was different. It allowed her to step into illusions. She was certain that an illusion was being used now to make it appear as if Laxus is losing. And while her hood is up, she can become part of the illusion. Then if the illusion is broken, she becomes visible again. Amarante pulled her hood up then jumped down towards the arena's ground. She disappeared the second she left the booth as Rizzo bit her lip.

"Please, help him." Rizzo whispered.

Craylee narrowed his eyes since he could still see Amarante, and the four mages who joined Alexei, who revealed himself as Ivan, down below. This was all becoming more interesting by the second.


	100. Maidens of the Sky

Coco: Hey, everyone, been a little while hasn't it? Well, don't worry I have three chapters for you to enjoy with me. I just want to point out that I decided to change Lalita's power. I just got this brilliant idea hit me when I decided to do these wild card matches and have her battle against Wendy and Sherria. And since I changed her power, I went back an edited a few chapters that suggested her power was much like Sven's power. They're not major changes, so you don't have to re-read those chapters. I just wanted to give you the heads up, so you wouldn't be totally confused when Lalita's magic was revealed XD

And, Derpulies, I'm so sorry for changing her power without consulting you first. I know you're the one who helped me create Lalita, so I feel bad, but I feel as if what came to mind for her exact backstory and this battle suits her very well. I'm hope you're not too mad at me, BCFF DX.

Oh, and sorry for the typos. I'm sure there are a lot. It's just I got a late start in editing these chapters, and I've had little time lately to do much with how work is. Two of our cashiers lost loved ones, so they've been out for a few days, and that made it where me and another girl had to cover their shifts then we just had one cashier quit. And guess who they asked to cover for her. If you guessed me then you'd be correct. I feel exhausted D': However, they let me go early today since they didn't want to pay me a bunch of overtime, and they're giving me tomorrow off. I was so happy when they told me I nearly cried...not really, but you get the idea XD Anyway, enough of my rambling, let's get this chapter started!

* * *

Laxus narrowed his eyes about to fight his father and his guild when a flash of white caught his eye.

"So I was right." Amarante said as she materialized beside Laxus. "You all are playing dirty."

Laxus didn't seem all that surprised to see her, but Ivan's eyes widened as his guildmates gasped.

"How did you break through my illusion?" Ivan asked.

Amarante smirked as she lifted her head to reveal the cold look in her usually kind eyes. The cold look coupled with the unfriendly smirk made her look almost frightening.

"Once I knew there was an illusion in place, it wasn't that hard." Amarante replied.

Ivan glared at the woman as Amarante reached inside one of her sleeves to pull out a few senbon needles that were tucked away inside. However, before she could attack, Laxus held out his arm to stop her. She paused while glancing up at him.

"I've got this." He said. "These creeps threatened my family, I'll handle them."

Amarante nodded her head while slipping the senbon back into place. She didn't doubt Laxus at all, and if he said he would handle things, she knew he would.

"Are you serious?" Ivan asked. "Taking us all on alone is almost like committing suicide, my boy."

Laxus didn't seem bothered by Ivan's words. In fact, he didn't even blink in reaction.

"Oh yeah?" Laxus asked.

"We spent years learning the best way to bring you to your knees." Ivan said. "But if words aren't enough, by all means, test our power, and see what happens."

Amarante frowned deciding that Ivan must really like to hear himself talk or something.

"The old geezer has been doing his homework too ya know." Laxus said.

"The little troll has been spying on us?!" Ivan demanded.

Amarante didn't see why he was so angry. He's been doing the same thing. It only seems far that Makarov return the favor.

"You've got it, Pops." Laxus said. "Everything from Raven Tail's ranks and locations to its operating funds and activities over the last seven years. He knows it all."

"What?!" Ivan demanded.

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. How did his father know so much about his guild?!

"It must have been Gajeel." Flare said. "I knew he would betray us, Master."

"Yeah, I always had a feeling that despicable iron chopping creep couldn't be trusted." Nullpudding added.

"To think he was a double agent the whole time!" Ivan said angrily.

"He never struck me of being all that clever, but it appears I misjudged him." Black Snake added.

Amarante sweat-dropped thinking it was these people who didn't have the brains. It should have been obvious Gajeel was a double agent. And if they had doubts, why trust him in the first place?

"Well, Gajeel wasn't the only one who gathered information on you." Amarante said as she smirked once more. "Gajeel was kind enough to give me little bits of information, and I went out and found more. I was able to infiltrate your base and take all sorts of notes that Master Makarov found useful."

Ivan growled not believing a Fairy Tail fly had been prancing around his guildhall without anyone knowing.

"You all need to work on your security." Amarante said with her smirk turning sinister. "It would have been all too easy to slip in and slit your throats in your sleep."

Flare and Black Snake shuddered in fear when seeing how serious Amarante was being.

"If would have been so easy then why didn't you?" Flare asked as she continued to shake.

"I was not given the order to." Amarante said. "That is the only thing that protected you."

Flare wanted to step back since Amarante was really starting to freak her out with the dark smirk on her face. Amarante didn't like to be cruel…however, if someone is a threat to Fairy Tail, she can be quite…cruel and merciless, which is when the reason why she's called the Dark Fairy or Shadow Fairy becomes known.

"Why would Makarov not order you to stop us if he knew all this?" Nullpudding asked.

"Because the stubborn old fool has a real knack for holding back when he shouldn't." Laxus replied this time.

Ivan's eyes widened in surprise as Laxus remembered when Makarov had told him everything he knew about Ivan's guild.

"Hurts, huh?" Laxus asked. "After everything you've done, the old geezer still managed to have a little faith in you because you're his son."

"Silence!" Ivan shouted as he attacked Laxus with some kind of paper magic.

Amarante jumped back out of the way knowing would be just fine with handling this on his own. Laxus didn't attack at first as he brought up his arms to protect himself with sparks flying off his arm to keep the attack at bay.

"Every waking moment I lived in the shadows to prepare for this day!" Ivan said. "All so that I could finally have the Lumen Histoire within my grasp! Did he think I was being passive out of the goodness of my heart?! Of course, I wasn't! It was because I knew your guild's pathetic leftovers wouldn't know anything about what I wanted! The guildhall, Magnolia, even Tenrou Island itself, I checked everywhere remotely connected to Fairy Tail but I still never found it! Tell me where the Lumen Histoire is, Laxus. Stop hiding it!"

His paper dolls started to form a large paper ball above Laxus who looked up at it.

"You're my son, aren't you?!" Ivan demanded. "Where's your loyalty to your family?!"

The paper ball turned into purple magical energy above Laxus, and even if some might be worried, Amarante didn't move to help since she knew he'd be alright on his own. Ivan seemed to hit Laxus dead on, but as the dust cleared, Laxus was revealed to be okay.

"Aw, I was wondering why you just stood there and took it." Ivan said. "You were testing the limits of my magic power, weren't you? Good, to know somethings will never change. Or is it something else? Can't bring yourself to strike your father? What a good boy you are, my sweet little Laxus."

Amarante narrowed her eyes at Ivan's mocking tone, but she still remained in place.

"Laxus!"

Amarante and Laxus both turned their heads when they heard their Master's call. They looked seeing that Makarov was holding his hand up in the Fairy Tail salute. Amarante smiled then looked towards Laxus who was grinning slightly.

"Do it now, Obra!" Ivan shouted to the man in the mask. "Drain his magic. It's time to show this ungrateful wretch our true power through our hatred of Fairy Tail!"

Obra seemed about to do as his master wished, but he didn't get the chance since Laxus rushed forward to get in front of him.

"The next time you pick on a little girl better make sure I don't hear about it." Laxus said.

He then kicked Obra in the face to send him into the ground, and Amarante smiled knowing this battle would be over soon. Flare and Nullpudding then moved in to attack Laxus who was ready for them.

"Red Hair Scorn!" Flare shouted with her hair turning into fire as it went towards Laxus.

Laxus dodged with ease then had to look up as Nullpudding tried to attack him from above. Laxus dodged the swings as Nullpudding tried to get up in his face.

"As for you, Gray and Craylee sends their regards!" Laxus said.

He punched Nullpudding hard with a lightning covered fist to send him into the ground, which formed a crater under his body. Flare latched onto Laxus with her hair while smirking.

"I've got you now, Blondie." Flare said.

"You think so?" Laxus said then took a deep breath. "This is for Lucy!"

He shot a breath attack at Flare who screeched in pain after taking the hard hit. Amarante continued to smile before looking behind her when Black Snake tried to sneak up on her.

"Let's see if he continues fighting with you as our hostage." Black Snake said as he reached for her.

"You can always ask him how he'd react to get your answer." Amarante said smirking.

Black Snake blinked in confusion before realizing a shadow was looming over him. He turned his head with his eyes widening when he saw Laxus standing there with a glare on his face.

"You shouldn't have even looked her way." Laxus said. "That would have been a big enough mistake, but you tried to put your slimy hands on her. That's asking to be hurt hard. Now, get lost, Loser!"

He blasted Black Snake away as if he was just an annoying pest that needed to be dealt with.

"My elite squad has been taken out!" Ivan said in shock.

He then jumped back in fright when Laxus turned his sights on him as the sparks continued fly around Laxus.

"Listen, Dead beat, I don't know what your goal is here." Laxus said. "And frankly I don't care, but there's only one thing you're getting for all your trouble. Pain!"

"No, wait, I am still your father!" Ivan said as Laxus started walking forward. "Don't you have any respect?! You would harm me?! Laxus, I'm your own flesh and blood!"

"Fairy Tail is my only family now." Laxus said.

"Then you'll share in their doom you pathetic ingrate!" Ivan said. "Be gone!"

He threw more of his magic at Laxus in a desperate attempt to keep Laxus at bay. However, Amarante knew that wouldn't stop Laxus was beating the ever loving crap out of his father. Laxus easily zapped those dolls out of his way to appear right in front of Ivan while crouching down as lightning collected around his fist.

"Anyone who threatens them gets no mercy from me!" Laxus said as he hit his father full force.

Doing so broke the illusion as Ivan went flying backwards into the wall of the arena. Rizzo and everyone else gasped when seeing they had been watching an illusion the entire time. Rizzo then grinned since she knew Laxus couldn't be getting his ass kicked. And it seemed while the illusion was going on that he took out all the members of Raven Tail's team.

"Yeah, thatta way, Laxus!" Rizzo cheered throwing her fist up into the air as everyone else came to terms with what happened. "That was totally awesome!"

She continued to cheer while Laxus was named the victor of the battle, and she was even happier as Raven Tail was disqualified. Laxus glanced up at her to see her big grin, which had his lips turning up slightly. He then went to say something to Amarante, but when he turned his head to look for her, she was gone. He shook his head supposing he shouldn't have expected any less from her. He went to leave the arena, but paused when Ivan spoke out to him.

"Wait, Laxus," Ivan said. "I admit I lost this round, but there's something you should know. The Lumen Histoire is Fairy Tail's darkest secret of all. Someday you are going to learn that first hand then you'll know what your family really is."

Ivan chuckled darkly as he was taken away by soldiers of the Fiore Army. Laxus watched him go for a moment before he turned away to walk into the tunnel where he was met by none other than Craylee who he wasn't expecting.

"What's with you?" Laxus asked as he stopped in front of the younger man who was leaning against the wall.

"That fight…" Craylee said. "I want to talk about it."

Laxus's brow quirked not getting what there was to talk about. Craylee then opened his mouth to give Laxus a play-by-play of what happened, and Laxus's eyes widened a bit when Craylee was able to tell him everything that happened under the illusion.

"That's exactly what happened, right?" Craylee asked.

"Yeah, how do you know that?" Laxus asked.

Craylee frowned wondering if he should tell Laxus how he knew what happened.

"I saw it happen." Craylee said. "My eye saw through the illusion created by your dead beat dad. I just don't know how since I've never been able to do that before…not that I am aware of anyway."

Laxus frowned slightly since he's never heard of eyes that could see through illusions. Unless they were like that one of Erza's that was a fake. Craylee then let out a humorless chuckle as he uncrossed his arms, so to shove his hands into his pockets.

"So that's why she took my other eye." Craylee said as he pushed himself off the wall.

"What are you talking about?" Laxus asked.

Laxus didn't know much about Craylee. In fact, Laxus didn't know much about any of the Treblemen even though their Rizzo's brothers. Craylee sighed supposing he could share part of his past with Laxus. He had to learn he could trust others with his past like he did with Juvia.

"I didn't lose this eye in an accident." Craylee said as he turned to walk away. "It was taken from me by my mother who told me my eyes were special, but I never knew what was so special about them. However, I guess now I know."

Laxus's eyes widened when Craylee said that then watched as the redhead walked away. Up in the stands, Juvia frowned feeling as if something was wrong with Craylee.

"…Craylee-sama…" She whispered.

* * *

It was now time for the final round of the day, and Rizzo was feeling pumped up for it. She knew it had to be a wild card match since there were three teams left that needed to fight. Those teams were Fairy Tail Team A, Sabertooth Team B, and Lamia Scale.

"Hey,"

Rizzo, her brothers, and Amarante turned their heads seeing Sven walking towards them. He still seemed rather tired, but he was walking with ease.

"Sven, you're up!" Rizzo said smiling. "Feeling better?"

Sven smiled at Rizzo in return, and chuckled as Jaser ruffled the top of his head affectionately.

"Yeah, but I don't think I'm ready for a fight just yet." Sven said then looked to Amarante. "May I ask that you continue being my replacement?"

"Sure." Amarante said smiling.

Sven nodded his thanks then went to look down into the arena as the slot was brought up on the Lacrima vision, so to give it a go.

 _"Okay, it's time for our last match of the day, folks!"_ Chapati said. _"And I'm sure you already guessed it, but it's time for a wildcard match! Now let's see our competitors from the last three remaining teams. Give the slot a go!"_

The animated Mato pulled the lever to the slot with it spinning and spinning as the lacrima vision focused on it. First an image of Wendy appeared, then in the middle was an image of Lalita, and finally Sherria's image appeared.

 _"And it looks like we'll have a three-way battle between a couples of little cuties, folks!"_ Chapati said while practically cooing. _"This battle will be between Fairy Tail A's Wendy Marvell vs. Sabertooth B's Lalita_ _Fene_ _szél_ _vs. Lamia Scale's Sherria Blendy!"_

Sherria turned towards her sister as she was announced for the battle, and Sher smiled while placing a hand on Sherria's shoulder.

"Go show them the power that can slay the gods, Sherria." Sher said.

Sherria nodded her head then gave Triton a hug before she hurried down into the arena. Wendy then left her team to head into the arena as well while Lalita turned to face her teammates.

"Does this mean I can show my power?" Lalita asked Miseri.

"Yes." Miseri replied. "However, don't go overboard, Lalita. We do not want to send these girls to the infirmary with severe injuries."

Lalita, who gave her bag to Dante for safe keeping, nodded her head before she left her teammates to head down into the arena. Once she was down there, she saw that Sherria had tripped, which had her hurrying towards the girl along with Wendy.

"Oh my goodness, you're not injured are you?" Wendy asked.

She then tripped herself, which had some people laughing and others sweat-dropping. Lalita blinked before crouching down between the girls while mindful of her skirt.

"You're both okay, right?" Lalita asked.

"Yeah, I'm good." Sherria and Wendy said in unison.

Lalita nodded while smiling since she didn't want her opponents hurt before the match could even begin.

"Well, it's nice to meet you both." Lalita said. "I'm Lalita Feneszél."

Despite knowing that Sabertooth was their biggest rival, Wendy couldn't help, but smile in return at Lalita.

"I'm Wendy." Wendy replied. "It's nice to meet you both."

"Yeah, same here." Sherria said smiling.

As Sherria and Wendy finally got off the ground, Lalita stood straight as well while straightening out her dress.

 _"Aw, this is going to be the cutest little battle the GMG history!"_ Chapati said as he cooed. _"You girls, have fun, and give it your very best out there, okay?!"_

Sher frowned when hearing Chapati's voice while having a strong urge to hide Sherria away from this guy. Over with the Sabertooth teams, Miseri was feeling the same way about Lalita.

" _Sit down."_ Lahar ordered.

 _"And stop waving your rump at me!"_ Yajima added.

Rizzo blinked wondering what exactly was happening in the commentators' box. However, she soon shrugged since she honestly didn't care.

 _"We're all set for the final match of Day Three!"_ Chapati said.

The gong was then rung, which meant it was time for the match to officially get started.

"Begin!" Mato announced.

Then he hurried off to the side, so not to get in the way of the three competitors who looked ready to go.

 _"These little mages are just too adorable for words."_ Chapati said. _"You could overdose on their cuteness!"_

 _"Is this little lady a new member of the Fairy Tail guild?"_ Yajima said.

 _"Yes, she is, Yajima-san."_ Amarante said from behind him.

The three commentators jumped before turning to look at the woman who was eating a candy apple. Rizzo blinked as she looked around their booth seeing Amarante was indeed gone. When...when did she leave? And how did she get over to the commentators' box so fast?

 _"Amarante, what are you doing in here?"_ Yajima asked.

 _"I went to get a snack, and when I tried to get back to the others, I ended up in here instead."_ Amarante said truthfully.

Many people sweat-dropped at her reply as members of Fairy Tail sighed and shook their heads. And there she goes getting lost _again_.

 _"You three have a nice view from up here."_ Amarante commented as she helped herself to the fourth seat in the room.

 _"You're not moving anytime soon, are you?"_ Lahar asked.

 _"No,"_ Amarante said shaking her head. _"Master always tells me that if I get really lost to stay put until someone from the guild finds me. Though I don't always listen, but I think I should take his advise since this isn't the first time I got lost today."_

Yajima lightly chuckled knowing that was such a Makarov thing to do. Makarov was always looking after his children, and always made sure to cater to their different needs if needed. Of course, he didn't baby them, but he always knew how to take care of them. Speaking of Makarov, the old guild master looked towards Max silently. The sand mage nodded before going to get their resident ninja even if that meant he'd miss part of the fight, which was finally starting. He didn't mind though since a guildmate's welfare is more important. Besides, Laxus would be pissed if Amarante was just left up there on her own.

"Ready?" Wendy asked her opponents.

The two nodded, so Wendy quickly enhanced her arms using her sky magic to make her next attack stronger.

"Sky Dragon: Wing Attack!" Wendy shouted as she sent the attack at Sherria and Lalita.

Sherria dodged the attacks with ease while doing some flips and turns. Lalita avoided them by spinning and twirling around like dancer, which had Wendy's eyes widening. They were both fast, and Lalita seemed very graceful.

"Oh Northen Winds become the breath of a God and race across the land." Sherria recited a spell as she jumped up into the air. "Sky God: Boreas!"

Lalita and Wendy both were hit by that spell to send them up into the air, and Rizzo was shocked to see to see the black wind. She wasn't the only one either. Many of the other competitors who were familiar with God Slayer magic were shocked as well.

"God Slaying Magic….from a little girl." Miseri whispered.

Of course, she learned Dragon Slayer magic when she was very young, but it was still shocking to see a child wielding magic meant to slay gods. Though she did know a certain little someone with the power to slay creatures of a different variety. Sher smirked as she stood beside Lyon with her arms crossed over her chest. It shouldn't be a surprise since Sherria is her little sister after all. The Blendy bloodline has always produced strong, capable mages. Well, Sher supposed there were slight exceptions to that claim. She glanced over at Sherry who was cheering loudly for Sherria.

"It's my turn now!" Lalita, who landed on her feet, said as she rushed towards her two opponents. "Winds of the Underworld hear me and come forth to create destruction in your wake."

Everyone gasped with their eyes widening a bit when they heard the beginning of Lalita's spell. Miseri just smiled as did most of the mages of Sabertooth.

"Sky Devil: Dark Twister!" Lalita said as she spun around in a fast pace motion.

A windy vortex formed around her, and the wind created had an odd purplish hue to it. The twister expanded rapidly while hitting Wendy and Sherria who used their sky magic to lessen the blow some. However, even doing that didn't completely save them from the attack. The twister vanished as Lalita came to a stop, and she smiled when seeing her opponents were still standing.

"Wow, I didn't expect the both of you to remain of your feet after that." Lalita said then giggled. "I guess this means we're going to have a lot of fun together!"

Sherria and Wendy just looked at Lalita with wide eyes since neither of them have ever heard of a Devil Slayer before. From up in the stands the people were trying to come to terms with what they were witnessing.

"She's a type of slayer?" Rizzo asked.

"Well, she does have similar magic to both Wendy and Sherria." Breccan said. "And she said "Sky Devil" when she was attacking, so I would assume that means she is a Sky Devil Slayer."

Rizzo's heard of nothing like that before in her entire life. Of course, she had no idea God Slayers existed until she met Sher. She supposes there are still a lot of magic in the world she doesn't know of yet. Rizzo then continued to watch as the three girls continued fighting. However, it seemed as if Lalita and Sherria had the upper hands for a moment until Wendy retaliated with two swift Dragon Talons to send her opponents to the ground. Lalita flipped back onto her feet to dodge Wendy's next attack before lashing out with her own. They both then had to dodge Sherria who tried to get in a hit as well. Wendy turned her sights on Sherria after that while taking in a deep breath.

"Sky Dragon," Wendy began.

"Sky God," Sherria was quick to add.

"I'm not about to be left out of this." Lalita said before sucking in a big breath, "Sky Devil,"

Everyone's eyes widened while not completely understanding that all three girls were using the same magic.

"Roar!/Bellow!/Rage!" The three girls shouted in unison.

The three wind attacks clashed and collided, and all three together were so strong that it sent a wild backlash of wind around the arena that had people gasping as their clothes and hair were whipped around. Once the attack died down, all three girls stared at each other for a moment.

"I wasn't expecting this." Wendy said. "I wasn't expecting to run into two different slayers who use sky magic."

"Well, Lyon told me all about you, Wendy." Sherria said then looked at Lalita. "But it sure is a surprise to learn of another type of slayer magic. I was really excited when just hearing Wendy had similar magic to me, but you do too, which is even neater!"

"Yeah!" Lalita said. "And while we're all together we should have some fun out here, and give it the best for our guilds!"

The other two girls nodded before all three rushed towards each other. They swapped blow after blow while looking as if only Wendy was taking the most damage. However, Wendy definitely wasn't giving up anytime soon. She had to win for Fairy Tail. Especially after everyone has worked so hard up to this point.

 _"Just look at them go!"_ Chapati said. _"It's a full forced battle of the bravest! Will Sherri-welly blow little Wendy away? Or will Lali-totty fly right into victory?!"_

Rizzo frowned wishing Chapati would just shut-up, but she highly doubted he would. She then looked back into the fight seeing that Wendy started sucking in air like a champ. She must be gearing up for a strong attack.

"Oh, you really can eat air!" Sherria said. "This will be a blast!"

Sherria started to eat air as well, and Lalita knew she better as well since she couldn't fall here. She had to power up then end this fight to win for Sabertooth.

"Alright, I better have a snack too." Lalita said.

She started consuming air as well while knowing she had to eat as much as possible. Rizzo watched as the three girls consumed more and more air until finally stopping. Wendy then immediately went in for an attack.

"Sky Dragon Secret Art," She began.

Jaser's eyes widened when hearing her say that. Wendy learned a secret art over the last three months? He then grinned feeling almost like a proud older brother.

"You've got this, Wendy." He said.

Everyone watched as a wind like dome formed over the three girls. Lalita frowned sure that this put Wendy in danger as well since she was stuck in the dome as well. Sherria voiced this thought, but Wendy didn't look worried in the slightest.

"Shattering Light, Sky Drill!" Wendy shouted.

The attack hit Sherria and Lalita hard to send them flying into the ground, and Miseri's eyes widened when seeing Lalita was injured. She grit her teeth together mentally begging that she get up. Lalita could lose here. Mato went to announce Wendy the winner, which had Miseri's heart stopping for a moment.

"Don't count me out yet!" Sherria's voice cut Mato off. "Look I'm up! I'm up!"

Sherria jumped to her feet with her body glowing as her wounds started to heal, which had people gasping.

"And I'm not finished either!" Lalita said as she sat up with her head bowed.

She then looked up with people being shocked to see the black markings starting to appear on her face. One went around her left eye, which caused the iris to turn red in color.

"What's happening to her face?" Lucy asked. "Is it some kind of side effect caused by her magic?"

"Or perhaps it's like when Dragon Slayers enter their Dragon Force." Erza suggested.

Lucy supposed that could be true as well, but it was almost scary how Lalita's magic darkened her skin. Lalita flipped up onto her feet while looking as if the wounds she sustained weren't hurting her at all. Wendy felt like crying since she didn't know what she could do against two strong opponents like them.

"You're really something else!" Sherria said. "You're so fun!"

Mato quickly apologized for the mistake before running off to the side to get out of the way. Wendy winced nearly falling over, but she kept her footing.

"You're not hurt, are you?" Sherria asked. "I was hoping we could play more."

Lalita just remained silent while ready to keep going. She would not fall. She would win…so she could remain at Miseri's side, and so she would not bring shame to her guild.

"I promise I will not fall." She whispered.

Things were tense for a moment as Sherria and Lalita looked over Wendy's injuries. It looked as if she would fall over at any second. Up in the stands, Rizzo bit her lip hoping the girl would be alright.

"Come on, Wendy, I know you can keep going." Rizzo said as Sherria and Lalita tried to talk Wendy out of competing any longer.

Rizzo had a feeling they weren't doing it to mock her. They only seemed concerned about Wendy, which was nice of them. However, it didn't appear as if Wendy was ready call it quits. Rizzo smiled as Wendy said she would continue to fight until she couldn't get up, so her opponents better come at her with all they had.

"Even as young as she is, she still has such a strong spirit." Sven commented.

"Yeah," Rizzo agreed.

The fighting continued after that with Sherria and Lalita gearing up for their own attacks.

"Sky God Secret Art/Sky Devil Secret Art," The two girls said in unison.

Their guildmates were shocked when hearing the two were ready to fight seriously, and some even tried to beg the two not to use such strong attacks on Wendy.

"We have to go all out just like she did." Sherria said to her protesting guildmates. "Because that's love."

"It would be insulting if we held back now." Lalita added.

It was obvious that neither girl planned to stop their next attack.

"Damn, even I think that's a bit overkill." Sting said. "There's going to be nothing left of that tiny Dragon Slayer."

"You can't count any of them out yet." Miseri said. "Wendy might surprise us, and it doesn't look as if Lali nor Sherria are ready for this fight to end."

Sting knew Miseri was right. It looked as if all three girls were ready to keep duking it out until the end of this round. However, he didn't see Wendy surviving after being hit by Lalita's attack let alone that other girl's.

"Gathering of Heavenly Clouds!" Sherria called out.

Sherria then sent her attack at Wendy, but it somehow missed Wendy, which surprised everyone. However, Lalita still had her attack to do.

"Frozen Hell Wind Destruction!" Lalita shouted.

The attack split with one part going towards Sherria and the other towards Wendy. The wind was harsh and unforgivable, but Wendy somehow made Lalita's attack miss her as well. The attack hit Sherria who was knocked down. Lalita then had to dodge Wendy's fist when she attacked. The two started swapping blows, and soon Sherria was back in the fray. The blows kept coming, but none of the girls allowed themselves to fall. Soon the bell rang since time was up, and Rizzo cheered along with everyone else as it ended in a draw.

"What a great way to end day three." Jaser said laughing.

"Yeah, I can't wait to see what happens tomorrow." Rizzo added smiling.

* * *

-Results-

Sabertooth Team B-36

Lamia Scale-34

Mermaid Heel-34

Fairy Tail Team B-32

Sabertooth Team A-28

Fairy Tail Team C-26

Blue Pegasus-20

Quatro Puppy-15


	101. Waging War, Fairies vs Tigers

The next day at the Grand Magic Games Rizzo smiled as Amarante prepared to enter the water dome that was part of today's contest. Amarante has been itching to get in there, and Rizzo thought today was the best time to put in their trump card so to speak. Amarante was a powerful mage who excelled in defeating her opponents without having to worry about using too much magical power, so she could easily pick off the weak opponents then still have plenty for the stronger ones.

"You've got this, Amarante!" Rizzo cheered her on as Chapati explained the rules of the game and introduced their guest speaker.

Amarante smiled waving towards Rizzo before looking at her two guildmates—Juvia and Lucy.

"I'm sorry, girls, but I won't be holding back against either of you, kay?" She said giggling.

"Great." Lucy said hanging her head. "Now I feel nervous."

She knew she didn't even have half the power that Amarante had. She then shook her head knowing she had to push those thoughts out of her mind. She had to stay strong since she couldn't let her friends down again.

"Shall we go in?" Amarante asked the two.

The two nodded before all three girls dived into the dome of water that was waiting for them. Amarante moved closer to the center of the dome, so she could keep all her opponents inside.

 _"It looks as if the contestants have been chosen."_ Chapati said. _"From Lamia Scale it's Sherria!"_

From in the stands, Sher sighed almost looking disappointed that she wasn't the one in the water dome. All that water looked tasty. Lyon chuckled at his wife's expression as if knowing what she was thinking.

 _"Jenny From Blue Pegasus hits the waves."_ Chapati continued. _"From Mermaid Heel it's Risley!"_

Rizzo vaguely wondered if Risley would be good at this game. Yes, she comes from a guild with mermaid in the title, but that doesn't mean she swims like one.

 _"Also joining the fray is Juvia from Fairy Tail Team B!"_ Chapati announced.

Craylee, who was leaning sideways against the railing with his hands in his pockets, twirled the needle in between his lips as he watched Juvia go by. He knew she was on a different team, but he had a feeling she'd win this contest. Minerva entered the ring followed by Mavi, which had Rizzo glaring.

"I….is that Mavi?" Sven asked with wide eyes.

Rizzo nodded her head as her hands clenched into tight fists as her body shook. Mavi…the only blood relative she had left that she wished would just disappear. That might sound harsh, but the two cousins haven't been truly family in many years.

"Minerva and Mavi of Sabertooth at your service." Minerva said to the crowd.

This had the crowd going wild in cheering as the two members of Sabertooth floated side by side.

 _"Just listen to that crowd."_ Chapati said. _"It looks as if we have some fan favorites here."_

Rizzo grit her teeth harshly while knowing the crowd wouldn't be cheering if they knew what kind of person Mavi was. And if him and Minerva were anything alike, she was sure the crowd would hate Minerva as well.

 _"With this change Sabertooth's two teams consist of some of their strongest."_ Yajima said.

"It's an All-Star assemble that's for sure." Lavian commented.

From over in the Sabertooth booth, Miseri frowned looking over to the side. It didn't matter if they were the strongest. The teams and even the guild itself felt empty without Nook and Yukino with them.

 _"You know I heard a rumor that Mavi of Sabertooth and Rizzo of Fairy Tail are blood relatives."_ Chapati said. _"And looking at them now, I can see a family resemblance."_

Rizzo's jaw clenched as her and Mavi's faces were brought up side-by-side on the lacrima vision.

 _"Well, that rumor is true."_ Yajima said. _"Mavi is Rizzo's maternal cousin. However, the two have never gotten along, and about two decades ago they practically cut all ties between each other."_

Sting tilted his head wondering why Mavi never mentioned being related to Rizzo. Did he hate his cousin that much?

 _"Oh family drama!"_ Lavian said. _"How exciting. Too bad Rizzo isn't in the contest. I'm sure it'd make for an exciting fight if the two estranged cousins fought."_

"The drama within our family is not for your all's entertainment." Mavi spoke up. "I believe we can actually agree on that, can't we, cousin?"

Mavi glanced over at Rizzo in the stands, and she just nodded stiffly since she couldn't bring herself to actually say the words. Mavi smirked when seeing the hate burning in her eyes.

 _"Just look at those looks of hatred folks."_ Chapati said. _"I don't know what has happened between the two cousins to bring such hate between them, and I suppose we'll never know. Now moving on to the rest of our contestants. From Fairy Tail Team C we have the lovely kunoichi Amarante."_

Bickslow and Freed cheered loudly for Amarante as Laxus grinned knowing Amarante had this one in the bag.

 _"Lastly the celestial bombshell from Fairy Tail Team A—Lucy!"_ Chapati finished announcing the contestants.

Rizzo blinked while certain that they forgot to mention someone. But who was it? She tilted her head trying to figure out who it was as Chapati commented that the scenery was quite lovely within the water dome.

 _"Such beautiful and enticing ladies!"_ Lavian said. _"And Mavi doesn't look out of place amongst them. His beauty matches theirs!"_

Rizzo rolled her eyes at his comment while still stumped as to whom they forgot to announce.

"Hold up." Rizzo heard. "What about me, man? I'm here too."

She blinked before looking down near the bottom of the pool to see Rocker of Quatro Puppy. Ah, that's who they forgot to announce. She then frowned when seeing he was wearing a speedo. He definitely should have went with trunks. She couldn't believe she was thinking this, but even Mavi had the decency to wear trunks. It didn't seem as if she was the only one bothered by Rocker's choice of wear since Lavian scoffed looking to the side displeased.

 _"Who cares?"_ Lavian asked.

"Oh, come on!" Rocker said. "That's harsh!"

 _"It's a deep sea rumble!"_ Chapati said as he ignored Rocker's complaints. _"Try to stay in the water for as long as you can! I hope your ready, ladies, Mavi, cause the Naval Battle is about to begin!"_

The gong then rang, which meant that it was time to start the battle for real, and Lucy didn't hesitate to call upon Aquarius. Most of the contestants were swept away when Aquarius mercilessly formed a large water cyclone to hit them with. However, Juvia, Minerva, and Mavi managed to avoid it. It nearly it Amarante, but she suddenly reequipped into a blue outfit that looked like half kimono and half bikini. The attack was right on top of her when she suddenly turned into seafoam and dispersed as the attack hit her.

 _"Whoa, and Amarante suddenly disappears into the water!"_ Chapati said. _"All the contestants better watch out because that little ninja can pop up anywhere at any time!"_

Rizzo grinned certain Amarante already had a plan in mind. It wouldn't surprise her if Amarante waited for the others to take themselves out until only two to three people remained in the sphere. She would then make her move, and force them out to leave her the victor. Juvia jumped in and took on Aquarius, and since the two were two busy fighting each other, Jenny decided to make her move by kicking out Rocker.

"No boys allowed!" Jenny said.

As Rocker landed outside the sphere, Mavi's brow quirked when hearing Jenny said that.

"Oh, no boys allowed?" He asked then raised his hand. "Well, I have no intention of leaving this sphere anytime soon. So why don't you be a good little girl and leave?"

His hand started to glow, and Rizzo narrowed her eyes knowing what he had planned for next.

"What?" Jenny, who started glowing a dim blue color, asked. "Why would I…do…that?...You know, I don't really feel like playing this game. I think I'll just relax down below."

Everyone was then shocked as Jenny exited the sphere without anyone forcing her out.

 _"What…what just happened?!"_ Chapati asked.

 _"I know that magic."_ Yajima said. _"It's a type of loss magic known as Spirit Manipulation Magic. Basically Mavi controlled the mood of Jenny's spirit. He made her feel the need to relax and rest so strongly that she left the sphere to do so without even thinking about her team and getting points. It might not sound like much, but if master Spirit Manipulation Magic can do much more."_

Rizzo knew there was more to what Yajima just explained, and technically this part of Mavi's power was just a sub base so to speak. It wasn't part of the main whole of what he could do. The power Mavi wielded was scary though it did have one major flaw that anyone could exploit if they knew about it. However, that person also has to be of strong will.

"That's no fair!" Jenny whined from down below. "How could that be allowed?!"

No one besides her guildmates listened to her whines, and Prince sweat-dropped as she threw a tantrum in front of everyone. The fighting continued in the sphere with the other contestants fighting each other as Juvia and Lucy kept going head to head. However, Aquarius decided to bow out to see Scorpio, which meant Lucy had to call on Aries and Virgo for help. And as the men went wild, Craylee rolled his eyes. It's hard to enjoy the fight when he had to listen to all those men sound as if they were in heat.

"How annoying." Craylee said as he scoffed.

He looked back to the fight while ignoring the commentators as they commented having Wendy in the fight would be better than Lucy, which pissed off the blonde. He looked to Juvia as he sensed a spike in her magic. Ever since nearly losing her on Tenrou Island, he has trained himself to be well intuned with her magic energy and signature, so he would know what kind of state she was in, or if she might be in trouble if her magic spikes or fluctuates in an odd way.

"It's time Juvia stops pulling my punches." Juvia said. "Juvia will take all of you out in one fell swoop! With this,"

Juvia raised her hand with water starting to twist and turn around her hand in a rapid manner.

"My newest and most powerful technique." Juvia said. "Unleashed by my second origin, and refined by Craylee-sama's heart!"

Craylee frowned wondering what she had planned. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like it.

"Darling Craylee Love!" Juvia said.

She shot out many powerful water vortexes that seemed to have Juvia's very love for Craylee backing up the attack. He sighed lowering his head since he actually felt a bit embarrassed. He then glared at Breccan and Jaser who were chuckling at his blush. As he was giving them a look that would frighten Satan, Juvia's attack sent Risley and Sherria right out of the sphere. Minerva and Mavi used their different magic to keep the attack from hitting them directly as Aries and Virgo did their best to protect Lucy. There was still no sign of Amarante, but Rizzo had a feeling she was still in the game. Once the attack was over, Juvia swam in the same spot looking pleased with herself.

"Wow, that was really good, Juvia." Amarante said from right beside her.

Juvia gasped whirling to look at the older woman, but then Juvia was suddenly outside the sphere when Amarante just gave her a little push.

"Sorry to have to do this to you." Amarante said waving. "But I promised my team I'd win."

Juvia just blinked before falling down to the ground with a soft thud as Craylee shook his head. Well, at least she gave it her all.

 _"And Amarante sneaks it to take out a strong opponent!"_ Chapati said. _"What a smart move on her part!"_

Amarante turned to look at the last three in the sphere with her, which were Minerva, Mavi, and Lucy.

"So…who's next?" Amarante asked smiling as a short sword appeared in her hand.

"Are you through with hiding like a coward?" Minerva asked.

Amarante chuckled not seeming insulted at all by Minerva's insulting question.

"I only waited for the competition to take each other out." Amarante said. "Isn't that exactly what you did? You might have been visible unlike me, but you still remained out of the fight. Which means the same could be said about you, yes?"

Minerva lightly narrowed her eyes at Amarante, but the teal-haired woman only continued to smile. It was tensely silent for a moment before it was broken by a scream. Amarante's eyes widened with her head snapping to the side to see Lucy who was glowing with a black hue around her. She was withering around in pain and crying.

"Mavi, stop it!" Rizzo snapped. "You were forbidden by Great-Grandfather Avish to ever use that magic on anyone!"

Mavi didn't listen and seemed to amplify whatever he was doing since Lucy screamed even more, which had Natsu shouting her name in worry.

"Great-Grandfather isn't here." Mavi said. "And anyone who is weak like this girl just takes up space, which means she doesn't deserve any mercy."

He then glanced over at Amarante as she suddenly appeared in front of him with her eyes showing her murderous intent as she raised her blade. She went to cut him down, but she was hit back by an invisible force. She frowned turning her eyes on Minerva who was smirking.

"I will be your opponent." Minerva said.

She then sent several spheres of magic at Amarante, who dodged them easily even in the water. She then cut one sphere in half. She narrowed her eyes knowing she would have to beat Minerva quickly, so to get to Lucy, who was still crying out in pain, as soon as possible.

"You will regret your actions." Amarante said. "I do not show mercy to anyone who would hurt my friends let alone the ones who keep me from aiding those dear to me."

Minerva just smirked before trying to use her magic to attack Amarante from behind. The attack made contact, but Amarante turned into sea foam, so the attack wouldn't cause any damage. She reappeared in front of Minerva in an instant, and tried to cut her down. However, Minerva blocked her attack with a magical orb as the two of them continued to fight, Mavi continued to torture Lucy with a bored expression on his face.

"You really are pathetic." Mavi said. "Though I'm not surprised. My cousin always has made friends with the weak. It's like she's drawn to them for some reason, and I find it disgraceful to our family since we are above the weak."

Lucy just tried to stifle another cry of pain when Mavi added on the pain to what she was already feeling. She had to try and fight back. Amarante was trying her hardest to get to Lucy, but Lucy couldn't just wait for help. And if Amarante was distracted in trying to get to her then Amarante might get hurt too. Lucy grit her teeth while reaching for her keys, which had Mavi smirking. This is what he's been waiting for. Lucy pulled out Laelaps's key as Rizzo's eyes widened when realizing what Lucy was doing.

"No, Lucy, don't!" Rizzo shouted.

However, Lucy didn't seem to hear her, or perhaps it was too late because Lucy opened her mouth to speak.

"Open: Gate of the Great Dog, Laelaps!" Lucy ordered.

A bright light appeared in front of her, and soon Laelaps was in front of her looking pissed off. Mavi stopped torturing Lucy who let out a sigh of relief, but even if Lucy wasn't being hurt anymore, a certain spirit was still majorly pissed off.

"How dare you torture my master!" Laelaps snapped as she rushed forward. "I will make sure to return the same pain to you tenfold!"

Mavi just continued smirking even when Laelaps was right in front of him. He raised his hand with Laelaps, who had her fist raised, came to an abrupt stop with her eyes widening.

"I…I can't move my body." Laelaps said. "Why?"

"It was explained earlier." Mavi said. "I can manipulate a person's spirit, or in your case, I can manipulate you since you are a spirit. I have more control on you than I would that master of yours since you have no true physical form. I mean, you have the power to make yourself feel solid to the touch, but it's different than having an actual body. Isn't that right?"

Laelaps just tried to fight against the pull she was feeling, but it was proving impossible.

"Struggle all you want." Mavi said. "I won't make a difference. You are mine to control."

"No, Laelaps!" Lucy called out in worry. "Don't worry! We'll just close your gate!"

However, before Lucy could even try to do that, she was suddenly hit in the gut hard. She gagged in pain with her eyes wide as she looked into Laelaps's horrified expression as tears leaked from the spirit's eyes. The crowd looked absolutely shocked as Laelaps struck her master.

"Alpha!" Laelaps cried.

She then hit Lucy again making her cry even more. She tried to fight against Mavi's control, but she still couldn't stop her body from moving.

"That bastard!" Natsu growled.

"How dare he use Laelaps to attack Lucy!" Gray snapped.

Erza glared while shaking in anger as she had to watch Laelaps sob and cry as she inflicted pain on Lucy. Lucy tried to reach for Laelaps's key to force her gate shut, but her eyes widened when seeing her keys were missing.

"Are you looking for these?" Mavi asked gesturing to the keys Minerva was holding. "Minerva was kind enough to fetch them for me."

Minerva handed him the keys to him then resumed her fight with Amarante when the S-class mage tried to hit her once more with her blade. However, Minerva blocked Amarante. As they returned to fighting, Mavi made Laelaps return to fighting Lucy.

"You won't be able to close her gate now, and even with her key, I wouldn't allow it." Mavi said. "I own her now, and I'll make her beat you bloody to show you how powerless you are."

Laelaps punched Lucy across the face while still trying to fight against the control Mavi had on her.

"I'm sorry, Alpha." Laelaps cried. "So sorry!"

"…It's alright…" Lucy said.

Everyone was shocked when she spoke, and were even more surprised as she raised her head to smile at Laelaps.

"It's going to be okay, I promise." Lucy said. "Because I won't stop fighting. I'll keep fighting until I get you back. I won't let him continue to hurt you, Laelaps."

Laelaps cried even more when hearing Lucy's kind words. Laelaps was physically harming Lucy, but Lucy was more worried about her and how she felt.

"Until you get her back?" Mavi said. "Do you really think you have a chance against me, you blonde bimbo? I have more power than you in one finger. You should give up now. It's the only way I'll stop using your celestial spirit against you."

Lucy shook her head with a look of determination falling onto her features as she looked up at Mavi.

"You want me to give up?" Lucy asked. "Not happening. If I quit after my friends fought so hard, it would be worse than betrayal. And I would never be able to look my celestial spirits in the eye again if I gave up when one of them need me to fight for them the most! Hurt me all you want, I don't give a damn! I'll win and make you pay for hurting one of my spirits!"

"…Alpha…" Laelaps cried then felt her body start to move on her own again. "Run away, Alpha!"

Laelaps then hit Lucy with a punch covered in Sirius's power, which burnt Lucy's skin at the contact. The melee of attacks kept coming after that, which each one being harder than the next. Over in the Sabertooth stands, Miseri was shaking in anger with her pupils slanted into slits as a snarl build up in her throat. She couldn't believe the inhuman decency her guildmates were showing. She felt the urge to ripe them into pieces.

"Your words annoy me." Mavi said with a glare on his face. "I hate when the weak boast that they will continue fighting and that they will win when there is no chance of that happening. Perhaps if I have your spirit beat you until you can barely breathe you'll learn your lesson."

"That is enough!" Amarante shouted as she swerved past Minerva to try and get to Mavi.

But Minerva stopped her again by blasting her with magic that hit and caused damage. Amarante floated there a moment as Minerva chuckled.

"I told you that I'm your opponent." Minerva said. "You'll just have to listen to your friend scream as her little pet beats her close to her death."

Amarante looked down as Minerva and Mavi smirked cruelly thinking they were in control. However, there was a large burst of magic energy from Amarante that had nearly almost everyone gasping. Amarante lifted her head with her violet eyes seeming almost black as she glared murderously at the pair.

"Those two do not realize what they have done." Freed said from the stands.

"Yeah, you don't piss of Amarante." Bickslow said. "What makes it worse for them is that they pissed her off by being cruel to someone she cares about."

Of course, the two of them were angered as well. Everyone in Fairy Tail and everyone close to Fairy Tail and Lucy were feeling sickened and angered by what they were witnessing.

"This was meant to be a friendly competition between guilds, but you two turned it into something else entirely." Amarante said coldly. "I will not be holding back any longer."

Amarante got into a sword stance while closing her eyes for a moment. After taking one breath, her eyes snapped open, and she moved so quickly with her blade that nearly no one saw her move until she was suddenly sheathing her blade. As if clicked into its sheath, the water sphere suddenly divided into multiple sections, which had the crowd gasping.

 _"I don't believe it, folks!"_ Chapati said. _"Amarante cut the water sphere into pieces. Is there a reason for this?"_

 _"I believe Amarante is making it so her opponents have less space to work with."_ Yajima said. _"With the water sliced into sections it means her opponents don't have enough room to recover before being forced out of the water. Of course, it means she has less room as well. Also I think she was putting space between Laelaps and Lucy."_

Laxus knew that had to be the main reason why Amarante sliced up the water. Though he was sure another reason was so put limitations on herself. Amarante always worries that she might go too far in a fight if she's pushed into the point of rage, so she's making sure she can't get her hands on her opponents. However, Amarante can still cause a lot of damage from where she is.

"You fought well, Lucy." Amarante said getting the blonde's attention. "And I know you want to keep fighting, but I'm afraid you might get pulled into my attacks and become harmed if I do not move you from the sphere."

Before Lucy could ask what Amarante was going to do, Amarante raised her blade to point towards the bubble of water Lucy was in.

"Natsu!" Amarante called out getting the Dragon Slayer's attention. "Catch."

Amarante then sliced up the bubble around Lucy with just precise slashes that it removed the water from around Lucy without harming her. Lucy started to fall, but didn't hit the ground since Natsu quickly went to catch her. Laelaps remained in the water looking down on the ground as Wendy and even Sherria ran to give aid to Lucy.

"Thank-you…Thank-you…" Laelaps said repeatedly as she covered her face with her hands.

"No, I should apologize for not getting to you both sooner." Amarante said.

Laelaps just cried before vanishing in a flash of golden light since Mavi released his hold on her. He frowned in annoyance before glaring at Amarante.

"I was just starting to have fun." Mavi said as he raised his hand. "Well, if you're so eager to end this then why don't you just go join you guildmate on the ground?"

He tried to do the same thing he did to Jenny to Amarante, and she did glow for a moment. However, she didn't move.

"That power won't work on me." Amarante said. "I was controlled nearly my entire life when growing up, and I refuse to be forced to do anything against my will again. Now how about you just get out!"

Amarante sliced to the left of her, and people were shocked as the slashing power seemed to ricochet water bubble to water bubble as if bouncing from bubble to bubble before hitting Mavi. He went flying out of the water, which had his guildmates looking on in shock. Mavi hit the ground so hard it cracked at the force. Amarante then turned her eyes onto Minerva who actually looked concerned for a split second.

"You're next." Amarante said as the 5 minute rule kicked in.

Minerva grit her teeth then tried to send many attacks at Amarante. However, Amarante blocked every single one of them. Amarante sent her own barrage of attacks left with the slashes jumping from bubble to bubble like it had done with Mavi. However, these were multiple slashes, and some of them would be deflected before bouncing back at Minerva who was trying to block all the attacks. For what felt like forever the two women tried to hit the other, but with all the attacks being deflected.

 _"Whoa, watch these two women go!"_ Chapati said. _"Neither of them are slowing down, and the five minutes are now…up! Now it's simply a battle for the top spot!"_

Amarante narrowed her eyes knowing she had to try and wrap this up. She would do everything in her power to make sure that Sabertooth didn't take the top spot in this contest after the torment that Lucy went through. Thinking of Lucy had Amarante glancing down to see Sherria and Wendy were still trying to stabilize the girl. Amarante grit her teeth feeling her anger spike even more when seeing Lucy's beaten form.

"You shouldn't allow yourself to be distracted." Minerva said. "Letting yourself worry about the weak makes you weak!"

She then blasted Amarante with several attacks that hit her dead on, and she wasn't able to prepare for them.

"Amara!" Freed shouted in worry.

Everyone then watched as Amarante was forced out of one water bubble into another. She cursed realizing she let herself lose.

"And that is the end of the match, folks!" Chapati said. "While Amarante did land back into the water, she still left it for a split second. This means Fairy Tail Team C will be taking second place!"

Amarante cursed again then glared at Minerva who seemed very smug at the moment. She turned away from the dark-haired woman before dropping down onto the ground near her guildmates who were looking over Lucy.

"Is she going to be alright?" Amarante asked.

Wendy looked up from her work on Lucy as Rizzo was crouched down beside the young Dragon Slayer.

"She's breathing on her own now." Wendy said. "But she's still very weak. Even with mine and Sherria's powers, she is still at risk of not…of not waking up."

"Please, allow me to help."

The group looked seeing Lalita was walking forward past Minerva who glared down at the little girl.

"Lalita, they are the enemy." Minerva said. "Leave them to take care of their own."

"No!" Lalita snapped turning to glare at Minerva. "What you did was wrong! I know you're my guildmate, but I don't agree with what you did! And Lucy-san is Miseri-neechan's friend, so Miseri-neechan would be sad if anything ever happened to Lucy-san!"

Minerva's glare turned harsher, and she reached for the girl, which had Lalita flinching back. However, before Minerva could touch Lalita, Natsu, Gray, Rizzo, and Erza moved in front of her.

"Don't even think about it." Natsu said. "We won't let you hurt her."

Suddenly Sting, Orga, and Rufus moved to Minerva's aid as Dante was unhappily getting Mavi to his feet. Even if he wasn't happy with the guy, he wouldn't leave him there.

"What I do to one of our own is not any of your business." Minerva said. "She's just an orphan child who is lucky we let her in our guild. If I want to teach her some manners, I shall. It might even show her to respect her superiors like how Mavi was teaching your blonde friend to mind her place."

Lalita did feel a sliver of fear run through her, but the fear went away when Miseri appeared beside Minerva.

"Have care how you speak." Miseri said darkly as she glared at Minerva. "If you even think about harming my charge, I'll freeze you solid then shatter you into a million pieces, _Minerva_."

Minerva narrowed her eyes at Miseri though said nothing. Miseri turned her head towards Lalita to nod, so Lalita went to help heal Lucy. Lalita added her sky devil healing magic to Wendy and Sherria's quickly.

"It's sad how you'll help the enemy." Minerva said. "Showing mercy makes you weak."

"That might be how you see things, but it's not my beliefs." Miseri said. "I think hiding behind the power you have with such single-minded bravado is even worse."

Minerva glared at Miseri openly, but Miseri didn't even bat an eyelash at Minerva's glare.

"You forget your place, Miseri." Minerva said. "Should I remind you where you stand within the guild?"

Sting frowned looking in between the two women. He didn't know how to back up. Yeah, Miseri was going against the guild's ways right now, but he couldn't image bringing harm to her.

"Don't you even think about it." Rizzo said as she stepped forward. "Miseri is our friend, and if you try to hurt her, I'll make you wish you were never born."

Natsu stepped up as well while ready to finish what he and Rizzo started the other night at the Sabertooth guildhall. However, Erza motioned them both to stay back. They didn't attack, but they were ready to spring at a moment's notice.

"Although you may be considered the strongest guild in Fiore, you would be wise to head this warning." Erza said. "Listen carefully, making an enemy of Fairy Tail is a decision you will regret."


	102. Too Much Stud Muffin to Handle

Rizzo stood in the infirmary with the others as Gray had his hand rested on her shoulder. She was looking worriedly at Lucy who had finally gotten the first aid treatment she needed from Porlyusica.

"She's going to be okay, isn't she?" Happy asked.

No one said anything at first as they continued to look down at their blonde friend. The door then opened to reveal Teams B and rest of C crowding around the doorway.

"Any word on Lucy's condition?" Juvia asked.

"Is she awake?" Mirajane asked.

Rizzo shook her head in reply to Mirajane's question, which had the white-haired woman looking worried as the two teams piled into the infirmary. It made things a little crowded, but Rizzo could understand why they all wanted to be her, so she wasn't going to complain.

"You guys came." Gray said looking shocked.

"We may be on different teams, but we're all in the same guild." Cana reminded him.

Jaser nodded in agreement as he stood beside Cana with an expression of worry on his face. Natsu's eyes widened slightly when he saw Laxus and even Amarante came. Amarante had a guilty expression on her face as she looked anywhere but at Lucy.

"Laxus." Natsu said. "Amarante."

Amarante didn't even react to the sound of her own name, and Rizzo frowned knowing she had to be feeling guilty. However, she had no reason to feel that way.

"So how is she?" Gajeel asked.

"She isn't out of the woods yet, but she'll pull through thanks to Wendy." Porlyusica said.

"No, it wasn't just me." Wendy said. "We're lucky Sherria and Lalita were there to help out too."

When Wendy brought up the tiny blonde, Rizzo wondered if she and Miseri were alright. Lalita did give aid to Lucy after all, which went against her guildmates' wishes. And then Miseri openly threatened the daughter of the Guild Master without even batting an eyelash. Rizzo hoped neither would of them would be harmed.

"Thank-goodness." Mirajane said.

"I'm glad to hear she hasn't sustained any lasting injuries." Erza said.

That didn't make Rizzo's anger, which had been burning in her stomach even now go away. She wanted to go to her cousin, and beat him within an inch of his life then do the same to the members of Sabertooth Team A.

"They're going to pay." Natsu growled.

"You can sure as hell bet on that one." Laxus said.

The group then looked to Lucy when Happy exclaimed she was waking up. Rizzo moved closer to Lucy's bed to look down at the blonde as her eyes opened. Rizzo smiled in relief when seeing Lucy really was awake. Rizzo had really been worried there for a little while.

"You guys." Lucy said. "I'm sorry."

Everyone was surprised when those words left Lucy's mouth since it was the last thing they expected.

"Say what?" Natsu said. "Why are you apologizing?"

"Because I screwed up again." Lucy said as she covered her face with her blanket.

Rizzo sighed while moving to sit down on the edge of Lucy's bed carefully. She reached out to gently stroke the blonde's head in soothing manner.

"There's no reason for you to apologize, Lucy." Rizzo said.

Lucy peeked up from under her covers to look at Rizzo who gave her a kind smile.

"Yeah, are you kidding? Fourth place is nothing to be sorry about!" Gray said.

"Our team got six points in that round." Wendy made sure to point out.

"Yes, good job." Erza added.

Lucy finally pulled the blanket completely down from her head with a still bothered expression on her face.

"But…I lost my keys." Lucy said.

"I've got them right here." Happy said holding them out to Lucy.

She took them with a happy smile appearing on her face. She held the pouch close before pulling out Laelaps key to give it a loving stroke.

"Thank-you, Happy." Lucy said.

She then passed out again as Rizzo continued to stroke her hair. Rizzo was glad Lucy had her spirits back since she knew it'd bring the blonde comfort.

"I think she's going to be okay." Mirajane said.

"But we still can't let those guys get away with this kind of crap." Cana pointed out.

She was ready to take them all on, and beat the living hell out of them until they begged for mercy, which she would not grant them.

"I feel the same way." Gray said.

"Lousy bunch of scumbags." Gajeel said.

"For once I agree with you." Craylee said.

Everyone then glanced back at the door as it opened to reveal Makarov…and surprisingly Miseri and Lalita who was peeking around shyly the prior.

"Master!" Cana said in shock.

"Unfortunate circumstances, but I'm glad all three teams are here." Makarov said. "I have something to tell you."

Rizzo blinked wondering what was going on. And couldn't it wait until everyone knew Lucy would be okay?

"I was just contacted by the games organizers." Makarov said. "Though I'm not sure it it'll be a help or hindrance to us, we've when asked to consolidate our three teams into one."

The others gasped and exclaimed in surprise as they wondered why they needed to do such a thing.

"Why are they doing that?" Mirajane asked.

"I can explain if you would like." Miseri said, which brought the attention to her. "Since Raven Tail's disqualification it has made the number of teams uneven. The organizers were just going to have you all drop one team to even out the number of teams. However, I just spoke with them earlier to let them know Sabertooth Team B would be dropping out of the games."

Everyone's eyes widened when Miseri said that since they didn't see that coming.

"But why?" Rizzo said. "You told me you were trying to win this so your master would hold up his deal of the bargain you struck with him."

"Yes, that's true." Miseri said. "However, I decided I want nothing from that man or that guild. It used to be a place I could call home, but for too long it's been an entirely different Sabertooth. I tried to turn my back to it all for so long…to ignore the changes, but I can't any longer. I refuse to be in a guild such as that, which is why I will be leaving Sabertooth along with Dante, Divya, and Lalita tonight. I am sorry if our leaving the games causes you any trouble."

Rizzo shook her head since there was no reason for Miseri to be apologizing to them. She could understand.

"But will your Guild Master just let you leave?" Mirajane asked.

"I will handle Master Jiemma tonight." Miseri said. "He won't be pleased, but I believe he'd rather have kind-hearted "weaklings" like us out of his guild than try to keep us around."

Natsu frowned having a feeling Miseri wasn't being completely honest. However, before he could press the matter, Makarov cleared his throat.

"What she says is true." Makarov said. "Since the teams were uneven the organizers had to fix the numbers, so we have to do away with out A, B, and C groups. Now we must form a single fiver person team for the rest of the tournament."

"So we're losing ten members." Erza said.

"But how does this effect our scores?" Carla asked.

Wendy nodded wanting to know as well since she was worried they might be stuck with the lowest while Sabertooth get the highest or something.

"We're only allowed to keep the lower one." Makarov said. "The 34 points."

"But Sabertooth has to do the same and keep their lower one as well." Miseri added.

Well, at least they knew Sabertooth had to be stuck with the lowest score they had as well. Rizzo would have to kick some serious ass if those organizers tried to give Sabertooth the advantage.

"That's totally unfair!" Happy said.

"Fair or not." Erza said. "The decision's been made, so we better accept it."

"Look on the bright side." Cana said. "This just means we're going to be able to put together an even more kick ass team."

Normally Rizzo would jump at the chance to be on said team, but she decided she'd just let Makarov choose without trying to sway him to pick her. If he chooses her, she'll fight with all her might against Sabertooth and anyone else in their way. If not…well, she actually wanted to have the time to speak with Miseri and see how she's going to be now that she's made the decision to leave her guild.

"Well, I wish this would have happened a little bit earlier." Gray said. "Because the only thing we have left now are the two man battles, right?"

"You're wrong." Porlyusica said. "Traditionally there is mandatory day off followed by a battle that involves all members. It's important to choose carefully."

Well, Rizzo couldn't argue with Porlyusica there, but really anyone in the room would be a great choice to be on the untied Fairy Tail team.

"No matter what happens, I'm going to get revenge for Lucy." Natsu said. "If they think they can treat her like that, I'll show them myself that they're dead wrong."

* * *

"You know, I'm kind of surprised you kicked up a fuss when Master didn't choose you for the team." Gray commented as Rizzo stood with the rest of team Fairy Tail.

"I'm a reserve member, so it's not like he skipped over me." Rizzo said.

Gray tilted his head at Rizzo when she just continued to look down into the arena as Bacchus and Rocker stopped a few feet away from Ichiya and whoever was in the bunny suit.

"Besides, do you think any us besides Natsu and Gajeel will be fighting today from our team?" Rizzo asked.

Gray knew that wasn't true. He was sure the crowd would love to see two Dragon Slayers from Fairy Tail and two Dragon Slayers from Sabertooth go head-to-head.

"Yeah, but it doesn't seem like you to okay with just being a reserve member." Gray said. "So what's up?"

"I guess I'm just worried about Miseri and her team." Rizzo said. "I met that Jiemma guy, and even if it was brief, I have a feeling what Miseri told us about him just letting her go with the others isn't completely true."

Gray guessed he could understand why she was so worried. If this Jiemma guy really was so ruthless and strict like he's heard, he's sure that Miseri just won't be able to walk out the door.

"All we can do is be there for her when she needs us." Gray said. "And she's all grown up now, so we can't treat her like the little girl we once knew. We have to let her make her own decisions even if we don't agree with them."

Rizzo frowned knowing that was true, but it didn't mean she had to like it. Finally she focused on the fight, so to get her mind off of things. She watched as Ichiya and the bunny man offered their hands to their opponents who seemed absolutely flabbergasted by the gesture as they hesitantly shook hands together.

 _"Whoa, after all the animosity of today's Naval Battle these fine gentleman are putting civility on display."_ Chapati said.

 _"What a beautiful gesture."_ Lavian said. _"Thank-you very much."_

Ichiya and the bunny then walked away, and Rizzo's brow quirked at how similarly they moved. It was like they moved precisely the same as the other.

"Now, the time has come to share your handsome face with the word!" Ichiya declared loud enough for all to hear.

Up in the Blue Pegasus team booth, Prince leaned over the railing a bit to get a closer look as Ren and Eve stood on either side of him.

"It's so strange, but all the suspense is killing me. Who's in there?" Ren asked as Jenny and Hibiki were making out behind them, which pissed off Ren. "Would you two stop for just a second?!"

The two pulled apart wondering what Ren's problem was as he was glaring at them.

"Ichiya's just about to show us who's in the bunny suit!" Eve said pointing.

"Don't you two want to know?" Prince asked glancing back at them. "I'm curious."

Hibiki stepped forward to look down into the arena as he placed his hand on Prince's head.

"Obscure yourself no more!" Ichiya declared, which caught Prince's attention. "Unmask your true glory!"

The brunette boy looked back to Ichiya and the bunny just as the head of the suit came off. Everyone was shocked to see a feline underneath the suit that looked exactly like Ichiya.

"What…the…hell?" Rizzo asked as her eyes widened in horror.

Gray just shook his head not believing what he was seeing right in front of him. Nichiya, who turned out to be the feline in the suit, and Ichiya then jumped up into the air with sparkles around them as the crowd tried to come to terms with what they were seeing.

"Holy crap." Natsu said.

"It's that cat from Extalia!" Gray added.

He then looked towards Rizzo who was shaking her head at the scene as Nichiya and Ichiya landed on the ground with the same pose.

"Ready?" They asked in unison. "Double stud muffin attack."

Well their "stud muffin attack" was a pretty strong one since it had like everyone gagging and looking sick. Rizzo even turned away to hide her face in Gray's chest.

"My eyes can't take it anymore." She said.

Gray put his arms around her understanding how she felt completely. He placed one of his hands on the back of her head as the other one rested on her lower back.

"Hopefully it'll be over soon." Gray said to try and comfort her.

Rizzo sure hoped so because her eyes really couldn't take two faces like theirs at once. Or deal with their two little "troll" personalities.

"It's Nichiya!" Lily said as he was with the rest of the guild.

"I think I'm going blind."

Lily looked to Sanjū who looked rather green instead of her usual pink color. Her eyes were watering as well as she was looking down at Nichiya and Ichiya.

"Sanjū, look away!" Lily said. "We cannot allow you to lose your eyesight!"

He went to cover her eyes, but most of the damage was already done. What she witnessed will be forever burned into her mind. She wasn't the only one feeling sick or wishing to be blind. Erza was feeling the same way.

"I don't feel so good." Erza said then fainted.

Gajeel gasped in shock then caught Erza before she could fall to the ground and hit her head.

"Hey, pull yourself together!" He snapped.

Erza just groaned looking sick still, which had him frowning in complete annoyance.

"That is totally mow-wow!" Rocker said. "I mean, is that crazy looking cat dude even a member of Blue Pegasus."

"Behold!" Ichiya said.

Nichiya removed his coat and shirt to show his back, which had the Blue Pegasus mark on it. Guess that settled that. However, now people wanted to know how the two even met. The story was told by Nichiya and Ichiya together with too many dramatics for such a simple story that could have been summed up in much fewer words than they used. Not to mention it was also very disturbing, and made Rizzo want to puke even more.

"Make it all go away." Rizzo begged.

Gray stroke her hair as Erza was starting to come out of the faint spell she had.

"I'm sure it'll be over soon." Gray said once more. "Hopefully…."

* * *

Rizzo, who was finally able to watch the matches without feeling sick, watched the second match of the day end with Lamia Scale and Mermaid Heel tying. She knew Lyon was going to get an earful from Sher for going easy on his opponents. Rizzo knew he could have totally done more damage than he had, but he pulled his punches so to speak.

"Sher is so going to chew him out." Gray said looking amused and somewhat pleased by the prospect of Lyon cowering in front of his wife.

Rizzo rolled her eyes at Gray, but couldn't deny that she felt amused too when picturing the same as Gray.

"Well, that's not important right now." Rizzo said. "Now we have to get ready to cheer for Natsu and Gajeel. It's almost time for them to start kicking Sting and Rogue's asses."

"You sound confident in them." Gray commented.

"Of course, I have confidence in them." Rizzo said. "They're going to completely beat the living hell out of those two jerks, and show Sabertooth just what two mages of Fairy Tail can do to their "strongest" mages."

Then Sabertooth would see they are not as invisible as they like to believe they are.

"…but you know…I actually wish I was done there with Natsu." Rizzo said. "We could end this match in two minutes flat."

"Yeah, well, we're glad you're not down there with him." Gray said.

Erza and Laxus nodded in agreement since they both knew the arena wouldn't be left standing if those two were teamed up. Rizzo rolled her eyes at them though said nothing else since the gong rang meaning it was time to start the match. Sting and Rogue rushed forward thinking they'd get this fight started, but they were shocked when Gajeel and Natsu jumped forward first to land the first few blows.

"That's it." Rizzo said grinning.

Sting tried to hit the guys with a breath attack, but they managed to dodge the attack sent at them. Rogue tried to come up behind Gajeel to get a hit in. However, Gajeel used his iron dragon sword to block the attack before sending Rogue flying. Sting called out to his friend in slight worry before his eyes widened as Natsu, who was holding onto Rogue by his head, smashed Rogue's head and Sting's head together before letting them go, so to hit them with a wing attack. Up in the stands, Miseri, who was watching the games with a cloak pulled over her head, so Jiemma wouldn't spot her, frowned slightly.

"I know Natsu and Gajeel are strong, but you two can't be getting beaten this easily." She said.

The two stood not looking too worried, and a part of Miseri hoped they'd step it up. She honestly wasn't sure if she should even care about if they win or not, but there was that side of her that wanted to see them do well. Mostly because she knew what would happen if they lost. However, if they lost it might teach them some needed humility. She then watched as they activated there shadow and white drives meaning they were getting really serious.

"You two better not lose so early in the round." Miseri said. "At least show the crowd you're not all talk."

After saying that Sting sprang into action, and started beating the crap out of Natsu. Gajeel went to help, but he was soon being overwhelmed by Rogue who made his own move. Soon it was Sting and Rogue who had the upper hand while Gajeel and Natsu just had to take blow after blow. Rizzo frowned watching the fight, and her frown deepened when she noticed Sting hit Natsu differently than he had before.

"Something's up with that punch." Erza said. "It was different from the other attacks he's used so far."

"Wait, different how?" Gray asked then noticed the circle on Natsu. "Yeah, you're right! He put a magic circle on him."

Rizzo narrowed her eyes seeing that the circle seemed to prevent Natsu from moving since the pinkette didn't even shift and inch. She then had to watch as the boys were knocked around a bit more. However, they soon changed things around again after Gajeel managed to grab Rogue and Natsu was able to burn off the magic circle.

"Alright." Rizzo said grinning as they slammed the two into the wall. "That's how we do things in the Fairy Tail guild."

"You mean, kick ass and destroy stuff while we're at it?" Gray asked.

"Pretty much." Rizzo said nodding.

Gray snorted rolling his eyes as Erza and Laxus chuckled in amusement at Rizzo's statement. However, just as it seemed as if Natsu and Gajeel were in control, Sting tried something else. He jumped forward trying to take out Natsu with one strong hit, and some were worried Natsu might be out of commission. Rizzo grinned though since she knew she needn't worry.

"Nice try." Rizzo said. "But that isn't enough to stop Natsu."

The dust then cleared to show Natsu had completely stopped the attack with one hand. The ass-kicking continued with Natsu and Gajeel in complete control of the battle. The two didn't let up until the Twin Dragons were on the ground panting for air. Though even if it would have been better if they stayed down, the two got up once more. Rizzo supposed she could respect them for not giving up at least. The two then activated a power that had the crowd shocked since what they activated was the Dragon Force.

"They must be getting desperate if they're resorting to that power." Miseri said as Sting declared he'd handle Natsu and Gajeel on his own. "The Dragon Force, which only First Generations can activate if they consume enough of their natural element and put in extreme conditions that make them so desperate they need it. Second Generations Slayer cannot achieve this power at all, and the Third Generation Slayers are different as well. We can activate the Dragon Force whenever we wish, which I will honestly say gives them an advantage."

As she was saying this, Sting was putting Natsu and Gajeel through a beating all on his own. Sting then jumped into the air while taking a deep breath.

"He does not honestly plan to use that attack while using Dragon Force, does he?" Miseri asked.

She got her answer when Sting let out his holy breath attack, which sent the entire arena into shaking. She frowned since using an attack like that with so many around was reckless since innocent people could get hurt. As the shaking and the dust cleared, it was revealed that a large hole was in the middle of the arena, and went several layers down into the earth.

"Whoa." Rizzo said with wide eyes. "That's crazy."

Gray nodded in agreement as everyone was shocked to see the large hole in the arena.

"Look at the damage he caused." Erza said.

"No kidding." Gray said. "These third generation Dragon Slayers don't mess around."

Rizzo's hands clenched into fists as she watched Gajeel and Natsu fall towards the ground. Sting went after them as Natsu landed on some of the falling rubble. His flames burned around him as he glared up at Sting.

"Fire Dragon: Sword Horn!" Natsu shouted.

He hit Sting hard up to Gajeel who hit Sting with a breath attack that sent Sting crashing into the ground. Sting got up not even seeming fazed, which had the other two Dragon Slayers looking shocked. He then hit them with a barrage of holy magic that they couldn't even try to dodge or block.

"Such power." Erza said.

Rizzo just bit her lip as she had to listen to Natsu and Gajeel cry out in pain from being hit repeated by strong magic. She then had to watch as the two continued to be kicked around. Her hands clenched into fists as the two fell to the ground seemingly down for the count. Sting declared himself the winner, but Rizzo knew this match couldn't be over. Rogue joined Sting down below while thinking it was all over as well.

"This isn't over." Rizzo said as everyone started to think it was over. "They still have fight in them."

Gray and Erza urged them to get up as well as Rizzo stepped forward until she was right against the railing. She placed her hands on the railing then leaned forward.

"Nap time is over, you two!" She snapped. "You had your fun messing around, but it's time to kick ass for real, you hear me?!"

Sting chuckled thinking Rizzo was just in denial that her friends lost, but he was then surprised when he heard faint movement behind him. He turned his head as the two started to move.

"Yeah, we hear you, Rizz." Natsu said chuckling.

"Hard not to." Gajeel said. "You're such a load mouth."

Rizzo got a pissed off expression on her face as she raised her fist.

"Don't make me come down there, and kick your ass myself, Gajeel!" Rizzo shouted out in anger.

Gajeel chuckled with a slightly amused grin on his face as he and Natsu stood straight.

"We can fight later." Gajeel said. "I'm a bit busy now."

Rizzo growled ready to go down there and just win all this herself and kick Gajeel around while she was at it. Gray laughed while holding her back from going down there. Gajeel and Natsu then cracked their bones and stretched their sore muscles while not looking fazed by anything.

"That's impossible." Sting said. "I used my Dragon Force. You shouldn't be standing."

Up in the stands, Miseri sighed since she knew all too well that anyone from Fairy Tail was able to do the impossible. She tried to tell Sting that, but it didn't seem as if he listened. This fight was as good as over now with Fairy Tail going to be the winners.

"And Sabertooth's time has come to an end." Miseri said as she stood. "No matter what happens tomorrow, I know Fairy Tail will come out on top….even if they can be a bit ridiculous at times."

She added this when Natsu and Gajeel started bickering and fighting amongst each other. Their bickering ended with Natsu throwing Gajeel into a mine cart to get rid of him for the rest of the match. As Natsu declared his own one vs. two battle against Sting and Rogue, Rizzo grinned.

"Now things are really going to turn into something interesting." She said.


	103. Bonds of Friendship Are Meant to Last

Rizzo continued to grin as Natsu motioned the two younger—technically older—Dragon Slayers forward.

 _"Insanity!"_ Chapati called out. _"Natsu Dragneel has declared his own one on two battle against the Twin Dragons! We could be witnessing history!"_

The crowd cheered in response to his claim as the three Dragon Slayers below continued to face off.

"Are you getting fired up?" Natsu asked.

"You bet we are!" Rizzo shouted. "Now teach those two punks a lesson they'll never forget!"

Gray chuckled at his girlfriend as she continued to cheer on Natsu. It used to annoy him how much Rizzo cheered for Natsu, but as long as she had that happy smile on her face, he could live with it. Down below the two Twin Dragons seemed angered by Natsu thinking he could take them both on at once. They quickly activated their Dragon Force as if that was going to end it all right there.

"They rely on that power too much." Jaser said as he stood with the rest of the guild.

"What do you mean?" Cana asked as she looked up at him.

"I understand they can activate it whenever they want, but that doesn't mean they should use it so often." He said. "They think it makes them stronger because they can use it whenever, but I think it's holding them back. We first generation slayers don't have the same luxury they do, so we've always had to train and fight harder and condition our bodies to where we could eventually reach the Dragon Force if we had what we needed to do so. They've never had to do that, so in a way they are the ones who are lacking."

Cana supposed she could see Jaser's point. Those third generation slayers probably do train hard, but they've never had to do like the first generation slayers and get by without the Dragon Force.

"Wow, Jaser, that was really…smart." Max said.

"Yeah, didn't expect you to ever say anything like that." Warren said.

Jaser just blinked at them while knowing they were insulting him, but he just let it slide.

"Jaser might not be the brightest, but he understands Dragon Slayer Magic perfectly and the strength behind it." Craylee said.

The group seemed even more surprised when Craylee said something about Jaser that wasn't an insult. Well, not a complete one anyway. Craylee gave them a look that said they better knock off their staring, so they all quickly looked away from him to focus back on the fight as Sting ran forward. He tried to bunch Natsu, but the pinkette grabbed his fist with ease. A blast of white magic shot behind him as he continued to push against Natsu's hand, but Natsu did not budge.

"This is the power of a true Dragon Slayer!" Sting said. "It's how I killed Weisslogia!"

"Heh, is that so? Then I should use the same kind of power," Natsu began smirking before combusting into flames. "That I use to fight for my friends you laughed at."

He then punched Sting right in the face to send him flying. Rogue tried to sneak in a breath attack from behind, but Natsu whirled around to counter it with his own breath attack that overpowered Rogue's. Both of the Twin Dragons were now down, but they quickly got up. Natsu motioned them forward looking eager to continue.

"I think he's having fun." Gray said. "He's just grinning away like an idiot."

"Natsu's one of a kind." Erza said. "He can increase his own power as a response to his opponents. He draws from it like an unending source. So the better they are the better he performs."

"I can sum that up in simple terms." Rizzo said. "Natsu's just awesome!"

Erza, Gray, and Laxus laughed at Rizzo's claim as she sat on the stone railing on their booth to continue watching the fight on the lacrima vision. The fighting continued with Natsu winning, but those Twin Dragons weren't giving in at all. They kept coming back for more even though Natsu just kept knocking them down. It didn't matter what kind of attack they used because Natsu countered it and hit back with even more force. The two then started to try a unison raid.

"A unison raid, huh?" Rizzo asked grinning. "They must be getting desperate."

Gray looked at her seeing that she didn't seem worried at all for Natsu's safety. In fact, she looked even more excited as to what was going to happen. The Twin Dragons sent the attack right at Natsu who didn't even make a move to get out of the way. Some of their guildmates shouted for him to get out of the way, but Rizzo knew he didn't need to. She had complete faith in him because she knows how strong Natsu is. She just raised her hand in the Fairy Tail salute as did everyone else in the guild.

"We're here, Natsu." She whispered. "And we believe in you."

As if Natsu heard her, he grinned down below while feeling the support from his guildmates. As long as they were with him, he could win any battle. He took a breath while getting into his own stance to fire his own attack.

"Fire Dragon Secret Art," Natsu began then moved his arms in a pinwheel motion. "Flame Lotus Exploding Flame Blade!"

His attack hit theirs, and even though they used a unison rain, Natsu's attack overpowered theirs. The attacks clashed and sent shockwaves through the entire arena. The lacrima vision went blurry for a moment, but Chapati promised it would be fixed in a moment. It took some time, but soon the image was back up. All three Dragon Slayers were still standing, but Miseri knew this fight was over. She was proven right as Sting and Rogue both fell to the ground in defeat.

 _"Unbelievable."_ Chapati said. _"The last man standing is Fairy Tail's Natsu Dragneel!"_

Natsu raised his hands doing that crazy laugh of his as the bell rang meaning the fight was over.

 _"Let's hear it for Natsu who singlehandedly took down Sabertooth's Twin Dragons!"_ Chapati said. _"It's a huge win for Fairy Tail! They moved into first place! What an exciting way to end day four of the Grand Magic Games! We're giving the fighters a day to recuperate, and then it's on to the thrilling conclusion! It's all cultivating in one ultimate match! A game that puts every team member on the field to duke it out in a battle royal. Only one guild gets the title, folks! So you won't want to miss it!"_

Rizzo just laughed excitedly as she hugged Gray who hugged her in return as he smiled. They all then went to go greet Natsu at the bottom, and Rizzo ran a bit of head of them while eager to see him. Once she saw him walking into the tunnel, she ran even faster towards him.

"Natsu!" She called out.

Natsu grinned at the sight of her then opened up his arms to her, so she could run right into them. She did just that, and he laughed as he put his arms around her tightly. He even spun her around while keeping a tight hold on her. Erza and Gray caught up while smiling at the pair.

"So were you worried there for a second?" Natsu asked Rizzo as she pulled back a bit.

"Of course not." Rizzo said snorting. "I know how strong my best friend is, so I knew those Twin Dragons didn't stand a chance."

Natsu smiled at Rizzo's faith in him before he looked to Gray, Happy, and Erza as they were smiling. He and Happy shared a high five as Natsu kept one arm around Rizzo's shoulders.

"Way to go, Pal!" Happy said.

"Let's go tell Lucy Fairy Tail's back on top!" Natsu said.

He was sure she'd be excited to hear about his win against Sting and Rogue without Gajeel's help.

"That was pretty freaking awesome, man." Gray said.

"Thanks, dude!" Natsu replied. "I had fun."

He then looked towards Erza as she placed her hand on his shoulder in a kind gesture.

"What you did today deserves genuine praise." Erza said. "You're really something else, Natsu."

"Ya think?" Natsu asked.

"Yes." Erza said then smashed his head against her armor in her form of a hug.

And since Rizzo was in between the two it meant her head hit the hard armor as well. She groaned crouching down to hold her aching head as Sanjū, who had joined them with Lily, pat her knee in a comforting manner.

"I applaud your victory." Lily said. "But do you know what happened to your partner?"

"Oh, you mean Gajeel." Natsu said. "Yeah, that jerk ran off in the middle of the fight. Did he just forget he was on my team all of a sudden?"

Lily looked off to the side not believing that Natsu had things twisted around in his memory.

"More like you forgot what you did to your teammate." Lily said.

"That's classic Natsu." Happy said from Lily's right with a laugh.

"Unfortunately that is true." Sanjū said from Lily's left as she nodded.

Happy just continued grinning in amusement while Lily was completely and utterly unamused. Rizzo, who finally got over her aching head, stood up beside Gray and Erza.

"Be sure to remember that tomorrow is a day of rest." Erza said. "And then it's onto the final round."

"I can't wait for that." Gray said. "We're going to be number one in Fiore again."

"And if Gajeel got hurt on his little trip down the mineshaft that means I'm being brought into the games, which means it's time for me to kick some ass." Rizzo said grinning then caught Lily's frown. "Not that I'd want Gajeel to be hurt or anything."

Lily gave her a "you can't fool me" look that had Rizzo smiling at him in a sheepish manner. He sighed shaking his head as Happy was snickering off to the side.

"And when all that's done I'll fight the three of you turkeys for the number one spot in the guild!" Natsu said.

"I'll be ready." Erza said chuckling.

"Let's just get past these games first, okay, guys?" Gray suggested.

"Aw, do we have to wait?" Rizzo asked. "I'm ready to go right now!"

Natsu grinned seeming to think the same, which had Gray shaking his head at them.

"How about we go check on Lucy first?" Erza suggested before a brawl could start.

Natsu's eyes lit up at the mention of Lucy, and he was quick to hurry off in the direction of the infirmary. Rizzo watched him go with a smile on his face.

"Someone's excited to see a certain blonde." Gray commented.

Rizzo chuckled at his comment as the rest of them followed after Natsu. It wasn't a secret that Natsu cared deeply for Lucy. In all honesty, Rizzo thought Natsu would put Lucy above everyone else in his life even her and Happy, and that doesn't really bother her since she knew the two had a close bond. However, she wasn't sure if Natsu himself was aware of how close he's grown towards Lucy. Maybe someday he'll realize it. The group caught up to Natsu just as he reached the infirmary door. He opened it up with all of them stepping in. Lucy smiled at her guildmates as they all grinned in return.

"It's good to see you." Lucy said.

"You're not going to ask how it went?" Natsu asked.

Lucy just smiled with a small blush on her cheeks as she gazed at Natsu in a tender manner.

"I don't need to." Lucy said. "I told you I believed in you since the very beginning."

Natsu's grin softened into a kind smile, and Rizzo smiled as she looked between the two. Yeah, there was definitely something there.

"But this still ain't over." Natsu said. "We're just getting started."

"We've still got to win this thing. Well, don't we?" Wendy asked.

"Of course, Child." Carla replied. "We've come this far after all."

And if it was one thing that members of Fairy Tail didn't do, it was give up, especially after coming so far.

"Can you believe we started off at the bottom of the barrel?" Elfman asked.

"The audience had the gall to boo us." Evergreen added.

That was something she had not appreciated one bit, but at least the booing had turned into cheers in the end.

"We suffered defeat and humiliation along the way." Erza added.

"But now we can practically taste victory." Gray said.

"And victory is going to be ours." Rizzo said confidently. "Like I said on day two from here on out all we're going to do is win."

Gray nodded smiling down at Rizzo as he put his arm around her shoulders to place his hand on her shoulder.

"Natsu, remember what you said?" Lucy asked. "It was right after I lost my fight against Flare. You told me that zero points was a great place to start an epic comeback."

"That's right!" Natsu said then held up his fists. "We're climbing back to the top. Fairy Tail mages never back down, and we're not starting now."

They were all then shocked when Makarov appeared suddenly to jump on Lucy's bed and strike a pose.

"Let's win the 30 million jewel!" Makarov said.

"That's not why we're here!" Everyone retorted in unison.

Makarov just continued grinning as he thought about the money, so his children brushed him off.

"First place!" Natsu said. "Ya with me?!"

"Yeah!" They all cheered in reply.

As everyone laughed and talked excitedly about tomorrow, Rizzo suddenly grew a bit somber as she thought back to Miseri and her group. Would they really be okay? And what about those Twin Dragons? What would be their fate now?

* * *

Sting and Rogue sat in the infirmary in silence after the medics saw to their wounds. None of their guildmates came to see them, but it wasn't as if that was a surprise to them. They did lose, and they knew what was going to happen once they returned to the inn to face the guild. The only ones that were with them were Lector and Frosch, and the both of them were silent as well. Suddenly there was a knock on the door that had the two looking towards it. It opened up, and they were surprised to see Miseri there along with Lalita. Violet was with them as well, which had Lector perking up a bit.

"May we come in?" Miseri asked.

Sting just looked away feeling ashamed that she had to see him in such a beaten up state. Since it seemed as if Sting wasn't going to answer, Rogue looked to Miseri.

"Yes, of course." He said nodding.

Miseri nudged Lalita forward gently, and she went over to Rogue's bed first since it was closest. He watched as she started using her sky healing magic on him, which started to lessen the pain he had been feeling. Violet climbed onto Rogue's bed to sit beside Frosch as Lalita continued healing the Shadow Dragon Slayer.

"Why are you helping us?" Rogue asked.

"We're still guildmates until Miseri-neechan speaks with Master Jiemma about leaving the guild." Lalita said. "And guildmates are meant to look after each other."

"That may be so, but it isn't like that in our guild." Rogue said as he looked away.

"Which is the problem with the guild right now." Miseri said.

She then shut the door behind her to move over to Sting's bed. She sat down on the edge, and Sting looked at her back, which she had turned towards him.

"So you're really leaving the guild?" Sting asked.

"Yes." Miseri said. "I can no longer remain there, and I do not want Lalita to grow up there any longer."

Sting frowned wondering if that meant she would cut all times to him and Rogue as well. He honestly didn't like the thought of Miseri leaving him. In fact, his chest ached just thinking about it.

"What will you both do now?" Miseri asked turning her cutting icy blue eyes on them. "To be blunt, with this loss neither one of you will be welcomed within the guild any longer."

Both Dragon Slayers frowned knowing that was true. The second they showed their faces back at the motel, Jiemma will do to them like he did to Nook and Yukino.

"I don't know." Rogue spoke up first. "I wouldn't know where to go after this."

Sting just remained silent, so Miseri took that as he didn't know his future plans either. Sting then lifted his head to look to Miseri as she looked away again.

"And what about you?" He asked. "What are your plans, Miseri?"

Miseri was silent for a long moment as Lalita continued to heal Rogue's wounds as best as she could. She wouldn't be able to heal him completely, but she'll at least be able to ease the pain he was in by healing some of his injuries.

"I was given an invitation to join the Fairy Tail guild by its Master—Master Makarov." Miseri spoke finally.

Sting and Rogue's eyes widened when hearing this. The Fairy Tail guild wanted to welcoming Miseri into its ranks.

"Not only me." Miseri said. "Master Makarov said Lalita, Dante, Divya, Nook, Yukino, and even the two of you were welcomed to join Fairy Tail if we had nowhere else to go."

They couldn't believe their ears. The master was even willing to offer them a place within the guild.

"Why?" Sting asked. "Why would he extend an invitation to mages of Sabertooth?"

"I asked him that myself." Miseri said as she thought about the conversation she had with Makarov.

-FLASHBACK-

 _Miseri walked through the hall that would take her away from the arena when she sensed someone behind with a familiar scent. She turned her head seeing Makarov standing there._

 _"Master Makarov." Miseri said as she turned completely to face the man. "Is there something you need from me?"_

 _"No, my dear, I just came to see how you were." Makarov said. "It mustn't have been easy seeing your two guildmates be defeated like that."_

 _Miseri lightly frowned as she looked off to the side. In all honesty, it hadn't been easy since she knew what awaited Sting and Rogue now that they were defeated. She knew for a long time they turned a blind eye to those who suffered the same fate they were going to, but she felt sad that they would have to go through the same._

 _"It was…difficult." Miseri said. "But it isn't as if I will be part of the guild for long, so what happens to its members will not be my concern, I suppose."_

 _Makarov knew that even if Miseri said that that a part of her would always worry about her former guildmates. It was obvious to him that Miseri had a strong attachment to her guildmates. To her they were like her family like his children of Fairy Tail were to him. However, now she would be leaving that family, which brings him to why he sought her out._

 _"Miseri, have you thought about where you would like to go after all this?" Makarov said. "Do you have plans on the path you will now take?"_

 _Miseri didn't reply for a moment, but then shook her head slightly since she didn't have a full plan. She hadn't been expecting to leave Sabertooth during the games, but after seeing what Minerva and Mavi did during the Naval Battle…well, she couldn't stay with guild who encourages such behavior anymore._

 _"Then why not come to Fairy Tail?" Makarov asked._

 _Miseri's eyes widened at the invitation since she had not been expecting to receive one._

 _"You would be welcomed there along with your friends who all have nowhere to go." Makarov said. "That includes the Twin Dragons."_

 _Miseri was even more surprised that he extended the invitation to Sting and Rogue._

 _"But Sabertooth is Fairy Tail's biggest rivals." Miseri said. "Why would you invite former members to be a part of Fairy Tail?"_

 _Makarov smiled kindly as Miseri looked at him with confusion and a wish for understanding in her eyes._

 _"I am not the type of man who would ignore children who need a home." Makarov said. "Besides, what's in the past is in the past. I hold no grudges against you or your friends…though I cannot forgive so easily the treatment done to Lucy in the Naval Battle."_

 _Miseri nodded understanding that much. If she was Makarov, she'd probably never forgive Mavi and Minerva._

 _"But we will not worry about that." Makarov said. "Just know that if you are ever in need of somewhere to stay, the doors to Fairy Tail are always open."_

 _He then walked away leaving Miseri standing there with much to think about._

-END OF FLASHBACK-

"And that's what he said." Miseri finished as she looked to Sting, who was now being healed by Lalita, and Rogue. "Even after everything Sabertooth has done to Fairy Tail, Master Makarov is kind enough to offer us a home."

Sting frowned looking down at the top of his sheet. He didn't like the thought of joining Fairy Tail. Not after everything he's done…besides, his heart still truly lies in Sabertooth even if he knows he won't be there much longer.

"I'm not sure if I'll join either." Miseri said when she saw Sting's expression. "Maybe I just wasn't cut out for guild life. But Lalita seems to like the Fairy Tail mages, and Wendy would be a nice friend for her, so perhaps it wouldn't be so bad."

It was true that Lalita liked Wendy. In fact, Lalita trusted the other sky slayer. Lalita even told Wendy how she came to be part of Sabertooth and under Miseri's care.

-FLASHBACK-

 _"So you don't remember anything before Miseri found you in that small town?" Wendy asked as she and Lalita sat together outside the infirmary._

 _Lalita shook her head as she pulled her legs to her chest while mindful of her skirt._

 _"I just woke up suddenly in this town." Lalita said. "It wasn't a pretty sight either. Buildings were burning, people screaming…and so much blood and bodies on the ground. It was like being stuck in the middle of a nightmare. I was so scared, and I didn't know what to do…I just started walking around almost like in a daze as I tried to comprehend what was happening."_

 _Wendy's eyes widened as did Carla's as the white feline sat in between the two girls._

 _"I had blood on me as well, but it barely even registered to my mind." Lalita said. "My only concern was trying to figure out how I came to that place, and how come I couldn't remember anything…not even my name. Then suddenly Miseri-neechan appeared in front of me. Apparently she had been sent to that village to deal with a demon problem along with Dante-kun. However, the demon had already been taken care of…by me."_

 _Wendy gasped as Lalita tightened her hold around her legs, so they were almost pressed painfully tight to her chest._

 _"At least that's what the villager's said as things started to calm down." Lalita said. "They said I was the one to kill the demon, but before its death it hit me with some kind curse or something that made me loose consciousness. I guess it might have wiped my memories as well…or perhaps I didn't even know who I was before that. All I know was that I was scared and didn't know what to do. But Miseri-neechan decided she would take me with her…I guess ever since then I've remained at her side and even became a member of Sabertooth. Ever since then Miseri-neechan has been trying to figure out who I am, so I can learn about my past…she even found my bag amongst the debris of that village and it had my name written inside, so I at least knew what my name is."_

 _"Have you found out anything else since then?" Wendy asked._

 _Lalita shook her head. Miseri has tried as hard as she can to try and find answers for Lalita, but has so far turned up nothing. Lalita then looked to Wendy as the bluenette gently took her hands into her own._

 _"I'll help you look for answers too!" Wendy promised. "Because we're friends now!"_

 _Lalita's eyes widened when Wendy said that so sincerely. Lalita has never had a friend. Miseri and Dante and her guildmates not counting since they were family…but now she had an actual friend. Lalita smiled at Wendy while feeling her eyes tear up a bit…she made a friend._

-END OF FLASHBACK-

Lalita honestly wouldn't protest to being part of the Fairy Tail guild, but…she would miss Sting and Rogue…and Orga and Rufus….and Yukino and Nook. Though the latter two might come join Fairy Tail, but there was still no guarantee.

"So you're really leaving the guild." Sting stated. "Leaving us?"

"I can't stay in Sabertooth any longer if things are going to remain as they are." Miseri said honestly. "Sabertooth has become corrupted, and I can no longer remain silent and just watch it continue."

Sting's frown deepened though he didn't want Miseri miserable. He wanted her happy, and if being away from Sabertooth did that…maybe he should encourage her to join Fairy Tail.

"But that doesn't mean I am cutting you and Rogue out of my life." Miseri said as she turned to look at them again. "You both are dear to me because you're my friends."

Sting and Rogue's eyes widened to hear this, but Lalita smiled since she knew Miseri cared about her fellow Dragon Slayers.

"Fro and Lector too?" Frosch asked as the green Exceed blinked over at Miseri.

Miseri actually gave a kind smile to the Exceed as Violet pat Frosch on top the head.

"Yes, you and Lector too." Miseri said. "You are my friends as well."

Frosch smiled when hearing that, and Lector knew Sting would be happy if Miseri still allowed them in her life.

"We will all remain friends even if our paths lead in different directions." Miseri promised as she reached out to place her hand over Sting's.


	104. Roster Change

Rizzo laughed shaking her head as she watched Natsu and Gray argue with each other. She usually would butt in, and make Gray leave Natsu alone. However, they seemed to be having fun in their own way, so she would leave them be.

"You can do it, Natsu!" Happy said as he did a little dance.

Sanjū shook her head as she tried to enjoy her tea in peace, but it was hard with a guild like this one. Especially when they were all fired up.

"Those two bump heads more than a couple of goats in heat." Carla said. "It's embarrassing."

However, she was quite used to it by now, so she knew the two weren't ever going to stop their bickering.

"I understand that they're polar opposites, but I don't really get how two friends could fight so much." Wendy said.

"Wait, Fire and Ice are going at it, and you'd find that surprising?" Lily asked. "Give me a break."

Wendy guess he had a point. Fire and Ice just don't mix, right? They just naturally weren't meant to coexist.

"Please, those two could have similar magic and still get into arguments like this." Sanjū said sighing.

There was a murmur of agreement from people who were watching the two fight as they usually do.

"Cut it out, you two!" Lucy snapped as she pointed at them.

The two did stop for a moment to look at her as she gave them a stern glare. Rizzo grinned certain a small lecture was about to happen. She was just glad to see Lucy back with the rest of them where she belonged.

"You destroyed the place once already, isn't that enough for one week?" She asked.

"Killjoy." Natsu and Gray said in unison.

Lucy almost rolled her eyes, but resisted the urge to do so. And it seemed as if her words fell on deaf ears because the boys continued to tussle.

"We have a day off, so if they get hurt, they'll have time to heal." Mirajane pointed out. "I say, let them have their fun."

"Uh, Mira, I think you might be missing the point a little." Lucy pointed out.

"There's nothing wrong with them blowing off a little steam, Lulu." Rizzo pointed out.

Lucy frowned because Rizzo wasn't helping matters either. However, she supposes she's just glad that Rizzo hasn't jumped into the fight. Things would really become crazy if she did. Lucy then turned to Makarov as he was having a few drinks with Master Mavis and Master Raoul. Or rather he was doing all the drinking as those two kept him company.

"Hey, Master," Lucy called out as she pointed at the boys. "Are you just going to ignore them?!"

Makarov set down his glass long enough to glance over at the two tussling boys.

"I suppose this does call for a stern talking too." Makarov said as he stood up. "Natsu!"

Natsu looked over at Makarov curiously as the old man pointed at the pinkette.

"Fight for real." Makarov said. "Don't squabble. Show the same kind of spirit you did in the arena today!"

"Seriously?!" Lucy demanded.

Raoul let out a laugh at the rambunctiousness of this guild as Elfman and Mirajane agreed Natsu should give it his all. Rizzo was laughing behind her hand as well as the two shoved each other way while getting ready to bring magic into the fight.

"You heard the old man, Gray." Natsu said as his fist lit up. "Get ready to cry."

"Oh yeah?" Gray asked as he got into an ice-make stance. "Let's see if you can make good on that little threat."

The two went to attack each other, but poor Happy, who had just wanted to eat his fish, got caught in the attack instead, which resulted in him being frozen in ice while his fish was burnt to a crisp.

"My bad." Gray and Natsu said in unison.

"Police!" Happy shouted. "What did I do?!"

He then hit the ground with the ice shattering around him. Rizzo winced knowing that had to hurt.

"Sorry about that, buddy." Natsu said.

"You should have dodge it." Gray pointed out.

He then winced when he was bonked on top of the head by Rizzo who was looking at him sternly.

"You should have been watching where you were throwing your magic." She retorted.

Gray sweat-dropped since it wasn't like she had room to talk. She's hit plenty of their guildmates with her magic when they weren't even her target.

"So mean." Happy cried from on the ground.

Couldn't he just enjoy his fish without being hurt by his own best buddy in the entire world?

"Don't worry, Happy." Breccan commented from where he sat at one of the tables. "They'll get what's coming to them."

Lucy and Rizzo blinked at him in confusion, so he pointed towards Erza. They looked towards the redhead seeing she was shaking in barely suppressed anger. When Rizzo saw that Happy's burnt fish landed in Erza's cake, she knew why Erza was so pissed off.

"I think she's going to blow!" Lucy said as she ducked behind Rizzo for protection.

Erza got up from the table to walk over to the two boys. She grabbed them their hair to pull them apart.

"That's enough!" She snapped as she slammed the two of them together.

Rizzo winced knowing they would be feeling that one in the morning because they hit each other hard.

"Sorry, ma'am." They whimpered.

"Gees, calm down, Erza." Rizzo said. "You're just pissed off they ruined your cake."

Erza turned her eyes onto Rizzo to glare at her, but Rizzo just blinked at her in return.

"If it makes you feel better, I'll make you a from scratch cake myself to replace the slice you just lost." Rizzo said.

Erza lost the glare in her eyes when Rizzo promised Erza one of her homemade cakes.

"Rizzo can bake?" Wendy asked Lucy.

Lucy shrugged because she had no idea. She's never seen Rizzo use a kitchen before.

"Rizzo is amazing at baking sweets." Mirajane said smiling. "She just rarely does it anymore because everyone from the guild had become spoiled on them at one point."

Lucy's eyes widened since she had no idea Rizzo was such a good baker. In fact, Rizzo just didn't give off the kind of vibe that would suggest she liked working in a kitchen.

"But what's funny is that she can't cook." Levy pipped up. "I've seen her bake dessert after dessert, but if she tries to cook an actual meal, she messes up in some way, like majorly."

"How is that possible?" Lucy asked.

"Well, it was the same way with her grandmother." Craylee said. "Mercury-san always made us sweets and treats, but Master Roscoe handled cooking the actual meals since Mercury-san always burnt the food."

Lucy sweat-dropped guessing it was a family thing. Rizzo frowned at all of them while wondering if they forgot she was even here.

"Hmm, I suppose I could forgive these two if I was to receive one of your homemade desserts." Erza said then looked to Natsu and Gray. "Be grateful to Rizzo for saving your lives."

The two paled at her words then let out sighs of relief as they walked away from her. They then crawled over to Rizzo to hug her legs.

"You're the best, Rizzo." They said in unison.

She snorted rolling her eyes, but she did have an amused smile on her lips as she reached down to pat the tops of their heads. The door then opened to the bar with an annoyed looking Gajeel walking in.

"Gajeel." The four exceeds greeted as the Iron Dragon Slayer walked into the bar.

"If I never seen another mine car again, it'll be too soon." He grumbled.

He hated those things, and wished that they never existed in the first place because they were evil.

"Where have you been?" Happy asked. "You missed all the cake!"

"Yeah, jerk, why'd you take off in the middle of our match?" Natsu asked as he stood up.

Gray got onto his feet as well to stand beside Rizzo while putting his arm around her waist.

"Here we go." Gray said shaking his head.

Gajeel walked right over to Natsu to butt heads with him while looking very annoyed.

"For real?!" Gajeel demanded. "I just spent half the day crawling out of a whole in the ground because the lava-brained tool in front of me put me down there!"

Natsu blinked seeming confused for a moment before he turned to look at Gray and Rizzo.

"Is that true, Gray, Rizz?" He asked.

"I seriously worry about your lack of brain cells." Gray said frowning.

He grunted when Rizzo lightly elbowed his side in warning. He pouted while tightening his arm around her to pull her closer.

"That must have been real rough for ya." Natsu said chuckling.

"What's your deal?!" Gray demanded.

He honestly—even after all this time—still didn't get Natsu sometimes. It just shouldn't be possible for someone to be as forget as him.

"Ugh, just forget it." Gajeel said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Anyway, you two, come with me now. I've got something to show ya. You too, White Sand!"

Jaser, who had been sitting at a table with Cana, who was leaned into his side, glanced over at Gajeel with a curious look in his eyes. Rizzo blinked wondering if whatever was going on was a Dragon Slayer thing since Gajeel told their first generation slayers that they needed to come with him. She tilted her head wondering if it could be relevant to Miseri as well. Would she like to join them? Rizzo then frowned knowing Miseri was probably busy dealing with guild at the moment. She hoped everything would go alright for the Ice Dragon Slayer.

"Hey, Rizzo, do want to come with?" Natsu asked as the group of Dragon Slayers started heading out. "And what about you, Erza?"

Their exceeds were going with them, and Lucy and Gray looked as if they wanted to join in.

"I have to make Erza's cake, so I better stay here." Rizzo said. "Honestly, it sounds interesting, but a promise is a promise."

"And I need to be here to eat said cake, so I must decline as well." Erza said nodding.

Rizzo and Erza waved the group off, and Gray gave Rizzo a kiss on top the head before he left with the others.

"Alright, I better get started." Rizzo said as she removed her jacket.

Erza smiled feeling excited for Rizzo's cake as Rizzo went to get started by using ingredients behind the bar. As Rizzo got what she needed, she still worried about Miseri. She prayed Miseri was going to be alright.

* * *

It was extremely silent in the Sabertooth guild as Sting and Rogue stood in front of their master. They had gotten out of the infirmary not long ago, and knew it was time to face Jiemma who would undoubtedly banish them from the guild.

"Well, Sting, Rogue." Jiemma finally spoke. "What should I do with you two?"

The two remained absolutely silent as they looked down at the ground knowing that nothing would help them at this point.

"No answer, huh?" Jiemma mocked. "I thought you were true Dragon Slayers. You used to love reminding us. Always telling us you're the epitome of strength, isn't that right? So imagine my surprise when you shamelessly got your asses handed to you by another Dragon Slayer. What do you have to say for yourselves?"

It was silent for a moment longer before Rogue finally opened his mouth to speak.

"You spelled it out clearly." Rogue said. "We were defeated. Natsu was somehow able to subdue us without using the full extent of his power. He possess strength far beyond what we imagined. He may be unbeatable."

Rogue only spoke his mind, which was still reeling from the battle they had gone through. He just couldn't understand how Natsu managed to do what he did. Jiemma got up from his seat to stand before Rogue and Sting with a crater at his feet.

"That sounds like the whining of a weakling to me." Jiemma said. "Is that what I'm hearing? Well?! I don't recall asking for your pitiful excuses, Rogue. And I never asked you to embarrass me like this."

He then started to glow as his magic energy spiked due to the anger he was feeling.

"You disgraced our name as the mightiest guild!" He snapped.

He let out a blast of power that sent Sting and Rogue rolling across the ground. Sting winced since his wounds still weren't completely healed even with Lalita's help. Lector and Frosch ran to their Dragon Slayers in worry while hoping they weren't too injured.

"Worms like you aren't fit to call yourselves member of Sabertooth!" Jiemma snapped.

He then threw Rogue into a wall once more, which cracked due to the rough impact. He kicked Sting next, which had him cracking into the other wall. They both fell to the ground while lying there for a moment.

"Get out." Jiemma said. "I don't want to see your faces here again, and if you see that bitch Miseri, tell her if she's smart that she'll never let me see her again either."

Sting lifted his head to glare at Jiemma for what he had called Miseri, and for the clear threat in his voice.

"Should your words frighten me, Master Jiemma?"

Everyone gasped while turning to see Miseri walking through her guildmates who moved to the side to let her pass. Violet was walking with her, but paused to stand at Sting's side as the White Dragon Slayer remained on the ground. Lector was on her other side while worried about her being here. Jiemma could hurt her and Miseri like he did to Sting and Rogue.

"No, I suppose I should call you Jiemma-san now." Miseri said. "I just came to formally leave the guild, so there was no confusion as to what my intentions are."

Sting remained on the ground with his eyes wide. How could she come here? She must know what Jiemma would try to do to her for showing her face.

"And where are the rest of you worms who decided to disgrace us by dropping out of the games?" Jiemma asked as he turned to glare at Miseri.

"They are none of your concern." Miseri said as she narrowed her eyes in return. "We are no longer members of this guild, so where we go and what we do is none of your damn business."

Jiemma growled with his magic building up again, but Miseri didn't seem worried in the slightest.

"You should watch your mouth, girl." Jiemma said.

"Why?" Miseri asked. "I am not like the rest of people here who fear you. The master I had before you was much more terrifying, and after living through everything he put me through, there is nothing you can throw at me that will faze me."

Jiemma couldn't believe the lack of respect he was getting from this little wench. He went to blast her with his magic, but she simply dodge with a bored look on her face.

"There is no reason to be throwing your magic around." Miseri said. "I'm just here to give my formal resignation from the guild, and to take Sting and Rogue with me."

"Do you really think you can just leave without punishment?" Jiemma asked. "After what you've done, you deserve no mercy."

He went to hit her, but she moved to the side before grabbing his arm. Everyone watched in shock as she threw him over her shoulder to slam into the ground.

"If you think I will allow you to place your hands on me, you are very mistaken." Miseri said as she glared down at Jiemma. "I won't hesitate to rip this arm clean off if you try anything else."

She then released Jiemma to start walking away from him. She went over to Sting to crouch down in front of him.

"Are you ready to go, or do you just want to lay there longer?" She asked.

Before Sting could answer, Jiemma was on his feet looking positively livid. He raised his hand to fire, which had Sting calling out to Miseri in warning. She was about to turn, and block Jiemma attack, however, Lector placed himself between Jiemma and Miseri.

"Please, calm down, Master." Lector said. "Can't you just let us go? That's what you want, right?"

Honestly, Lector would prefer to stay in Sabertooth since he knew that'd make Sting happy, but Lector could see they weren't welcomed there.

"Who the hell are you?" Jiemma asked.

Lector's eyes widened while wondering if Jiemma honestly had no clue as to who he was. He's been in the guild for as long as Sting.

"What are you talking about, Master?" Lector asked. "I'm a real member of the guild. I've even got the crest to prove it."

He turned while lifting up the back of his vest to show the Sabertooth mark that was there.

"This is a total abomination!" Jiemma snapped as his power spiked again. "Who defiled our guild's sacred crest by placing it on this mangy little creature?!"

He gave a roar as he sent out a blast of magic towards Lector. Sting watched in horror as the attack went to hit his little buddy. He was then shocked when he was shoved to the side out of the way. He watched on as Miseri curled herself around Lector like a shield as the attack hit.

"Miseri!" Sting shouted as he reached forward towards her.

Miseri turned her head while reaching out towards Sting as well, but before their hands could touch, she and Lector were suddenly gone.

"No, Miseri! Lector!" Sting cried.

The entire guild was shocked when there was nothing but a scorch mark left of the two.

"Lector and Miseri are gone." Frosch cried. "Master killed them."

Rogue just quickly brought Frosch into his arms to protect her as Violet stood off to the side trembling. Miseri was gone…she was really gone.

"M…Miseri..." Violet whimpered as her eyes filled with tears that quickly spilt over.

"Why would Master do that to them?" Frosch asked.

Rogue didn't reply as he tightened his arms around Frosch. He wouldn't let Jiemma near Frosch or Violet for that matter. Rogue went around Jiemma to the violet-furred Exceed to pull her into his arms as well. Jiemma paid them no mind at first as he looked to Sting who was crying. Miseri and Lector were both gone. His best friend was gone…and the girl he…and the girl he wanted to hold dear and protect was gone as well. He lost them both in an instant.

"They both got what they deserved." Jiemma, who was looking back to the scorch mark, said. "If you're smart, you'll remove your emblem before you join them."

Sting threw back his head to let out a sob, which had everyone surprised. They've never seen Sting become teary-eyed, so it was an utter surprise to see him sobbing like this so openly.

"Would you stop your damn blubbering?!" Jiemma demanded as Sting got to his feet.

"What have you done?!" Sting growled. "What the hell have you done?!"

He still couldn't believe that Jiemma killed the two who were most precious to him without even blinking.

"Silence!" Jiemma snapped. "It was too one lousy cat and one traitorous bitch."

Sting looked up between his fingers to glare at Jiemma. First he kills them then he has the nerve to insult them. Sting would not forgive him for any of this! In the blink of an eye, Sting shot forward while punching Jiemma in the torso with his magic, which blew a whole into the master. He fell to the ground with a pool of blood staining the carpet. While the others were shocked by what happened, Minerva smirked.

"So be it." She said.

Mavi looked to the woman wondering what was going through her mind as she continued to smirk.

* * *

"What do you mean Lucy was arrested?!" Rizzo demanded.

After the others returned from their little mission-thingy, they had to restrain a steaming mad Natsu before explaining everything that happened.

"Rizzo, try to calm down." Erza said. "I know the situation is bad, but we all must try to keep our cool."

Rizzo grit her teeth harshly while wishing she had gone with the group, but there was no changing things now she supposed.

"To think that she would be involved in some sort of top secret plot is utterly ridiculous." Makarov said.

Rizzo just kept frowning because once she got her hands on those bastards who took Lucy it would not end prettily for them.

"Let me get this straight," Laxus said. "We take the top spot we can ask for her back, but that's only if his highness allows it?"

Yeah, that pretty much summed up what they talked about just a few seconds ago.

"Personally, I have a hard time believing anything that old guy told us." Gray said.

He then stepped over to Rizzo to put his arm around her waist as she continued to shake in anger. He gave her waist a slight squeeze of comfort, and he was pleased when her body seemed to lose some of its tension. He didn't like her being too upset.

"Are we just supposed to put up with this crap from those jerks?!" Natsu, who was tied down, demanded. "Untie me, and I'll go up and get her right now!"

Rizzo honestly would have let him go, but she was sure the second she tried to that she'd be tied up right next to him.

"Just calm down and do what Master tells us." Wendy said.

"No violence." Carla added. "The same goes for you, Rizzo."

She looked at the female pinkette pointedly, and Rizzo scoffed looking off to the side as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"It'd be us against the whole army, ya know." Happy made sure to point out.

"And even all of us put together couldn't deal with that." Sanjū added.

Jaser, whose shoulder she was resting on, frowned because he was sure they could take them. Of course, after that all of Fairy Tail would be in a huge amount of trouble that even their guild has never thought of causing before.

"Master." Erza prompted so to hear what he had to say.

Makarov hummed for a moment in thought while knowing this all had to be treated delicately.

"We can't afford to take reckless action against the kingdom." Makarov said. "And they surely wouldn't want word to spread that they mistreat innocent civilians, but I suppose we should consider her a hostage until this Eclipse Project of theirs is called off."

Rizzo's hands clenched into fists while just wanting to get Lucy back. She didn't like the thought of anyone in her family being locked away somewhere…especially on their own.

"Man, they've got us by the 'you-know-what', don't they?" Laxus asked with a frown on his face.

"She's a hostage." Erza said equally unpleased.

She wanted to get Lucy back as soon as possible as well, but knew they could just go charging in.

"There's one thing I really don't understand." Gajeel said. "If all of us know about this big secret they're trying to hide, why'd they let us walk away free?"

"That's a good question." Jaser said. "They could have taken all of us in they wanted."

"You expect them to make any kind of sense?" Natsu asked.

Jaser just sighed knowing there had to be some kind of reason. They could have easily overpowered them with the numbers they had. Especially since the group couldn't use their magic.

"It was obvious that colonel was their primary target they were after, so maybe they let us go so we could testify against him later." Lily suggested.

"Hmm, I don't know." Happy said.

Sanjū didn't think that was it. There had to be something more to it, which is why they took Lucy. Sanjū then frowned while feeling as if her fur was standing on end. She's been feeling something off about this city ever since they stepped foot here. However, she had just brushed it off as being nervous for her guild during the games. However, now she can see she had been wrong, and that something bad was happening here.

"It's still be risking their secret getting out." Carla pointed out.

"Maybe they think no one would believe us even if we did try to say anything." Sanjū said. "It all does sound pretty farfetched, does it not? If we didn't see it all with our very own eyes, would we believe that the kingdom has something of this caliber planned and was hiding it from everyone?"

Sanjū's theory did make some sense, and maybe to some extent it was true. However, there could be more to it.

"Perhaps they feel as if it can't be kept secret much longer." Erza suggested.

"It's still weird they didn't keep us there." Gray said. "Nobody would have found out about it."

"They would have the second I learned about it because I would go charging in there ready to kick ass." Rizzo said still pissed off about this entire thing.

Gray pulled her closer to his side with his hand giving her side another gentle squeeze.

"Not only that, but you all are on the first place team, so I'm sure someone would notice if all of you were missing." Mirajane pointed out.

Gray supposed that was true, and it made sense that the kingdom wouldn't want the citizens wondering what was up with Fairy Tail's team suddenly disappearing because it'd raise too many questions.

"Yeah, those guys wouldn't want to piss of every mage guild in the country." Rizzo said. "And could you imagine just what the guilds in the games would do if they learned members of Fairy Tail were locked up for no true reason?"

Gray was certain some of them would raise all sorts of hell since Fairy Tail is friends to some of them, or at least have friends within that guild. Master Goldmine and Master Bob were even once members of Fairy Tail.

"The Royal Army isn't known for acting rashly and taking citizens for no reason." Erza said. "If we knew what the real justification for her capture was perhaps we could use that to help her."

Natsu, who was apparently done with discussion, broke free of his restraints while looking angry.

"Hey!" He shouted. "We all need to stop flapping our gums and do something—!"

He was cut off from ranting as Makarov, who enlarged his fist, smashed Natsu into the floor.

"Simmer down." Makarov ordered. "A member of our family has been taken against her will. Believe me, we all want justice right now."

Rizzo nodded once in agreement as she stood tall alongside her family who all knew they would get Lucy back no matter what.

"That being said, we can't just charge head long into conflict like we usually do." Makarov said. "It's too risky. However, we are not cowards, and we will not let them get away with this. We are Fairy Tail!"

* * *

Rizzo stood in between beside Erza with Gajeel behind her as they prepared to step into the arena. Rizzo had on a white corset top that hugged her bodice tightly, and it was under a black leather jacket. She then had on neon green skinny jeans that hugged lowly on her hips, and on her back left pocket was the Fairy Tail emblem in pink. Her belt was black, and the buckle was in the shape of a music note. On her feet were black combat boots with pink laces, and around her neck was a black choker.

"You ready to do this, Pinky?" Gajeel asked as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

She glanced back up at him as Gajeel gave a grin, which had her grinning in return.

"More than ready." Rizzo said. "Playtime is over."

Gajeel chuckled as the others grinned at her as well. Gajeel then dropped his hand as it was announced Fairy Tail was next. The group walked out through the smoke with their heads held high.

 _"Wait, a minute!"_ Chapati called into the microphone as everyone noticed a certain flame head wasn't amongst the group. _"Unbelievable! Team Fairy Tail is keeping us on our toes by this completely unexpected roster change. The man who singlehandedly defeated Sabertooth's Twin Dragons has been replaced."_

The entire stadium erupted in surprise, but Rizzo just grinned because she was so ready to kick some tail.

"Replaced by Rizzo?" Lyon asked blinking.

He then looked to Sher, who was replacing Sherria, as his wife chuckled with a grin on her face.

"That's fine with me." Sher said. "I've fought alongside her once, and ever since then I wanted to know what it'd be like to fight her. Guess I'll get my chance."

Lyon paled while having a feeling that the kingdom wouldn't be left standing if those two clashed.

"Natsu, is out of the competition?" Rogue asked in confusion.

"That's alright with me." Sting said while actually giving a small smile of relief. "In fact, it's the best news I've heard all day."

Though he knew Rizzo was a forced to be reckoned with. She wasn't even a slayer, but she sure put up a hell of a fight during their little squabble back at the Sabertooth's hotel.

"I suppose you're right." Rogue said.

They couldn't afford to lose this one. Rogue had to make sure he won for Sting's sake and for the sake of Miseri and Lector.

 _"After such a strong showing in the last round, this decision is a real head scratcher."_ Chapati said. _"What could be the reason?"_

 _"Hmm, hopefully nothing bad as happened."_ Yajima said.

Though knowing Fairy Tail, he was certain that something indeed has happened, and that Fairy Tail was most likely in another mess.

"Gees, they should be happy that I'm here." Rizzo said frowning at the crowd who wanted Natsu back. "Guess I'll have to go all out to get some cheering."


	105. Fiore's Number One Guild!

"You know…I just realized something." Rizzo said as she stood with her teammates while the rules were being announced for the crowd's benefit.

They all looked towards her as Rizzo had her head tilted with finger tapping her chin.

"We're doing a last-one-standing-wins-battle in the middle of the city, and we're allowed to fight as much as we want…which will undoubtedly destroy a lot of buildings and other important things." Rizzo said.

"Yeah, and?" Laxus asked.

He then flinched back from Rizzo, who suddenly looked all sparkly and happy, jumped in front of him.

"It means we can destroy as much as we want without having to worry about apologies or repaying anyone afterwards!" Rizzo said looking giddy.

Her teammates paled when seeing how excited she was just at the thought of destroying stuff.

"It means I don't have to hold back whatsoever because I won't have to worry about what I break." Rizzo added. "This is the best day ever!"

She threw her arms up happily while her teammates were sure that there would be nothing left of Crocus after all this was over.

"Rizzo, you need to focus." Erza said. "We have to win this just in case the rescue plan fails. Lucy is counting on all of us."

"I know that." Rizzo, who was back to serious, said. "And we will win this because no one can stop Fairy Tail as long as we put faith in each other."

Erza nodded her head while glad that Rizzo understood. Erza then smiled slightly while guessing there was nothing wrong with Rizzo having a bit of fun as long as she remembered why they are fighting to win.

"She's not the only reason we're fighting." Gajeel made sure to point out.

"Gajeel's right." Gray said. "We're winning this thing for all our friends in Fairy Tail."

"It's the very least we can do to thank them." Laxus said grinning. "After seven years of heartache, they deserve nothing short of victory."

Rizzo grinned up at him in return before giving him a high five after raising her hand up. They were all ready to win this, and as long as they followed the First Master's plan they would reach victory. The fireworks then went off at the arena, which meant the last game started.

"Ready?" Erza asked as the group circled.

"Yeah!" Everyone else replied.

They all then lined up with their eyes closed as they waited for their moment to strike. Rizzo knew the other teams had went out to find opponents to fight, but she didn't care what they did. They had their own plan. She even ignored the people yelling at them to move because it wasn't time yet. Even as the other teams racked up the points, Rizzo and the others did not move. She kept her cool knowing it would be soon. Soon they would make their moves, and everyone else will be left in the dust. Minutes passed with members of team Fairy Tail still not moving. They would not until given the world. Rizzo then grinned as she opened her eyes because it was almost time.

 _"Operation: Fairy Stars, begin!"_

"Rodger!" The team shouted.

Rizzo ran forward along with the others while ready to start kicking some ass. The team split with Rizzo taking a hard turn right to head to where the first Master told her to go. She kept running even when the sky turned dark. It seemed as if Rufus did make a move like Mavis guessed. The second the light of those stars was over head, Rizzo jumped and flipped through the air to avoid the attack. She landed on her feet, which she kept moving unhindered.

"Nice try, but that's not stopping us." Rizzo said as she kept running.

She knew she wouldn't face anyone soon, and that most of her team would take out the other mages in the games. And while she wanted to fight, she would just have to be patient because she knew an opponent would be waiting for her to where she was heading. She would follow Mavis's orders to the letter. As she kept running, she heard that suddenly Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale, and Sabertooth were all tied for first. It didn't matter though since Fairy Tail would have the top spot all to themselves soon.

 _"Here we go!"_ Chapati's voice reached Rizzo's ears. _"Gray and Rufus have met up in the library, and I have a feeling they won't be keeping quiet."_

Rizzo bit her lip knowing this was the fight that Mavis had no idea how this fight would go. However, Gray had been insistent on fighting him.

"I know you'll win." Rizzo whispered to herself. "Show everyone that your emotions are much stronger than his memory."

Rizzo kept running even when she heard the fight wasn't going well for Gray. She kept running even when everyone thought Gray would lose. She knew she couldn't stop because she had her own part of the plan she had to see through. She knew Gray would handle things. She just had to keep believing that.

 _"It seems the power of memory trumps ice in this magic maker battle."_ Chapati said as Gray continued to be beat.

Rizzo bit her lip a bit harsher as her hands clenched into fists. A part of her wanted to run to him because she couldn't help, but want to be at his side. However, the other part knew he didn't need her physically beside him.

"You'll be fine." Rizzo said more to calm herself. "You'll win because you're too strong to lose to him, Gray."

It was as if her words reached him because she soon heard that Gray was back on his feet. She smiled as she heard him tell Rufus just why his memories were much stronger than Rufus's memories would ever be.

 _"I'm going to wipe that smirk of your face for good with the power of my memories!"_ She heard Gray shout through the lacrima vision.

 _"Whoa, Gray is so intense that even his clothes can't contain it!"_ Chapati said.

Rizzo, who paused a moment to shake her head in exasperation, wasn't surprised, but she soon grinned since she knew he was serious now.

"Thatta boy, Gray." Rizzo said. "Show him how it's done."

She ran forward not looking back since she knew how this fight was going to end. Her grin grew as Gray was announced as the winner of the fight.

"Now that the first major is over it's time for rest of us to do our job and defeat our enemies." Rizzo said. "And I won't lose."

* * *

Rizzo finally stopped running while stopping precisely where Master Mavis told her to stop. She glanced around for her opponent, which Mavis said would face her here.

"Water God: Geyser!"

Rizzo immediately jumped out of the way as a gush of black hued water shot up out of the ground. Rizzo flipped in the air before landing on her feet to face the one who attacked her. She grinned when seeing Sher in a crouched position not far from her.

"Looks as if you were right, Master Mavis." Rizzo said to herself then spoke up. "So looks like we're going to be fighting each other, Sher."

Sher grinned in return while standing up to her feet as she faced Rizzo who had her hands on her hips.

"I was hoping we would." Sher said. "After seeing your fight with Bacchus, I could see how much stronger you've become. I wanted to test my own power against yours."

"Same here." Rizzo said. "I'm sure you've gotten stronger than you were seven years ago, and I can't wait to see what kind of power you've got now."

Both women looked ready for a throw down as their magic started to build greatly around them.

 _"And it looks as if we're going to have another powerful matchup, folks!"_ Chapati said. _"It seems as if Rizzo of Fairy Tail and Sher of Lamia Scale will be clashing. The two are certainly powerful women. Yajima-san, who do you think could win this one?"_

 _"Well, Sher definitely has more raw power than Rizzo, but Rizzo knows how to portion out her magic better."_ Yajima said. _"She knows from gaging her opponent's magic on how much magic she needs to use from the beginning of the fight and what kind of magic she needs to reserve in case it's needed for later. Not only that, but Rizzo has the strongest wills I have ever known. Once she decides to win and gives it her all, that girl can overcome anything."_

From the stands Makarov grinned because those things were true. He's watched Rizzo grow and become a splendid mage over the years. While she gained more power and knowledge, one thing never changed about her. And that was her will to never fail when success was not only for her benefit, but for those she loves as well. She knows that Lucy's freedom could be on the line, so he knows she won't lose. Not only that, but Rizzo doesn't like to be outdone by her guildmates. So after all their success, he knows she'll refuse to fall short of the expectations they've set.

"I know we're friends, but I am not losing to you." Rizzo said. "I will pull out all the stops to beat you, Sher."

"That's what I was expecting you to say." Sher said then got into a fighting stance. "I won't be holding back either, so I hope you're ready."

Rizzo just grinned once more before she had her magic form a guitar into her hands. She immediately started playing her guitar quickly with the ground starting to shake and crack.

"Song of Hell's Fire." Rizzo said.

Fire shot out of the cracks of the ground, and Sher had to use her water to try and put down the water. She then had to flip out of the way when the little fire devils attacked. They all cackled and jumped at Sher who threw out water covered punches to keep them at bay. They managed to latch onto her, and she hissed in pain as the devils burned her skin and through her clothes. She narrowed her eyes while not ready to be taken out so quickly. She started spinning around rapidly, so the devils sunk their claws into her, but she ignored that.

"Water God: Water Wheel!" Sher said.

Water whirled around her like a vortex to hit the devils off of her while some disappeared in puffs of smoke after the water put out their flames. Some of the hell fire was put out as well.

"Looks as if I need to turn up the heat to dry you out." Rizzo said then darkened her playing on her guitar. "Second Song of Hell: Inferno!"

She struck a chord that had the notes crunching together ominously, and as they rung out the flames intensified. The cracks in the ground became larger, which caused the ground to shake more violently. Sher stumbled backwards slightly to end in a knelt position as a large devil looking creature appeared out the cracks. Sher sweat profusely while actually feeling a bit dried out. It was true water can put out fire, but fire can also dry out water if there's more of it. Despite feeling as if she actually was in the pits of Hell, Sher grinned feeling excited. It's been a while sense she's had a challenge.

"You want to fight me with a devil, huh?" Sher asked as she closed her eyes. "Fine. I'll pass godly judgement upon it and send it back to hell."

A huge spike of magic shot up around Sher as her body started to glow a dark blue. She placed her hands together with a large form of water appearing behind her. It looked like a large dragon almost mixed with a whale and it roared at the devil in front of Sher.

"Water God," Sher began as her eyes snapped open.

She jumped into the air with the monster going into the air with her while appearing above her. She whirled around in the air while bringing her foot down onto the devil's head as the monster of water hit as well.

"Amemasu!" Sher said.

The water washed over the devil hard, and it roared in pain as Rizzo was hit as well. She coughed sucking in some water while being washed back by the water as it washed over the ground. Rizzo hit one of the walls behind her, and it crumbled due to the rushing force of the water. After the water cleared out some, Rizzo remain laying in the rubble for a moment. She looked up at the sky that was in clear view due to some of the building's roof being missing as well.

"Well, I knew this wasn't going to be easy." She said to herself. "But was the bath really necessary?"

She then sighed as she flipped back onto her feet. She felt a little sore, and her clothes were partially ripped up. Sher's clothes were in the same state with both women showing bruises already forming.

 _"Unbelievable!"_ Chapati said. _"Even after taking a direct hit from such a strong attack, Rizzo Sweeney is up on her feet looking unfazed! These two beauties are really powerful. And they're not the only female mages giving us quite a show!"_

After he said that there was a super strong magic explosion that shot a huge golden light into the sky. It had Sher and Rizzo both pausing to water as the light slowly dispersed.

"What the hell was that?" Sher asked.

Rizzo narrowed her eyes while knowing exactly who cast that spell since she recognized the magic energy. It was that Minerva from Sabertooth. Erza must have started her battle with that bitch. Rizzo hopes Erza shows Minerva what grave mistake she made when she messed with Lucy. However, Rizzo couldn't focus on Erza's fight. She had her own to get back to. She looked back to Sher as the older woman looked back at her.

"We have our own battle to finish, so we should probably stop gawking." Sher said.

"Right." Rizzo said as she had her magic form her violin. "The battle I'll win."

Sher chuckled then rushed forward since she knew Rizzo's magic wasn't meant for close combat. So Sher would get in close to exploit Rizzo's weakness. Rizzo realized her plan while dodging Sher's fist. Rizzo had to go on the defense for a while as she continued to dodge Sher's water covered fists and kicks. She definitely couldn't use her instruments at this range, but it wasn't her only magic. Rizzo let her violin disperse before she flipped onto her hands while striking out her feet that were laced with sound magic.

Sher took the kicks directly as Rizzo spun around using her hands. Sher grunted as her eardrums were being busted by the screeching noise caused by the sound magic. Rizzo flipped back onto her feet to throw out her fist. Sher took it across the cheek, which sent her rolling across the ground. She skidded to a stop while looking up at Rizzo who let out a deep breath.

"I'll admit that close combat isn't my magic's strong suit, but I've been in enough fist fights in my life to know how to win one." Rizzo said then smirked. "In fact, when it comes to fist fights I'm a champ in my guild. Just ask all the people whose asses I've kicked."

Up in the stands a lot of those who did get their asses kicked hung their heads remembering all those times.

"Yep, she's just plain brutal in fights." Jet said nodding. "Super scary and merciless."

Droy nodded his head in agreement as did Warren, Max, Alzach, Freed, and Elfman. Her brothers chuckled since they knew their sister was rather violent.

"We apologize for her." Breccan said.

"Yeah," Jaser and Sven said grinning.

"I don't." Craylee said bluntly. "If they're so weak to get their asses handed to them, it's their own faults."

"Dude, you are so cold." Max and Warren said in unison.

Craylee shrugged uncaringly as Juvia swooned over his coldness while holding onto his arm. Craylee ignored his guildmates' pouts at him as he focused back on the fight. Rizzo and Sher were still swapping out fists with neither woman slowing down. Rizzo and Sher pushed away from each other, and Rizzo quickly formed her violin in her hands.

"Song of the Frozen Age." Rizzo said as Sher sent a gush of water at her.

The water froze before it could reach Sher, and the ice spread quickly across the ground towards Sher. Sher back flipped out of the way a few times to avoid before frozen then got to higher ground by getting to the roof of a building.

"Duet Mode." Rizzo said.

Sher's eyes widened as a shadow shadowy figure appeared beside Rizzo while holding a dark shape that looked like a violin. The shadow figure started playing a different set of notes that were different from Rizzo's song to show it was different yet fit in well with what Rizzo was playing. Sher then looked above her to see dark storm clouds forming with lightning streaking across them as thunder rolled.

"Song of Raiden!" Rizzo said with her voice being overlapped by the shadow figure's voice.

Sher went to move, but since she had been distracted by the storm cloud above, she hadn't realized the ice had gotten to her. It had her legs frozen in place meaning she couldn't move. She got hit by a few streaks of lightning, which had her shouting out in pain. She grit her teeth knowing she had to do something. An idea came to mind, so she quickly cast another spell.

"Water God: Lotan!" She said.

The water serpent went after Rizzo, and since Sher was being shocked by the lightening, the electricity went along with the water while sparking even more powerfully. Rizzo's eyes widened when realizing Sher was trying to use Rizzo's song against her. Before Rizzo could end the song to stop the lightning, she was hit with a huge explosion of electricity happening that blinded the two women and lacrima vision, so no one could see what happened at first.

" _Incredible!"_ Chapati said. _"What power!"_

Soon the lightning vanished leaving a large pillar of smoke. As it cleared, the people could see that buildings were slightly charred and some were crumbling apart on some sides of the foundation. Then where the two women were laying were large scorch marks around them. They were both staring up at the sky momentarily as they tried to catch their breaths. Both looked a little worse for wear, and if Rizzo's top ripped anymore she'd be topless. Her jacket was pretty much useless now too. Sher was in the same boat except it was her pants that were barely hanging on. And all the men were liking what they were seeing.

"Well, that stung a bit." Rizzo said.

Sher let out a small laugh while pretty sure both of them could agree that stung more than a bit, but they weren't going to complain. This fight was getting good after all. The two women then pushed themselves up onto their feet since neither of them were ready to admit defeat just yet. As they stared each other down, they took slight note that the sun was starting to set. Rizzo let out a breath while wondering what instrument to use next. However, before she could think of what to use next, she saw a tiger made of ice heading right towards her. She dodge the first swipe from the ice beast, but she tripped backwards.

"Shit!" She cursed when the ice tiger's paw was nearly right on top of her.

She was about to use sound magic to blast it away, but an ice hammer came down to shatter the ice tiger before it could hit Rizzo. Sher turned around where the tiger came from to see Lyon while Rizzo glanced behind her to see Gray.

"Were you really about to hit my girl?" Gray asked as he narrowed his eyes at Lyon.

"Sorry, but I had to help mine." Lyon replied then looked towards Sher. "Don't worry, my sweet. Together we can beat these two."

Sher was silent for a second as Gray helped Rizzo off the ground as she was keeping her head down.

"Let's take these two out together, Rizzo." Gray said.

Both men looked towards each other ready to throw down, but they were both hit in the face hard by their girls. The people in the crowd gasped as both men ended up on the ground. They sat up next to each other while looking up to see Rizzo and Sher standing over them looking annoyed. They shuddered when the two narrowed their eyes.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Sher asked.

"Yeah, we were in the middle of our fight, and you two interrupt." Rizzo said. "We don't need either of you butting in, so butt right out!"

"If you two want to play, do it somewhere else." Sher added. "Because if you get in our way—!"

"You'll get hurt!" Rizzo and Sher finished in unison.

"We're sorry!" The two men said in unison as they hugged each other.

Some people in the crowd laughed as the two men cowered in front of their respected loved one. Rizzo and Sher turned away from the two, and Rizzo shook her head.

"Can't do anything anymore without being interrupted." Rizzo said.

"Tell me about it." Sher said then looked towards Rizzo. "Now where were we?"

Rizzo gave a shrug as Gray and Lyon continued to watch from the sidelines as the two women turned to face each other. The two women then grinned.

"Oh, yeah, I was about to win this fight." They said in unison as their magic spiked again.

Lyon and Gray cowered as the two women got ready to continue fighting. Their two girls were pretty frightening. Said two women were about to fight when a light shot up into the air with a powerful blast of magic blew through the air. Rizzo blinked recognizing the magic signature as Gajeel's magic.

"Huh, Gajeel is getting pretty crazy with his battle." Rizzo said as she scratched the back of her head then frowned. "Speaking of battling, why the hell are you just sitting around, Gray?"

She turned to glare at him, and Gray jumped to attention while looking frightened.

"Sorry, ma'am!" He said.

"Lyon, get off your ass, and do something too!" Sher said. "We don't have time for you lazing around."

"Yes, of course, dear!" Lyon said as he jumped to his feet.

He definitely did not his wife mad at him since she was so frightening. Before the two men could start fighting, Rizzo had her magic reform a violin to place her Song of Raiden once more as Sher sent a gush of water at her. The two attacks collide with the blow back sending Gray and Lyon flying backwards away from the two women. Sher and Rizzo paid them no mind as they continued their battle.

"Water God: Dakuwaqa!" Sher, who jumped up into the air, said while sending dozens of pointed spikes of water at Rizzo from above.

They almost looked like shark teeth raining down on her, and Rizzo quickly played on her violin.

"Song of the Spinning Tops!" Rizzo said.

Large spinning tops appeared, and spun quickly to dispel the water while heading right wards Sher. Sher destroyed some of them with water covered fists. However, she was soon smashed in between two that spun rapidly, which scratched her and ripped up her clothes even more.

"And now, Song of Divine Radiance!" Rizzo said as she switched songs on the fly.

There was a brilliant of explosion of light that engulfed Sher, and blinded everyone. Rizzo brought the song to and end with the light dying down until it was revealed that Sher was laying on the ground in defeat.

"Looks as if I lost." Sher said chuckling. "But I sure did have fun."

" _And Rizzo Sweeney has done it!"_ Chapati said. _"In the battle of the fairy vs. the goddess, the fairy has prevailed!"_

The crowd cheered as Rizzo threw out a peace sign in victory with her other hand on her hip.

"Sher!" Lyon called out while heading towards his wife.

However, he was blindsided by Gray, who used a strong attack to finish him in this fight, which Lyon falling in defeat beside his wife. Gray grinned over at Rizzo as she grinned at him in return. Another win for Fairy Tail.

 _"Lamia Scale is out of the match for good!"_ Chapati announced, which had to mean Jura was taken out as well. _"Fairy Tail is truly unstoppable."_

 _"And they're sitting pretty at 58 points, pumpkin!"_ Mato asked.

Rizzo knew that would change soon. She could feel that Erza was right about to finish her fight. Just as she thought that she felt a powerful surge from Erza's magic with Minerva's magic dwindling greatly. With how low it was, Rizzo knew the fight was over.

 _"Fairy Tail does it!"_ Chapati shouted. _"They managed to defeat Sabertooth's leader, and scored five points."_

As Chapati kept talking, Rizzo looked up at the score seeing it was now Fairy Tail: 63 and Sabertooth: 55. That meant Fairy Tail could take home the win. Sting was the only one in their way now.

"We're almost there." Gray said as he moved to stand beside Rizzo. "Just one more punk we got to defeat."

"Yeah," Rizzo agreed nodding as the sun finished setting to reveal a darkened sky.

They then looked up into the sky as a light was shot up to explode like a firework. It looked like an invitation to Rizzo.

"At least he's nice enough to give us his location." Gray said as he started heading that way.

He winced stumbling forward, but he was caught by Rizzo who put one arm around his back then one of his arms around her shoulders. He looked at her as she smiled at him softly.

"Yeah, I'm tired too." Rizzo said. "But we just need to give one more push, okay?"

Gray silently nodded his head then let Rizzo help him walk along even if she felt like dropping as well. However, there was no way they were giving up now. They've come too far, and they knew their guildmates would meet them where Sting waited. It took them some time to get to where the White Dragon Slayer was, but they did make it with the others arriving around the same time as well. They all stopped side-by-side to face Sting.

"Now there's a sight." He said as he grinned. "It's weird…being surrounded by heroes from my childhood isn't really all that grand."

Rizzo didn't even comment as she and Gray looked at Sting who continued to grin.

"Enough chitchat." Gajeel said. "We didn't come out here to make friends."

He was ready to win this for the guild and to end this all together, so they could get their guildmate back.

"We'll fight you one on one." Gray said. "Pick someone."

Rizzo then stepped away from Gray to stand side-by-side without supporting each other. If they were going to fight, they couldn't be leaning on each other.

"Or I'll just come at you myself." Rizzo said. "We have unfinished business anyway, don't we, kid?"

Sting just chuckled as Rizzo motioned him forward ready to brawl even if she did look as if she could fall over at any second.

"Why can't I just fight you all at once?" Sting asked. "With those injuries one on one will be boring."

"I suggest not getting cocky." Rizzo said as she narrowed her eyes at Sting. "Didn't help your comrades out very much, did it?"

These Saber-punks really needed to be taught some humility, and she was sure four out of five have been. However, it looks like Sting needs to be knocked around a bit more until he learned his lesson.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Sting said. "I'm trying to treat you with the respect you deserve! That's why I'll destroy you all together. I've been waiting for this moment. I'll show you how strong I've become. I'll do it for Miseri and Lector."

Rizzo narrowed her eyes wondering what Sting meant by that. Why would he be doing this for Miseri? Hasn't she left their guild?

"Oh yeah?" Gray asked.

"You wanna fight us by yourself?" Laxus asked. "Are you serious?"

"Of course, I am." Sting said. "I'm more than a match for you. Losing Miseri and Lector brought me pain, but it also granted me new power. For Lector—my best friend—and for Miseri—the woman precious to me—I'm going to beat you and win it all."

Rizzo frowned with her eyes slightly widened. Did he say he lost Miseri? He couldn't mean she was…Rizzo mentally shook herself. Miseri was probably fine. Sting is making it sound as if winning this would make things better, so Miseri couldn't be… _gone_.

"Very well," Erza said as she took one step forward. "If you're so eager to see this until the end, we'll give you the fight you want."

"Now you're talking!" Sting said as he grinned.

He'd win this, and get Miseri and Lector back. He wouldn't lose. He had to get them back. He just had to. Sting's magic started to build up with a white ring of power appearing around him.

"Prepare to witness the awakened power of a Dragon Slayer." Sting said as he closed his eyes.

His magic exploded after that, but Rizzo didn't bat an eye. She and the others stood beside each other while ready to end these games even if they felt exhausted. They would win this for the others and Lucy as well. Sting opened his eyes with them widening when the saw the resolve burning in the Fairy Tail mage's eyes. His magic started to die down as he started feeling inferior to the mages in front of him.

Sting mentally shook himself to get rid of those thoughts. He couldn't let himself waver. He had to win for Miseri and Lector. Lector's smiling face entered his mind, and then Miseri looking at him with her usually annoyed look followed. He would do anything to see that look again. He needed to see it…to see her. He had to have her back, or he would feel empty inside. And he needed his best friend at his side. Sting gulped before trying to move forward, but after barely taking two steps, he fell to his knees unable to go any farther.

"I can't do it." Sting said. "I can't beat you. I surrender."

With those few words the last point was given to Fairy Tail, which declared them as the winners. Some people started cheering as Chapati declared Fairy Tail as the winners. Rizzo allowed herself a small smile as Erza walked towards Sting.

"Sting, why did you back down from the fight?" Erza asked.

Rizzo looked towards him wondering the same thing as well. He looked so ready to fight all of them at first.

"I was so sure I'd win." Sting said. "That's all I had to do, and I would see them again. But all of a sudden…it was like I just lost hope. I don't know why exactly, but I know I don't have your strength. And I guess I felt like I didn't deserve to see them. At least not yet."

Erza smiled softly as Rizzo heard footsteps approaching. She turned her head to see Millianna supporting a weak looking Miseri who was cradling a sleeping Lector in one arm. Rizzo smiled looking relieved when seeing her.

"You still can see them." Erza let Sting now.

He looked up in confusion then followed Erza's line of sight as she turned towards Millianna who called out her name. Sting's eyes widened when he saw Miseri there with Lector. Lector slowly started opening his eyes, and his and Sting's eyes met suddenly as Sting started running forward.

"Lector!" Sting called out as he tripped to hit the ground.

Lector quickly jumped from Miseri's arm to go over to his friend as Sting set up to his knees.

"Sting, it's you!" Lector said.

Sting cried happily while scooping Lector up into his arms to hug tightly. Lector cried into Sting's chest as the others smiled at the scene. Miseri didn't smile, however. She had an indifferent look on her face as she continued to lean against Millianna. Sting lifted his head to look at her, and he gently set Lector down. He walked towards Miseri then pulled her into his arms, which had her eyes widening slightly. She was even more surprised when she felt Sting's tears his her cheeks. She tilted her head to look up at him partially as he continued to cry.

"I'm sorry." Sting said. "I couldn't protect you. I promise, I'll get stronger, so you'll never be taken from me again. I'll become so strong that we can always remain together."

Miseri was silent, but she did lift her arms up to put around Sting. Her hands clenched his jacket as she buried her face against his chest. She took in his scent while feeling safe.

"Sting." She whispered.

Rizzo smiled at the sight as Gray put his arm around her shoulders. The games were finally over, and it seemed as if things were looking up. Little did she know that something horrible was to come.


	106. Dragon Attack!

Coco: Hey, readers, good to be back posting chapters. For some reason it feels like forever since I posted anything. I think because I didn't get to post anything last weekend. Anyway, I have two new chapters for you this update, and I hope you like them~ And sorry for all typos. It was a rough day at work because it's the beginning of the month, and like everyone in town decided to come grocery shopping today. I even had to cover another girl's shift today plus my own, so I'm just exhausted and have three other things I have to post tonight. But I have tomorrow off, which means I finally get to rest. :D

* * *

As the cheering continued from the stadium, Rizzo stood with her guildmates while feeling very satisfied with how things ended. Rizzo sure liked hearing all that cheering, and knowing that her guildmates up in the stands had to be happy.

"Man, that sound is incredible." Gray said. "We can hear it all the way from here."

"It's pretty cool." Rizzo said grinning broadly.

Gray smiled in agreement as he kept his arm around Rizzo's shoulders while she leaned into him. At least that was one hurtle over with. They still needed to worry about Lucy and the rescue team, but they could allow themselves a moment to feel relieved, right?

"Gees, would someone shut them up?" Gajeel asked. "This noise is making my wounds itch."

Rizzo rolled her eyes at Gajeel though still had a grin on her face as the Iron Dragon Slayer was frowning. All the cheering really was getting on his last ever loving nerve.

"Now don't be like that. They're cheers of celebration." Erza said then looked towards Laxus. "I bet you the Master's beside himself with excitement."

Laxus's eyes widened a moment as he looked surprised, but he then chuckled with a grin forming on his face.

"Putting the old geezer aside, this makes up for seven years of humiliation our guildmates endured." Laxus said.

He then blinked down at Rizzo as she popped up with her fist held up and a satisfied look on her face.

"Not to mention I got to break stuff, and not have to worry about any punishment later." Rizzo said. "Totally makes up for the last time I was here and got in trouble! Take that, Magic Council! Guess who won't be apologizing to you this time!"

The others all laughed in amusement as Laxus reached down to ruffle Rizzo's hair, which had her whining in complaint. The group ignored the commentators as they continued speaking as they continued to celebrate together. Rizzo gave Gajeel a high-five as Erza pat Gray on the shoulder. As they were celebrating, their friends from other guilds all took a silent moment to revel in Fairy Tail's victory. They were glad this was how things ended…it meant the guild that everyone respected and loved from seven years ago was once again whole. The cheers started to die down as Rizzo and the others came down from their victory high a bit.

"I guess it's over." Gajeel said.

Even though he had some fun with the games, he was just glad they were all over.

"Which means it's time to party!" Rizzo said with a wink.

Gajeel snorted while not surprised Rizzo was ready for fun despite looking worn out.

"Hey, Erza, how's that leg?" Gray asked.

"It should be good as new in a few days." Erza said.

Though she would probably be using it even before it was completely healed.

"Can't believe I'm saying this, but it's strange not having you know who around hollering and making noise." Laxus said. "I mean, yeah, we have Rizz, and she's plenty loud already—!"

"Hey!" Rizzo cried indignantly.

"But it seems quieter without her partner in crime." Laxus finished.

Rizzo pouted when realizing she was being ignored though had to admit she was missing Natsu's loudness too. His loudness just complimented her loudness…she feels almost incomplete without him around to add to her excitement.

"I don't mind it." Gray said.

"He'd be extra annoying after all that." Gajeel said then put his hand on top of Rizzo's head. "And one annoying pinky is enough for me."

Rizzo's eyebrow twitched in annoyance as Gajeel even ruffled her hair, which was messy enough. She let out a huff before finally snapping.

"What'd you say, Metal head?!" Rizzo asked as she shoved his hand away. "You wanna go? I'll kick your ass right here and now!"

Gajeel growled in annoyance then had to lean down to butt his forehead against Rizzo's forehead. Though it stung a bit, Rizzo didn't back down or whine from the impact.

"Oh yeah, ya little runt?" Gajeel asked. "I'd like to see you try."

"I won't just try." Rizzo said. "I'll succeed in kicking your ass."

As the two growled at each other, their three guildmates shook their heads and sighed. Even without Natsu around, things weren't quiet. Of course, it was to be expected with Rizzo around.

"Anyway, did anyone happen to see their signal flare?" Erza said.

Gajeel and Rizzo stopped glaring at each other a moment to look towards Erza. Her words caught Sting, Miseri, and Lector's attention as well as the three Sabertooth members—one being a former member—sat off to the side.

"Nope, but I've been keeping an eye out for it this entire time." Laxus said. "Well, except for when Jura knocked me flat."

"I didn't see one either." Gray said.

Gray looked down at Rizzo thinking she might be a bit worried, but didn't see a trace of worry in her eyes.

"I ain't worried." Gajeel said. "Knowing our Salamander, he probably forgot to shoot the thing."

"I have to agree with Gajeel." Rizzo said. "He's probably having so much fun with the rescue that shooting the signal flare left his mind."

Gray snorted knowing that was probably true. Natsu was probably goofing off and having fun with the serious mission and forgot all about it. But as long as Natsu and the others brought back Lucy, Gray didn't care how much the fire-muncher goofed off.

"Signal flare?" Sting asked himself as he wiped at his eyes.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Lector asked.

Miseri frowned feeling a bit worried for the Fire Dragon Slayer. Did he get himself into some kind of trouble? Sting looked at Miseri's concerned expression before looking towards the Fairy Tail Team.

"Tell me something," Sting began.

Gajeel turned to glare at the little blonde punk before getting up in his face as he bent over slightly to be eye-to-eye with Sting.

"Oh, I know you ain't talking to me, Punk!" Gajeel snapped as Lector jumped into Miser's arms for protection. "Scram!"

Gajeel then grunted in pain when Rizzo grabbed a fist full of his hair to jerk him backwards.

"Knock it off!" She yelled while slamming his head into the ground to leave large cracks.

Even Sting looked a little scared down, and it wasn't of Gajeel. That Rizzo was sure one scary chick too. Gray snorted in amusement at what happened to Gajeel as Laxus sweat-dropped though wasn't surprised. Erza sighed wondering why Rizzo couldn't have handled that better. Gajeel jumped off the ground to bump his forehead hard against Rizzo's again as he glared into her eyes.

"You looking for a fight, pinky?" Gajeel asked.

"No, but I'll kick your ass if you keep messing with me, Metal head." Rizzo threatened. "How about I start with rearranging your face by ripping out those piercings?"

The two were about to start fighting right then and there despite their injuries when Sting spoke up again.

"Sorry but," He began, which had them pausing to look at them curiously. "Where's Natsu? Why wasn't he in the fight today?"

This had all the members of Team Fairy Tail glancing at each other silently. How were they supposed to answer that question? As they continued to remain silent more worry found itself in Miseri's chest.

"What's the deal?" Lector asked. "Is Natsu okay? Is he going to be okay?"

"All we can tell you is that he'll be fine." Rizzo said as she looked towards the castle. "Natsu always pulls through, so I have no worries."

* * *

"I wonder why we were asked to come here." Rizzo said to Gray as they stood side-by-side.

After their injuries were seen to, not only Team Fairy Tail, but all the current guild mages in Fiore were asked to gather in the crystal plaza.

"Don't know." Gray said. "But I have a feeling we're about to find out."

As the words left his mouth, the king of Fiore—Toma E. Fiore—opened his eyes to look at all the mages gathered. Considering the grave look in his eyes, Rizzo had a feeling he didn't have anything good to say.

"Thank-you all for coming." He said. "And I'd hate to spoil the mood after the splendid display of wizardry we've seen today, but I'm afraid Fiore's heart will soon be in the claws of a Dragon Horde."

Rizzo's eyes widened partially as a few other people were shocked to hear this as well.

"I thought Acnologia was the only one." Makarov said.

Rizzo frowned while exchanging a look with Gray. Acnologia had been bad enough. He was scary strong, and even their strongest in Fairy Tail didn't faze that monster. Rizzo didn't even scratch him with her awakened music magic, and she used all the rest of her strength on that day to hit him. But it only seemed to annoy him. She had felt so helpless then.

"Last time we fought one of them, we lost even years of our lives." Cana said.

She looked to Jaser when his body shook slightly with his eyes set in a glare. A small snarl left his lips as his eyes looked up into the skies as if looking for those dragons. It was the same way he reacted when Acnologia was near. She sure hoped he didn't do anything stupid when these dragons show up.

"That was a special case, but still." Lisanna said.

"We can't take on an entire horde." Cana made sure to point out.

Taking down one with the entire guild's power probably wouldn't even workout.

"As we speak, a large scale counter offensive is underway at the castle." Toma said. "The Eclipse Cannon."

Rizzo's eyes widened again because she was pretty sure the reason why Lucy was taken was because of an _Eclipse_ Project.

"The Eclipse Cannon?" Lisanna asked.

"We will use it to wipe out the attacking dragons." Toma said. "All 10 thousand of them at once."

Craylee frowned because a cannon cable of that didn't set well with him at all. He didn't like the thought of a bunch of royals having access to that kind of power.

"All of them at once?" Cana asked. "I wonder how the hell they expect to pull that off."

Jaser wasn't sure they would. This cannon of their might only piss off the dragons into attacking more aggressively. Because if it doesn't kill in one shot, and the dragons were still alive, things would become worse.

"I can sense your concern." Toma said. "Regrettably given the sheer number of the dragons' forces, we expect that and most a few hundred will survive the attack."

"Well, that's reassuring." Craylee said sarcastically.

Breccan elbowed his side to get him to shut-up since now wasn't the time for his snarky comments. Craylee shrugged in a slightly apologetic fashion as Juvia stood close to him looking worried. Craylee reached out to put his arm around her waist, and she leaned into him seeming a bit more calm.

"So I implore you, guild mages, please, lend Fiore your assistance in dealing with this crisis." Toma said. "You are the best hope we have for slaying any dragons the Eclipse cannot."

Rizzo wasn't really sure if she wanted to do this guy a favor since it was him who took Lucy. However, she couldn't let the kingdom be destroyed either, so she supposed she had to help in the end. She then watched in slight surprise as tears entered Toma's eyes.

"I beg of you." He said as he bowed his head. "Please, don't let this kingdom fall into ruin."

People were surprised to see the king of their kingdom bow to them, and some felt moved by this simple act. The mages started to rally around the king, and Rizzo guessed that was the end of that.

"We didn't do so well the first time against a dragon, but I refuse to be beaten so easily this time." Rizzo said. "Besides, with all our friends here I'm sure we can pull through."

Gray nodded in agreement as Erza asked about Natsu and the others. When hearing they were alright, this had Fairy Tail even more ready to fight since they knew they didn't have to worry about their friends.

"Sven, are you going to be feeling well enough to fight?" Freed asked the blonde in concern.

Sven, who was standing with Levy and Lisanna, looked towards the greenette who was looking at him in worry.

"I'll be fine." Sven said winking up at Freed. "I've gotten plenty of rest, and the book is all healed up now. I'll be able to use it without feeling too much pain."

Freed smiled glad to hear that, but he'd still stick close to Sven to make sure the blonde would be okay.

"We're up against dragons." Sting said as he, Rogue, and Miseri stood together.

"A perfect opportunity for us Dragon Slayers to shine." Rogue said to lighten the mood.

Lector and Frosch cheered them on as Violet rolled her eyes at the pair of them. This was serious, so they should take it seriously.

"Don't do anything stupid, Sting." Miseri added.

"Stupid?" Sting asked. "Do you really think I'd do something stupid?"

Miseri gave him a silent look, but just with that look he knew the answer was yes. Sting hung his head feeling almost crushed. Rogue grinned at the familiar sight since it's happened many times when Sting and Miseri interact.

"What about Rogue?" Sting asked as he looked up. "Aren't you going to say the same to him?"

"Rogue isn't a fool." Miseri said as she reached up to pat Rogue on top the head. "He actually uses his head."

Sting literally pouted at Miseri's words as Rogue had an almost smug look on his face.

"Where is Milady and Mavi?" Rufus asked.

"Who knows?" Orga said.

He heard from Dobengal that Mavi disappeared from the stands the second that Minerva was defeated. Orga assumed that Mavi went to go check on Minerva, but now the both of them were missing.

"What about Dante, Divya, and Lalita?" Orga asked as he looked towards Miseri. "Weren't they still in town with you?"

Rogue was wondering that as well since he wanted to know where Divya was, and if she was somewhere safe or not. Miseri pointed to the right, so the others looked to see Lalita and the others hurrying towards them.

"Everyone!" Lalita called out as she waved while smiling.

Lalita then right into Rufus who was closest to her to hug him, which had his eyes widening. However, he soon hugged her in return as Dante and Divya caught up to them.

"Sorry we're a little late." Dante said. "We were hanging out at motel that Miseri told us to wait in when he were told about an evacuation. We then learned mages were gathering here, so we came. We heard the news about the dragons from some soldiers who helped escort us here. I tried to talk Lalita into going with the citizens, but no dice."

Miseri nodded not surprised. While she didn't want Lalita near dragons, she knew telling the blonde to leave wouldn't work out, so it'd be best if Miseri kept Lalita close at all times during this dragon attack. She then looked towards Lalita as she was hugging Orga next.

"We even ran into another friend on our way here." Divya added.

She turned her head as everyone from Sabertooth looked to see Nook walking up. Nook stopped in front of his former guildmates, and hit his chest with his fist.

"Nook will fight with his friends." Nook said.

Sting grinned while patting Nook on the shoulder as the large man looked ready to fight.

"Glad to have ya, big guy." Sting said.

He felt more assured with his guildmates—whether they be former or not—at his side.

"All the guilds working together at last." Ichiya said.

"Such a wonderful perfume." Nichiya added.

"Dragon vs. Pegasai?" Eve asked. "Now that's a photo up."

Prince just looked to the side in worry while not sure if he could take on a dragon. He wasn't that powerful. He then looked to Hibiki as the older man placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's do this." He said smiling. "We'll all work together to win."

Prince slowly nodded his head while feeling a bit more reassured with his guildmates at his side.

"Fine, I'll go along with it." Ren said.

Quatro Puppy got pumped up for the fight as Rizzo remained at Gray's side when Lyon approached.

"I suppose I can stomach working with you." Lyon said.

"Just try not to slow me down." Gray said in return.

Lyon then turned to look at Sher as she was passing Triton over to Sherry who held the boy tightly.

"You are meant for this kind of battle, Sherry." Sher said. "So take Triton and evacuate with everyone else, okay?"

Sherry nodded her head as she stroked the top of Triton's head gently to comfort the boy.

"A war with dragons." Jura said looking intrigued.

"I'll spin them all!" Ooba said. "Let me at them!"

Sher leaned away from Ooba before she could be caught in the spinning the old woman was doing.

"Thank-you." The king said as he continued to cry. "Thank-you…I mean it, thank-you, Pumpkin!"

Rizzo and everyone gasped in shock when his majesty said that in a high-pitched voice they were all familiar with.

"Pumpkins?" Erza asked.

"I know the perfume of that voice." Ichiya asked.

Toma looked up looking confused as to what they were all talking about, but his eyes widened when he realized what he had done. Toma quickly cleared his voice.

"Our fates are in your hands, Mages!" Toma said.

Some of the mages cheered as Rizzo just shook her head. Well, she was just going to push this discovery to the side when the kingdom isn't in dire danger. The pumped up mood sobered a bit as everyone heard the bell toll midnight. Rizzo narrowed her eyes knowing things were going to get serious soon.

"I hope those aren't tolling for us." Gajeel said.

"Hold on," Levy began. "Didn't the dragons vanish on the seventh?"

Rizzo knew that's what all their first generation Dragon Slayers always said when talking about their dragons.

"And now 10 thousand of them show up on the same day." Gajeel said as he frowned up at the sky.

Just thinking of that made Rizzo come up with a decision, so she moved away from the guildmates to get in front of all the guilds.

"Rizzo?" Gray asked.

"Hey, Dragon Slayers, listen up." Rizzo spoke up clearly to get their attention. "When these dragons get here, all of you are going to be our strongest weapons against them. I know must of you are battered and bruised right now. And while I can't heal you like Wendy or Sherria could, I can offer something else to give you a bit of a boost in power."

The Dragon Slayers all looked towards Rizzo curiously as did almost everyone else in the plaza.

"Using my music magic, I can play in different combinations to bring out your natural elements to snack on." Rizzo said. "It won't heal you, but after eating your elements, it'll least replenish your magic energy."

"That's a great idea." Warren said as he grinned. "Leave it to our Rizzo to think of something like that."

"Well, she might not be a Dragon Slayer, but she knows them like the back of her hand due to training with Natsu for so long." Max added.

Rizzo had one violin appear in her hands before having other ones appear beside her. They all started playing with her playing her own instrument. As they played, the Dragon Slayers stepped forward. Sting gasped slightly as an egg-shaped ball of white magical energy appeared in front of him. It floated before him, but when he reached for it, it fell into his awaiting hands.

"It feels warm…and comforting." Sting said.

He then glanced at Rogue and Miseri as they accepted their egg-shaped balls with one being shadow and the other ice. Rogue looked down at the shadow egg while not feeling warm…but he didn't feel the same dark energy he sometimes feels with his magic. He felt strangely comforted as well. The other Dragon Slayers—even Laxus—accepted the elemental eggs Rizzo was giving them. Once they all took the eggs, Rizzo stopped playing.

"Sorry there isn't more." Rizzo said. "I don't want to use too much of my own magic, or I'd be a sitting duck when the dragons do attack. Sorry."

"No." Rogue said shaking his head. "This will be enough, thank-you."

Rizzo dipped her head in response as the Dragon Slayers bit into the elemental eggs. Their eyes widened when feeling the surge of power that flowed into them.

"Whoa," Sting said after swallowing the first bite. "This had more of a punch than I was expecting."

As he and the other Dragon Slayers finished their eggs, Rizzo smiled while trying not to stumble backwards. She put more magic into those eggs than she let on, but the Dragon Slayers being in tip-top condition was more important than her being 100%. No one seemed to notice her exhausted look, but Gray did and he narrowed his eyes. He would have to keep his eyes on her during this battle to make sure she didn't push it too much.

"Okay, kids, Fairy Tail will be guarding the center plaza." Makarov said.

"What about the rest of the guilds?" Warren asked.

"They'll be on standby in other parts of the city." Max explained.

They needed to be spread out since it'd be easier to handle the dragons than if they were all clumped together in one spot.

"You need to rest, Erza." Cana said to the redhead. "We've got this." Cana said.

"I'll be fine." Erza insisted.

"Just don't go do anything crazy." Breccan said. "You're more injured than the others, so don't think you have to act strong."

Erza nodded her head silently, and Breccan had a feeling that what he said didn't fully reach her ears.

"We may be bruised a bit, but thanks to the royal healers and Sherria, we should be able to hold our own." Gray said.

"It's a shame Wendy isn't here." Juvia said. "She would be able to heal all of you right up."

After saying this, Juvia looked towards Rizzo while feeling worried for the pinkette who was trying to casually lean against the crystal centerpiece in the plaza. Juvia knew Rizzo wasn't just leaning to lean. The pinkette looked a little tired. Not that Juvia could blame her. Rizzo did just get finished battling Sher a few hours ago, and then she used her magic energy to make sure the Dragon Slayers had fuel.

"I'm not sure if that moon is a good omen." Freed said as he looked up at the sky.

Others did as well to look at the eclipsed over moon that was ominous red color.

"The eclipse, huh?" Laxus asked. "Fitting name."

He then looked down at Amarante as she reached up to grasp the sleeve of his coat. They looked at each other while hoping tonight wouldn't be the end of all of their futures.

* * *

As preparations were still being made for the dragon attack, a suddenly rumbling and shaking started traveling through the ground.

"What's that?" Erza asked. "Magic? From where?"

"Looks like it's coming from the castle." Elfman said.

"Yeah, it's gotta be that Eclipse thing." Gray said.

At least he was really hoping it was, or they were in deeper shit than they imagined. Jaser suddenly stiffened up when a roar entered his ears followed by the scent of dragon hitting his nose.

"They're here." Jaser said looking towards the castle.

The others looked to him with wide eyes about to ask how he knew, but before they could there was a blast that cut through the city to destroy a building not far from them.

"They really are here." Rogue said frowning.

Rizzo frowned while letting Gray pull close, so to hug against his chest as if to protect her.

"One…two…three." Jaser said. "Four dragons so far."

He kept listening in with his sensitive Sand Dragon Slayer ears picking up different distinct roaring noises.

"Six dragons now." Jaser said as he opened his eyes. "And some of them are getting close."

As he said that a dragon landed near the plaza to walk past the mages who were standing there shocked.

"I can barely believe my eyes." Erza said.

"You've got to be kidding me." Gray said. "We're expecting thousands of those bastards?"

"No way." Elfman said. "We're totally screwed."

Two dragons let out a roar, and the combination had buildings crumbling away.

"Everyone spread out." Makarov ordered. "If we stay clustered together, we risk being wiped out in one fell swoop."

"Right!" Everyone said.

* * *

Rizzo stood with the rest of her guildmates in the plaza as a dragon landed in front of them. Looked as if it was time for the serious party to start. Some of her guildmates sounded panicked, and it wasn't as if Rizzo could blame them. She was a bit nervous herself, but wasn't about to give up before they even started.

"Jaser, my boy, can you sense how many dragons are in the city now?" Makarov asked.

"Nine." Jaser replied. "I don't think anymore will be joining the fight."

Makarov nodded then looked back towards the dragon right in front of them as it roared.

"Then let's take this one down, so we can move onto the next one!" Makarov ordered.

"Yeah!" The others cheered.

Rizzo ran forward with the others knowing there wasn't a second to waste. They had to bring this one down, so to move onto the next.

"Just follow my lead and go for its feet." Makarov added.

"It's time to put out plan into action guys." Warren said.

Jaser was ready to beat this thing. He knew there were eight other dragons besides this one now. Which meant they all had to act fast.

"I am the dragon—Atlas Flame." He said as he gathered magic energy. "Prepare to taste my hellfire, you lowly humans."

He let out a breath attack that sent almost everyone flying backwards even if the attack didn't hit directly.

"Stay strong, my children!" Makarov called out.

Jaser quickly flipped back onto his feet while running straight at Atlas Flame without pause.

"Jaser!" Cana shouted as she watched him go.

Jaser ran right past Makarov as well before jumping up high into the air with his golden colored eyes glowing almost animalistic-like in the red moonlight. He headed down towards the dragon's head to deliver a hard kick, but something suddenly swooped in to knock him off course and carry him off. The others looked up in horror to see a dragon that was a bit smaller than the others toting Jaser off.

"Jaser!" Rizzo and Cana screamed in unison.


	107. Nine Dragons!

"Jaser!" Cana cried again as she tried to rush in the direction that he was being carried.

However, she was grabbed by Macao before she could run off after Jaser and the dragon.

"Let me go, Macao!" Cana yelled at him. "I have to help him!"

She tried to push Macao away while desperate to go after Jaser to help him before he was killed. Cana's almost lost Jaser before, and she refuses to ever go through something like that again. She refuses to lose him.

"Stop, Cana!" Macao said then pointed towards Jaser and the dragon that was carrying him. "Look closely! He's fine."

Cana stopped struggling for one second to see that Jaser sent out a breath attack at the dragon that released its grip slightly. Jaser grabbed onto its talon then climb onto its back to deliver another blow. The dragon tried to knock him off, but Jaser held on tight as if refusing to let go of the creature.

"He's still fighting." Macao said. "And I'm sure as a Dragon Slayer that he can handle a small one like that."

Now the dragon was actually smaller than the one before them, but it wasn't tiny in the slightest. It was definitely bigger than some of the buildings here in Crocus. Rizzo grit her teeth together while hoping that Jaser would really be okay. But it wasn't like they could go after him at this point since there was a large dragon made of flames in front of them. The group looked back the dragon as he let out a breath attack, which pushed them all back even farther into the streets of Crocus. Rizzo hit the ground hard, but flipped back into her feet to stand alongside her guildmates.

"Has the city's evacuation been completed?" Erza asked.

"Yeah, just about done." Macao said as he let go of Cana.

Cana remained in place even though she wanted nothing more than to go after Jaser. She looked up into the sky while not even seeing that dragon or Jaser anymore.

"They're safe." Romeo added. "The royal army is protecting them."

Rizzo wondered if they were really then because she remembers a certain royal army running away when faced with Lullaby. Though they weren't there to protect citizens at the time, so maybe they'll grow some backbone and protect those non-magic users. At least that's what she hoped, but she believes some of the weaker mages also went along to help with the evacuation, which means, Rizzo can probably rest easy about the citizens' safety.

"Oh yeah!" Bickslow said. "And that means we can start to let loose on these stupid lizards."

As he said that, Amarante summoned one of her katanas while ready to fight to defend this kingdom and her guildmates. She wasn't sure how she would do against a dragon, but she supposed this as her chance to find out for herself.

"It's about time for some ultra-manly pest control!" Elfman added.

Rizzo cracked her knuckles while glaring at the dragon as it let out a few roars.

"Looks like a fire dragon to me." Gray said then glanced at Juvia. "Hey, Juvia, want to give me a hand?"

"Juvia would much rather lend my power to Craylee-sama, but Juvia will help." Juvia said.

Gray rolled his eyes though didn't expect anything less from the water woman.

"Let's just go." Gray said as he put his hands together. "Ready?"

"Yes!" Juvia said as she raised her hands up.

The two started to gather their power while focusing on the fire dragon that was before them.

"Alright, now hit him hard, you guys!" Bickslow cheered.

"Show flaming freak what a man can do!" Elfman shouted.

He then grunted in pain when Craylee nonchalantly elbowed him hard in the gut.

"Juvia isn't a man." Craylee said bluntly.

Elfman just groaned while holding his aching torso as Breccan shook his head at Craylee.

"Ice Make: Geyser!" Gray said sending out the ice.

"Water Nebula!" Juvia soon followed.

Her water mixed with Gray's ice to send a power, cool attack right at Atlas Flame. It hit him hard, and Rizzo grinned for a second thinking it might have done a lot of damage. However, the smoke cleared to reveal that Atlas Flame didn't seem harmed in the slightest.

"It didn't do anything?" Gray asked.

"No way." Juvia said.

Rizzo grit her teeth once more while guessing they'd have to try a lot harder than that to win.

"Foolish creatures." Atlas Flame said. "I am the mighty Atlas Flame. My fire consumes all that stands before me! Now prepare to have your lives burned away!"

He started taking in a very deep breath, which Rizzo knew couldn't be good at all. Freed ran forward knowing what was coming as well.

"I'll nullify it with my enchantment magic!" He said as he drew his sword with his enchantments in place.

Breccan frowned while cure that it'd take more than Freed's magic to nullify what was coming. Atlas Flame soon let out the breath attack upon them. The burning fire let from his mouth broke through Freed's enchantment, and sent the others flying. Some cried out as they were burnt by the flames around them.

Gray latched onto Rizzo while pulling her close, so to try and protect her. He twisted his body, so he hit the ground first when they finally stopped flying.

"He blasted through Freed's spell as if it was nothing!" Bickslow said.

"It's way stronger than I feared." Macao said. "This is insane."

"What's really insane is that there are eight more of those things!" Wakaba added.

Rizzo shook her head while getting to her feet with Gray's help, so they could stand with their guildmates.

"We cannot lose hope." Erza said. "We have to keep fighting."

"I'm not ready to give up." Rizzo said. "I haven't even landed a single hit on that thing."

And as long as she was still breathing, she would continue to fight no matter how hurt she became.

"Is everyone okay?" Freed asked from his spot on the ground.

He then looked towards Sven as the blonde knelt down beside him to check on his wounds.

"We're fine." Sven assured him.

Freed was glad to hear that because he had been worried for his guildmates. He hadn't meant to fail them.

"You've got to be kidding me." Elfman said. "This is just like what we went through with Acnologia."

"I hope this ends differently." Gray said.

He didn't want anyone of his guildmates losing seven years of their lives like so many like him did before. He didn't want anyone to permanently lose their lives either.

"It would appear as if we have a long and dangerous struggle in front of us." Mavis said.

"This all definitely won't be easy." Raoul agreed.

And he felt so useless since in his current state he couldn't give aid to his descendant or her friends.

"Don't worry." Makarov said. "We've still got a couple of tricks up our sleeves."

He started walking forward while ready to fight alongside his children no matter what.

"Still standing after the roasting I gave you?" Atlas Flame asked. "You must be mages."

"Damn right we are." Makarov said getting his children's attention.

"Master!" Erza exclaimed.

"What are you going to do?" Juvia asked.

Rizzo was sure it'd be something awesome that would hopefully give them the upper hand during this fight. Makarov's body started to grow gold as his magic built, and Rizzo realized he was planning to go giant on Atlas Flame.

"Oh, wow." Macao said. "That's a great idea. Fight a monster with a monster."

"He's going to give him a good old fashioned smack down." Wakaba added.

"Oh yeah!" Romeo exclaimed. "Awesome! I haven't seen this in a long time."

Yep, it's been a while since Master Makarov has gone all giant. Well, he did during the Tenrou Island incident, but not everyone was there to see it. Makarov finally grew to his full giant size as his body stopped glowing.

"Fairy Tail are no ordinary mages." Makarov said. "The power we share is like none other!"

He then jumped forward, which shook the ground a bit as he raised back his fist.

"Because we are a family!" Makarov declared as he punched Atlas Flame in the face.

The power of his fist sent back a shockwave that had everyone holding on, so they weren't sent flying backwards. However, Atlas Flame barely flinched from the punch he received. His flames tried to engulf Makarov's hand, but Makarov jumped back before they could.

"All that power and nothing?!" Macao asked.

"It didn't even faze him." Wakaba said in disbelief.

"No way." Romeo said.

None of them could believe what just happened. That thing to a full-force punch from Makarov, and didn't even blink.

"There is nothing you can do." Atlas Flame said. "Humans will never defeat a dragon."

Atlas Flame attacked again, which sent everyone flying again and crying out in pain. There had to be something they could do! As Rizzo hit the ground, she wondered how the other guilds were doing against their dragons.

* * *

Sher glared at the dragon in front of her as Lyon's attack with Jura and Kagura failed to even faze the beast.

"Look like it's my turn." Sher said as she stepped forward. "Let's see if the power to slay gods has any effect on this beast."

Sher ran forward on her own with Lyon watching her go with worry in his eyes. Sher jumped up into the air while dodging the swing of the dragon's tail, which it had aimed at her. She drew in a deep breath as she was over the dragon's head.

"Water God: Bellow!" She shouted.

The torrent of water left her mouth to hit the dragon hard. She wasn't finished there though. As she fell towards its head she drew back her fist, which was covered in water as well. She gave a shout while swinging with everything she had as she came down onto its head. Her fist made contact, but didn't even leave a mark. None of her attacks left a mark.

"Damn." She cursed.

She then gasped as the dragon jerked back its head to send her flying up into the air. She was hit by its swinging tail next, which sent her flying backwards.

"Sher!" Lyon called out in worry.

Sher was caught midair as she landed on the back of a white Pegasus. The winged horse flew down to the ground to land near the Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, and Mermaid Heel guilds.

"Sher." Lyon said as he hurried over to her.

He helped her down from the Pegasus's back, and after she was off, the Pegasus turned into Prince.

"Thank-you." Lyon said as he helped support Sher who was dazed a bit from that hit.

Prince nodded his head before looking back to the dragon in front of them. They'd have to try harder if they wanted to beat it. If their magic didn't work with physical attacks, would he perhaps to have to try and use _that_ technique?

* * *

Miseri stood in between Rogue and Sting to look up at the dragon in front of them and their guildmates as it easily destroyed the buildings around it as it roared.

"So this is the power a dragon possess." Rufus said. "A sight I am certain I will never forget."

Miseri frowned at this dragon in front of her that was so much different than her father Hielo. Her father had been a majestic dragon made of ice and snow who had just a gentle disposition. This dragon was nothing like that.

"This is perfect." Orga said as he held his hands up to let black lightning spark between them. "I got knocked out of that way quicker than I thought. I'm ready to throw down!"

As he said that, he pulled his hands farther apart, which caused the black lightning to spark wildly.

"I'll blow this critter away!" Orga promised as he took his stance. "Lightning God: Charged Particle Cannon!"

He shot the dragon with a huge surge of black lightning that had Lalita clapping in awe at Orga's power.

"As tribute to Gray Fullbuster and his decisive victory over me, I'll fight this foul creature using ice magic." Rufus said as his eyes glowed. "Memory Make: Sword of Frozen Black Lightning!"

Spikes of ice shot up across the ground, and the lightning hit them as if they were lightning rods. The ice seemed to increase the lightning's power tenfold as it hit the dragon full force.

"Whoa!" Lalita exclaimed. "That's super cool, Orga-kun! Rufus-kun!"

Orga smirked as Lalita cheered loudly for them to keep going against the dragon.

"I never thought I'd see those two work together." Sting commented. "I mean, we were in the same guild, but things definitely weren't like this."

Miseri silently agreed since no one from Sabertooth had been pro-teamwork except for a very select few.

"Perhaps their experiences in the games have taught them something." Rogue suggested.

"Sabertooth is finally fighting like a real team!" Lector said. "Everybody was just going out for themselves before. This is awesome!"

"Yeah, it's totally awesome!" Frosch agreed.

"It's about time they get their act together." Violet said frowning.

It took way to long for Sabertooth to realize working was a team and caring for one another was important. However, Violet supposes better late than never.

"Yep, watching those Fairy Tail guys in action was a real eye opener." Orga said. "There's a good reason why they came in first place this year."

"Memorizing is a form of learning." Rufus added. "And if you can't learn from your enemy, you will never win."

Dante grinned when hearing their words before he removed his sword from its sheath.

"Well, if team work is so important," Dante began then looked towards Divya. "Then shall we give them a hand?"

Divya already had Shiva conjured to help in battle, which had Dante's grin growing. Dante's sword changed into a jagged shape as he took a stance.

"Form of the Wind Demon!" Dante said as he sliced forward once.

Even if he moved his sword once, several crescent shaped slashes of wind flew forward to hit the Dragon directly.

"Go forth, Shiva!" Divya ordered.

Shiva let out a shout as he rushed forward to do his mistress's biding. He hit the dragon with a large blast of magic power as Lalita jumped high into the air.

"Sky Devil," She began as she took in a deep breath. "Rage!"

She let out a huge breath of purple hued wind that added another blast of magic power onto the dragon. She kept up the breath attack as the dragon seemed to be being forced to its knees.

"I think that they're going to beat it." Frosch said.

"Yeah, they are!" Lector said.

"I wouldn't speak too soon." Violet warned.

The two exceeds looked at her curiously as they wondered why she said that. Before she could ask, the dragon let out a roar while pushing through the magic to make is disperse.

"But we hit that thing full on!" Orga said.

Lalita landed on the ground with her eyes wide. She and four of Sabertooth's strongest members hit that creature, and he didn't even looked fazed. Miseri narrowed her eyes while not surprised as the others. This was a dragon after all. There was no way it would be beaten so easily.

"That's impossible!" Sting said. "How it is still standing?!"

"Get back, Frosch, Violet, and Lector." Rogue ordered. "Do it now."

He knew it was too dangerous this close to the fight, so it was best the Exceeds moved out of the way.

"Okay." Lector said then grabbed Violet's paw. "This way, Violet!"

Lector pulled her along despite her protest that she could run fine on her own.

"Wait for me!" Frosch called out as she hurried after the two.

The three of them hid behind some rubble that should give them enough cover, but still allow them to watch the fight.

"Just where the hell did Milady and Mavi go?" Sting demanded. "We could use their help right now."

"I don't know." Rogue said. "I haven't seen them in a while. But I assume they're fighting somewhere else."

"I highly doubt it." Miseri said. "After suffering such a humiliating defeat, I am sure Minerva is long gone from here with Mavi at her side, but we can't worry about either of them right now. We have a dragon that needs slaying."

Miseri stepped forward looking ready to face the beast head on even as it roared threateningly at her.

"Nook, can you hold it still?" Miseri asked.

"Nook will try." Nook said nodding.

Nook then went into his T-rex form, and roared at the dragon in return before charging forward. He bit into the dragon's shoulder while tugging the dragon down hard to make it where the beast couldn't get away so easily. Miseri glanced back at Rogue and Sting momentarily.

"Join me when you are ready." Miseri said.

She then ran forward quickly while building up her magic in both her fists. She let out a shout as she jumped towards the dragon. She would fight this beast and kill it because that is her duty as a Dragon Slayer.

* * *

Jaser let out a huff as he stood in front of the dragon in front of him. After trying to fight it in the air from its back, the dragon finally landed on the ground. Ever since then Jaser has been trying to take it down, but so far he has had no such luck. The dragon he was fighting was smaller than the others rampaging around and it was sandy in color with golden eyes. It was a sand dragon much like his mother Sabbia, but this one was male by the smell of him.

"You smell of her." The dragon finally spoke. "You smell of Sabbia!"

Jaser's eyes widened as he wondered if this dragon knew who his mother was.

"Who are you?" Jaser asked.

"I have no obligation to speak to a lowly human." He said. "However, since you smell of my sister, I will reply to you, boy. I am Suna the younger brother of Sabbia the Queen of the Desert."

Jaser was even more surprised to hear this. Sabbia never mentioned having any kind of brother.

"Now tell me, human, why do you smell of my sister?" Suna asked. "The traces of her scent are very faint, but you cannot hide the scent from the nose of a Sand Dragon."

Jaser knew that was true since he could smell scents on some people that could be years old. Some scents stick around lifetimes if someone spends so much time in certain areas or people.

"Sabbia took me in when I was an infant." Jaser said. "She is my foster mother."

Suna was silent for a moment before a growl of distain found its way into Suna's mouth.

"My sister raised a human?" Suna demanded. "How disgraceful! I knew she never agreed completely with our views on humans, but to raise one brings shame to dragons everywhere."

Jaser narrowed his eyes at Suna while not liking how Suna could speak so horribly about his mother.

"And let me guess, human, she taught you the secret arts of Dragon Slayer magic." Suna continued.

"That's right." Jaser said. "She did, so you should be careful on how you speak about her. Because even if you are her brother, I will end anyone dumb enough to bad mouth my mother!"

Jaser let out a roar as he ran forward ready to continue this battle between him and Suna. He tried to hit Suna with a Dragon Talon, but Suna batted him away easily.

"Do not think you can beat me with your puny power, human." Suna said. "I come from along bloodline of royal dragons. You could not possibly come near the strength I possess."

Jaser just got up to his feet while wiping some of the blood from his chin where it had run down from his mouth. He smirked up at Suna.

"Royalty, huh?" Jaser asked. "That's funny because I'm a royal myself."

Suna looked at the human curiously as he wondered what Jaser meant by that.

"My name is Jaser Sahara." Jaser said. "Prince of Rajasthan. I am also the son of Sabbia the Queen of the Desert, and in her name, I refuse to be beaten by you!"

* * *

"Master!" Rizzo called out in worry as Makarov shrunk down and fell to his knees.

She rushed past all the others to drop down to her knees besides Makarov as he looked at his hands, which were silently burnt.

"Are you okay?" Bickslow asked as he, Macao, Romeo, and Wakaba ran up as well.

"Did it hurt you?" Romeo asked.

Makarov tried to put a brave face on for his children as he continued to look over his hands.

"No need to worry." Makarov said. "I just got a little burned is all."

Rizzo thought that was plenty of reason to worry considering how black his hands looked. She bit her lip hoping he wasn't in too much pain. She then looked up towards Atlas Flame as he took a step forward.

"If not even the Master could stop it then rest of us don't stand a chance." Juvia said.

Craylee grit his teeth knowing things looked rough, but he refused to give up just yet. There had to be something they could do. Cana looked down at the ground with worry making her heart clench. If all of them together couldn't beat this dragon then how was Jaser doing? Was he okay?

"Vile creature!" Freed cursed. "There has got to be some other way!"

"Master Mavis!" Gray called out as he looked back to Mavis. "You're a wiz at strategy, aren't ya? So what do you think we should do?"

Gray hoped she had a good plan because as of right now they had nothing to work with.

"Listen up." Mavis said. "There are nine dragons. The plan of action should be completely obvious at this point."

"What are you trying to say?" Erza asked.

Rizzo had an idea of what she was saying. However, they were a certain person short to go with the plan she had in mind. Rizzo and everyone else then looked up into the sky as the dragon in the air let out a roar of pain as it was hit by a large blast of fire. Rizzo was certain she knew who caused that.

"CAN YOU HEAR ME?!" Natsu's familiar voice filled the air. "LET'S QUIT PLAYING AROUND, AND USE OUR DRAGON SLAYER MAGIC!"

Rizzo smiled when hearing his familiar voice as did some of the others. Hearing his voice even brought pause to the fighting going around.

"THERE ARE NINE DRAGONS, WE'VE GOT NINE DRAGON SLAYERS!" Natsu continued. "WE CAN DO THIS! IT WAS WHAT WE WERE BORN FOR! OUR WHOLE LIVES HAVE LED TO THIS DAY! SO LET'S USE OUR POWERS TO SLAY SOME FREAKING DRAGONS!"

Rizzo continued to look up into the air as she saw fire building up on top of the dragon's back as it continued to fly in the air. Looked as if Natsu was still ready to fight.

"WHO'S WITH ME?!" Natsu asked. "BECAUSE I'M GOING DRAGON HUNTING!"

He hit the dragon in the air hard, which had it roaring in pain again. As he hit the dragon, Rizzo realized that Natsu said there were nine Dragon Slayers.

"Does that mean…that he's arrived?" She asked.


	108. A Feeling of Despair

Rizzo looked around with the others as the dragon eggs dropped by Mother Glare hatched to show metal looking dragonoids. She grit her teeth knowing things have just gotten worse.

"Oh great, we're surrounded!" Romeo exclaimed.

They would have to be careful with how they moved next, or some of them might become dragon chow.

"Unfortunately, the odds in this fight are not in our favor." Mavis said.

Rizzo could guess that much, but even when the odds are low, Fairy Tail mages aren't the type to give up. As the others started to sound worried, Breccan tried to think of a way to blow a hole through the enemy's defense to give his guildmates more room. However, before he could put his plan into action, Laxus zipped forward to hit Atlas Flame like a lightning covered meteor.

"It's Laxus!" Romeo and Mavis exclaimed in unison.

Laxus dropped down to the ground while cracking his knuckles as he glanced back at his guildmates.

"Quit gawking." Laxus said. "Or did you not notice there are dragons to slay?"

"Kind of hard to miss them, Laxus." Rizzo retorted.

Laxus ignored her smartass reply as he stepped forward to face Atlas Flame who didn't even seem fazed by that last attack.

"I'll take the big guy myself." Laxus said.

Rizzo frowned knowing that using the Dragon Slayers to fight directly was the plan, but that was before a bunch of little ones showed up. Now the rest of the guild had to worry about them, which would leave Laxus on his own. That wasn't exactly safe for him.

"You can't do it alone!" Romeo argued.

"He's not." Freed said.

Everyone turned to look at the Thunder Legion as they stood looking ready for battle.

"We've got his back." Evergreen assured everyone.

"The Thunder Legion will handle this." Freed said as he gripped the hilt of his sword.

"We'll leave all the babies to you guys." Bickslow added.

"Don't worry about us, and just focus on your own battles." Amarante finished.

She walked up to join Laxus at his side, and he looked down at her as she stared up at Atlas Flame with narrowed eyes. He knew her magic wasn't really meant for large battles like this. She was better suited for fighting from the shadows. However, he also knew she made S-class for a reason, so he could trust her completely to have his back.

"The rest of you keep away from the big ones." Mavis said. "Remember what Natsu told us. Only Dragon Slayers can beat them."

Rizzo nodded her head while ready to give it her all even if her magic power wasn't completely back to full strength.

"Laxus, Thunder Legion, good luck." Mavis said.

"Right!" They replied.

Mavis then turned to Gajeel who was standing by Levy near the back of the group.

"Gajeel, find another target." Mavis said. "I'm sure Jaser is still fighting his own dragon as well, so he can stay where he is."

Cana frowned still feeling worried about Jaser since she had no idea where he was at all.

"Everyone else focus on the little ones." Mavis ordered.

"Yes, ma'am!" Elfman shouted.

"Understood, First Master." Erza said. "Alright, it's time to go to work people!"

Rizzo and the others separated to go take care of the little dragons that were undoubtedly scattered across the entire city. As she went with Gray, she wondered how the guilds without Dragon Slayers would do. She just hoped Dragon Slayers of other guilds could offer assistance.

* * *

"I guess this means we separate." Miseri said to her fellow Dragon Slayers. "There are guilds out there without Dragon Slayers after all."

Sting nodded his head in agreement though he honestly didn't like the thought of Miseri going off on her own after just getting her back.

"She's right." Sting said. "Rogue, Miseri, I'll handle this one. You two go check on the other guilds without a Dragon Slayer."

"We're on the way." The two said in unison.

Miseri then looked towards Lalita with a silent message passing between them. Lalita nodded her head knowing Miseri wanted her to stick close to Dante during this fight.

"Miseri," Sting began getting her attention. "Don't die on me, okay?"

Miseri blinked before a small grin graced her smooth lips as she looked at Sting.

"I should be saying that to you." Miseri said. "Because it is obvious that I'm the strongest Dragon Slayer here at the moment."

Sting chuckled as Rogue's lips twitched in a small smile as well while Sting glanced back at Miseri.

"You just worry about yourself is what I'm getting at." Miseri said as she turned around. "Let's go, Rogue."

"Right." Rogue said.

The two ran off away from their guildmates before splitting up themselves to go fight their own dragons to fight. Miseri didn't have to look long for a dragon since one landed in front of her, which forced her to jump backwards. She landed in a crouch while looking up at the dragon.

"I guess I didn't have to go too far to find an opponent." Miseri said as she stood.

Her magic started to collect around her hands as she readied herself for battle. She had wanted to reach one of the other guilds without a Dragon Slayer, but it seemed as if this was her stop for now. If she wanted to get to the others, she had to beat this dragon first, or hope one of the other Dragon Slayers got to them in time.

* * *

"That guy on Mother Glare seems to be really worked up about something!" The large dragon in front of Blue Pegasus said as it laughed.

Prince frowned knowing the dragon mustn't be too worried about their fight if he had time to laugh. Prince's frown deepened knowing that had to think of something to beat this guy. Mermaid Heel and Lamia Scale went off to deal with the smaller dragons, which mean most of the fire power went with them. After all Hibiki's magic was useless in battle, and Jenny was horrible with physical brawling. Prince doubted Eve's snow magic could beat a creature made of rock, and what was air magic going to do? Or the power of perfume? Not to mention Prince didn't have any take-overs strong enough to deal with a dragon.

"Man, not having any Dragon Slayers in our guild is really making us look useless." Eve said.

"Tell me about it." Hibiki added. "We can't even put up any fight here."

"If we survive, we are so recruiting one." Ren said.

Too bad they didn't recruit one before all of this happened, but it wasn't as if any of them could have seen this coming. When Jenny stepped forward, the boys looked towards her.

"Step aside, Boys." Jenny said. "This guy is going to be all mine."

Prince looked at her skeptically, but when she suddenly changed into her bikini he felt the urge to face-palm.

"My, what a big strong dragon you are." Jenny said seductively while doing an alluring pose. "Let Jenny smooth out those rough edges for ya."

"Scram, you filthy human!" The dragon roared, which had the others yelping in fear.

Ichiya stepped up next, and Prince hoped he had a better plan than Jenny's which had been a total bust the second she thought about it.

"Maaan, in that case, have a whiff of this!" He said as pungent odor filled the air. "My most treasured perfume. Prepare your nose holes."

Prince and the others started gagging immediately when the smell reached them, and since Prince had a slightly sharper since of smell due to the nature of his take-over magic, he dropped to the ground first.

"What is this?" the dragon asked not sounding bothered.

"That's what I'd like to know." Prince said.

The others voiced their disgust as well as they tried to cover their noses and mouths.

"What kind of perfume is that?" Jenny asked.

"The most pungent of all!" Ichiya said. "Underarm!"

The others gasped in shock before dropping to the ground twitching since they had taken an unintentional big whiff of the stuff. Prince's eyes watered as he wished the smell would go away.

"Ichiya-sama, please put it away." Prince begged. "My sensitive nose can't take it."

The dragon then let out a laugh that had the others looking up at it despite their vision being blurry from tears.

"Dragons have a strong sense of smell like your little friend seems too. Except me!" The dragon said. "I don't have nose!"

Ichiya cried that his plan was a bust, but it finally had him putting a cork on that disgusting vile. Prince gasped for clean air as he sat up from the ground.

"You humans are as foolish as always." The dragon mocked. "It's good to know some things never change."

He then moved forward to loom over them, which casted them into his shadow.

"If we die, we do it in style!" Ichiya told his comrades.

Prince grit his teeth tightly as he got off of the ground onto shaky feet. He might have to try and take over the dragon's form. Prince's take over was known as Mystical Animal Soul, and dragons fell into that category. However, Prince has never tried to take over anything as big as a dragon before. And he knew sometimes the take over could cause the mage to go out of control if what they're trying to take over is stronger in will and/or magic. And they really didn't need two rampaging dragons made of rock running around. Suddenly a large mass of poison that had dropped down from the sky hit the dragon, which had it roaring out in pain. As the poison cleared a man with reddish-brown hair and tanned skin came into view.

"I can hear it." He said.

Prince blinked wondering who this newcomer was, and if he would help all of them in the end.

* * *

Jaser flipped out of the way of Suna's attack once more then landed on some rubble behind him.

"Do you know where she is?" Suna asked. "My sister? She went missing over 400 years ago when she left Rajasthan without any warning to go to the budding kingdom known as Fiore."

Jaser's eyes widened when Suna said that. Sabbia hasn't been missing that long. It's only been 14 years since she vanished, hasn't it? Jaser honestly wasn't so sure. The things Sabbia used to tell him as a child…the things that were historical fact…they just didn't add up to him. They made no sense most of the time to him.

"400 years ago, you say." Jaser said. "At the beginning of the war in Rajasthan, right?"

"That is correct." Suna replied. "She had only told me that she had to take something important to Fiore. Something precious to her. She said it would be safer for this object she spoke of to be in Fiore, and that sometime in the far of future that this war between dragons and humans would become a distant memory. And that this object would play a key role in destroying that black-winged dragon Acnologia."

Jaser didn't know how to respond. If this "object" that Suna was telling about, was really him. That would have to mean Jaser came from 400 years ago in the past, right? But how would that be possible? Jaser then remembered that the dragon in front of him was from 400-years-ago in the past. And what brought him here? The Eclipse Gate. But what kind of business would Sabbia have with such a gate? It was making no sense to him.

"Don't keep me waiting, human." Suna said. "Where is my sister? She must be punished for betraying her kind."

Jaser narrowed his eyes at Suna. Even if Jaser knew where his foster mother was, there would be no way in hell that he'd tell Suna.

"Sabbia disappeared from my life fourteen years ago." Jaser said. "I don't have a clue as to where she could be. Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."

Suna growled in rage before launching himself at Jaser who he knocked up into the air. Jaser grunted in pain as the horn on Suna's nose cut into his ribs. Jaser then had to take a hit from Suna's breath attack, but to lessen the hit, Jaser consumed more than half the attack. Jaser landed on top of more rubble while wiping at his mouth.

"That was some good sand." Jaser said. "It really hits the spot, ya know?"

He then lifted his head to glare right at Suna as the dragon's tail lashed behind him.

"How about I return the favor?" Jaser asked.

* * *

Rizzo let out a huff as she used her guitar magic to take down another few of those little dragons. She felt exhausted, buts he wasn't about to give up. She had to keep fighting alongside her guildmates. She glanced towards the large clock in the square wondering how much time has passed, but she still wasn't sure.

"Rizzo, how are you doing?" Gray asked. "Think you need to sit down for a second?"

"No." Rizzo said shaking her head. "I'm fine."

Gray frowned sure she wasn't completely fine like she was saying that she was. In fact, she looked as if she could fall over at any second. Though he was sure he didn't look much better. They've been fighting these things for what's felt like hours, and there were still more to come. And he knew the other mages were getting tired as well because earlier he had to save Rufus from being killed when the blonde had to take a moment to catch his breath. Rizzo then gasped when one of those dragons managed to get behind her.

"Rizzo!" Gray shouted with panic building up inside him when he realized he wouldn't make it.

However, Rizzo was saved by Lyon as he and Sher arrived on the scene. As the small dragon was frozen by Lyon, Rizzo teetered backwards as a wave of dizziness hit her.

"Whoa, steady." Lyon said as he reached out to grab her.

He helped her sit down as Sher crouched down beside the pair with a concerned look in her eyes. Gray rushed over while quickly dropping to his knees to take Rizzo into his arms.

"Thank-you, Lyon." Gray said as he looked up at the silver-haired man.

Lyon nodded his head while knowing Gray would do the same for him if it had been Sher in danger. Gray pulled Rizzo closer while looking down into her tired face. She was nearly spent. This battle was too much for any of them, and she had already used so much magic energy to give the Dragon Slayers a burst of power.

"You need to rest." Gray said. "You've already used too much magic."

Rizzo stubbornly shook her head as her hand reached up to touch Gray's chest. She tilted her head back to meet his eyes with her own.

"Everyone else is still fighting." Rizzo said. "How could I stop when they're all pushing through their own exhaustion to keep going?"

Gray grit his teeth together wishing she wouldn't worry about that. He just wanted her to worry about herself. He needed her too because if this kept going…he could lose her.

"I'll be fine." She said softly with a gentle smile on her lips. "With you at my side, I can get through anything."

Gray leaned down to press his forehead against hers for a moment. He took a deep breath while trying to calm his nerves.

"Okay." Gray said as he pulled back. "But don't you dare do anything stupid that could get you killed."

"I should be saying that to you, Frosty." Rizzo retorted teasingly.

Gray shook his head before helping Rizzo to her feet as Lyon and Sher stood up as well. Gray then turned to face the little dragons as more and more came to attack.

"I don't know about you, man, but I'm getting sick and tired of this underdog crap." Gray said to Lyon. "Let's take them out together."

"Sounds good to me." Lyon said grinning.

Sher and Rizzo stepped back as their guys stepped up while getting into their stances.

"Ice Make: Freeze Lancer!" Gray shouted and sent dozens of frozen spikes at the little dragons.

"Ice Make: Snow Dragon!" Lyon added.

His snow dragon and Gray's attack mixed together to completely defeat the dragonoids that had stepped up for a fight. However, those were soon replaced with more of their kind.

"They just keep coming." Gray said.

"Step aside." Sher said as she stepped forward with Rizzo. "It's our turn. Rizzo, let's use that attack okay?"

Rizzo nodded her head before having a violin form in her hands along with the bow. The storm clouds gathered above as the triton formed into Sher's hand. Rizzo started playing with a ball of electricity forming. Lyon and Gray watched with wide eyes as the women's power built. The ball of electricity lowered down into the storm clouds created by Sher's magic, and the thunder boomed again as lightning streaked across the sky.

"The Gods' Divine Judgement!" The two shouted in unison as Sher threw the triton.

It landed between the dragonoids with the clouds and lightning hitting where the triton struck. A blast of stormy electrical power exploded around the dragonoids, which fried them. It almost destroyed the street too along with turning the rubble into ash. Despite that more of those things arrived.

"Damn." Sher said. "Looks like that didn't even discourage them a bit."

"Not at all." Rizzo agreed.

Behind them Lyon and Gray both looked utterly freaked out by the power just displayed.

"We need to fall back." Sher said. "Try to find a place to hide and come up with a strategy. Let's move!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Gray and Lyon said as they jumped to attention.

* * *

Mirajane let out a huff as she tried to catch her breath. She has been trying to help Laxus and Wendy with Zarconis, but she was barely doing anything but wasting magic power. Her eyes widened when seeing Zarconis's large clawed hand was coming down on her. Before she could even think about moving, Breccan suddenly appeared while sending out a large blast of vibrations that sent Zarconis falling backwards.

"Breccan!" Sven, who had tagged along with the Thunder Legion, called out happily when seeing his brother.

Breccan just raised his hand in a slight wave as Zarconis hit the ground hard causing it to shake. Breccan then glanced behind him at Mirajane as she was surprised to see he had arrived.

"You okay, Mira?" He asked.

"Yes, thank-you." She said before her eyes widened. "Breccan, what's happened to you?"

Breccan just let out a chuckle as he looked down at his body that had multiple gashes. His shirt was practically no more, and what was left was stained red.

"I guess I look a little worse for wear, but I'll live." Breccan said. "We just need to worry about the dragon in front of us now because it looks as if Laxus and Wendy can use some help."

As he was saying this, Zarconis managed to get back onto his feet while not looking happy in the slightest.

"Which one of you humans did that?" Zarconis asked.

The reply he got was a hit to the chest with another blast of vibration magic from Breccan, which had the dragon stumbling a bit. Zarconis turned his eyes onto Breccan once he steadied himself as Breccan looked up at him steadily.

"So it was you, huh?" Zarconis asked. "That wasn't a very nice thing you did."

"I'm not here to play nice." Breccan said then added in a steely voice. "I'm here to kill."

* * *

"These bastards are really starting to annoy me." Craylee said as he finished stitching some together. "Fire Thread: Explosion."

Those dragonoids blew up instantly with parts of them falling around behind Craylee who had an annoyed look on his face. One of those things tried to jump him, but he didn't even glance at it was it was taken down by Juvia's water whip.

"Are you alright, Craylee-sama?" Juvia asked as she rushed to his side.

She had lost sight of him a few moments ago, and had been really worried about him. She then gasped when seeing all the blood around Craylee's sightless eye.

"I'm fine." Craylee said. "There's no reason to worry about an eye that was useless to begin with."

"But, Craylee-sama, your eye…is…is it…?" Juvia trailed off.

Craylee sighed as he turned away from Juvia, which answered her question. His eye wasn't even intact anymore.

"It's not important." Craylee insisted. "The eye was useless anyway. It had no purpose. Let's just focus on these dragonoids."

Juvia nodded her head though she was still worried about her love who was losing a lot of blood around his eye. If too much was lost, he could die.

"Juvia!" Craylee said sharply to get her to focus. "I said don't worry about a useless eye. If you keep focusing on it, you'll end up dead, and then I'd have to bring you back to life just to lecture you, which would be annoying."

"Uh, r-right, Craylee-sama." Juvia said.

The two then got back to work on fighting off the little dragons while knowing they had a long time before this was over. Craylee sew a few more of those dragonoids together then had them be sucked up into a wormhole. He then took up into the air using his Hermes's wings on the heel of his shoes. He kicked as few of the dragonoids in the face before landing on the ground. He was hit on his blindside, which sent him rolling across the ground.

"Craylee-sama!" Juvia said then attacked. "Water Nebula!"

She washed the dragonoids away as Craylee pushed himself off the ground. He turned his head to spit some blood out of his mouth.

"Craylee-sama!" Juvia cried once more as she hurried to Craylee.

She helped him off the ground as more blood ran down the side of his face. He grit his teeth feeling totally pathetic.

"Craylee-sama, we should fall back." Juvia said. "Juvia can see to your wounds then we can rejoin the battle."

"No." Craylee said while gently pushing her behind him. "I'm not giving these bastards any ground. If we're moving anywhere it's forward."

Craylee then got a stab of pain in his head when his eye did something weird again. As he was looking at the dragonoids, there were spots on them that seemed to be glowing. And for some reason he felt as if those were the dragonoids' week points. He rushed forward before he really knew what he was doing to hit those points in the dragon that were glowing. They dropped instantly.

"Craylee-sama…" Juvia murmured in awe.

Craylee frowned placing his hand over his eye as his vision returned to normal. Why was his eye acting up so much recently? He shook his head deciding he had to focus on this fight. He'd like to get through it without dying.

* * *

Rizzo flipped out of the way of being blasted as more of those dragonoids appeared. She huffed for air when she heard a familiar voice call out.

"Rizzo-chan! My darling Rizzo-chan!"

Rizzo's eyes widened in horror as she turned her head seeing Jun rushing her way with Meredy right behind him. Jun hadn't changed much from seven years ago expect for looking older. He also now had a scar running across his nose. And a small goatee on his chin. He wore a dark violet chongshan that was outlined with black and then white hakama. Over his outfit was the Crime Sorcière cloaks, but his was black instead of blue like his comrades.

"Gray!" Rizzo screeched. "Help! I'll even take Lyon and Sher's help! A complete stranger's help would work too!"

Then before anyone could help her, Jun jumped her while taking her into his arms. She started crying comically while trying to get away, but Jun just tightened his hold on her.

"Oh, my sweet, I have missed you!" Jun said as he rubbed his cheek against hers. "Don't worry! I will never let us be torn apart again."

He then pulled back to gaze into Rizzo's eyes with a loving expression that made Rizzo just cry harder.

"It has been too long since I have kissed these lips." Jun said as he leaned in. "I bet they will taste better than I imagine."

However, before he could get too close, Meredy grabbed the back of his cloak to jerk him backwards hard. He was surprised by the action, so his grip on Rizzo loosened, which meant she could get out of his hold and put many feet of distance between them.

"Stop it, Jun!" Meredy scolded. "Rizzo is in love with Gray. They're a couple, so respect that!"

Jun frowned at the mention of Gray Fullbuster while having the strong urge to add the ice-maker mage to his zombie collection. He doubted Rizzo would want anything to do with a rotting corpse.

"And if not for Gray's sake then for Rizzo's sake." Meredy added before Jun could protest. "How do you think she feels when some other man is trying to kiss her?"

Jun looked towards Rizzo as she pressed her back against the wall while staring at him with freaked out eyes. He sighed forlornly while turning away.

"I suppose…I will never have the sweet Rizzo Sweeney to myself." He said as he suddenly curled up into a ball with a dark cloud of depression over his head.

Meredy sighed feeling bad for her friend, but he had to realize sooner or later that pursuing Rizzo was a lost cause.

"Sorry about that, Rizzo." Meredy said as she turned towards the older pinkette.

"It…it's okay." Rizzo said as she slowly relaxed. "Um, are you two alright?"

Meredy nodded her head while stepping towards Rizzo who was finally peeling herself off the wall.

"Have you seen Ultear?" Meredy asked. "Jun and I lost track of Ultear a while ago."

"I'm sorry, but I haven't seen her." Rizzo said.

One of those dragonoids then came over the rubble getting ready to fire, which had Meredy gasping. Rizzo immediately moved to shield the girl as the thing fired. However, neither of them were hit because Gray arrived to shove the both of them down.

"Get down!" He ordered.

They hit the ground, and Rizzo took note that Gray was sure helping himself to a handful of her butt. If he was touching little Meredy like this, she'd kick his ass. However, when she glanced over, she saw Gray's arm was around Meredy's waist, which was much more appropriate.

"Stay focused!" Lyon ordered as he and Sher took out the dragonoid. "This is a war zone."

"And one mistake can mean the end of you." Sher added.

Meredy apologized as she, Gray, and Rizzo all got off of the ground once the danger passed. Gray then turned to Rizzo.

"Rizzo, what's wrong?" Gray asked. "I heard you screaming for us earlier. Did something happen?"

Rizzo remembered Jun, which had her immediately ducking behind Gray. This confused the ice mage as it did Sher and Lyon who have never seen Rizzo act so frightened. Well, Sher remembers Rizzo acting in a similar fashion around Moonlight who developed a creepy crush on her. Rizzo peeked around Gray while pointing towards Jun who was still curled up in depression.

"Who the hell is that guy?" Gray asked since he couldn't see Jun's face.

Jun sighed then uncurled while turning around to face Gray, and Gray immediately recognized him.

"It's you!" Gray said. "You're the creep who got all handsy with Rizzo on Galuna Island and kissed her without her permission!"

Lyon's eyes widened thinking the guy had to have some serious guts to do something like that. Before Gray could get his hands on Jun more of those dragonoids appeared over the rubble behind Gray, which meant Rizzo was in the direct line of fire.

"Rizzo, move!" Lyon ordered.

Rizzo whirled around with her eyes widening then before she could do anything Gray shoved her to the ground. She hit the ground then turned her head around in enough time to see Gray hit by the first attack. Her mouth fell agape in horror as tears immediately flooded her eyes. Then things seemed to move in slow motion as she watched Gray get hit six more times before taking a hit directly to his head with blood splattering everywhere. As Gray started falling a scream of horror and despair left Rizzo's lips.

"GRAY!" Lyon shouted as well to go along with Rizzo's screams.


	109. One Minute Is More Than Enough Time

Coco: Sorry for the mistakes. I hurried to get this finished to post it tonight since I didn't know when I'd be able to post again. But I hope you enjoy.

* * *

Rizzo sobbed over Gray's lifeless body as Lyon was helplessly calling for Sherria. Sher had her arms around Rizzo as the pinkette's body shook.

"Gray!" Rizzo sobbed. "Things weren't supposed to end like this! Gray!"

Meredy cried as well when hearing Rizzo's broken sobs. Jun stood there stoned-faced while having his arm around Meredy's shoulders to try and give her some kind of comfort. Rizzo actually turned away from Gray to look to Lyon who was crying and still calling for Sherria.

"Lyon." She said softly.

Even though her voice was soft, Lyon heard her, and turned towards her as the tears continued.

"He's already gone." She said. "It's too late."

Lyon let out a sob knowing that was true, but he just didn't want to believe it. Rizzo looked back towards Gray while reaching down to cup his cheeks, which were still warm. She then leaned down to rest her head on his chest just under his chin.

"It wasn't supposed to end like this." She repeated. "We had a future together, Gray….but it's gone now!"

She let out another painful sob while clinging to her love as his body was starting to grow cold. Lyon went over to Gray and Rizzo while dropping down onto his knees. He leaned over Gray and Rizzo before hugging the distraught pinkette. He would probably never admit this aloud, but in a way, he saw Rizzo as family. Maybe it was because he knew she would have been with Gray for this entire lifetime, which would lead to marriage. And Gray was like his brother, which would have made Rizzo his sister-in-law. They would have been like a family, but like Rizzo said that kind of future was gone. And she was hurting from it the most. This pain he was feeling from losing Gray…he wouldn't wish it on another living soul.

* * *

Breccan battled Zarconis with Laxus and Wendy with Mirajane and the four Exceeds watching from the sidelines. Sven and the Thunder Legion left after Breccan arrived, so they could help the others with the tiny dragons in the city. Of course, Freed had made sure Breccan swore to have Laxus's back before leaving. Breccan did just that, but this was war, so there was no garuntee any of them would live through this.

As the two Dragon Slayers forced Zarconis into the sky, Breccan jumped up after him while using his vibrations to give him a boost. He appeared above the dragon while lashing out his foot that had enough vibrations on it to start an earthquake. Zarconis grunted at the impact of Breccan's kick on top his head, and fell back down to the ground with a large thud. Breccan landed on top of him then flipped out of the way before Zarconis could reach back and grab him.

"You are really starting to annoy me, pest." Zarconis said to Breccan.

Breccan said nothing in return since he didn't join this fight to chitchat with a dragon.

"That was a nice hit, Breccan." Laxus said as the older man stood beside Breccan.

"If his hide wasn't so thick, it'd be a lot easier to cause eternal damage with my hits." Breccan said as he frowned. "If it was possible, I'd go inside to cause some damage, but I don't feel like becoming dragon chow."

Laxus nodded his head knowing Breccan could do a lot of damage if his vibration magic could reach the internal organs of Zarconis. If he hit the dragon's heart with the same kick he just used, the heart would undoubted rupture, which would be the end of this battle.

"Just try to go for any soft spots you can kind as Wendy and I keep blasting him with our Dragon Slayer magic." Laxus said.

Breccan nodded his head before the two of them had to jump out of the way of Zarconis's claws.

"Laxus, Breccan, be careful!" Wendy called out.

"I had just about enough of this." Zarconis said to them. "I could play all night with these little girls, but I don't have much interest in messing around with guys."

Zarconis then turned his eyes on Wendy, and it didn't take long for Breccan to realize what the dragon had in mind. He started running towards Wendy before Zarconis even finished speaking.

"So I'm going to eat this little morsel right up." Zarconis said. "Clothing and all."

Wendy whimpered stepping back slightly, but she didn't need to worry since Breccan attacked Zarconis quickly. He punched the dragon in the face with strong vibrations that sent Zarconis's head snapping to the side. It didn't faze the dragon much. In fact, he quickly retaliated by hitting Breccan hard with one of his claws piercing Breccan right through the chest, which had his guildmates' eyes widening in horror.

"Breccan!" Mirajane screamed shrilly as she looked at Breccan's impaled form.

Breccan fell from Zarconis's claw to hit the ground, and Mirajane immediately ran over to him. She took him into her arms with his body resting partially on her lap. He gasped for air though ended up hacking up more blood. Tears ran down Mirajane's cheeks as she was soaked with his blood, which poured from the gaping hole in his body. Mirajane covered the hole as if that would make things better.

"Breccan, you can't die on me!" Mirajane sobbed. "Please, Breccan, don't leave me."

Breccan just smiled weakly as his body started convulsing. Wendy covered her mouth with her hand as she cried as well as she looked at her dying guildmate. Laxus just continued cursed himself for not being fast enough to have Breccan's back when he needed the help. Sanjū was sobbing loudly with Happy holding her as he cried as well while Lily and Carla just stared in horror at the entire scene.

"I'm…sorry." Breccan whispered.

The last breath then left him as his head lolled to the side. Mirajane gasped in horror as the life left Breccan's eyes.

"Nooooo!" Mirajane screamed as she clutched Breccan to her chest desperately.

* * *

More deaths happened around the city and the cries of their loved ones' despair reached Ultear's ears as she remained knelt on the ground in a quieter part of the city. It was like she could hear all of them, and she wasn't sure what to do at first. Her plan to kill Rogue…she couldn't go through with it, but she was disgusted with herself for being so insistent on it earlier. She didn't deserve to live when she had such a wicked soul. There had to be something she could do. She had to help these people who gave her forgiveness and compassion that she didn't deserve.

She looked up when she remembered why she had even learned the Arc of Time to begin with. She wished to know its power to travel back in time, so to change her horrid past, which meant she could be happy. However, Hades had told her not to use it since he warned her that she would die if she were to do it. Back then she wasn't ready to die since she had no one worth dying for back then. However, things were different. She had loved ones she wanted to save and help, and if giving up her life to go back in time to give them a better future…she would do it. She would pay the price without any hesitation.

Ultear raised her hand to look at it for a moment while knowing what she had to do to make things right. She lifted her other hand as both of her hands started glowing with magic. She slammed them into the ground with all her magic power bursting from her body.

"Arc of Time: Last Ages!" Ultear shouted.

Time started to reserve, and a pain that Ultear has never felt before ripped through her body. She cried out in pain though tried to muffle her cries since she believed she deserved it after everything she has done to others. And despite her pain she continued to the spell because she had to do this for Meredy, Gray, Jun, Jellal, and all the others she inflicted pain upon and/or gave their forgiveness for everything she has done. She could muffle her cries much longer as it felt like every cell in her body was being ripped apart. But she still endured. She would continue using this magic until her life really was ripped away from her, or until she finished it.

Her magic spread and spread until it covered all of Fiore to reserve the time that had passed there. After her magic shot out, she felt her power start to wane. Soon all her magic power was spent completely, and she remained knelt there on the ground with her body looking burnt severely. She sat there with her body twitching in pain. However, the spell worked, so it was all worth it. She slowly turned her head to look at the clock, and her eyes widened when seeing only a minute had passed. She was completely horrified.

Her life was only worth one minute? How could that be it? She couldn't change their futures by giving them just one minute. The bright future she was hoping that would have was now gone because she couldn't push back time far enough. As she started falling towards the ground, she was certain she failed them. Even when trying to do right, she failed. She couldn't give back anything to those who gave so much to her. She hit the ground with everything going dark.

* * *

"Get down!" Gray shouted shoving Rizzo and Meredy to the ground as the dragonoids fired.

As Rizzo was under Gray's hold, she frowned having a strange sense of déjà vu. Didn't this just happen? And Gray—! Rizzo looked towards Gray knowing she had seen him dead. She felt as if her whole heart had been ripped from body as she wept over his lifeless form. She had done that, hadn't she? It had to have happened. She couldn't have just imagined something so horrible.

"Stay focused!" Lyon ordered as he and Sher took care of the dragonoids. "This is a war zone!"

"And one mistake can mean the end of you." Sher added.

Meredy apologized then got off the ground with Gray and Rizzo with the others looking confused as well.

"What just happened here?" Lyon asked.

Sher frowned not knowing herself, but she could have sworn something horrible had happened. She looked towards Gray as she thought this.

"I died?" Gray asked. "I don't get it."

So Rizzo hadn't just imagined something. If Gray and the others saw it too, it meant it had to have happened, right?

"A dream?" Meredy asked.

"No." Jun said. "Gray dying had happened…because we all couldn't have dreamed the same thing."

He looked to the side having a strong sense that what happened was Ultear's doing. He grit his teeth knowing she had to have used the magic Hades had forbid her too. He just has to hope that since only one minute seemed to reverse that Ultear didn't use all of her life-force. He silently prayed she was still alive, and he hoped to find her at the end of all this. Ultear was precious to him. She was his family. They were raised together by Master Hades. He remembers his first meeting with Ultear.

-FLASHBACK-

 _"Jun, come here and meet the newest addition to the guild." Hades said._

 _Jun turned away from the practice dummy he was beating to a pulp to look towards his master. Standing beside him was a young girl who seemed around his age. She had raven hair and striking red eyes that stood out against her pale skin. Jun, who was wearing his usual chongshan and had his hair braided behind him, walked over to the girl._

 _"Greetings." Jun said politely as he placed his hands inside his sleeves and bowed. "I am Jun Lau. I welcome you to the guild, newcomer."_

 _Ultear blinked at the polite and somewhat old-fashioned greeting as Jun lifted his head to give her a polite smile._

 _"I'm Ultear." She replied. "Nice to meet you."_

 _Jun's smile widened slightly as he looked at her through slit eyes. He had a feeling the two of them would get along just fine. He could also sense a large amount of magic power from this girl. He was certain she would go far as a mage._

-END OF FLASHBACK-

Jun had been right to thing those things about Ultear, which was why he was certain she had used her magic to reserve the last minute or so. Jun looked back towards Gray as the ice maker mage spoke again.

"How is that possible?" Gray asked.

However, before Jun could reply everyone suddenly got a sense that they should turn around because danger was coming. They all whirled around seeing those tiny dragons climbing over like they knew they could.

"They came just like we knew they would!" Lyon said.

Gray went to attack, but Jun beat him too it. He summoned his zombies, and they immediately latched onto the dragonoids to pull them under the earth and straight to hell. Rizzo looked with wide eyes to where Jun had destroyed the dragons. It really did happen, didn't it?

"You need to be quicker, or you might have died again." Jun said. "And I would not have forgiven you for doing such a thing to Rizzo-chan again."

Rizzo looked over to the two men from the daze she had been in as Gray glared at Jun.

"Why don't you shut up?" Gray suggested. "You think I'd intentionally make Rizzo cry?"

"I don't know if intentional is the word I'd use, but you've made her cry too many times already, you bastard." Jun said. "I don't see what she stays with you, honestly."

"Jun, calm down." Meredy pleaded.

She went ignored as the two men stared each other down with obvious hate sparking between them. She sighed hanging her head as Sher rolled her eyes. Men and their pissing contests could be so annoying.

"Gray, we really don't have the time for this." Lyon said. "Besides, doesn't this all seem a little childish?"

Gray went to tell Lyon to shut up and butt out, but didn't get the chance since Rizzo threw herself at him. He grunted at the impact with his arms instinctively going around her. He was about to ask what was wrong when he felt Rizzo shake as a sob left her lips.

"Ri…Rizzo." He murmured.

Rizzo let out another sob as the others stood back watching the scene happening in front of them.

"I don't know exactly what happened." Rizzo said. "But I can't forget what I saw or felt. You…you were gone…please, don't ever leave me again, Gray."

Gray's eyes softened, and he tightened his arms around Rizzo with her head being tucked underneath his chin. Jun looked away with his heart not being able to take this scene in front of him. He has really lost Rizzo. Though he was starting to think he never had her in the first place. He hadn't even had a chance with her. He had been foolish, but he supposed he should just be happy that someone as wonderful and as unworldly as her was happily in love. Even if Jun didn't think Gray deserved her love.

"I won't." Gray said in a serious tone. "Never will I leave you again…not like that, I promise, Rizzo."

Rizzo just continued crying as she held Gray tightly as if he was some kind of lifeline. As Rizzo allowed herself to weep happily over Gray being alive, she thanked whoever gave her Gray back with all her heart. Her future would mean nothing without Gray, but the future she thought she lost was back…and she would be eternally grateful for that.

* * *

As Zarconis hurried towards Wendy, she gasped feeling as if this had already happened before.

"What was that?" Wendy asked.

She had no clue, and neither did Breccan. However, he didn't dwell on it as he went to attack Zarconis to get him away from Wendy. As the Dragon's head snapped to the side, Laxus sprang into action. He hit Zarconis's clawed hand with his lightning to knock it off course when it went sailing at Breccan. As it hit the ground, both men dropped down to land on their feet on the ground.

"That was odd." Breccan said frowning as he looked down at his hand. "Hadn't I died?"

He could have sworn that he had. He felt himself be impaled, but now he was perfectly alright. Well, maybe not perfectly since he still had his other wounds, but he definitely wasn't dead.

"I thought you did." Laxus said honestly.

Breccan frowned wondering what the hell happened, and what had just changed. Did they all see into the future…or somehow step into the past?

"Breccan!"

Breccan turned around about to ask Mirajane what was wrong, but the words never left his lips because Mirajane threw herself at him while placing her lips on his. His eyes widened in shock as Mirajane held him tight while keeping her lips glued to his.

"Oh my goodness." Wendy said covering her eyes as she blushed.

Laxus just snorted as he crossed his arms over his chest. He knew it was bound to happen since he saw how Mirajane ogled Breccan daily.

"She loves him~" Happy cooed with his paw over his mouth.

Lily shook his head at Happy who was making kissing noises to tease the couple who didn't even seem to hear him.

"Is now really the time for that?" Carla asked.

"Well, she was worried about him." Sanjū said in her defense. "I would have probably done the same if in her position."

"And who would you be kissing?" Lily asked sounding a bit bothered.

Sanjū's eyes widened when he asked that since she was expecting it. Soon she blushed while looking to the side.

"No one in particular." Sanjū replied trying to sound nonchalant.

Carla lightly chuckled while quite certain just who Sanjū was thinking about, and said person—or rather Exceed—was right behind her. The Exceeds went unheard by the mages as Mirajane continued to kiss the shocked Vibration Mage. When she finally pulled back he saw the tears running down her cheeks. Had she been worried about him? Mirajane then blushed realizing what she had done.

"I'm sorry." She said as she kept her hold on Breccan. "I…I'm just so relieved. I saw you die, Breccan. I lost you. I know I did, and it was terrifying. But now you're okay…and I'm so happy."

Breccan remained silent as Mirajane continued to cling to him with all her might.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." Breccan said. "I know seeing a guildmate die must have been—!"

"It's not just that!" Mirajane interrupted as she looked up at him with an almost stern look. "Don't you understand? I love you! I love you deeply, and when you died in front of me, it was like a part of me died as well, Breccan!"

Breccan's eyes widened again when Breccan shouted those words at him so fiercely. Mirajane lost some of the fierceness in her eyes as more tears leaked from her eyes.

"Do you understand now?" She asked weakly.

She then hid her head against his chest, and he slowly put his arms around her as if he was unsure of what to do. However, they soon had to move because Zarconis went in to attack again. Breccan jumped out of the way taking Mirajane with him as Laxus and Wendy hit him with Dragon Slayer Magic. Breccan landed in a crouch with Mirajane still in his arms. He pulled back while staring into her crying face for a moment. He said nothing as he turned around to face Zarconis.

"Don't cry." Breccan said. "I promise I'll keep living…because I never want to see you crying like this again especially over someone like me."

He then ran back into the fight as Mirajane remained sitting on the ground watching him go.

"Please, be safe." She whispered.

* * *

As a huge bright light show up from the castle, Rizzo, who had finally calmed down enough to rejoin the fight, paused in fighting to look towards it.

"What was that?" She asked frowning.

She then took down one of those dragonoids with a blast of sound magic, which was the only magic she could use at the moment since she felt too drained to use her music magic.

"No clue." Gray said. "But we can't worry about. We still need to worry about these little guys."

Rizzo nodded her head in agreement when something suddenly flew past her and Gray to smash into the ground. They both turned their heads with their eyes widening when they saw Jaser laying in a small crater in the ground. He lifted his head looking pissed off as hell.

"Jaser!" Rizzo called to her brother in worry.

She hurried to his side to kneel down beside him. She placed her hand on his shoulder gently.

"Jaser, are you alright?" She asked in concern.

"Yeah, just great." He said as he let out a deep breath. "That dragon is just proving to be tougher than I thought."

Gray, who had joined them, then helped Jaser off the ground as said dragon climbed over one of the still standing buildings. Though the structure started to crumble under its talons.

"You will not escape me, son of my sister." The dragon hissed. "If I cannot find Sabbia, I will rip you to shreds and leave your mangled body for her to find."

Jaser grit his teeth as he glared towards Suna. Jaser felt totally useless for not being able to defeat this dragon in front of him. He was supposed to be a Dragon Slayer, right? Yet he hasn't even made a scratch on Suna. Jaser stepped away from Gray while ready to continue this fight. He refused to give up so easily. Suddenly that bright light from earlier happened again, which had even Suna looking towards it.

"There it is again." Rizzo said.

"Some fools are trying to destroy the Eclipse Gate." Suna hissed. "I can hear them desperate try to hit the gate with everything they have, so we will be forced out of your time and back into our own. But that gate will not be destroyed by measly humans. There is no hope for any of you!"

He roared about to attack, but something else happened. Rizzo watched with wide eyes as what looked like a giant fireball started falling down towards the gate after the light died down. She stepped in that direction while bringing her hands up towards her mouth.

"It's Natsu." She whispered.

She could feel his power from where she stood, and she suddenly felt a new hope. And she knew things were going to be alright now. As she was thinking that, the giant fireball hit the ground where the light had come from. Which meant it hit the gate.

"Impossible!" Suna roared as he suddenly started to glow. "A human…a human destroyed the gate?!"

Suna then looked towards Jaser as the young Rajasthan looked back at the dragon with narrowed eyes.

"I don't know what my sister saw in you." Suna said as he started disappearing. "To go against her kin to raise a human…you have to be of some importance. But what? Did she see potential in you?"

"I don't know what she saw in me." Jaser said honestly. "I don't know if I ever will, but she did choose to raise me. And I will live the life she gave me by taking me in. Which is why I fight using what she taught me. I am the proud son of the Desert Queen, and nothing will change that."

Suna said nothing in return before just scoffing as he looked to the side. This human…he actually made Suna think of his older sister. The burning determination in his eyes was just like the look she always got when she set her mind to something.

"To think a human would bear such resemblance to my sister." Suna said. "Makes me sick, but you just live this life of yours, human. I won't care either way."

Jaser smirked at Suna who has almost completely disappeared from this time that is the present.

"Whatever you say, _uncle_." Jaser said.

"Impudent child." Suna hissed.

He then completely vanished, and once he was gone, Jaser fell back onto his butt.

"Man, how pathetic." Jaser said. "And I call myself a Dragon Slayer. I didn't even faze him."

Gray crouched down to pat Jaser on the shoulder in a consoling manner as Rizzo continued to look towards where the fireball crashed. Rizzo smiled as she held her hands to her chest.

"Natsu…thank-you." Rizzo said.


	110. Brawling at the Ball

Rizzo looked at herself in the mirror of the dressing room in the palace. She wasn't used to dressing fancy, but the king wanted to throw a ball tonight to celebrate the end of the games and the victory against the dragons. So she dressed in something Craylee had thrown together with the many dresses and accessories around the palace. She wore a black strapless dress that hugged her bosom tightly before flaring down from her waist to stop above her knees, and around the middle of the dress was a neon green ribbon. She had black tights on as well that went into black stiletto heels as well. Then there was a white collar around her neck like a choker, and it had a pink tie clipped to it. There were white cuffs on her wrists as well, and finally on top her head was a neon green top hate with a pink ribbon.

"I feel overdressed." Rizzo said. "I know this is a ball, but still."

Lucy giggled as she helped adjust the top hat on Rizzo's head, so it was straighter.

"Well, I think you look beautiful." Lucy said as she placed her hands on Rizzo's shoulders.

Rizzo sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest. She supposed she'd just have to live with it until all this celebration was over. Normally she loved a good party, but after everything that's happened, she just felt exhausted. Sure, they all got to rest last night then most of today with the King allowing them to rest in the castle…but mentally she was still tired.

"If we have to go through with this ball while dressed up as well then you have to join us, Rizzo." Miseri pipped up.

Rizzo looked towards the bluenette who was standing with Yukino, Lalita, and Divya on one side of the room. The younger girl, who was technically now older, wore an icy blue dress with white lace sleeves that were stitched in a pattern that resembled snowflakes. The lace pattern also covered her shoulders then down to her lower back. The dress fell down to her feet, which were in white strap-high-heels. There was s slit in the side of the dress, and it went a bit above her knee. Her hair was up in an elegant side bun, and she had light makeup to bring out her natural beauty.

"Okay, okay." Rizzo said holding up her hands in defense. "I never said I would be skipping. Just that I was unpleased with all this."

Divya chuckled finding amusement in Rizzo and Miseri's discomfort as the two women sighed again. Divya had on a bright yellow top that stopped above her bellybutton. It had sleeves that flowed to her wrist with many different colored accents around the wrists and collar. She then had on a red skirt that flowed down to her ankles with many colorful designs as well. On her feet were simple sandals, and she had a few rings on her toes. There were fingers on her fingers as well with bangles on her wrists. She had golden crown like head piece in her hair that was put up beautifully in a waterfall style, and finally in her ears eye long golden earrings.

"You two should let yourselves have fun with this." Divya said. "It's not every day we get to celebrate in a ball."

Miseri and Rizzo just continued to frown, which Lalita found amusing as she giggled with Wendy. Lalita wore a sleeveless dark violet dress that was high collar. It had buttons going from the top of the collar to across her chest with ruffles around the buttons and her chest. The dress stopped above her knees, and she then had on black stockings with black heels on her feet. She had black ribbons in her hair, which was styled in two low ponytails. She had on black gloves as well that went up to her shoulders.

"I'm with the two of them." Yukino spoke up. "Do I really have to wear this outfit to the celebration?"

She looked completely uncomfortable in her dress as she stood close to Miseri as if to get some form of comfort.

"Uh, yeah, because it looks amazing on you." Lucy said.

She winked for good measure, and Rizzo looked at her thinking Lucy needed to get dressed herself.

"It looks great." Mirajane assured her. "Very flattering."

"Hey, Mira, can I get some help here?" Lisanna asked.

She was having trouble with her corset, and since Mirajane didn't seem to hear her, Divya gave her assistance to the youngest Strauss.

"Don't worry." Wendy said to Yukino. "I'm sure you'd look cute in about anything."

Yukino didn't look very reassured, but didn't say another word. Miseri looked towards the slightly younger girl while knowing Yukino was probably more worried about seeing the others from Sabertooth again than going to this party. In all honesty, Miseri was feeling a bit apprehensive as well about that. Sure, she helped her old guild out during the dragon incident, but now that was all over. It wasn't as if they needed her or Lalita or Divya now.

"Speaking of looking cute, I wonder if the boys managed to clean themselves up nice." Rizzo commented. "I'm sure some of them are less than pleased about having to get fancy. Even more than me."

The girls laughed knowing Rizzo was probably right about that one. Natsu was probably the most displeased of them all.

* * *

Jaser frowned pulling at the collar of his shirt for the umpteenth time since he put it on. He wasn't used to wearing such constricting clothes, and he didn't like it. But Craylee had forced him into this outfit, so Jaser wouldn't look like "slouch" as Craylee said. Jaser had on a gold colored dress shirt under a dark gray vest with a white cravat tied around his neck. He then had on fancy gold-colored goat over it that had white accents. He wore white dress pants as well with black shoes on his feet.

"Stop pulling at your collar." Craylee said frowning at Jaser.

Craylee didn't seem or feel out of place in his clothes, but considering it was him, it was unsurprising. Craylee wore a white dress shirt under a black vest that had thin white pinstripes running down it. He had a crimson red steampunk styled cravat tied around his neck. He then had on a black coat that had a split tail coat in the back that nearly touched the ground, but in the front the coat stopped at his waist. He had black dress pants on as well with well-polished black shoes on his feet. There were then white gloves on his hands, and on top his head a black top hat that was small in size and tilted to the left. He also had on a black eyepatch over his eye he had lost during the fight. It gave him an even edgier look.

"I didn't take time out of my day to make sure you had the proper attire for a ball for you to make it look sloppy due to your fidgeting." Craylee said as he narrowed his remaining eye at Jaser.

Jaser pouted at Craylee wishing his younger brother would cut him a bit of slack. Jaser didn't wear clothes like this often, so he felt constricted and uncomfortable.

"You don't have to be mean." Jaser said. "I mean, cut me some slack, will ya?"

"No." Craylee said bluntly.

Jaser hung his head as Craylee walked away to join Juvia who "upgraded" herself again. The girl kept changing her appearance thinking Craylee would love her even more if she did so. He tried to tell her not to change just for his sake, and if she did wish to change how she looked, it should be for herself. But Craylee wasn't sure if his words sunk in.

"What's wrong, Jaser?" Sven asked as he joined the Rajasthan.

Jaser looked down at Sven who had also gotten his outfit picked out by Craylee. Sven had on something simpler than Jaser, which Jaser was jealous over. Sven wore a simple light green dress shirt under a pale gray vest with a slightly darker gray jacket over that. He then had on a white bowtie around his neck. His dress pants matched the color of his jacket and he had black shoes on as well.

"I feel uncomfortable." Jaser said. "I prefer my other clothes."

"I'm sure all of us—even Craylee—would prefer not to be so dressed up."

Jaser and Sven turned towards Breccan who spoke up when the second eldest Treblemen seemed to appear out of nowhere. Breccan was dressed even simpler than Sven, which Jaser saw as no far. Breccan wore a dark violet dress shirt under a black vest. He then had on a white tie tucked under the vest. He finally had on the black dress pants and shoes.

"How'd you end up the only one without one of these stuffy coats?" Jaser asked pouting.

"I'm lucky." Breccan said shrugging. "And I ditched the clothes what he had on me last second, so there was no time for him to try and force me back into those others."

Jaser wished he would have thought of that, but the thought hadn't occurred to him at all. He then looked to Cana as she stumbled into his side while already looking hammered. He immediately put his arm around her waist to keep her up right as if it was habit for him to do so. She's barely left his side ever since she found him after the incident with the dragons was over.

"Jaser!" Cana giggled. "Come on, smile. It's time to party!"

Jaser smiled down at Cana before leaning in to nuzzle her neck affectionately, which she seemed to love. As the two had a moment together, Sting watched them while thinking about Miseri. She's seemed kind of distant ever since the dragons went back to their own time. Which has him worried. He missed having her close even more now, and wished she was at his side this very moment.

"Someone seems glum."

Sting lifted his head to see Dante standing there. He was dressed up in a traditional kimono styled outfit that was mutely colored as well.

"Is it because a certain ice princess isn't here right now?" Dante asked with a quirked brow.

Sting frowned not replying, but he didn't have to because Dante already knew the answer.

"She should be here soon." Dante said. "Knowing her, the others are having to force her into an outfit that goes along with the event."

Sting lightly chuckled knowing that was most likely true. Miseri didn't like dressing up.

"Actually it seems like they're here now." Rufus spoke up.

The boys of Sabertooth turned their heads towards where Rufus was looking, and Sting nearly choked on air when seeing Miseri's appearance. She looked absolutely stunning in her dress. Rogue blushed at the sight of Divya as the young Rajasthan girl looked around at the ball with an excited look in her eyes.

"Looks as if we've lost those two." Orga joked when seeing the looks on their two Dragon Slayers' faces.

"They look like two fools with how their mouths are hanging agape." Violet, who just arrived as well, commented.

Lector whirled around to look at her, and his mouth unhinged as well when seeing the beautiful outfit she was in.

"My angel." He said while kneeling down on one knee in front of her.

Violet scoffed looking away from him as Dante and Rufus were chuckling in amusement. Sting almost walked right over to Miseri, but paused. How was he supposed to approach her? She wasn't part of the guild anymore after all. Where did they stand? As he was mulling over his thoughts, the girls continued to look around the ballroom.

"Hey, you're here!" Elfman greeted.

Rizzo wished she was somewhere else at the moment like back in bed cuddling with Gray. Speaking of Gray…where were his clothes? Rizzo sighed hanging her head while knowing she'd have to find them before the night was up.

"Well, let's party!" Cana cheered.

She knocked back another bottle of wine as Jaser stood beside her with some meat shoved into his mouth. Gray then looked to Gajeel with a quirked brow.

"That get up is a little fancy for you." Gray commented.

"At least I'm wearing something." Gajeel replied.

"He's got you there, Frosty." Rizzo said as she looked at him in exasperation.

Gray blushed looking to the side out of embarrassment as Rizzo wondered where he could have put his clothes.

"Now be nice." Erza said. "We have to get along with each other and our former competitors as well."

"In other words, don't start causing trouble by picking fights." Breccan added from where he stood slightly behind Erza.

Mirajane looked towards him as he stood there with his hands in the pockets of his pants. She noticed he didn't directly look her way, and she wondered if her confession actually put space between them than pull them together.

"Tell that to Natsu when he gets here." Gray said.

"What Natsu isn't here?!" Rizzo asked.

She looked around for her pinkette friend, but didn't see him anywhere. She felt like crying when seeing her partner in crime was nowhere to be seen. Now, she was certain this ball would be even more unbearable.

"Wonder if he decided to skip this thing." Gajeel said.

"Can I skip too then?" Rizzo asked.

"No, no." Erza said as she placed her hand on Rizzo's shoulder. "You have to stay here with the rest of us."

Rizzo frowned looking off to the side, but guessing she was stuck here for the rest of the night.

"Well, if I'm going to be stuck here, there's someone clothes I have to find." She said to herself while meaning Gray.

* * *

Rizzo let out another sigh as she walked through the ball. She liked a party, but this one was stuffy and formal.

"You're too young to being sighing so much like that."

Rizzo turned her head seeing Sher standing there with Lyon at her side as he held Triton's hand. Sher was wearing a military like short dress that fit her usual style, and Rizzo noticed that Triton had an almost matching outfit to his mother, which she absently thought was cute.

"Is Auntie Rizzo sad?" Triton asked.

Rizzo smiled kindly at Triton while carefully crouching in front of Triton to pat his head.

"No." Rizzo said then whispered. "Auntie Rizzo just finds these kinds of events boring."

Triton laughed as Rizzo winked at him playfully. Above them his parents exchanged amused looks.

"Maybe if you socialized some, you wouldn't be so bored." Gray said.

Rizzo stood up while turning to see her clothed boyfriend as he held a piece of meat in his hand.

"You should watch how much you stuff yourself." Rizzo said as she poked his gut. "If you keep it up, you won't be able to fit inside your clothes, and you already go around naked too much."

Gray snorted at her comment before finishing off the rest of his meat. He set the bone on another plate then put his arm around Rizzo's waist.

"Well, I think you should get something to eat." Gray said. "Usually you're all over this kind of food. And everyone else is enjoying the food. Like those three."

He pointed over to Wendy, Sherria, and Lalita who were ogling some kind of jello dessert.

"Whoa, it's so sparkly." Wendy said. "It looks like a jewel."

"Yeah, it's beautiful." Sherria added. "I wonder what it tastes like."

"I going to eat it to find out." Lalita said.

All three of them got their own jello dessert, and in unison took their first bites out of it.

"So good." They all said in unison.

"You three seem to be enjoying that." Prince said.

The three girls jumped slightly at his sudden appearance then turned to look at him. He was dressed similarly to the Trimens, and had his hair sliced backwards away from his eyes. Wendy blushed as she noticed Prince had a slightly amused smile on his face as he looked at them.

"U-uh, well it is pretty good." She stuttered.

"It's amazing~" Lalita hummed happily then held out a plate towards Prince. "Here give it a try, Prince-kun~"

Prince blinked before taking the offered dessert. He thanked Lalita then took a bite from the jello dessert.

"It does taste rather good." Prince said. "I can see why you all seem so pleased with it."

Wendy smiled glad that Prince liked it as he took another bite out of the dessert.

"Wendy, Lalita, I think there's something near me and it wants my food!" Sherria cried.

Lalita and Wendy looked towards Sherria, and while Lalita saw no one, Wendy could see Mavis hovering over Sherria's food.

"I don't see anyone." Lalita said. "Speaking of not seeing anyone, Wendy-chan where is Natsu-kun? Is he not joining in on the party?"

"Hmm, actually I don't know." Wendy said honestly. "I haven't seen him, and he's someone hard to miss."

The Thunder Legion overheard Wendy's words while taking a look around themselves.

"Natsu, hasn't shown up?" Bickslow asked frowning.

"That would explain why things are relatively peaceful." Evergreen said.

Amarante and Freed didn't seem to care where the pinkette was since they were too busy frowning—or rather pouting in Amarante's case—at the fact that Sven and Laxus were surrounded by a horde of women.

"Oh, you're so strong." A woman swooned over Laxus.

"Yeah, such manly muscles." Another added.

Laxus frowned feeling a bit uncomfortable with all the women hanging off of him. He then looked towards Amarante who was pouting off to the side.

"It looks like Laxus would rather spend time with pretty little girls." Amarante said as she was crouched on the ground and drawing invisible circles on the floor with her finger.

Those girls could only be in their mid-teens, so they were too young for him yet they were still hanging off of him.

"Oh, don't pout." Evergreen said. "And stand up before you wrinkle your outfit."

Amarante whined though did get to her feet, so Evergreen could smooth out her kimono. Amarante was wearing a pale yellow kimono that had light purple and white flowers decorating it. The sleeves were long and nearly touched the floor. There was a purple ribbon around her waist that was tied in a large bow in the back. Around that ribbon was a black sash and around the sash was a gold string that was tied in a small bow in the front. Her hair was up into a half-bun-half-side ponytail with it curled at the end. She then had on simple straw sandals on her feet, but they went well with her outfit.

"Don't pay attention to those girls." Evergreen said. "Don't let them sour your mood."

"You might want to tell Freed that too." Bickslow said.

He pointed at Freed who was glaring at those girls who were cooing over Sven.

"You are such a little cutie." One said while pinching his cheek. "It hard to believe you're twenty-one."

"I would just love to take you home with me." One purred flirtatiously. "I'm sure we could have some fun."

Freed looked appalled when the woman said that, and quickly picked up his whistle to blow.

"Ladies, release him at once!" Freed ordered.

He went ignored, which nearly had him falling flat on his face in despair. Evergreen and Bickslow sweat-dropped at his behavior. Freed was then surprised when Sven broke away from all those women to hug him while looking quite like a shy little boy trying to hide himself by hugging his father or older brother.

"I'm sorry." Sven said in a cutely shy voice. "You all seem very nice, but I'm too shy for such things."

The women squealed at his cuteness while so even fainted since it was too much for them to handle.

"So precious!" The women, who hadn't fainted, said.

Sven just tightened his hold on Freed, who was blushing scarlet, while hiding his face in Freed's torso. As Freed himself tried not to faint, Laxus shook his head. It was kind of scary how well that little snot could play women and have them fawning over him. Laxus also wished he could find a way to get all these women off of him like Sven had done. He didn't like them hanging off of him, and the longer they did the more depressed Amarante looked.

"Excuse me." Laxus finally said as he pulled away from those women. "My girlfriend looks rather lonely."

Just the mentioned of the "G" word had those women letting go in shock, which gave him the room to get away from them and over to Amarante who looked shocked that he used that word too. Laxus wasn't big on saying such a word since that meant he was in some kind of commitment. Before she could ask if him he was sick, he put his arm around her waist while having her walk away from those girls with him.

"Well, that's two ways to get away from your admirers." Evergreen said.

Bickslow nodded in agreement as some of their other guildmates, who also witnessed what happened, laughed in amusement at the whole thing. Rizzo was among those laughing. However, her laughter died down when see she saw Miseri off to the side watching Sting as he was trying to get Gajeel to have a drink with him.

"I'll be back in a moment." Rizzo said to Gray.

He nodded his head as Rizzo walked over towards where Miseri was standing on her own. She moved to stand beside Miseri, which had the bluenette looking towards her.

"You know, if you want to speak with him, you should go right on ahead." Rizzo said. "I'm sure he'd love to spend time with you tonight. He does seem to care for you deeply."

Miseri let out a sigh wishing it was that easy. It actually probably was, but in her mind is seemed so much more difficult. Usually she wasn't so cautious or hesitant about anything. She usually spoke her mind or faced anything calm and collected without any worry about her first or next move. It frustrated her that she couldn't treat this situation with Sabertooth any differently.

"I can tell you want to rejoin the Sabertooth guild." Rizzo said. "You and the rest of your friends. I mean, look at them."

Rizzo looked back towards the party with Miseri following her gaze. Miseri saw Dante and Nook were cutting it up with Orga while Lalita was showing Rufus the dessert she had found and thought was delicious. Divya was talking with Rogue, and she laughed at something he said, which had the Shadow Dragon Slayer giving a slight smile. Even Violet was with Frosch and Lector with the latter flirting with her as usual. Even though Violet seemed annoyed with Lector's flirting, she remained with him and Frosch. Yukino was watching the group from the side with a look of longing in her eyes. As if she wanted to join their fun, but was unsure if it was the right thing.

"They are your family." Rizzo said. "I can understand why you might feel hesitant considering all that happened, but it seems as if your old master, Minerva, and my cousin are gone. All that hate is gone, which means Sabertooth can start anew, ya know. And I think those in Sabertooth want to start fresh as well. But it is your choice what you do, but I think you should know that your friends are most likely waiting for you to make the final decision."

Miseri sighed knowing that Rizzo was most likely right about that. However, she still wasn't sure.

"I need more time to think." Miseri said as she turned away from Rizzo. "And I don't think I can think clearly here…so please excuse me."

Miseri started walking away, and Rizzo was just going to let her go since she knew Miseri had a lot to think through. And Rizzo already gave her two cents. However, a certain someone noticed that Miseri was leaving, and even though he was avoiding the subject earlier, Sting knew he couldn't just let her walk away.

"Miseri, wait!" He said in a slightly loud tone that caught quite a few people's attention.

Miseri paused in her retreat though kept her back to Sting as he took a few steps towards her.

"Please stick around to at least hear what I have to say." Sting pleaded.

Miseri still didn't turn around, but she didn't move, so Sting took that as a sign to continue.

"The Master, Milady, and Mavi are gone for good." Sting said. "They won't be here."

This had even Yukino looking towards Sting to listen as well as did the rest of the former members of Sabertooth.

"Look, I'm sorry for the way we treated you…all of you." Sting said as he gestured to all his former guildmates. "But we're starting everything over from scratch. You were right when you said the way we were was wrong."

Those words had Miseri turning to look at Sting as the blonde was looking down at the ground.

"But the old Sabertooth guild is history now." Sting said. "From here on out we'll be the kind of guild that treats their members like family. I know all your wounds are still fresh, but I would love it if you all rejoined. Please, Miseri."

Sting looked at her with pleading eyes that had her heart aching almost painfully. The way he made her body react with a single look was unnerving, but that didn't make her wish any less to go over to him…to rejoin the guild to be at his side. However, before she could speak another voice cut in.

"Are you kidding me?" Kagura spoke up with a slight slur. "Don't be such an idiot."

Everyone looked towards Kagura while noticing she had a rather flushed face. Rizzo face palmed knowing that look quite well since Cana had it often…Kagura was drunk right now…very drunk, which Rizzo knew couldn't lead to good things.

"Did everybody forget that Yukino's life is in my hands?" Kagura asked. "Since I'm making the rules here, I say she has to join Mermaid Heel. And Miseri, Lalita, Divya, and the little kitty should join too!"

"WHAT?!" The members of Sabertooth asked in shock.

Miseri's eyes even widened in shock as did a lot of other people's eyes. Lector grabbed Violet despite his shock since he didn't want her to go. Sting marched right up to Kagura looking pissed as he glared down at the woman who glared right back.

"You're completely wasted." Sting said.

"It doesn't matter!" Kagura said. "Those girls belong with us, and you can't stop it! You can have the guys though."

Sting practically growled at her as Rogue almost protectively put his arms around Divya who was flabbergasted with the whole situation.

"Stop right there." Erza cut in.

Rizzo looked with everyone else to see her guildmates lined up looking as if they were ready for a fight as well. She sighed knowing things were going to get even more complicated from here. Normally Rizzo liked a good fight, but what they were trying to fight over wasn't their business. It was Miseri and her friends' choices in the end. Things became even more chaotic as the other guilds butt in trying to get in on the action. As a large battle broke out, Yukino watched with wide eyes.

"Gees, who knew things would turn into this." Dante said.

Yukino jumped since she hadn't realized he had moved to the side to lean against the wall next to her.

"But, hey, I guess it's nice to feel loved by others." Dante said chuckling. "Even if our old guildmates are showing that love through violence."

Yukino's eyes widened at his words before she looked back to the Sabertooth mages who were fighting to the right to have her and the others rejoin their guild. She felt her eyes water as Dante's words really sunk in. Yukino smiled with the tears starting to spill over.

"Yeah, you're right." Yukino agreed.

Dante grinned down at her then looked to Miseri who seemed rather happy herself. Miseri remained standing still in the middle of all the chaos while watching Sting fight against Kagura.

"Miseri isn't joining your guild!" Sting said. "I promised, nothing would pull us apart again, and I meant it."

Miseri felt the tears hit immediately after those words left Sting's mouth. She couldn't really explain why she was crying, but she knew it wasn't out of sadness. No, she felt so much happiness that she just might burst. She let out a sniffle as her hands clenched the fabric of her dress. Despite all the noise, Sting heard her crying, which had him looking towards her. Thinking she was upset, Sting tripped Kagura onto the ground before hurrying over to Miseri.

"Mis, what's wrong?" Sting asked as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "Please, don't cry. I'm sorry if I did anything wrong."

Miseri shook her head as a smile broke out across her face. Her arms moved up to hug Sting, which surprised him. However, he put his arms around her as well.

"I'm…I'm happy." Miseri assured him. "And…I want to go home."

Sting's eyes widened wondering if Miseri was saying what he thought she was saying. Miseri pulled back slightly to look up into his eyes.

"Can we return to the guild tomorrow with everyone?" Miseri asked.

Sting grinned glad to hear her ask that. He hugged her tighter with his chin on top her head.

"Yeah, we can." Sting said. "All of us."

As they had their moment, the rest of the fighting continued. Rizzo grinned from her spot on the sidelines as she watched them. Well, at least all that was taken care of. She then laughed guessing balls were more exciting than she thought.

"If Natsu was here, it would be even better." Rizzo said. "I wonder where he is."


	111. Homecoming!

Coco: Hey, Guys, just wanted you all to know something about upcoming future chapters. I decided not to do the Eclipse Arc since I have so many non-canon filler ideas of my own to add. I will do the first episode of the arc, which will be like introduction into a personal chapter for Laelaps, so she will get her own chapter like The Treblemen did. Speaking of them, I do have some more personal chapters for them. Like Part 2s so to speak, and they have to deal with the team up poll I had put up. If you don't remember the results of the poll you can go on chapter 95 to see them.

Speaking of the poll, since Craylee and Sven were both paired with Wendy for a job, I decided to change Craylee's team up. Now he's paired up with Levy for a job with Jet and Droy kind of just tagging along since they weren't specifically requested. Hope that doesn't upset too many people.

Then while I'm thinking about personal chapters, I want to give personal chapters for Miseri and Sher. Then maybe Prince and later on Jun, but I'm not sure about those too. And it's because I have all these fillers planned that I decided not to do the Eclipse Arc. I'm sorry for all those looking forward to it. There are also a few canon filler episodes I won't be doing either. Like when Frosch gets lost since I'll be doing Miseri's personal chapter later on. And I won't really do Asuka's episode since one of my own fillers will be happening at the same time chronically wise, but there will be mentions of it. But I will be doing Juvia's episode, I promise since I love it so much XD I actually already have it written out. Anyway, this is the last chapter of the GMG Arc, and the next chapter will be Breccan's Personal Chapter Part 2 :D

Oh, and please forgive the typos and mistakes. It's nearing Thanksgiving so work has been really stressful. I was even reduced to tears today because I became so frustrated with everything, and like everyone decided to bring their problems to me and apparently I have to make everything better. I've only been there like four and a half months. What do they expect me to do? They've been there longer, so they should know how to handle their down shit. Sorry...didn't meant to rant. It's just been a really bad day. But hearing from you, my lovely, readers will surely make me feel much better. :D

Now please enjoy the chapter~

OH WAIT!

I totally forgot to mention that I'm planning some Christmas Special One-shots for Fairy Tail, and I'll be posting a poll of "prompts" for the one shots for you to choose from, so be looking out for that because I'll put it up soon. I want to give you all a chance to get in your votes, but also make sure there's enough time between when I close the poll and Christmas Eve (when I'll most likely post the chapters) to write up the chapters.

Okay, I'm really done now XD Sorry about all that. You can enjoy the chapter now.

* * *

Rizzo let out a yawn as she sat up in her bed. Even though it was still rather early, she and her brothers all wanted to get an early start in heading back to Magnolia. Most of the others were doing the same as well even if they all did stay up pretty late at the ball. Some had even left the ball to go party in a less classy setting. In fact, Jaser had to pick Cana up from the bar this morning, and she was still awake and hammered as ever. Rizzo looked out towards the window of their hotel room as the sun started peeking through and the sounds of birds filtered in.

She smiled feeling relaxed and at peace. Last night things had gotten a bit crazy and even more so when Natsu arrived. But Rizzo hadn't really participated. No, she stayed off to the side to watch her friends and fellow mages have fun, which had been enough for her. She just supposes her body and mind weren't ready for such activities yet. The battle with the dragons had really taken a lot out of her, but…she was sure she'd bounce back eventually. As she got up to start getting ready, her mind wandered to Meredy. She hasn't seen the younger girl ever since the end of the battle with the dragons where the two had cried in happiness that it was all over in each other's arms.

"I hope she found Ultear." Rizzo murmured as she grabbed some clean clothes.

She remembered talking to Jun—rather reluctantly—about what might have happened since he seemed to understand everything that happened with Gray dying and then not being dead.

-FLASHBACK-

 _Rizzo stood off to the side with Jun as the others were celebrating their victory over the dragons._

 _"Time had been reversed." Jun said as he looked up into the sky. "It could have only been Ultear's doing. She is a master in time magic after all."_

 _So it was thanks to Ultear that Rizzo had her Gray safe and sound and that her future with him was intact. She smiled while feeling forever grateful to the older woman. Rizzo looked back towards Jun while noticing his bothered look._

 _"What is it?" Rizzo asked. "Do you think she's alright?"_

 _Jun frowned looking towards Rizzo to see she seemed completely concerned about Ultear._

 _"The spell she used…it can prove to be fatal." Jun said. "I just hope I find her…for Meredy's sake."_

 _Rizzo looked towards Meredy who was smiling widely and seemed so happy at the moment._

 _"Yeah…" Rizzo agreed then looked towards Jun. "If you do find her, please let her know just how grateful I am to her for what she did."_

 _"…Of course…" Jun said._

-END OF FLASHBACK-

"I hope you're okay, Ultear." Rizzo said softly.

* * *

Jun walked the streets of Crocus in search while not carrying if he was spotted. Though he had taken some precautions to make him not stand out and be noticed by someone who might know who he is. He had his hair out of its braid so it fell around his shoulders and past them. He also had a newsboy hat on top his head. He then dressed casually in white dress shirt with a gray vest over it. He then had on brown dress pants and brown loafers on his feet. It was completely different than is usual appearance, so he doubted would be able to pick him out so easily. Even if he was dressed in his usual wear, he would be out here looking. He wouldn't leave Crocus until he found her. He paused in walking with his body tensing as he felt her familiar soul nearby.

Due to the nature of his magic, he was able to sense people's souls and could tell the differences between each one. And he knew Ultear's very well. They did grow up together after all. Jun went in the direction where he sensed her soul, and as he got closer he saw an elderly lady waving off the announcer to the Grand Magic Games. Her appearance and age might be completely different, but he knew for certain that he was looking at Ultear right now. He walked forward, and she seemed to sense him as well since she looked towards him as he came to a stop a few feet away from her.

"I should have known you would find me, Jun." Ultear said with a kind smile. "But I suppose I was hoping my appearance would make you think you had been mistaken."

"I doesn't matter what form you take, Ultear." Jun said. "I would always be able to tell it's you. We spent so much time together growing up…How could I not recognize you, sister?"

Ultear's smile grew slightly as Jun gave her a saddened look because it was obvious to him why she hadn't returned to him, Jellal, and Meredy. Ultear stepped closer to Jun to place her hand on his arm.

"There's no reason to look so sad, dear." Ultear said. "I used that spell to make a different for all of our futures. Though I don't know if my magic made all that big of a difference."

Jun placed his hand over Ultear's while giving it a very gentle squeeze since he didn't wish to harm her.

"It made a very great difference, Ultear." Jun assured her. "What you did actually saved many lives. Gray Fullbuster's included."

Ultear's eyes widened slightly when she heard this, and Jun smiled down at her.

"Rizzo-chan had been so devastated when he had died." Jun said. "But what you did brought him back to her, and while I wish I could have her heart, I'm glad for what you did since it made her overjoyed to see her beloved alive once more. So I am grateful for what you did. And I'm know she is as well since she told me to make sure you knew how grateful she was to you. And because of that one minute, you saved many people and with them alive they were able to change the outcome of the battle."

Ultear almost felt like crying since she had had no idea her one minute had helped so much. Jun then let out a sigh.

"I suppose you will not be returning with me to see Jellal and Meredy." Jun said.

Ultear shook her head as she took a step back while holding the cane in her hand tightly.

"I am no longer of any use to our guild." Ultear said. "I'm sure you can tell that I no longer have any magic left. It's the first time in my life without feeling power coursing through my veins…and it's a freeing feeling. I no longer feel burdened or have this heavy feeling of guilt weighing down on my chest. A clean break."

Jun frowned knowing why she was doing this, so he supposed he shouldn't push things. Ultear reached inside the bag at her side to pull out a letter to give to Jun who took it.

"But could you give Meredy and Jellal something for me." Ultear said. "Just tell them it was the _last_ thing I could give to them."

Jun frowned knowing exactly what she meant. Ultear's life would not last much longer because of that spell she used. She could die in minutes. Jun felt pain well up in his chest as he clutched the letter in hand without crumbling it up.

"So I'm supposed to tell them that you died right in front of me?" Jun asked. "That I was there with you in your final moments? Lie?"

"I know it is not far for me to ask this of you." Ultear replied. "But you will not be completely lying to them, Jun."

Jun looked down at the ground with his body shaking in suppressed emotions. Ultear looked at him softly while moving forward to place her hand on his cheek. He leaned into her touch remembering all those times they had together like family. All those times they went into battle together, got into trouble together, and made it through rough times together. It was all coming to an end now.

"But I do wish you could be the last person I see in my final moments, brother." Ultear said. "Now please continue the journey of our guild for the both of us. Please, make sure the goals of Crime Sorcière are made reality."

* * *

"I can't wait to get home." Rizzo said as she rode in the carriage they rented with her brothers, Juvia, and Cana."

She stretched her arms upwards while letting out a relaxed sigh before she leaned back into her seat. Next to her to her left Breccan was reclined in his seat with his feet propped up on the seat across from them. He had a troubled look on his face as he smoked his umpteenth cigarette of the day, and it wasn't even close to noon. To her right Sven and Cana were sitting next to each other as the latter was drinking and the prior reading. Jaser was in the floor at their feet groaning in agony from the bumpiness of the ride. Then taking up most of the seat across from them was Juvia and Craylee. Craylee was laying down in the seat with his head in Juvia's lap while she played with his hair.

"Hey, Breccan, is something wrong?" Rizzo asked. "You've been awfully quiet."

Breccan let out a sigh as the others glanced at him as well since they had noticed as well. Craylee even opened his remaining eye to look at the older mage.

"I just have a lot on my mind." Breccan replied. "Mira…told me that she was in love with me during the battle with the dragons."

The others seemed surprised at first since they didn't think Mirajane would ever get around to confessing. However, soon Rizzo was smiling.

"Congrats." Sven said as he smiled then chuckled. "It looks like all my little brothers are growing up and finding themselves their other halves."

He actually sounded like the eldest at the moment and looked rather mature as he went back to reading his book. There were no women to put on the little kid act for, and Sven was actually getting tired of that little act. Though it was fun to tease Freed with it.

"Despite this news, you don't seem so happy." Craylee commented as he closed his eye again. "Which means something has to be wrong."

Breccan let out another sigh as he crossed his arms over his chest, so to prevent himself for reaching for another cigarette. Rizzo looked at him in confusion.

"What's wrong?" Rizzo asked. "I thought you had feelings for Mira."

"I do, and a part of me would love to tell her that I return these feelings." Breccan said. "That I want to remain at her side, but that's the selfish part of me."

Rizzo was really confused now, but Craylee understood where Breccan was going with this. Like Craylee who had thought he wasn't the right kind of man for Juvia, Breccan seemed to have the same thoughts about Mirajane.

"I just have a lot of things to think through before I make a decision." Breccan said while obviously wanting to drop the subject.

Rizzo was about to push it, but something caught her eye outside the window as they were leaving Crocus's city limits. She saw an elderly woman walking down the street with a young man with her, and something about that woman seemed familiar. The woman suddenly looked towards her and gave Rizzo a kind smile. The young man then lifted his hat, and Rizzo could see it was Jun. He gave Rizzo a solemn look while nodding his head. Tears started to fall down Rizzo's eyes and she brought her hands up to her mouth. Ultear really did sacrifice herself for all of them, and her sacrifice helped save all their futures. Rizzo moved her hands away from her mouth to clutch them to her chest.

"Thank-you." She whispered.

Those words didn't seem enough to show just how grateful she was, but Ultear, who seemed to know what she said, just smiled more kindly and nodded her head.

"Huh, Rizzo, why are you crying?" Sven asked noticing the tears.

All her brothers, Juvia and Cana looked towards Rizzo as she looked away from the window and wiped at her eyes.

"It's nothing." Rizzo said. "Nothing at all."

* * *

As their carriage got farther and farther away, Jun disappeared into the earth, so to return his comrade, while leaving Ultear who was ready for the fate that was drawing nearer. She wasn't afraid and smiled while knowing there was on more person she wished to see before it was time.

Meredy let out a sigh as Jellal and Doranbalt talked about what he had done to prevent a revolution from happening. They were bringing their conversation to a close when Doranbalt noticed the bothered expression on Meredy's face.

"Your companion," Doranbalt began. "You haven't found her yet?"

Meredy shook her head while hoping that Jun was having better luck in finding Ultear than they did.

"I can't imagine that she would leave without just saying anything." Jellal said. "But hopefully Jun will find her."

After the words left his mouth, said man appeared as his body came out of the earth like how his zombies do. Meredy was quick to get to her feet while hurrying over to him.

"Jun, did you find her?" Meredy asked hopefully.

"Yes." Jun said honestly.

"Then where is she?" Meredy asked. "Is she hurt? Is she going to be okay?"

She went to continue speaking, but Jun just silently held out a letter to Meredy, which had her closing her mouth.

"This will explain everything." Jun said. "It's the last words Ultear had to say to us."

Meredy's eyes widened when he said that as Jellal stiffened. Was Jun saying what Jellal thought he was?

"No…no, she can't be gone." Meredy said. "She can't be."

"She used a spell that drained her life force from her, Meredy." Jun said. "She barely had the strength to write this when I found her before…she was gone."

Meredy started sobbing when she heard this, and fell to the ground on her knees to continue crying. Jun gave her no form of comfort as he looked to the side with his jaw clenched. Jellal took the letter from him, so Jun stepped away. Jun then looked towards Doranbalt as his guildmates tried to come to terms with what Jun just told them.

"You're that Mest fellow from Tenrou Island." Jun said. "I mean, Doranbalt of the Magic Council. I take it that everyone's memories being erased was your doing."

When Jun had been walking through the city earlier, he heard people talking about all that had happened, and they either didn't know about the dragons or thought it was all one big illusion.

"Memory manipulation magic is one of your specialties, isn't it?" Jun asked.

"Yes, it is." Doranbalt said. "And yes, I did alter their memories. Now, if you excuse me, I have places to be. I already received new orders this morning about having to protect two arriving diplomats, who are from Rajasthan, during their stay here."

He didn't know how that would go considering the background of these two diplomats.

"Wait." Jellal called out. "What about Cobra? What happened to him?"

Doranbalt paused to look back at Jellal who seemed almost concerned to hear what happened to the Poison Dragon Slayer. Doranbalt sighed supposing he could tell Jellal what happened, but after this, he'd wash his hands of these criminals.

* * *

Rizzo walked down the street with her guildmates while listening to all the cheering from the crowd around. She sure wasn't expecting this when they returned. However, as soon as she and the others stepped out of their carriages a cheering and welcoming crowd and greeted them.

"Now this is a welcome home!" Jaser said looking around at everyone.

Craylee just looked annoyed by all the cheering as he walked with his hands stuffed inside his pockets.

"Alright then!" Banaboster cried out loudly. "People of Magnolia, let's give a round of applause to Fairy Tail the guild of the Grand Magic Games! You leapt! You soared! You conquered!"

This just made everyone cheer even louder, which had Craylee's eyebrow twitching in annoyance. He wished they'd all shut the hell up.

"Craylee, you were so cool out there!" A girl squealed.

"Craylee-kun, we love you!" More girls echoed.

Juvia glared at all those girls about to tell them to back off, but Craylee reached out to grab her hand to pull her along. She decided not to yell at them, but she did throw them a smug look since she was the one Craylee loved and not them. Sven laughed behind his hand at the sight. The others took in all the cheering their own ways with some of them loving it, some of them being embarrassed by it, and some of them finding it annoying such as Craylee.

"Hey, Mira, you're the only girl for me!" One guy called out from the crowd.

Mirajane looked towards that guy then glanced at Breccan to see if he would be bothered by that man's words. However, Breccan just continued to walk forward while smoking another cigarette. Only god could know how many the violet-haired has smoked today. She was actually a bit disappointed that Breccan didn't seem to care about another man's advances. Does this mean Breccan doesn't feel the same? Perhaps she read far too much into his gestures and behavior towards her. Mirajane mentally shook herself before looking towards the man who spoke.

"Oh, thank-you." Mirajane said.

What she missed with her head turned around was Breccan throwing that guy a glare that could have Satan pissing his pants. And if looks could kill that guy would have dropped down. The guy who saw the look paled while shrinking away. Mirajane blinked at his odd behavior then looked forward again with Breccan no longer looking towards that guy, so Mirajane wouldn't realize what Breccan had done. Laxus and Amarante saw the entire thing, however, and Laxus shook his head.

"Guy should just admit his own feelings and get it over with." Laxus said.

"It's not that simple." Amarante said in his defense.

Laxus glanced down at the tiny kunoichi as she was looking forward with a somber look on her face.

"It's hard to be in a romantic relationship with anyone after being raised like we had." Amarante said. "For the longest time we were taught bonds were meaningless to begin with. So sometimes making them is difficult for us because we wouldn't know where to begin. Like me, Breccan doesn't intentionally reach out to make bonds. People just reach towards us instead. Can you remember a single time where I tried to make friends without them taking the first step, or you or the rest of the Thunder Legion taking the first step for me?"

Laxus frowned thoughtfully while realizing she was right. Amarante never went to make friends or bonds on her own. It was almost as if she avoided doing such things. And now that he was thinking about it, he doesn't remember Breccan reaching out to make bonds either. And he remembers it took a long time to get Amarante comfortable with the bonds people were forming with her since she didn't know how to return to kindness and love given to her.

"If you hadn't taken control of our…relationship…we wouldn't have what we do now." Amarante said. "Mirajane won't do what you did…she's waiting for Breccan to solidify whatever is going on between them, but he isn't sure how…or if it'd even be the right thing to do."

Amarante lost Laxus again since he was once again looking confused by her words. What did she mean be the right thing?

"We were raised to be killers." Amarante said. "And are hands are filthy with blood. Breccan probably doesn't think his hands deserve to hold someone he sees as precious and as pure. For the longest time I didn't…and there are still doubts in my mind about how far things should go in a relationship. Whether I deserve them or not. Breccan must be thinking the same thing. While he wishes to be with Mira…it doesn't mean he will be if he thinks it would be better for her in the end if he left things with her as just friends."

Laxus was about to say that was stupid, but was interrupted by some girls calling out to him and fawning over him. He frowned because he didn't want to deal with anymore fangirls.

"Alright, let's party!" Cana called out as she walked beside Laxus and Amarante.

Cana then put her arm around Amarante's shoulders to pull the slightly older woman into a hug.

"How about it, Amarante?" Cana asked. "Let's drink until we drop!"

Amarante smiled at Cana while certain she'd have to avoid the brunette later to make sure Cana didn't force her to drink. Whenever, she lets Cana do that, they both end up sick.

"Just don't puke until after the parade." Laxus said.

"How about we just tone down on the drinking in general?" Rizzo commented from the other side of Cana.

Cana didn't seem to hear Rizzo since she kept telling Amarante that they were going to have fun tonight. Rizzo shook her head then noticed a glum looking Gray from the corner of her eye. She turned her head to look at him in concern. Rizzo walked over to him while taking his hand into her own. He looked down at her the second their hands touched.

"Hey, are you okay?" She asked staring up into his eyes.

Gray looked into her green ones for a moment before finally looking away with a sigh leaving his lips.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Gray lied.

Rizzo lightly frowned while knowing he was lying since his voice had wavered. Besides, she knew Gray too well to be fooled by his little fibs. She knew he didn't want her to worry, but she didn't like it when he kept things bottled up either. As the rest of their guild continued to celebrate with Natsu showing the cup to the crowd, Rizzo kept her eyes on Gray.

"Is this about…Ultear?" Rizzo asked.

Gray's eyes widened, and he turned his eyes to look towards Rizzo who continued to look concerned.

"I saw her…as we were leaving Crocus." Rizzo said. "I know what she did…and that…she might not be with us anymore soon."

Gray grit his teeth together wondering where Rizzo was trying to go with this. Rizzo squeezed his hand gently. Then when she let out a slight sniffle, Gray's eyes widened once more when seeing tears well up in her eyes.

"I don't know her like you do, but I too am saddened by her passing." Rizzo said. "She sacrificed so much for all of us, and I will eternally be grateful to her because what she did gave us our future together back. And…even if I wasn't as close to her as you, I know she wouldn't want you to feel sad for long because she didn't up what she did for you to be sad."

Gray stared into Rizzo's eyes a bit longer as a few tears ran down her cheeks, before he reached up to brush the tears away from one eye.

"You're right." Gray said. "She wouldn't you sad either, so please don't cry."

Rizzo nodded her head while quickly wiping away the rest of her tears. Gray smiled at her softly then leaned in to kiss her brow. He was grateful as well to Ultear. Not just for saving his life, but for giving him his future with Rizzo back. He wanted to remain with her for many years. Maybe get married someday, have kids, and grow old together. And it was thanks to Ultear that all that can be possible, and it makes him happy, so he won't mope any longer. Rizzo stepped closer to him, so he put his arm around her waist to hold her against his body. They both then looked towards the mayor of the city as Banaboster told everyone to quiet down, so the mayor could present Fairy Tail with a gift.

"A gift for us?" Makarov asked as he stepped forward. "You're far too generous. I don't know what to say."

Craylee was sure Makarov would gladly take the gift though. Especially if it was money.

"Good members of Fairy Tail, observe," The mayor began while gesturing to his right. "You're gift is to my right."

The mages all followed the gesture of his hand, and many gasped in shock. Rizzo's mouth fell open to form an "o" shape in surprise as she looked at the large guildhall in front of them that was better than the last time they remodeled the place.

"For years you have been the prize of our city that is why we are honored to present you with this newly restored guildhall!" The mayor said.

Rizzo's shocked look turned into a beaming one as she grinned up at the guildhall in front of them.

"It's amazing." Rizzo said laughing. "I can't wait to go inside and break it in."

She then whined slightly when Gray lightly pinched her cheek. Even if it wasn't hurting her, she pouted at him all the same.

"Let's keep the breaking to the minimum." Gray said.

She stuck her tongue out at him in reply, which had him chuckling in amusement. As Makarov cried in joy over the new guildhall, Gray let go of Rizzo cheek while leaning in to swiftly still a kiss from her lips, which had her squeaking in surprise. He would live a long and happy life, so what Ultear did doesn't go to waste. And he'll be sure to keep the girl in his arms with him through his lifetime because a life without Rizzo wouldn't be worth living.


	112. The Penalty Game

Coco: Someone mentioned the Penalty Game OVA, so I decided to add it XD That means Breccan's chapter will be put off until the next one, but I hope you enjoy this one. :D

* * *

Rizzo stood with in a small circle with Laxus and Erza as their teammates from the Grand Magic Games stood around them. It was the day after they all returned and partied in their new guildhall. Now, there were things that needed to be resolved between Fairy Tail's Teams A, B, and C. As the team leader of her team, Rizzo was to face off against Erza and Laxus who were the leaders of their teams.

"Taking advantage of the Grand Magic Games, we're going to resolve things between teams A, B, and C." Makarov announced. "The teams who lose should obey the winning team for the whole day regardless of what they request."

Rizzo narrowed her eyes knowing she had to win for her team. This was not only a matter of pride, but a matter of wanting to survive the day.

"We cannot lose." Laxus said as he cracked his knuckles.

"Be sure to win, Thunderbolt!" Gajeel snapped.

He didn't want to be at the mercy of his guildmates. Especially that bastard Craylee who Gajeel knew would come up with some cruel way to make their lives hell.

"I'm sorry, but we will win." Erza said seriously.

"Finish him, Erza!" Natsu ordered then added. "But leave Rizzo out of this!"

Rizzo lightly chuckled at Natsu's words as Gray and Lucy sighed while shaking their heads.

"Who knows what will happen if we lose…" Lucy whined.

"Well, be prepared to lose because I came to win." Rizzo said grinning as she held up her fist. "You two ready to be sent home crying to Master?"

Laxus snorted at Rizzo's words as Erza held up her fist as well ready to get started.

"You've got this, Rizzo!" Amarante cheered.

"Yeah, show them how awesome you are!" Jaser added.

Craylee rolled his eyes at their cheering as Sven and Breccan were smiling in amusement.

"Now," Rizzo began, "Rock!—Paper!—Scissors— _Go!_ "

She and the other two leaders shot out their fists, and Rizzo grinned when seeing she picked rock, which smashes Erza's scissors. She then looked towards Laxus with her grin dropping when seeing he picked rock as well. Team A immediately paled when realizing they had lost the contest, and knew it would be either Team B or C that would control them for the day. It was hard to decide who they wanted to win at this point.

"We have a show down between Teams B and C!" Makarov announced.

Erza hobbled away with her head hanging down in shame for losing the contest. She let down her team completely. Rizzo and Laxus faced each other with serious expressions on their faces. It was now or never, whoever won this time would be able to control the others for the day.

"Alright," Makarov said. "Begin!"

Rizzo and Laxus shot out their fists again with Rizzo choosing paper this time while certain Laxus would most likely stick with rock. However, she was proven wrong when seeing Laxus had chosen scissors this time around. As Laxus smirked, both Team A and B paled.

"We're doomed!" Sven cried.

He fell to his knees in despair while not even wanting to think of what was coming next.

"Team B wins!" Makarov declared.

Team B celebrated their win as Rizzo ended up in the corner with Erza as the both of them felt depressed over their loss.

"We failed our teammates." Erza said.

"Yeah," Rizzo agreed. "…this sucks…we suck."

Erza nodded her head as Gray sweat-dropped at how depressed they were becoming. Though he could understand why they were upset. He and the others all sighed while hanging their heads as well.

"This is the worst." They all said in unison even Craylee.

"What will happen?" Wendy and Sven asked in worry as they held onto each other.

Carla and Happy seemed amused by it all as they glanced over at Sven and Wendy. Sanjū seemed more sympathetic while glad she wasn't them.

"This all looks entertaining!" Happy said as he laughed behind his paws.

"Give up, Wendy." Carla added.

Sanjū was about suggest they show more sympathy, but her senses sent a sharp chill through her that warned her of impending danger. She then looked towards Lily as he stepped up in front of them.

"You three too." Lily said getting Carla and Happy's attention now too. "The Exceeds must assume the same punishment as their partner."

The three younger Exceeds all looked as if theyworld was ending as they stared at Lily.

"You have got to be joking!" Carla said.

"I don't believe he is." Sanjū said.

"I'm scared, Sanjū." Happy said as he hugged Sanjū.

The pink feline didn't know how to comfort Happy since she was feeling very frightened at the moment as well.

"Damn." Craylee cursed as he scratched the back of his head. "This is all going to be annoying as hell."

Breccan sighed in silent agreement as he reached for one of his cigarettes to place in his mouth. He lit it up while knowing today was sure going to be stressful. He might need another pack of cigarettes. He then looked towards Amarante as she grabbed the sleeve his jacket.

"I don't even know if our training will get us through today." She said worriedly.

Breccan had to agree with her there, and as he pat the top of her head in a consoling manner. Jaser looked towards Cana who had a very devious look on her face. He was sure he was going to be exhausted after today. Rizzo, who finally came out of her stupor, turned towards Laxus.

"So what the hell do you want us to do first?" Rizzo asked.

"I am so glad you asked." Laxus said as he sat down in a chair.

He pulled out a piece of paper from his coat to hold it up for the others to see as they gathered around. Craylee frowned thinking that photo was rather crudely drawn.

"I want you to go through this forest and bring me a magic stone." Laxus said to them.

Rizzo tilted her head wondering if that was all he wanted because it didn't seem like a big deal in her opinion.

"A magic stone?" Wendy asked curiously as she and Sven sat next to each other in the front of the group.

Sven was curious as to what kind of magic this stone had, and if it was a powerful kind of magic.

"The name of this forest is the Gates of Hell." Laxus said.

"At least it has a nice ring to it." Craylee said sarcastically. "I take it we have until the end of this competition to retrieve it?"

Laxus nodded his head while allowing Sven to take the map to get a better look at it.

"But not all of you will be going." Laxus said.

This caught the group's attention as they wondered who would have to stay behind.

"Elfman, Breccan, Amarante, Craylee, and Jaser will be staying." Laxus said as he pointed them out.

Jaser and Breccan exchanged a glance while both wondering the same thing. Was staying behind a blessing, or would they be wishing they were going into the forest as well?

"Huh, why us?" Elfman asked.

Laxus pointed at Elfman, which had the tall, muscular man stiffening as if he was expecting Laxus to attack.

"You will message my back." Laxus said to Elfman then pointed at Amarante. "You will serve us food and drink."

Amarante and Elfman looked horrified to hear this as they stared at Laxus in disbelief. Laxus then turned to Craylee.

"You will make her an outfit that fits her role as server." Laxus ordered. "And you will make her more than one if I don't agree with any of the previous ones you make."

Craylee tched looking to the side unpleased. He did enjoy making new outfits, but he didn't appreciate being ordered around to do so. He especially didn't like that Laxus was trying to say that Craylee wouldn't make a perfect outfit to begin with.

"What are we to do?" Breccan asked while knowing he probably wouldn't like the answer.

Jaser wanted to know too even if he might regret learning the answer later on. He then looked to Cana as she looped her arm with his to pull him down closer to her height level.

"You two will be entertaining us ladies." Cana said smirking. "In any way we ask of you."

She purred this last part seductively as she ran her finger down Jaser's bare chest. Jaser gulped when seeing her mischievous look. He was not going to like the last few ours, was he?

"But not Juvia." Juvia was sure to add. "Juvia only has eyes for Craylee-sama~"

She looked towards her hunky seamster as he was already getting ready to perform his task by measuring Amarante who didn't look pleased in the slightest. Breccan scratched the back of his head as he looked towards Mirajane. He supposed he was meant to entertain her, but in honesty, he's been trying to avoid her ever since the end of the dragon incident considering all that happened between them. Mirajane smirked at Breccan when seeing him looking at her.

"And you are going to be well behaved for your mistresses, right?" She asked as she tilted Breccan's chin up as she ran her finger under it.

She then teasingly lightly tugged on his goatee as his heart stopped in his chest. He really was not looking forward to what was to come.

"This is where you say, "yes, Mistress". You don't want to be punished, do you?" She asked as she jerked him down closer to her face by his shirt.

As Jaser and Breccan had to deal with Cana and Mirajane, Rizzo prayed for their safety and sanity silently. She then turned towards the others who were meant to go after the stone.

"I guess this means we better get ready to leave." She said.

"But we don't wanna~" Lucy and Sven whined.

* * *

Rizzo walked close to Gray as the trekked through the murky water that seemed to cover the entire forest. Gray was holding onto her hand tightly while not wanting to lose her in this place. Sven was walking a bit ahead of them while holding onto Wendy's hand like a big brother would even if they did look the same age. Sanjū was riding on his shoulder as Carla was holding onto Wendy.

"Everyone, be sure to watch where you step." Erza said.

Lucy frowned as she walked in between Gray and Rizzo and Sven and Wendy. She didn't like this one bit, and she was afraid of what might ever be in this forest.

"Where do we go?" Lucy asked. "We're in a swamp…it's disgusting."

Rizzo couldn't disagree with her there. It was gross. Rizzo wished she had on pants to put a barrier between her and the murky water, but walking in wet jeans or leather was totally uncomfortable. Not only that, but it was so humid here that it was impossible for even her to wear too many layers. Which is why she was wearing short jean shorts that were so short they were cut like bikini bottoms. She then had on a cropped pink top that was more like a strapless bikini top, and it was under a sleeveless cropped neon green jacket that had a hood, which she had pulled up.

"My feet don't even touch the bottom!" Happy said as he tried to swim frantically.

He almost sunk in, but Rizzo quickly reached out to pluck him out of the water. She held him closer to her chest using one arm. He sighed in relief.

"Thank-you, Rizzo." Happy said. "I thought I was a goner! There's something done there, and it could of eaten me!"

Rizzo just smiled at Happy in a reassuring manner as the blue Exceed was glad he was okay.

"Damn, Laxus." Natsu growled.

"I wonder how the others are doing." Sven said.

* * *

"Amara, I want another round." Laxus said as he raised his glass.

Amarante, who was in a beautifully made kimono with a low cut and stopped barely at mid-thigh, let out a forlorn sigh. She moved away from Craylee who had just finished making that kimono. It was the 100th one he's made since the others left. His fingers were cramping up from all the fine detail work he had to do on those kimonos. In between making her outfits, Amarante has been serving the others drinks, and every time she goes over to Laxus, he appraises her outfit then sends her back to Craylee saying he thinks it could be better, which was pissing the seamster off to no end.

"Craylee-sama, don't take it to heart." Juvia said looking at her love.

Craylee just glared over at Laxus, and if looks could kill, Laxus's head would pop off his head shoulders with his blood coating the walls until he and his head both hit the floor dead. Juvia almost shuddered fearing the look in her beloved's eyes. She then looked over towards the others as Amarante brought another drink over to Laxus who was getting his back messaged by Elfman.

"Here you go, Laxus-sama." Amarante said. "I hope this drink, pleases you."

She set it on the table beside Laxus before standing back onto her feet. She was about to step back, but Laxus waved Elfman away before he moved to sit down in his large throne-like chair.

"Sit." Laxus ordered Amarante while pointing at his lap. "And hand give me my drink."

Amarante couldn't believe him! She looked at him with her eyes begging that he was joking, but by his smirk, she knew he wasn't. Amarante blushed before moving to sit in Laxus's lap. She squeaked slightly when he pulled her closer with his arm staying around her waist.

"I think Craylee finally made the right outfit." Laxus said as he looked her over. "And you've got 99 new ones to wear for me to look at as well."

The intent to kill sparked sharply in Craylee, and if Juvia wasn't holding onto his arm, he'd already be across the room ready to remove Laxus's family jewels to show the blonde he messed with the wrong seamster. As Juvia was trying to calm Craylee, Breccan was serving Mirajane some cake that Kinana had made last night during the celebration of getting the guild back. He was wearing a butler's outfit with his hair slicked back neatly.

"Is there anything else I can do for you, Mistress?" Breccan asked as Mirajane took a bite from the cake.

Mirajane hummed in thought before a sly grin appeared on her face. She reached up to grab his tie to jerk him down. He grunted in surprise while having to place his hands on the arms of her chair to hold himself up. They were nose to nose by this point, which had his heart racing. He didn't expect her to be this forward. It was almost as if she was demanding him to confront her. Was this punishment for ignoring her the last few days?

"Yes, there is something." Mirajane said as she stroked her hand down his chest. "You can give me a foot message, and be sure to be gentle."

She then used her bare foot to force him to his knees, and she smirked at his submissive looking position. If he wouldn't face her or interact with her, she would force him, which would eventually lead to him telling her how he actually feels, right? Breccan sighed before taking Mirajane's foot gently into his hands.

"As you wish, my mistress." Breccan said.

He got started on the foot message, and she almost wanted to moan at how good it felt. As she was getting her foot message, Jaser was having to hand feed Cana grapes as she lounged on the couch. He was dressed a maid, which he found so humiliated.

"I bet the others aren't going through this kind of hell right now." Jaser said as he hung his head.

* * *

"I'm actually getting the feeling that we're better off." Sven said.

Rizzo had that feeling as well, and actually wouldn't mind spending the entire day in this forest. Yes, it was gross and humid, but it was most likely safer here than back at the guild where the _winners_ were.

"When we get back, I'm giving Laxus a beating." Natsu growled.

"Count me in." Gray said.

He couldn't believe they were trekking through a damn swampy forest just so they could bring a magic stone to Laxus. It was all annoying.

"Who would have thought there was a place like this so close to Magnolia?" Erza commented.

Rizzo sure didn't know this this place existed until now. She was sure if she and Natsu knew about it as kids that they would have come out here to explore, which probably would have driven Makarov mad.

"This place is scary." Wendy said frowning as she looked around. "Let's find the magic stone fast so we can return."

She then looked towards Sven as he squeezed her hand gently. He smiled back at her in a reassuring manner the second she looked at him.

"Don't worry, Wendy." Sven said. "Big brother Sven is here to keep you safe."

Wendy smiled in return while feeling a bit more reassured now since she knew Sven was looking out for her. Lucy suddenly screamed, which had everyone snapping their heads in her direction to look at her. Rizzo's eyes widened when seeing the leeches all over her.

"They're stuck to me!" Lucy cried. "They're stuck!"

"Well, they are leeches after all." Rizzo commented dryly.

Happy giggled behind his paw at her joke as Lucy continued to flail around trying to get the leeches off of her.

"Looks kind of erotic how they're stuck all over you like that, Lucy~" Happy added.

"Happy." Sanjū said in a scolding tone.

Happy just giggled again, which had Sanjū sighing and shaking her head at the blue feline.

"Take them off!" Lucy begged as she lifted her shirt partially to reveal more slugs.

Rizzo blinked noting her blonde friend didn't appear to be wearing a bra. Now Rizzo has worn some racy underwear that barely had enough material to be called underwear, but she's never gone braless. Lucy must have serious guts to do that, or simply didn't care. Rizzo then pondered if she should start going braless. Was it more comfortable?

"Guys, help me!" Lucy cried as Rizzo was pondering life without bras.

"Gees, calm down, Lucy." Natsu said as he walked back over towards her.

He used the fire on his finger, which the group had been using as a source of light to burn the slugs off of, Lucy. Lucy thanked Natsu softly as an embarrassed blush remained on her cheeks. Rizzo pat Lucy on the shoulder in a consoling manner as she and Gray stepped up beside Lucy.

"I don't wanna be here!" Lucy whined.

She then blinked when noticing Sven and Wendy were leaning over to look behind Lucy with wide eyes. They seemed freaked out, and Wendy even moved behind Sven.

"What is it?" Lucy asked.

She, Rizzo, and Gray turned around to see what the fuss was about as Natsu was leaning over to look past them as well. A huge leech burst out of the water at the moment, which had Rizzo ducking behind Gray as Lucy cried out in alarm.

"A big one appeared!" Happy said pointing from the safety of Rizzo's arms. "I bet it ate the smaller ones!"

Rizzo could have explained how leeches just suck blood to him, but decided not to since they had a huge ass leech they had to worry about. The leech attached itself onto Lucy between her breasts, which had Natsu staring at Lucy's chest…in a typical teenage boy manner.

"That's very erotic." Happy commented casually.

Sanjū sighed wishing Happy didn't have to make comments such as those, but knew he would never stop. Lucy started crying while trying to get the leech off of her but in vain.

"Poor Lucy." Rizzo said sweat-dropping. "She just can't catch a break."

Sven nodded in agreement as everyone watched Lucy flail around while trying to hold up her chest, which the leech was pushing down due to its weight. After watching Lucy try to help herself for a few seconds longer, Rizzo turned towards Natsu.

"Maybe you should help her, Natsu." Rizzo suggested.

"If no one else will, I guess I have to." Natsu said then drew back his fist. "Fire Dragon: Iron Fist!"

He shot his fire attack forward with a swing of his fist while not only burning leech but Lucy as well. However, he did succeed in separating the two as Lucy hit the water in front of them as the leech went flying far off into the trees.

"Natsu, you went too far." Wendy said looking worried for Lucy.

"She's right!" Lucy said as she jumped out of the water onto her feet. "Next time you'll pay."

Natsu just grinned looking rather accomplished with himself as Happy jumped onto his shoulder.

"Haha, I bet it with one blow." Natsu said laughing.

"You shouldn't boast about something as stupid as that." Gray said.

Natsu ignored Gray's comment as he continued to grin proudly at his victory over the leech. Rizzo then hugged Gray's arm with it being pressed in between her breasts, which had him blushing like mad. He then looked down into her face as she was looking at him pleadingly.

"You won't let any leeches do me like that, will you, Gray?" Rizzo asked.

"Of course not." Gray said grinning. "Like I'd ever let anything do something to my girl like that."

Rizzo smiled at Gray while glad she didn't have to deal with the leeches herself. She hates anything remotely looking leech or slug like. Suddenly Gray was snatched right out of her hold as something hit him hard, which had him stumbling away from her. Everyone looked seeing what had grabbed Gray.

"What the hell?!" Gray exclaimed then saw what it was himself. "A monkey?"

The monkey made a "gigi" sound as it looked at Gray while holding onto the ice-make mage. A roar then came from the forest as a large gorilla came crashing through the trees.

"It's a gorilla!" Sven said pointing at the large ape.

Gray quickly got into a stance as he moved himself in between Rizzo, who had been in the direct line of the gorilla, and the gorilla.

"Ice Make: Hammer!" He shouted.

The large ice hammer appeared in front of them, and barely touched the gorilla before it fled due to fright.

"Now that's how you take care of things, Natsu." Gray said as he grinned at Natsu. "My ice is better than your fire."

"What did you say?" Natsu asked. "You shouldn't use such a big hammer to finish something so simple."

"What?!" Gray demanded. "Like you're one to talk! You sent Lucy flying!"

Before he could say anymore, Rizzo tugged at his ear sharply, which had him wincing.

"Play nice." She ordered.

Gray frowned wondering why she had to take Natsu's side every damn time. Why not take his side every once and a while? As he was pouting, Lucy turned her attention to Erza.

"Erza, shouldn't we be going?" Lucy asked. "The sooner we find this stone the better. So can't you get the boys and Rizzo to get it in gear?"

Rizzo frowned over at Lucy wondering why she was being brought into this. Rizzo hasn't done anything wrong this entire trip. Sven was thinking the same thing while wondering if he was being included when Lucy said "the boys" in her question to Erza. Lucy wasn't getting her answer, however, since Erza, who was practically burning in annoyance, seemed too distracted to care.

"Why did none of the monsters come after me?" Erza said.

"I don't think a few leeches—granted one of them was huge—and a gorilla count as being monsters." Rizzo cut in. "And I haven't been attacked either, ya know, but I'm not pouting about it."

Lucy hushed Rizzo since Erza seemed to be in a mad enough mood as it is. Rizzo rolled her eyes at Lucy, but made no further comment.

"Erza is being scary again." Happy said.

"I suppose we better hope that a monster comes across our places for her to slay, or she'll be in a bad mood for the rest of the trip." Sanjū said.

Gray shrugged his shoulders not caring either way, so he returned his attention to the monkey.

"Hey, everything's quiet now." Gray said to the monkey. "You can let go now."

The monkey just tightened its hold as it shifted its position from Gray's back to his side.

"Gigi!" The monkey chattered as it looked at Gray with love struck eyes.

"It has eyes like Juvia does when she's looking at Craylee!" Happy said pointing at the monkey.

Gray looked disturbed by this as Happy and Sven were gigging in amusement at the entire thing. Gray tried throwing the monkey off of him as Rizzo was standing there with her arms crossed and eyes narrowed. The monkey thought it could have Gray, did it? Before she could say anything, she and Erza both sent danger approaching.

"Something's coming!" They said in unison.

Rizzo whirled around just as a giant python that had to be sixty-feet long popped out of the water to wrap around her. Erza was attacked by alligators with one getting her in its jaws.

"Rizzo!" Gray called out in worry as Lucy gasped at the sight of the alligators.

The python tightened its hold on Rizzo with its tail going under her shirt like some kind of creeper's hand.

"Something erotic!" Happy said pointing at both Rizzo and Erza.

Erza calmly reequipped into her hakama with her sword in hand as Rizzo let out a blast of music magic that forced the snake off of her. As Erza took care of many alligators, Rizzo used her magic to summon her flute.

"Song of the Seven Swords." Rizzo said.

She started playing a fast pace suspenseful sound on her flute and suddenly deep gashes started to appear on the snake as if it was being sliced up by blades. Once it fell to the ground defeated, Rizzo finished her song with her flute disappearing. She picked up the snake while partially draping its body around her shoulders. She turned around grinning at the boys as Erza was holding her defeated alligators all on one shoulder.

"I think we win this one, boys." Rizzo said.

"Yes, it will take a hundred years of training before you reach my level." Erza added.

Rizzo and Erza then noticed at the others were looking at them with shocked expressions. Gray was even blushing deeply as he was staring at Rizzo.

"Erza, Rizzo, your chests! Your chests!" Lucy said.

"My chest?" Rizzo asked with a quirked brow.

Rizzo looked down seeing her shirt was missing, and that only her lacey bra that barely covered anything remained. She wondered where the hell it went as the others suspected that Erza accidently cut her breast covering herself.

"But what about Rizzo?" Wendy asked curiously.

"Well, that snake had its tail in her shirt." Sven said. "Maybe when she blasted it off of her, its tail got hooked in her shirt, so her shirt got ripped away when the snake was sent back flying a few feet."

The others decided this could all be possible, but Erza didn't like the fact they were just calmly discussing her and Rizzo's chests while almost mocking them.

"Someone's breasts are nothing to mock!" Erza said then threw the alligators at the group.

Rizzo calmly side-stepped the throw as they others were flying past her once hit by the alligators. She also dropped the python into the water. As the others fell in the water, Rizzo zipped up her jacket, so to cover her bra.

"All this is becoming more and more of a pain." Rizzo said. "It's taking way longer than I thought it would."

Erza hummed in agreement as the others were getting out of the water soaking wet.

"At this rate we won't get the stone until noon." Wendy said.

"Gigigi." The monkey chattered getting their attention.

Rizzo walked over to the group to stand by Gray as the monkey was pointing at the stone drawn on the map Wendy was holding.

"The magic stone?" Wendy asked.

"You've seen it?" Natsu questioned.

The monkey nodded its head to Natsu's question as Erza, who reequipped into her previous outfit, stepped up.

"Where is it?" Erza said.

The monkey pointed to itself, which Rizzo took as the monkey ate the stone. Well, she wasn't going to wait all day for the monkey to pass the stone out of its body, so Rizzo supposed there was only one other option. Rizzo cracked her knuckles then flexed her fingers before curling her hand into a fist.

"We already understand, so get down." Gray was saying as Rizzo pulled back her fist.

The monkey turned towards Gray with its lips nearing his, which had him and the others gasping. However, before the monkey could kiss Gray, Rizzo's hand slammed hard into its gut. The monkey went flying backwards with a stone popping out of its mouth into Rizzo's awaiting hand. As the monkey hit the tree, the others looked between it and Rizzo in shock.

"Wasn't that a bit harsh, Rizzo?" Lucy asked looking at the monkey in worry.

"We needed to the stone." Rizzo said holding up one finger then another. "We couldn't wait for the monkey to pass the stone. And lastly, there's only one person alive aloud to kiss this man standing next to me, which is me."

She held up a third finger as she gave her last point. Lucy sweat-dropped though wasn't all that surprised. Said man Rizzo was talking about was just glad he was saved from getting a kiss from a monkey.

"Wait to go, Rizz." Natsu said noting looking bothered by what happened. "I guess since you got the stone first that means you win."

"This wasn't a competition." Lucy reminded them.

But she went ignored as Rizzo thanked Natsu for congratulating her, which had Lucy shaking her head.

"Let's just get out of here." Sven said. "I'm tired of this jungle."

The others murmured in agreement while starting to make their way out of the jungle. However, Wendy stood there a moment with a worried look on her face.

"But aren't we still awaiting punishment back at the guild?" Wendy asked. "Maybe it'd be best to stay here."

"Don't worry, Wendy." Rizzo said. "I'm sure by the time we get back that the worst will be over."

* * *

It appeared Rizzo had been wrong when she told Wendy not to worry because even coming back with Laxus's magic stone, which was just for a Jacuzzi there was more torture to come. Both Teams A and C were divided up by the members of Team B to do whatever was asked of them. Breccan and Erza were to be Mirajane's personal slaves, and the white-haired woman was currently humiliating them in front of the people of Magnolia. Laxus was making Elfman, Jaser, Gray, and Natsu get him bread at an amusement park that sold bread, and Rizzo knew Jaser and Natsu had to be feeling really sick right now. Laxus also had Amarante serving him food and drink still while making her call him "Laxus-sama".

Juvia was currently holding Craylee hostage in a room alone together, and Rizzo wasn't sure if Craylee got off easy or not. Lily was making Sanjū, Happy, and Carla tote him around using their wings, and Rizzo prayed that for their sake that Lily didn't think to grow into his larger form. Then Cana took Wendy and Sven with her to do god only knows what. As for Rizzo…she was currently a backup singer for Gajeel of all people. To make things worse she had to wear one of those stupid bunny costumes that Gajeel forced Lucy and Levy, who wasn't even a part of this, into as well.

So here she was singing "dobie-do-da" repeatedly as Gajeel was playing for the ground. Levy and Lucy were dancing behind the pair as the men were cheering for the girls, but demanding that Gajeel leave. This was so embarrassing having to be the backup singer, and Rizzo was sure Gajeel knew it was as well, which was why he was eating it up. When today was over, she was going to bash this thick, iron skull in to give him even more brain damage if any more damage could even be made. However, Levy started running off crying, which had the performance coming to a stop.

"Levy?" Rizzo murmured wondering what was wrong.

She then leaned away from Gajeel as the Iron Dragon Slayer stood up from his seat.

"I have no other choice." Gajeel said.

He started running after Levy as Rizzo leaned against her mic wondering if he forgot about her and Lucy, which she was totally fine with. Lucy seemed to be as well since she looked relieved. However, both of them were disappointed when Gajeel paused and turned back to them.

"Blondie, you got see her." Gajeel said pointing at Mirajane.

"Her?" Lucy asked.

Rizzo took Lucy gently by the chin to turn Lucy's head to look at Mirajane who was now sitting in a thrown with a whip in hand. Breccan and Erza were both sitting in front of Mirajane tied up looking more embarrassed as ever.

"So I get Lucy too, huh?" Mirajane murmured.

Lucy cried trying to latch onto Rizzo for protection, but Gajeel grabbed her to practically throw her at Mirajane.

"You will remain here for the rest of the day and sing songs about my greatness." Gajeel said pointing at Rizzo.

"Say what?!" Rizzo demanded.

And so for the rest of the day, Rizzo was forced to sing songs about Gajeel as the rest of her friends endured their own hellish torture. This day they would never forget, and for who knows how long they will plot their revenge against those who put them through hell.

* * *

Coco: Yes, I'm cutting it off here, sorry XD I hope you liked the rest of it though :D


	113. Breccan's Tale 2: A Man's Troubled Heart

Coco: Hey, guys, it's me with three chapter updates for you this time. The first two will be non-canon, and be Breccan and Jaser's team up chapters. I'm sorry, but I decided to pair Breccan with Erza and Mirajane on an S-class level job instead of Breccan with the Connell family. I just wanted to make Breccan and Mirajane official before the Tartorus Arc where Sven and Freed will become official, and I thought this chapter would be the perfect opportunity. I hope none of you are too mad.

Also, I decided to do the Eclipse Arc. Sorry that I keep changing my mind. It's just one of the few arcs I like, and I introduce a celestial mage during Jaser's chapter with her own spirits that I want to show up during the Eclipse Arc. Well, her spirits aren't introduce in Jaser's chapter, but I spent a lot of time and effort into creating and designing the character of her spirits, so I'm going to use them, dammit XD So after Jaser's chapter, the next chapter will be the start of the Eclipse Arc. And since I'm doing the arc, Laelaps won't get a chapter since she'll be mainly featured in the arc.

And I apologize beforehand for any typos. I didn't proof read any of the chapters very thoroughly because it's been a rough last couple of a days. I was sick at the beginning of this week, and my boss held it over my head once I returned to work because we're already undermanned. Then I messed up yesterday, and the owner of the entire store got pissed over a $6.63 worth mistake...and I went to cry in the bathroom since I'm super hard on myself and felt so stupid for doing something stupid and making my customer have to wait until it was fixed. But that's all over, and I'm trying to have a good day today, and I hope I don't disappoint any of you with these chapters.

* * *

Mirajane let out a sigh as she was behind the bar giving out drinks and food to her guildmates. She looked over to one corner of the guildhall as Breccan and Erza were having a friendly conversation. Mirajane wouldn't say it out loud, but she was jealous of how close Breccan and Erza were. She never really noticed before…but those two seemed to spend a lot of time together. And ever since Mirajane had Breccan and Erza as her slaves the other day, the two seemed to spend even more time together. Was she too forward the other day when she tried to get Breccan to confront what happened between the two of them?

She almost wanted to groan thinking she drove Breccan right into Erza's arms before of how brazen she had acted. As she was thinking this, Breccan and Erza continued speaking together.

"I still think you should talk to her about it." Erza said. "I understand your point of view, Breccan, but I think you and Mira could be happy together."

Breccan sighed wishing he could just think the same as Erza, but he still had many doubts.

"But if you still think it's wrong then you should be straight up and tell her." Erza said. "It's unfair to leave things how they are."

"I know." Breccan said scratching the back of his head. "I want to just plain out tell her that it wouldn't work, but that selfish side of me doesn't want to end whatever it is we have now."

Erza hummed in understanding while knowing love could be quite complicated. She had her own romantic problems that she herself wasn't sure how to deal with.

"Well, I think you should try to think of something to say soon." Erza said. "I'm sure the waiting to tearing up Mira on the inside, and I know it is you too."

Erza glanced over at Mirajane as she said this as the white-haired woman was receiving something from a mailman who walked into the guild.

"Yeah." Breccan agreed reluctantly.

He really did need to speak with Mirajane considering all that's happened. However, he just wasn't sure how to handle those things or even begin to talk about them. And the other day sure as hell didn't help when Mirajane was using him as her personal play toy/butler. He had a feeling she was trying to force him into talking about his own feelings, or trying to get him really to interact with her since before yesterday, he pretty much avoided her like the plague.

The other day sure as well gave him a view of the Mirajane of the past people told him about. Not that it changed much since as soon as midnight hit on that night, he had been as far away from Mirajane as possible since he still didn't know what to say or do. It's been a few days since then, and he still was unsure how to handle the situation. Which is why he needs to spend the day to try and short through his thoughts and feelings. And it'd probably be best not to interact too much with Mirajane today, or it might influence what he needs to think through.

Maybe coming to the guildhall where she was working was a bad idea. He was about to tell Erza he'd see her later when the woman he was thinking about and trying to avoid called out.

"Breccan, Erza." Mirajane said as she walked over to where they were.

Breccan mentally winced then looked up at Mirajane as she was standing next to their table. She had a smile on her face when looking at him, and he tried to grin in return. Though it was slightly difficult since he would still remember the other, and that sweet smile on her face today couldn't make him forget all she put him through. Not only that but it looked as if he might have to think of something quick to say since she almost undoubtedly wanted to talk about what happened between the two of them more than ever now. Erza gave her friend a sympathetic look while thinking Mirajane wanted the same thing he was thinking about.

"There was a special request for you to take on a job with Erza." Mirajane said while looking slightly unpleased.

Breccan blinked because that wasn't what he was expecting. However, he mentally thanked any higher power that might be on his side. Though he then blinked in confusion wondering who would want to ask for him specifically.

"Special requests have been pouring in actually." Mirajane explained. "Those and other jobs. We're kind of swamped with them actually. Max and Warren just returned from a job. Rizzo already left on a job with Gray. Then Lucy, Natsu, and Happy left just a second ago. And many of the others are out as well."

Breccan had noticed all the people going in and out on jobs when he arrived earlier, so he could believe they were kind of swamped. The Grand Magic Games must have given them some good publicity. The guild wouldn't have to worry about money problems now.

"You and Erza were requested for an S-class quest by the elder of a village far to the east named Hollyhock." Mirajane said.

Breccan's eyes widened partially when hearing that name because it held great importance in Treble Chambers once upon a time.

"Hollyhock?" Breccan asked.

"Yes, do you know the place?" Mirajane asked.

"Hollyhock Village is the birthplace of Master Raoul and his friend Caspian." Breccan said. "The two grew up there together before setting out on their journey that eventually led them far west where they founded Acacia Town together."

Roscoe had told Breccan and the others the story of Raoul and Caspian's journey many times. And when he was younger Breccan had always wanted to go see this place for himself. Rizzo's been a few times that he knew off because Roscoe would sometimes take her to visit the birthplace of their ancestor. It was like Sweeney Family tradition to take the same journey that Raoul and Caspian had once took over a hundred years ago.

"It's a small little town where you don't see magic being used often, I hear." Breccan said. "Though a lot of our kingdom's agriculture and food supplies come from that village even if it is small."

"I wonder why a village that small would need two S-class mages." Erza said looking thoughtful.

"Well, there aren't a lot of details." Mirajane said as she was looking at the request form. "It just asks that you two come as soon as possible."

Breccan couldn't think of a reason, but if the village needed assistance, he would give it to them. He knew Raoul would never want anything to happen to his hometown, and since Raoul couldn't defend it himself, Breccan would do so in his stead.

"Well, we better get going then." Breccan said as he stood. "Meet you at the train station in a half hour, Erza?"

"Yes, that should give me enough time to prepare." Erza said nodding.

As the two discussed plans to get to Hollyhock, Mirajane bit her lip as she felt jealousy rise within her again. It was almost painful to see the two of them converse so easily, and to see the smiles on their faces as they were looking at each other. Mirajane wished they could talk as easily as when he does with Erza. And wished things weren't so complicated or unsure between them now. But she didn't know how much clearer she could be.

She had confessed her love to Breccan and even kissed him during the incident with the dragons, but they haven't really talked about it since then. Breccan hadn't even looked in her general during the ball. And now is the only time he's really interacted with her without her forcing him to like the other day, and it was just business. Also Breccan never gave a clear reply as it how he felt about her. Mirajane sighed while wishing things weren't so complicated. She was so lost in her thoughts she hadn't even realized the man haunting her thoughts was right in front of her trying to get her attention.

"Mira." Breccan said again. "Mirajane, can you hear me? Mira, are you okay?"

He finally reached out to touch her shoulder, which had jumping out of her thoughts and gasping. She looked at Breccan with wide eyes as she realized she spaced out.

"Oh sorry." She said giggling to cover up her shock. "Guess I was in a daze. What is it?"

Breccan stared at her silently for a moment, and she was worried that he would press the matter. Though a part of her almost wanted him to since she was dying to talk about what happened between them, so to try and understand where he stood in their…relationship if it could even be called that.

"I was just wondering if there were any more details in the request before Erza and I leave." Breccan said.

Mirajane tried not to look disappointed when he decided to just drop her spacing out. Though mentally shook herself. He had to go on a job anyway, so it wasn't like he had the time to talk anyway. She'd just have to wait until he got back. But she wasn't sure what tactic to try now since the other day didn't get him to talk about it.

"Oh, um, not really." Mirajane said shaking her head. "Just that there will be someone to greet you at the train station once you reach the village. And I'll be sure to send word that you're coming, so they'll be prepared."

Breccan nodded then thanked Mirajane before he left the guildhall with her watching him go sadly. Erza saw her look while feeling sympathetic towards her fellow S-class mage.

"Mira, why don't you join Breccan and me on this request?" Erza asked Mirajane while trying to sound casual.

Mirajane looked at Erza with wide eyes as the redhead smiled at Mirajane in a friendly manner.

"We don't know what is waiting for us, so it might be better to have a third person on the job." Erza added hoping she didn't sound too pushy.

"I don't know." Mirajane asked. "They didn't ask for me, and I'm not sure if Breccan would want me to come along."

Mirajane was actually certain he'd prefer not to see her for a few days at the least.

"Nonsense!" Erza said shaking her head. "I'm sure he'd be thrilled."

Mirajane still looked uncertain, so Erza decided to try another tactic that might work.

"You know, one of his biggest fears is that you could be hurt being associated with him or being near him." Erza said. "If you show him how capable you are to fight at his side perhaps that would push away any doubts he has about your relationship."

Mirajane's eyes widened when Erza said that before she blushed slightly. Was she that easy to read? However, Mirajane soon overcame her shock as she really thought about Erza's words. If Mirajane showed Breccan her strength and her determination to stay at his side, would he really stop holding back any feelings he might be having?

"It's just something to think about." Erza said. "If you decide to join us, be sure to be at the train station in half an hour."

Erza then walked away to leave Mirajane to her own thoughts as the white-haired woman was holding the request to her chest.

* * *

Breccan let out a sigh as he walked in front of Mirajane and Erza. When he had arrived at the train station hours ago, he had been surprised to see Mirajane was joining them. However, Erza had then explained how she invited Mirajane ago, and Breccan was sure he could guess as to why Erza did such a thing. It had been a long quiet train ride with no one uttering a word, and Breccan was glad it was over. Though he needed to buy a new back of cigarettes since he went through his last two while on the train.

"Welcome, Mages of Fairy Tail, to Hollyhock!" A peppy voice called out.

Breccan lifted his head while coming to a stop in front of a small girl who had green and pale yellow eyes. He hair was put in ponytails, and she wore humble farmer girl's clothes though they suited her nicely.

"My name is Pepper." She said smiling. "And I was sent by the Elder to escort you two—I mean, three—mages to him."

"Sorry," Erza said. "I hope our friend joining us isn't any inconvenience."

"Not at all." Pepper said smiling still. "I'm sure Elder Jean won't mind at all. In fact, I'm sure he'll feel more assured with an extra mage here to help us in our time of need. Now, please, follow me."

Pepper turned to lead the mages towards one of the town's entrances that was through the station. After leaving the building, the mages all stopped and stared in shock at the quaint beauty that was Hollyhock. The village was humble though had a vibrant market in the middle that had lively salesmen calling out to the cheerful customers.

"It's beautiful." Mirajane said.

"Thank-you." Pepper said as she nodded her head. "It might not be much, but we all love our village and are proud of it."

"I can see why." Erza said as they all kept walking.

Breccan looked around while taking in everything he could. So this is where the founder of Treble Chambers was born and grew up? To think such a powerful mage came from a town that rarely used magic in their daily lives. Though Raoul was the kind of man to do things his own way even if they seem impossible, or as if they shouldn't be done or couldn't be done, so Breccan supposed this was just the right kind of birthplace for a man such as Raoul.

"Forgive me for asking, but nothing seems out of place here." Breccan began. "So why do you need S-class mages here?"

Pepper lost her smile as she continued to lead the village's guests towards the Elder's house.

"Everyone is putting on a brave face right now, but every night a thief comes in the night." Pepper said. "This thief isn't taking possessions, but the children of this village."

The three S-class mages eyes widened when hearing this as Pepper kept her head bowed.

"And when we all rise in the morning, we find a new house marked with that emblem." Pepper said as she paused to point at a house.

The others turned to look at the house, and Breccan stiffened when seeing the mark of Shadow Undertaker burned into the side of the house. His hands clenched into fists, and Mirajane looked at him in concern. She knew seeing that mark couldn't be easy.

"None of us at first knew what the symbol meant, and were sure who were taking the children." Pepper said with a forlorn expression on her face. "However, a mage, who was passing through this village, informed us that the mark was from a dark guild known as Shadow Undertaker. This mage said we needed to immediately call for help, and from someone who had the power and the knowledge to deal with this threat. When the elder asked if the Magic Council would be the better option, this female mage scoffed saying by the time those Rune Knights showed up that it'd be too late for the children. She said she would take the job, but thought someone who understood the dark guild better would be the one to ask, so she suggested Breccan of Fairy Tail."

Breccan blinked wondering who this mage could be. He knew a lot of people now knew his past in Shadow Undertaker, so it could be anyone.

"Who was this mage?" Erza asked.

"I believe she said her name was Sher…Sher Vastia." Pepper said. "She mentioned she's been doing a lot of requests around the kingdom's boarders lately, which brought her to our town in the first place. She did help stop an abduction before she left, but told us we should call for the aid of Fairy Tail immediately. So the Elder took her advice and sent a formal request to your guild."

Breccan now completely understood why two S-class mages were called, and he was sure he knew why children were being taken. And he would get them all back, and after this, he would finish off the rest of Shadow Undertaker, so nothing like this ever happens again.

* * *

After speaking to the Elder, Breccan immediately started his investigation by going to the last house that had lost a child. As Erza and Mirajane spoke to the distraught parents, he was looking around the young boy's room. Apparently the boy's name was Pan, and he was taken after midnight last night, which when his father had last checked on him. Breccan didn't see any signs of a struggle, which didn't surprise him. Shadow Undertaker's assassins were trained to jobs much harder and more delicate than child abductions, so this had to be easy for them. In fact, if they didn't leave their mark behind, no one would ever think to connect them to these abductions.

"They wanted to be found out." Breccan said as he stopped beside Pan's empty bed. "Most likely to send a message."

Though he wasn't sure if that message was to him, or someone else. They did hit a town that Breccan knew, and would consider important. However, how they would know that was beyond him. He knew anyone could find out where Raoul was born, but if they really wanted to hit Breccan close to home, they would have went to Acacia Town or even Magnolia, right? So why here? Well, perhaps they thought Magnolia was too close to home. Still that didn't explain why they didn't go to Acacia Town if they really did want to get his attention. Maybe the location wasn't important as long as they had gotten someone's attention. And they have now, so Breccan wonders what their next move will be.

"Breccan,"

Breccan turned his head seeing Mirajane standing in the doorway looking troubled.

"The reason why they're taking these children," Mirajane began then trailed off.

"If you're thinking that Shadow Undertaker is trying to restock their ranks then you'd be thinking right." Breccan said honestly. "They always did like starting training at a young age, and considering they've lost almost all their Shadows, they must be hurting for new blood in their ranks."

Mirajane's expression turned even more upset when she heard this. The very thought of any child going through what Breccan did made her sick.

"We need to act fast to stop this." Breccan said as he started heading towards the door. "I need to learn their abduction pattern, so I can try to figure out where they'll strike next."

He walked past Mirajane who watched him go. He wasn't even thinking about letting her or Erza also shoulder this burden. As always, he wants to handle things himself if he can. Mirajane took on a determined look as she went to follow him. She wouldn't allow him to do that. She would help him even if she had to force her help. She would show him that she can handle his hardships just as well on her own. She would show him just how determined she is to remain with him.

"After learning the pattern that they followed, I'm certain they will strike here next." Breccan said as he stood in the home of the Elder with the others. "And the child they will go for this the granddaughter of the Elder, which means they will try to abduct Pepper-san."

Pepper's mother—Pama—gasped while pulling her daughter close as Jean the Elder of the Village frowned looking troubled.

"She is a bit older than the other children, but I am certain they will take someone more mature as a leader of sorts for the younger ones." Breccan said.

It was Amarante who was the one to look over Breccan and his unit after all, so he was certain Pepper would become the unit leader for these children.

"Don't worry." Mirajane said. "We won't allow Pepper to be taken. You have my word that we will protect her, and bring back all the children."

Breccan wished Mirajane hadn't promised that since there was no guarantee that all of the children would be coming back. He wanted to save all of them, but if Shadow Undertaker had decided not to keep a few before he and the girls could get to them, it might be too late for those children.

"We will be sure to take turns guarding tonight while we stay here." Erza added. "Pepper will have someone watching over her all night, I assure you."

"No." Breccan said cutting in. "We have to make it look as if Pepper has no one watching her, or they might strike another house. That's why we will be outside the house, and spread out so we won't be easily spotted. The assassins of my former guild are well trained, and would easily be able to spot guards if we remain too close to the house."

Erza nodded her head in understanding while supposing that Breccan should be the one in charge for this mission.

"But if you're too far away, won't they be able to take Pepper?" Pama asked worriedly.

"Yes." Breccan said honestly. "They will take her from this house. In fact, I think it would be best if we allow them to take Pepper to where they are keeping the older children."

"What?!" Pama asked looking outraged. "How dare you suggest a thing! Father, say something to him!"

Pama looked to Jean, but the old man remained silent, which showed he agreed with Breccan's plan. This enraged Pama who turned her attention back to Breccan to give him a piece of her mind. Breccan remained silent as he let Pama yell at him for suggesting they use her daughter as bait. He took all the yelling and insults without even batting an eyelash as Erza and Mirajane stood back not sure what to do.

"She's just a child!" Pama continued to rant. "To even think to expose her to such things is something only a monster would do!"

At her words Breccan's expression finally changed, but instead of looking upset, his lips turned up into a small amused smirk.

"Yes, I suppose you are right." Breccan agreed. "However, if we want to get the other children back, we need to go through with my plan."

Pama turned red in the face while ready to start yelling once more, but Pepper grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Mother, stop it." Pepper said as she gave her mom a hard stare. "If it gets the others back, I'll do it. I want to help in any way I can!"

"You will do no such thing!" Pama shouted. "I will not risk your life just because some big shot mage thinks it's a good idea! You could be killed, Pepper!"

Pepper turned red in the face just like her mom looking as if she was ready to continue arguing, which meant wasting time. However, before they could, Mirajane stepped forward.

"Might I suggest something?" She asked, which had the others turning towards her. "I can stand in for Pepper. All I have to do is transform into her, and the dark mages wouldn't even know. This way there will be an abduction, so Erza and Breccan can follow the dark mages back to their base. But it keeps Pepper out of harm's way."

Pama looked relieved when Mirajane suggested this, but Breccan didn't seem pleased at all. However, he remained silent as Mirajane took charge of the situation. He stood back with Erza, and the redhead could sense Breccan's anger that practically had his blood boiling.

"Well, if things are decided, we shall prepare for the night." Erza said as she placed her hand on Breccan's shoulder. "Let's go, Breccan, to find places to hide while Mirajane settles in here."

Mirajane turned to tell them to be careful, but the words stuck in her throat when seeing Breccan's angered expression. Did she do something wrong?

"Breccan." Mirajane murmured.

"Tch." Breccan scoffed then turned away to walk out the door.

"Breccan!" Mirajane called after him.

He didn't stop as he left out the door, and as it slammed behind him, Mirajane flinched.

"I'll talk to him." Erza assured her. "He's probably just worried about you being the bait."

Erza then hurried after Breccan as Mirajane stood there looking down at the ground. She only suggested what she did to help, but it only seemed to make him angry. She shook her head knowing she couldn't get down on herself. She was here to show Breccan she could handle herself, so he could see she was strong to be together with him no matter what life throws their way.

* * *

Breccan sat perched on top a rooftop that was a few houses down and across from the Elder's home. Erza was behind him while leaning against the chimney on top the roof. It was nightfall now, and everything was in place for tonight. Mirajane, who was in Pepper's form now, was already resting in Pepper's room as the real Pepper was being hid in a neighbor's house on the other side of the village.

"You know, you hurt Mirajane's feelings earlier." Erza said. "She was just trying to help and make things easier."

"I understand that, but she doesn't understand what will happen if it's discovered she's a fake." Breccan said. "She could be killed or worse. And, yes, there are worse things than death."

Erza sighed knowing how worried Breccan had to be, but he needed to realize that Mirajane was a strong mage who could handle herself. She wasn't known as the She-Devil for nothing.

"Besides, the less she's exposed to this kind of stuff the better." Breccan said. "What we find once we follow after the abductors will most likely not be a good sight. Who knows what's already happened to the children that have already been abducted."

"We'll just have to find out together as guildmates." Erza said. "Because as guildmates, we help each other and face all sorts of hardships together."

Breccan frowned knowing what Erza was trying to say, but he didn't acknowledge it. He just turned his attention back onto the Elder's house. It was reaching midnight, so he was certain someone would try to make a move now. He narrowed his eyes while focusing on the vibration threads he had sent out earlier. He was waiting for something or someone to trip them.

"My, my, here's a familiar face I never thought I'd see again." A feminine voice crooned from behind him.

This had him stiffening along with Erza who hadn't sensed the woman before she was directly behind Breccan. Breccan didn't move an inch while knowing if he did so hurriedly it could mean the end of his life.

"Who are you?!" Erza demanded.

The woman chuckled before turning to look at Erza as the clouds moved from in front of the moon to illuminate the woman. Erza's eyes widened when seeing the woman looked shockingly like Amarante just with dark hair and blue eyes and older. The woman whipped out a fan, which had Erza getting into a fighting stance. The woman just fanned herself, however, while keeping a casual stance.

"What a brazen, rude girl you are." The woman said. "Breccan, don't tell me this is the girl in the reports that you are supposedly smitten with. You could do so much better."

Erza narrowed her eyes at this woman as she peered at Erza judgmentally over her fan. Breccan finally moved though not much since he knew to make careful movements from here on out. He just turned while keeping crouched down to look up at the woman.

"Though I suppose she isn't considering she is completely different than the description of the girl written in the reports I've read." The woman continued. "No, based on your appearance, I'd have to say you are Erza Scarlet."

"Yes, I am." Erza said. "Now I ask once more: who are you?"

The woman hummed as she fanned herself once more as she continued to stand there.

"I suppose I should introduce myself." She said. "My name is Izanami Yoru. I am the mother of Amarante. She's my second eldest child and only daughter."

Erza could have guessed Izanami was of some kind of relation to Amarante, but she was still surprised to learn she was Amarante's mother. And did she say Amarante was her youngest child? Erza had no idea that Amarante had siblings.

"I thought you were dead." Breccan finally spoke up as he stared at Izanami.

Izanami smirked behind her fan as she glanced back at Breccan who was visibly shaken.

"I was, but thanks to some help from our allies I was brought back to life." Izanami said honestly.

"Brought back to life?" Erza asked "How is that possible? I only know of one person who can raise the dead, but not to such a caliber as this."

"Oh, you must be speaking of that Jun fellow who was previously from Grimoire Heart." Izanami said. "While he does have strong magic, you're right that he can't raise the dead to such a state they look as if they've never died. The one who brought me back is much more powerful than him."

Breccan didn't like the sound of that one bit. Anyone strong enough to raise the dead like this was someone not to be messed with. Not only that, but if someone did have such a power…he was worried about who else they could bring back to life.

"But enough about me." Izanami said as she fanned herself. "I say it's time for a little reunion, don't you, Breccan?"

As soon as the words left her mouth two shapes sprung up off the ground behind Breccan. Before he could turn around the look at them, he was hit hard to be sent flying.

"Breccan!" Erza called out in worry.

Breccan smashed into another house not far from them, and went clean through the wall into a couple's bedroom. He shook himself as he got to his feet after the impact. He looked towards the two in the room seeing they hadn't stirred despite him crashing into their home.

"It must be Izanami's doing." He said.

"You're right." A voice said. "It is Mother's doing."

Breccan turned his head seeing the two who hit him standing side-by-side in front of him. One was a boy that had black hair like Izanami and the other one had turquoise hair like Sesshōmoto and Amarante. They both had blue eyes like their mother though they were shaped like their father's eyes. They both looked much alike in the face like twins, and if their hair color didn't different they would be completely identical.

"She put the entire village to sleep." The black-haired boy said. "Even the imposter, who you tried to fool us with, in the Elder's home."

Breccan grit his teeth thought wasn't surprised they already knew Mirajane was an imposter.

"That was a stupid decision on your part, Breccan," The turquoise-haired boy added. "You know you can't fool us with simple transformation magic."

"Kuroshi," Breccan greeted the black-haired boy then glanced to the other. "Kira…why don't you both get out of my way? You remember the last time you both tried to challenge me, don't you?"

The twins exchanged a look before looking back at Breccan with identical looks on their faces.

"That was a long time ago, Breccan." Kuroshi reminded him.

"We've gotten a lot stronger since then." Kira made sure to point out. "And recently we've gotten some major upgrades."

Breccan narrowed his eyes wondering what kind of powers the twins could possess now. The only think Breccan did know was that he made to remain on his toes, and he had to win this as soon as possible to save Mirajane.

"So if you wanna fight, let's go." The said in unison. "We're sure Mother will keep your pretty friend busy."

Breccan looked past the twins to Erza as she was fighting against Izanami who was easily deflecting Erza's attacks with her fan. Breccan then had to dodge the twins' attack when they both tried to hit him again. The back of his legs hit the couple's bed, and he knew he needed to get out of here to have more room to fight. He'd have to apologize later, but he knew there was only one way out…and that was making one. He used his magic to blast a whole into the ceiling, so he could get through the roof quickly. Once he was in more open area, he felt more ready for this fight.

"Whoa, that was pretty impressive." Kuroshi said as he and Kira followed after him.

They landed on rooftops beneath Breccan, who was standing on top a chimney, while both taking stances to fight.

"We'd love to play with you, Breccan, but we need to end you now, so we can get back to business." Kira said. "Sorry."

"Bring it on, ya little snots." Breccan said motioning them forward. "I'll show you I'm not the same mage I once was either."

* * *

 _Mirajane, who was in her actual form, looked around in confusion when seeing she was in some dark corridor of what looked to be a mansion._

 _"Welcome," A voice purred behind her._

 _Mirajane whirled around seeing an older woman, who had black hair and blue eyes, standing there._

 _"Who are you?" Mirajane demanded._

 _"Who I am isn't important." The woman said smiling. "All you need to know is that I am someone from Breccan's past."_

 _This had Mirajane narrowing her eyes as her body become tense for battle, which had the older woman chuckling._

 _"Now, now, there's no need to get so worked up." The woman said. "It isn't as if you can cause any harm to me while you're dreaming anyway."_

 _"Dreaming?" Mirajane asked._

 _"Yes, dreaming." The woman said. "Right now you are dreaming. You see it is part of my magic. I put people to sleep to peer into their souls to see what they most desire, or what most frightens them. It might seem like a silly gift, but I assure you I can cause a lot of damage to someone in their dreams even death."_

 _Mirajane felt disgusted by this woman's words as she spoke so casually about killing and hurting people._

 _"The reason why I am appearing in front of you in the first place is because I have seen what your heart most desires." The woman said._

 _Suddenly Breccan appeared beside the woman with a dead look in his eyes as he stood there._

 _"Breccan!" Mirajane exclaimed while reaching towards him._

 _However, instead of reaching for her in return, Breccan attacked her. He sent a hard hit to her chest, and the vibrations sent through her body cause damage to her heart. Mirajane coughed up blood while falling to her knees. She looked up at him as Breccan towered over her._

 _"You're not Breccan." Mirajane said._

 _"That is correct." The woman said giggling. "Your lover boy is currently fighting my two sons in the real world, and is taking heavy damage. And I'm afraid to say I'm not being too gentle with your redhead friend either."_

 _Mirajane grit her teeth together knowing she had to wake up somehow. She had to wake up to help Erza and the man she loves._

 _"I will give you a chance to free yourself, Mirajane Strauss, from my magic." The woman said. "If you can defeat this Breccan I've created, and have the will to still save the true Breccan after everything I show you about him in this dream, you may wake to join the real battle. Though by then it might be too late."_

 _"It doesn't matter what you show me about him." Mirajane said as she glared up at the woman. "My feelings won't change."_

 _"We shall see." The woman said smirking before disappearing._

Breccan kicked Kuroshi out of his way before hitting Kira hard in the gut with his fingers digging into Kira's gut as Breccan sent out vibration pulses that ruptured a few of Kira's organs. Kira coughed up blood though didn't hesitate to attack Breccan next by hitting Breccan in the back of the neck precisely where his spinal cord connected to his brain. As he hit him, Kira made sure to send a small spike of electricity through Breccan's spinal cord.

Breccan stiffened up after that, and couldn't protect himself from Kuroshi's next attack. Kuroshi just seemed to hit Breccan square in the chest, but using his magic, he internally cut one of Breccan's lungs open. Breccan hit the ground hard while trying to gasp for air. Though it has hard considering only one lung was properly functioning. He then went to get up, but when he went to move his left leg his right arm was what responded.

"What the hell?" Breccan asked as he flopped around on the ground unable to get his body to react how he wanted.

"Sorry." Kira said. "But you won't be moving anytime soon. You see when I sent that electric current through your spinal cord it disrupted your nervous system by cutting it off from your brain, so now your body doesn't know what to do without your brain's guidance."

Breccan cursed as he continued in vain to try and get up and move. His body still didn't want to work properly, so he was a sitting duck at this point. Not that they needed to really attack him anymore. With the damage to his lungs he'd die soon enough.

"We told you we were stronger." Kuroshi said smirking. "Should have listened."

"Now you and your friend are going to die." Kira added.

As he was saying that, Erza crashed into the ground creating a crater. She laid there barely breathing at all. It looked as if she was almost done too.

"I'm sure your deaths will send a big message to our big sis." Kira said grinning. "I'm know seeing your dead mangled bodies will really send her through a loop. Who knows how she might react."

"Probably erratically without thinking, which will make her easy prey." Kuroshi said with a dark smirk on his face.

Breccan was about to tell them to shut their mouths, but Izanami appeared behind him while pressing her foot on his head hard. He could practically hear his skull groan in protest.

"It's almost sad to see how you've become, Breccan." Izanami said. "You had so much potential when you were a child, but you threw it all away. Now, it's time to end your miserable existence."

However, before she could, she was hit hard from behind with a blast of dark magic. She was sent flying with her sons calling out to her in worry. They then looked to the attacker, who was Mirajane, as she stepped forward from the shadows. She was in her strongest she-devil form, and looked ready to fight. Izanami lifted her head off the ground as she looked at the younger woman.

"How did you break through my magic?" Izanami said.

"I did exactly what you told me to do." Mirajane said. "And even after everything you showed me of Breccan's past, my feelings have not changed. Even when you showed me how his fight ended with his father back on Tenrou Island, my feelings for him didn't waver. I see now that he thinks of himself as only a dark monster that doesn't deserve love. However, the same could be said about me, correct? After all I am a she-devil…and that's a monster in itself. So if being with him means walking a path of darkness, I will because I accepted long ago that darkness isn't always mean someone is evil. It just depends on how they choose to live their lives and how to use their magic."

Breccan stared up at Mirajane as she said all that to Izanami who was still shocked the girl managed to get out of her spell.

"And even if he does decide not to love me in return, my feeling for him will stay the same." Mirajane said as she smiled softly.

Izanami, who picked herself off the ground, frowned as she looked between the three S-class mages as Erza was standing up. Breccan might be out of commission for only a few more minutes, which would put her and her sons in a disadvantage. She didn't like what she knew they had to do, but she knew the right choice.

"We're leaving." Izanami said to her sons. "Leave the children where they are. We don't have time to get them all. Retreat now!"

She and her sons all vanished in a wisp of black smoke, and they second they were gone, Mirajane returned to her human form before running over to Breccan to drop to her knees beside him.

"Breccan," She said worriedly as she pulled him into her lap. "Please, stay with me. Don't die on me again, please!"

Breccan lightly smiled before seemingly saying something to Mirajane, but she couldn't hear him.

"What was that?" Mirajane asked as she leaned in closer with her ear to his lips.

He then whispered the three little words she's been waiting for him to say ever since her confession. Mirajane burst into tears as she held him tightly after that.

"I love you too." She whispered into his hair.

Erza stood back smiling at the pair as they had their moment. It looked as if things were going to be alright now. And that was all that mattered even if their opponents fled, but Erza was certain they would see each other again.

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Rizzo said as she sat in the medical ward with her siblings who were around Breccan's bed. "Shadow Undertaker was taking children to replenish their ranks from Hollyhock? It's one of the only areas in our kingdom where no magic is found whatsoever."

Breccan, who was lying in bed still recovering, hummed in agreement since that was true. However, she was just glad all the children, who they had found in the woods around Hollyhock, were safe and sound.

"That might be true, but think of it this way, two powerful mages originated from that village." Craylee said. "Master Raoul and Caspian were some of the strongest mages of their time, so there is potential in the village."

"I guess that's true." Rizzo said. "I'm just glad things ended on a high note. But it's all still worrisome. I feel as if something big is coming that our enemies are preparing for, and that we all need to be ready for it."


	114. Jaser's Tale 2: A Prince's Woes

Jaser let out a calm breath as he balanced on top of a narrow metal pole that he had stood up on the ground. It was so narrow that only the middle of his right foot fit on it. He was working on his balance, which took a lot of focus. He had to work on his focus and find inner balance because lately his mind was always stewing with thoughts. It was starting to drive him nuts, and he knew Cana took notice.

"Hey, Jaser!"

Jaser opened his eyes to look down to see Lucy was looking up at him and waving.

"Sorry to bother you, but we were selected to take on a job!" Lucy said.

Jaser silently jumped off the pole, which had it tilting towards Lucy, which had her gasping. As he was falling down, Jaser kicked the pole, so to send it up into the air away from the blonde. He landed in front of Lucy then raised his hand to catch the long pole one handed. It made a loud thudding sound, which had Lucy wondering just how heavy it was.

"A job?" He asked.

"Yeah." Lucy said as she pulled out a sheet of paper. "A job request came especially for us."

She held out the paper to him, and he took it to see he and Lucy were indeed specifically selected. Some of these requests were sure coming up with odd team ups. But Jaser didn't mind working with Lucy.

"We're supposed to take care of some kind of monster terrorizing a village southwest of here?" Jaser asked.

He then narrowed his eyes since the name of the town was familiar. He was certain he and Cana went there before, and that it was a port town where many of his people have tried to make a home there.

"The monster is described as a woman with multiple arms." Lucy said. "She's been going around destroying things and causing a ruckus and some villagers have been harmed."

Jaser's brow quirked. A woman with multiple arms was causing destruction? That sounded uncomfortably familiar.

"And people are saying that a person from Rajasthan is causing the trouble." Lucy added. "Some of the villagers are starting to blame all the Rajasthans that have taken up residence there."

"That might cause them to react violently towards the people of Rajasthan." Jaser said frowning.

Lucy nodded in agreement while feeling concern for those people. She didn't want anyone who was innocent being harmed whether they be from Fiore or Rajasthan.

"We have to stop this mage that's controlling the monster woman, and show it's just the working on one person." Lucy said. "Before the villagers try to take matters into their own hands."

"Yeah." Jaser agreed. "But if the people of the village are ready to blame the Rajasthans then who sent this request?"

"We did."

Jaser stiffened before turning around to see two newcomers plus one man he knew as Doranbalt who was the man that masqueraded as Mest seven years ago on Tenrou Island. Why didn't he smell them earlier? Jaser looked away from Doranbalt to the newcomers again. He immediately noticed they were of Rajasthan, and based on their attire, he would say they were of the middle class in Rajasthan. That or they served one of the upper class families, and were treated well.

The girl looked to be about fourteen years of age with a petite frame. She actually had a build much like Wendy, so she didn't have a curvaceous figure of any sort. Like most Rajasthan's she had tanned skin accompanied by a marking on her forehead to signify what tribe she came from. The mark on her fore head as a pink color with a circle-like shape. Her hair, which fell to her chin in length was a dark brown. She then had wide, doe-like lilac eyes that gave her an even more youthful appearance.

She wore a light pink sherwani, which was outlined with gold that had sleeves going to her elbows and the sherwani itself fell past her hips. She then had on pale churidars that hugged just above her ankles. Her feet had no shoes with only a few bangs around her ankles. There were more bangles on her wrists and golden rings on her fingers. Wrapped around her head was white scarf that was tied back in the back where the access material fell down her neck. She then had on small dangling earrings in her ears, and finally there was a simple white scarf going around her waist with a key holster hanging from it.

The boy looked older than the girl by at least a few years, but was most likely younger than Jaser. He stood a much taller height while actually looking to be pushing six feet, and had a mature muscular figure that any boy his age would have. He, of course, shared similarities to his sister like the tanned skin and pink circle mark on his forehead. He even had the same color of lilac eyes, but his were more narrow-shaped unlike the girl's eyes. He had dark brown hair like Reva as well, but his was much shorter and fell messily around his head.

He wore a simple red sleeveless sherwani that fell down past his knees with a high color. The sherwani was outlined with orange accents, and was mostly left open to reveal his muscular torso. However, the gold-colored scarf around his waist closed the sherwani partially at his waist. He then had on black churidars that hugged around his waist, calves, and ankles whereas they were baggy from just below his waist down to his caves. He surprisingly had on boots unlike most of his people with the bottom of the churidars tucked into the boots. He had also wore very little jewelry with only a dangling earring mage of a tiger's claw hanging from his right ear. Finally he had a light scarf wrapped around his head with pieces of her hair sticking out here and there.

"Please, forgive us for intruding." The girl said dipping her head. "I am Reva, and this is my younger brother Rohan."

"Younger brother?!" Lucy asked in shock.

When she had met them briefly earlier, she had had no idea that Rohan was the younger one.

"Yes, it is quite shocking, but I am the eldest." Reva said. "I'm actually in my early twenties."

Lucy was completely flabbergasted. Reva was like Sven in a way, but Lucy doubted what kept the girl looking so young was magic. Reva was just most likely a lolita. A living-breathing lolita.

"So two Rajasthans want my help?" Jaser asked cutting in. "You two must know what family I come from, so why request for me?"

Any Rajasthan he has met since leaving home hasn't exactly been friendly towards him. Divya wasn't exactly hostile, but she wanted something from him. She just needed his help, so it wasn't as if she was trying to make friends.

"What tribe you come from is exactly why we ask for your help." Rohan said. "The Thar Tribe has served the Sahara Tribe for centuries, which is why we come to you to ask for your aid."

He and Reva then got to their knees to bow to Jaser, which had Lucy gasping in surprise.

"Please, Prince Jaser, help us." They said in unison.

Jaser frowned because he wasn't that big on being called prince of anything. It just made him completely uncomfortable

"If we could, we would not bother you with this task, please believe us." Reva said as she lifted her head. "But as of right now, we are here for diplomatic reasons, and cannot afford to cause trouble."

"Your Magic Council made sure we couldn't by giving us a babysitter." Rohan added as he glared back at Doranbalt.

Doranbalt frowned at Rohan in return, but said nothing. He was just here to watch over two diplomats as ordered, so he wasn't about to get into an argument with one.

"Diplomatic?" Lucy asked.

"Yes, we were sent by the last remaining member of the Sahara Tribe to ask for Fiore's assistance in the war." Reva said. "We came to ask them to help us end it once and for all because if it doesn't end soon there will be nothing left of our people or way of life."

Jaser's hands clenched into fists as he looked down at the ground. That was the same thing Divya had told him. Was his home country really that far gone?

"If we cause trouble, they might not give us this aid." Reva continued. "And this Rajasthan causing trouble is not helping our cause. If he is not stopped, things could end terribly with the negotiations, which we cannot afford."

"He?" Jaser asked. "Do you know who is causing all this trouble?"

Reva and Rohan exchanged a glance as if silently debating whether they should say what they know. Rohan finally nodded his head before looking to Jaser.

"He is known as Soma." Rohan said. "He is the young lord of the Gobi Tribe. You know of a girl named Divya, correct? Well, he is her older brother and the next heir to their tribe."

"Seriously?!" Lucy asked. "But doesn't he know what he's doing will only make things worse?"

Jas was sure this man knew exactly what he was doing, which was what he was doing exactly.

"Soma wishes the war to continue because it won't be long before Lord Ekram passes away." Reva said with a saddened expression. "Once he dies that would bring an end to the Sahara bloodline. At least that's what we all thought, but then we heard word of Prince Jaser living in Fiore. And that he bore the mark of the Sahara Tribe. But not just the mark of his tribe, but the mark from the direct royal bloodline that hasn't been seen in nearly 400 years. Soma would do anything to end Jaser and to cause trouble for our people to keep the war going."

Lucy gulped feeling more unqualified for this job the more Reva and Rohan explained the situation. This sounded more like an S-class quest than a regular one.

"Why doesn't the council just do something?" Lucy asked.

"Because if the council sent in Rune Knights to apprehend a Rajasthan from such an important tribe, the Gobi Tribe could retaliate saying it's an act of war." Doranbalt said. "However, if two simple guild mages happen to go take care of a pesky mage because it was requested of them, things won't escalate as badly."

Lucy could understand that, but she still felt as if she wasn't the right person for the job.

"And sending me would be better?" Jaser, who was uncharacteristically serious, asked. "As you said, I am of the direct royal bloodline of the Sahara Tribe, which is the tribe that is direct enemies with the Gobi Tribe. Wouldn't it just seem as if the feud between our two tribes has bleed into Fiore? That would make matters worse, wouldn't it?"

Doranbalt frowned not being able to deny that. It really could make things worse in the end because it could make the people of Fiore angered that matters between people of a different nation has found its way into their homeland.

"It could, but perhaps not." Reva said. "If you defeat Soma then make a formal and public apology for allowing the problems of our people effect the people of this kingdom, I think all would be forgiven, and we could gain sympathy, which might help our cause."

Jaser crossed his arms over his chest while deciding that he really hated politics because it made things harder. He also hated everything that was going on with his people, and he knew he had to clean it up since it was technically his responsibility.

"Fine' we'll take the job." Jaser said.

Reva and Rohan looked relieved as they finally stood up onto their feet and off their knees.

"Thank-you, Prince." Reva said dipping her head to Jaser.

Jaser nodded his head once in reply as Doranbalt remained standing behind the group wondering how this was going to end.

"Actually, guys, I don't really think I'm the person for the job on this one." Lucy said. "Maybe Natsu or someone stronger would be better."

"You'll be fine." Jaser said as he started walking away. "Let's go."

Lucy wanted to cry as Jaser started pulling her away because she just knew she wasn't cut out for this kind of job.

"We'll meet at the train station in half an hour, Prince!" Rohan called out after Jaser and Lucy. "Our train leaves after that!"

* * *

Jaser arrived at the train station in fresh clothes and with his bag over his shoulder. He had on an outfit Craylee made for him that had that had special thread stitched inside to help with his motion sickness by helping him feel as if he wasn't moving.

Jaser spoke with Cana before coming here to let her know that he was leaving on a job with Lucy, but didn't tell her what kind of job it was. He blew it off as something simple. However, he had a feeling that Cana knew something was up. He didn't like lying to her, but it was just better if she didn't know. At least that's what he kept telling himself to make him feel a bit better.

Jaser sighed as he scratched the back of his head. He just needed to find his group before the train departed. He sniffed the air to smell that Lucy had yet to arrive. However, he could smell Doranbalt, Reva, and Rohan nearby. He followed his nose to find them waiting near the end of the train platform. Reva turned to smile at him as he approached.

"Prince Jaser, you have arrived." She said.

Jaser was about to tell her not to call him that when he heard the train whistle loudly. He turned his head seeing that it seemed to be preparing to leave. The train conductor called all aboard, which had him frowning. Lucy wasn't hear yet.

"We better get on." Doranbalt said. "If we don't, the next train won't arrive until three hours from now. We don't have that kind of time to wait. If Lucy doesn't arrive in time, we'll have no choice but to leave her behind."

Jaser didn't want to do that since he knew Lucy would blame herself for not getting here on time and missing the train. He didn't want her to feel guilty.

"Prince, he has a point." Rohan said. "Let's at least get on board. She might arrive before the train starts moving."

Jaser sighed though followed the others to get on the train, but as he placed one foot in the door, he caught Lucy's scent in the air.

"Hey, wait up!" Lucy called out.

He turned his head seeing Lucy running as fast as possible towards the train. The train jerked and started pulling out with Jaser hanging halfway out of it. Despite it moving, Jaser jumped out of the train completely, which had Reva gasping. She and Rohan poked their heads out to watch as Jaser swiftly ran back to Lucy.

"I've got ya, Lucy." Jaser said as he picked her up to place on his back.

Before Lucy could thank him, Jaser shot forward quickly. Lucy gasped latching onto his shoulders to keep from falling backwards. Jaser ran towards the train, which was about to be completely away from the platform. Jaser picked up his pace, and Lucy was stunned when he started running alongside the train. They almost caught up to the opening where Reva and Rohan were. Rohan reached out his hand, and Lucy reached out towards it as Jaser kept running.

"Just a bit more!" Lucy said then snatched his hand. "Got it!"

Rohan gave a hard tug with Reva's help, which pulled Lucy and Jaser successfully onto the train. Jaser let out a huff then let Lucy onto her feet.

"Sorry about being so much trouble." Lucy said hanging her head.

Jaser pat her on top her head in a brotherly manner while just glad she made it since he didn't want to do this alone.

* * *

As the group all sat in a compartment together, Jaser looked out the window at the scenery that was passing them quickly. He hoped they ended all of this quickly.

"Um, may I ask a question?" Lucy spoke up to break the silence.

The others looked towards her as she kept her eyes on Reva and Rohan who were sitting on either side of Doranbalt.

"Of course." Reva said.

"Well, I was just wondering why you would specifically ask for me." Lucy said. "I'm not the strongest in the guild. Not even close, so I was just confused as to why you'd request for my help."

Not to mention she didn't know exactly was going on with Rajasthan, and she felt as if she really didn't have a place in this. Well, she supposed her guildmate needing help was a good enough reason, but still.

"The main reason is because we didn't want the Prince to be fighting Soma alone." Rohan said.

"The second reason might seem silly, but I felt more assured with a fellow Celestial Mage helping us out." Reva added.

Lucy blinked in confusion when Reva said that. Reva smiled then pulled out a key ring when seeing Lucy's confused expression. On it were seven silver keys though one looked a bit different than the others since it was decorated with an onyx color.

"I use celestial magic as well." Reva said then looked towards her brother. "Rohan is a slayer like Jaser-sama, but he doesn't use Dragon Slayer magic."

Lucy and Jaser looked towards Rohan as he sat in the seat with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I'm a Fire Titan Slayer." He explained.

"Titan Slayer?" Lucy repeated. "I've never heard of such a thing."

Though she did know that is some cultures that the Titans were beings that came before the gods. She believes it's the people of Kea that have such beliefs, but she didn't know the people of Rajasthan believed in the Titans.

"My father taught the magic to me." Rohan explained. "He was a man from Kea. However, one day he decided to travel, and ended up in Rajasthan where he met our mother."

So they were only half-Rajasthan. Well, that explained their eyes, which Jaser had thought were slightly oddly colored. An eye-color like theirs wasn't something one saw amongst the people of Rajasthan.

"His power was meant to kill Titans, which are beings meant to be more powerful than gods." Rohan said. "It seemed like the perfect magic to use against those who wield the power of gods. So I devoted myself into learning its power, so I could help end this war."

Lucy looked sympathetically towards the two Rajasthans who had almost haunted looks in their eyes.

"The war needs to end before there is nothing left of our people." Reva said. "It isn't the Sahara Tribe that's just near extinction. Rohan and I are the last of our tribe as well, which is why we decided to come here to ask for help because we see no other option."

Jaser's hands clenched into fists as he looked to the side with a troubled expression on his face. Lucy looked at him in concern as he quickly got to his feet.

"I need to get some air." He said.

He left the compartment quickly even when Lucy called out to him to wait. She sat there a moment then stood as well.

"Excuse me." She said.

She hurried after Jaser who seemed to just disappear from the inside of the train. She went to the end of the train car, and opened the door to see Jaser sitting near the edge of the car where it connected to the one behind it. Lucy silently moved to sit beside him while waiting for him to speak.

"I don't know what to do." He said finally. "I hear about all these horrible things happening in my homeland, and a part of me wants to return to help. However, I don't want to harm anyone from Rajasthan with my hands. But all I'm good at is fighting. When I want to protect something, I always fight, but I just don't want to bring more violence to Rajasthan. But I want to do something to help."

Lucy could understand that. It was the place where Jaser was born, so of course it was important to him.

"I know it'd upset Cana though." Jaser said. "Anytime I bring it up…she gets angry. She's afraid I'd go and get myself killed."

Lucy could understand Cana's worries as well. Lucy wouldn't know what to do if the man she loved went off to a war…especially to one as the bad as the one in Rajasthan.

"And I'm sure if I did decided to go back that she'd try to come with me, but I couldn't allow that." Jaser said as his hands clenched into fists. "But just staying here while more of my people die isn't right. Especially when it's my duty as a Sahara to look after my people. Only a coward hides like I have for most of my life."

"I don't think you're a coward." Lucy said honestly. "Things are just complicated. And there's nothing wrong with you having a life. As for returning to Rajasthan…well, I'd just have to say follow what your heart tells you. Even if you aren't sure that others will like it, you have to follow it. If you do decide to return, I'll trust you to return to all of us."

Jaser looked back at Lucy as she reached out to place her hand on his shoulder. She gave him a smile, and he felt more assured. She would help him through this because that's what family is for.

* * *

"This is the closest we can get to the town where Soma was last seen." Reva said. "By train anyway."

Lucy looked around the town seeing that it seemed like a nice place, and the people were lively.

"My sister and I should probably wait here for you." Rohan said. "If we get to close to where the battle is happening, the Magic Council may see that direct involvement and may not vote in favor for helping our country."

Lucy nodded in understanding as Jaser sniffed the air. He could smell fire and smoke in the distance meaning they must be downwind from the village that had suffered Soma's wrath.

"We should get going." Jaser said to Lucy. "The more time we spend here the more time that Soma has to get away."

"Oh, he won't be getting away." Lucy said as she pulled out a silver key. "I'm putting the best and fastest tracker on the case. Now, open: Gate of the Great Dog, Laelaps!"

Laelaps appeared in a flash of light beside her master while looking ready for anything.

"Okay, Laelaps, it's time to put those tracking skills of yours to work." Lucy said smiling. "We need you to try and track down someone for us."

"Considering all the carnage he's left behind in his wake, he'll smell heavily of blood and probably smoke due to all the fires." Jaser added.

"It shouldn't he hard to find someone like that." Laelaps said confidently. "Don't worry, Alpha, I'll track him down, and keep him in one place until you can catch up after I send the signal."

Laelaps then took off running towards where Jaser could smell the fire and smoke coming from. Laelaps disappeared after jumping over a few buildings to save time than going around them would.

"Okay, now we just follow." Jaser said then glanced at the others. "We'll handle this as fast as we can."

"Good luck, Prince, Lucy." Reva said.

Lucy smiled waving to the two Rajasthans and Doranbalt before she and Jaser ran off. Though Jaser kept a slow pace, so Lucy would be able to keep up. He knew he might have to carry her at some point, but it wouldn't be a problem for him.

* * *

Jaser ran alongside the rocky side of large incline with Lucy riding on his back. She was holding onto dear life as he was jumping from rock to rock.

"This would be so much easier with Sanjū." Lucy cried.

"Well, she went on a mission with Rizzo and Gajeel." Jaser said. "Something about making sure the two didn't kill each other."

Lucy felt bad for the feline now while sure that couldn't be an easy task for her. Some of the requests from clients were getting weird when it came to the match ups. It should be pretty obvious that Rizzo and Gajeel don't see eye-to-eye. In fact, those two brawl more than Natsu and Gray do sometimes, which is saying a lot.

"And don't worry, Lucy." Jaser said. "I promise that I won't let you fall."

"Right." Lucy said nodding.

She then cried out in fear when Jaser jumped from one side of the ravine to the other. Jaser laughed thinking this was the only real fun part to this job request. Jaser then came a skidding halt on the edge of the rock he landed on. He was looking up into the air, so Lucy followed his gaze to see that a bright light shot up into the air. It exploded like a firework while forming the constellation for Canis Major, which was Laelaps's constellation.

"She must have found him!" Lucy said smiling.

"And we can't keep her waiting." Jaser said as he hurried along. "She won't be able to keep Soma busy long if he really does control Kali the wife of Shiva the Destroyer."

Lucy bit her lip hoping that her spirit would be alright until they could get there. Jaser kept hurrying along before he finally made it to the top of the large ravine. The town that Laelaps found Soma was in seeing distance, and the two could tell a fight was going on by the flashes of magic flying around.

"Almost there!" Jaser said as he took off running again.

Lucy tightly held onto his shoulders while really hoping she didn't fall off any time soon. When they headed back towards the town where the others were, they were so taking a more peaceful route and taking their time. They made it into the town with Jaser letting Lucy drop onto her feet. Lucy stared in shock when seeing the woman with multiple arms fighting against Laelaps who was having trouble dodging the woman's swords.

"Don't worry, Laelaps!" Lucy called out as she pulled out a golden key. "The Calvary is here! Now open: Gate of the Golden Bull, Taurus!"

The golden light appeared beside Lucy with the large muscle cow appearing within it.

"I'm ready to get moooving!" He shouted as he spun his axe around. "I don't like hurting the ladies, but you have to go!"

He jumped at Kali while swinging his axe towards her. She blocked his axe with three of her swords, but as she was blocking his axe, Laelaps slammed her heel into Kali's face. This sent the goddess flying into one of the already burning buildings.

"Lucy, call back one of your spirits." Jaser said. "Then try to summon Aquarius to put out these fires. You can use that fountain in the center of town, right?"

He pointed towards the fountain, and Lucy knew she could summon Aquarius using it.

"Alright, but what are you going to do?" Lucy asked.

"I'll help defeat Kali before finding Soma in this town." Jaser said. "If Laelaps called us here then he has to be here somewhere."

Lucy knew that was so, but while they're fighting and putting out fires, Soma could escape.

"I can manage keeping three gates open." Lucy said with determination in her eyes. "I'll send Laelaps to pin down Soma, and Taurus can help you fight against Kali as Aquarius is putting out fires."

"Lucy, that's asking too much from you." Jaser said. "If you want to send Laelaps after Soma, I can agree to that, but you should send Taurus away. I'll fight Kali alone."

Lucy wanted to protest, but was interrupted when Laelaps hit the ground in between her and Jaser.

"Laelaps!" Lucy called out in worry.

She crouched down next to her spirit as Jaser let out a growl while turning to glare at Kali.

"That's it." Jaser said.

He shot forward while jumping up into the air to spin around while aiming a kick at Kali.

"Sand Dragon: Talon!" Jaser shouted as he hit the goddess.

She smashed into the ground, and as she was stunned on the ground, Taurus brought his axe down on her. She screeched in pain then sent a blast of magic at Taurus to send him crashing into the fountain.

"That's the end for me." Taurus said as he started disappearing. "Smoooooches~"

He vanished in a flash of golden light as Lucy nearly face-palmed at how easily defeated he was.

"As useless as ever, Hamburger." Laelaps said as she picked herself off the ground then stiffened as she looked to the left. "Alpha, he's trying to flee the town."

"Then go after him!" Jaser shouted as Kali attacked him. "If he isn't taken down, this fight won't end."

Laelaps looked towards Lucy for the final order, and even if Lucy didn't want to leave Jaser fighting alone, she nodded her head to Laelaps. Laelaps took off running while going to try and pin down Soma before he could get away. Jaser continued fighting Kali while mostly having to dodge and block. It was hard to find an opening on her for him to strike. Lucy quickly got to her feet while knowing she had to get to putting out the fires. She ran over to the fountain while pulling out Aquarius's key.

"Open: Gate of the Water-Bearer, Aquarius!" Lucy ordered as she put Aquarius's key into the water.

Aquarius appeared in golden light while not looking pleased in the slightest as she glared at Lucy.

"Do you mind?" She asked. "I was trying to enjoy time with my precious Scorpio when you interrupted us!"

"I'm sorry, ma'am!" Lucy squeaked. "I beg for forgiveness, but I need you to put out these fires before the entire town is burned down."

Aquarius let out an annoyed huff before she gathered her magic power in her urn.

"You want them put out, huh?!" She demanded. "Fine!"

She let out a shout as she sent a tsunami of water through the entire town to wash away the fire. Lucy was swept away as well were Jaser and Kali. Laelaps, who was in another part of town, was smart enough to get to higher ground. She sat on top the chimney of a house while watching as the town was temporarily flooded.

"Fire and then a flood." Laelaps said. "These people can't catch a break."

She then disappeared from the chimney to continue her pursuit of Soma who was still trying to flee. Back with Lucy and Jaser, the two were picking themselves off the ground.

"Good job in putting out the fires, Lucy." Jaser said as he got to his feet. "I could have done without the bath though."

"Sorry." Lucy said.

Aquarius just scoffed before leaving without another word, which had Lucy crying.

"Hey, don't leave me!" Lucy said.

She then gasped when Kali's sword stabbed the ground a few inches in front of her face. She gulped looking up seeing a pissed of goddess in front of her. Kali raised her sword while ready to bring it down.

"No, no, no!" Lucy cried.

Before she could be hit by Kali, Jaser grabbed her, and flipped her over his shoulder to jump into the air and dodge. Lucy cried out in shock as she gripped the back of Jaser's sherwani to try and keep from slipping off his shoulder as he held onto the back of her legs. He landed on a building away Kali while keeping Lucy over his shoulder.

"She's tougher than she looks." Jaser said as his free hand scratched the side of his head. "I might need some help."

His stomach then growled, which had him patting it in a way of consoling his hungry tummy.

"Man, or at least a snack." Jaser said. "I'm running on empty here."

"That's it!" Lucy said with an idea coming to mind.

She reached for a golden key with one hand as she continued to hang partially upside down over Jaser's shoulder.

"That goddess won't be able to stand a chance against a Dragon Slayer with a full stomach!" Lucy said as she held up a golden key. "Open, Gate of the Scorpion, Scorpio!"

"Wicked!" Scorpio called out as he appeared beside Lucy and Jaser as the latter was setting her down. "Hey, Lucy, can we make this fast? I need to return to my hot ocean blue babe soon."

"Sure thing!" Lucy said. "Just hit Jaser with everything you've got, Scorpio!"

Jaser's eyes widened, but he soon grinned since he understood what Lucy was getting at.

"Not a problem!" Scorpio said. "Now, Sand Blaster!"

Scorpio sent a torrent of sand at Jaser that knocked the Dragon Slayer up into the air. However, Jaser soon sucked it all down into his stomach. Jaser laughed as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Thanks for the meal." Jaser said grinning as his pupils turned into slits. "Now I'm ready to end this."

Scorpio grinned in return as he struck his usual pose while Lucy smiled as well.

"Sand Dragon Secret Art," Jaser began as he landed on a rooftop. "Crushing Sand Tsunami!"

He jumped down to the ground while slamming on it hard. It sent a wave a sand up to form a sand tsunami that had to be thirty feet tall. It roared towards Kali who let out wail of despair before being crushed by the sand. The sand finally came to a stop with Jaser standing on top of it letting out a huff.

"I think that put an end to Kali for now." Jaser said.

"And her master won't be causing any problems soon either." Laelaps said as she appeared with a young man thrown over her shoulder. "Target has been captured and put out of commission, Alpha."

Laelaps dropped the man at Jaser's feet, and Jaser stared down at him while seeing the family resemblance between him and Divya.

"Alright!" Lucy cheered as she jumped up and down. "Way to go, Laelaps. And good work, Scorpio."

"Wicked!" Scorpio exclaimed as he and Laelaps started to glow. "Call us if you ever need us again, Lucy."

"Yes, please don't hesitate to call for help, Alpha." Laelaps said.

She and Scorpio then returned to the Celestial World as Jaser picked up Soma to throw over his shoulder.

"Well, we better head back." Jaser said. "We'll hand this guy over to Doranbalt then see where we have to go from there."

"I can't wait to go home." Lucy said. "I wonder how we're going to explain all this to the others."

Jaser sighed really not wanting to face Cana once all was explained. She was sure to blow a fuse.

* * *

"You mean, you went on this mission knowing it had direct ties with the war in Rajasthan, and didn't think to fill me in?!" Cana demanded as she poked Jaser's chest hard. "What the hell were you thinking, huh?!"

Cana continued to chew him out as the other stayed far away from the couple not wanting to get involved.

"Poor guy." Rizzo said as she sat with her team and their two guests.

Lucy nodded in agreement as Reva and Rohan watched on curiously how their prince was being treated by Cana.

"She must be the prince's lover." Reva said.

"Yeah, I guess we'll be calling her queen someday." Rohan added. "Once Prince Jaser takes the throne that is."

Reva nodded in agreement as the Fairy Tail mages sweat-dropped. Cana a queen? That sounded like the beginning of a bad joke.

"So what happened to this Soma guy anyway?" Gray asked as he sat beside Rizzo with his arms around her shoulders.

"Doranbalt took him to the council, and explained it was thanks to the valiant efforts of a Rajasthan Royal that Soma was caught." Reva said. "I think they are even more considering giving us aid to end the war in our country."

"That's great news." Lucy said as she reached across the table to take Reva's hands. "I'm happy for you both."

Reva thanked Lucy while smiling kindly at her fellow Celestial Mage who she now considers her friend.

"The only problem is that we have to sit around here until they make a decision." Rohan said. "We don't really know where to go, or how long the wait will be."

"Well, my apartment isn't much, but please, feel free to crash there if you need." Lucy said.

She knew it might be a tight fit, but she was sure that she and Reva could share the bed while Rohan took the couch.

"Gees, Lucy, you never say that to us." Natsu said.

"Aye." Happy agreed.

"That's because you two make yourselves at home without my consent on a daily bases." Lucy said frowning at them.

Reva giggled in amusement at the exchange as Natsu and Happy pouted at Lucy.

"Rizzo wouldn't do us like that." Natsu said.

Rizzo just chuckled in amusement as she pat Natsu on top the head while Gray rolled his eyes. The group was about to keep conversing when a Kinana called out.

"Hey, Lucy, you have a visitor!" Kinana called out from the doorway.

Lucy looked up with her eyes widening when she saw Yukino standing in the door.

"Yukino!" Lucy said as she stood.

She was about to go over to Yukino, but paused to look at Reva while taking her hand.

"Come on," Lucy said as she gently pulled Reva to her feet. "I want to introduce you to Yukino. She's a Celestial Mage like us."

"Oh?" Reva asked.

Lucy nodded while the two girls walked over to where Yukino was standing near the entrance.

"Yukino, this is Reva." Lucy said gesturing to the small woman. "She's a Celestial Mage too. Reva this is Yukino. She has the remaining Zodiac Keys that are not in my possession."

"Oh, hello." Yukino said while smiling kindly. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine." Reva said.

The two shook hands as Lucy was smiling brightly. She never thought she'd be able to make friends with fellow Celestial Mages, but now she has two friends who use the same magic.

"So, Yukino, why are you visiting?" Lucy asked.

"I thought I could talk to you about what we discussed before leaving Crocus." Yukino said. "About our Zodiac keys."

Rizzo, who overheard the conversation, tilted her head curiously. Well, sounds like they have something interesting planned, and she wants in on it.


	115. Date Preperations

Rizzo walked alongside Natsu as the two of them and Happy followed Lucy and Yukino up the path to Star Hill. Gray was off on a mission that someone personally requested him for, so Rizzo decided to hang out with her best friend today. She then learned that Lucy asked for Natsu and Happy's help to repay the Celestial Spirits back for all their hard work with the Eclipse Gate. She decided to tag along since she didn't have anything else to do. Besides, it'd be nice to see Loke again, and she hasn't really seen Yukino's Celestial Spirits up close yet, so now's here chance.

Rizzo brought along her acoustic guitar, which was non-magical as well to play. Star Hill was a nice place to relax, and when relaxing she liked to play her guitar. Rizzo looked up seeing that they were getting closer to Star Hill, which brought a smile to her face. When she had first moved to Magnolia to join Fairy Tail, she used to come here a lot with Natsu, Lisanna, Happy, and Sanjū. They'd play here all day then watch the stars at night.

"What's with the big smile?" Natsu asked Rizzo as he grinned at her.

"Just thinking off all the time we spent here." Rizzo said as she turned her smile onto her best friend. "Master used to scold us for staying here way past dark since it worried everyone."

Natsu's grin widened as he remembered all those times Makarov got onto them. And all the times he blew a fuse when they didn't listen to him even after just getting scolded.

"Yeah, he used to get so mad." Natsu said laughing. "His face would get all red, and smoke would blow out of his ears."

Rizzo snorted when she tried to hold back a laugh as she remembered Makarov's angered expressions from back then.

"I'm sure he was ready to strangle us after a while." Rizzo said.

Natsu nodded in agreement as Lucy glanced back at the two with a smile. It was nice to hear them joke and talk about old memories.

"We should do it again sometime." Rizzo said to Natsu. "Come to Star Hill to relax and goof off all day then watch the stars like when we were kids. Except this time bring along Gray, Erza, Wendy, Carla, and Lucy. We can have a picnic or something."

"Yeah!" Natsu said grinning broadly. "And maybe play some silly games."

Rizzo nodded her head thinking that was a great idea. It'd be nice to just have a day of goofing off with her friends.

"What do you think, Lucy?" Natsu asked the blonde.

"Sounds good." Lucy said smiling. "I'd really like that, and I'm sure the others will as well. And we should invite Reva and Rohan. As long as they're stuck in Magnolia, they should have some fun too."

Rizzo nodded thinking that sounded like a fine plan in her opinion. She finds their two guests, who were currently following Jaser and Cana around on a mission, interesting, so she'd like to get to know them better.

"Then it's settled." Rizzo said then looked at Yukino. "And you can join us too, Yukino, if you don't need to hurry back to Sabertooth."

"Oh, that sounds lovely." Yukino said. "Thank-you."

Rizzo just continued smiling as the group of friends finally reached to top of Star Hill. Lucy let out a content sigh as she stretched one arm over her head.

"Haah, it's so nice up here." She said smiling.

"It is." Yukino agreed as she looked around. "But why is it called Star Hill?"

"You'll see once the sun sets." Rizzo said as she pat Yukino on the shoulder.

Yukino nodded taking her word for it as Rizzo went to pick a nice place on the grass to sit down on. Natsu smiled looking around at the place before looking back at Happy.

"Looks like we made it, Happy." Natsu said to the blue feline who was sluggishly trudging along behind him.

Happy let out a relieved sigh as he fell forward onto the soft grass that covered the hill.

"Finally." He said. "My aching paws. I thought that it'd be a good idea to walk here to try and lose some weight, but I wish I would have flown instead."

Natsu crouched down in front of Happy as he gave the tired blue Exceed a curious look.

"That's weird." Natsu said. "You're worried about your figure?"

"Well, the other day Carla pointed out that my tummy was getting big and round, so I figure that I needed to do something about it." Happy explained.

"Huh…hasn't it always been like that?" Natsu asked.

Happy gasped indignantly at Natsu's question as he jumped to his feet to glare at the pinkette Dragon Slayer.

"Not cool, Natsu!" Happy said as he continued to glare at his friend.

Rizzo let out of a small laugh of amusement from where she sat as Lucy sighed shaking her head at Natsu and Happy.

"Stop bickering, you guys!" Lucy said as she waved her fist in the air before giving another sigh. "Gees, it's like you're an old married couple."

She then turned to smile at Yukino while ready to get all this started, so they could finish before it gets too late.

"So you ready to rock?" Lucy asked Yukino.

"Yes, let's get started." Yukino said nodded.

Lucy nodded in return before bringing out Aries's golden key from her key pouch. Rizzo comfortable where she sat while bringing out her guitar to strum lazy.

"First thing's first!" Lucy said then raised Aries's key. "Open: Gate of the White Ram, Aries!"

Aries appeared above them all in a puff of pink smoke, and as the puffy pink smoke dissipated, a worried looking Aries could be clearly seen.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" She said as she landed on the ground on her two feet. "Is there something that you need help with? I'm sorry. I don't feel 100% prepared right now!"

"Don't worry about it." Lucy said smiling. "Today's about giving back! Me helping you. How does that sound?"

Aries blinked looking a bit confused since she's never had a celestial mage say something like that to her before.

"I'm sorry, but I don't understand." Aries said. "You're helping me?"

"It's a reward." Yukino explained. "All you Celestial Spirits worked so hard to close the Eclipse Gate."

"Yeah, and these two won't stop talking about how awesome it was." Natsu added as he gestured to Lucy and Yukino.

Rizzo kind of wishes she had a chance to see all twelve Zodiac Keys in action all at once.

"Course not." Happy said. "Shutting that humongous door a pretty big deal."

Aries blushed a bit at the praise since she was so unused to receiving so much.

"You're welcome, but I was just doing my job." Aries said.

"We appreciate it." Lucy said. "And to show you how much we want to do something nice for you for a change. And that's the reason we brought you out here today!"

Aries blinked feeling a bit stumped once more, and Rizzo had to admit that it was kind of sad that Celestial Spirits were so unused to kindness from mages that use them that they didn't seem to know what to do when given kindness.

"Okay…" Aries said. "That's very kind of you, but—!"

"So tell me," Lucy interrupted. "What's one thing you've always wanted to do, but haven't?"

"Today we want to make your dreams a reality." Yukino added.

It was silent for a moment as Aries just stared at her owner and Yukino. Aries then bit her lip guessing she might as well speak her wish.

"I wanna get a tan!" Aries finally spoke. "I really do!"

The mages looked a bit surprised to hear Aries wish as she grew a bit embarrassed by her outburst. Rizzo blinked while not expecting that to leave the mouth of a Celestial Spirit.

"I apologize for being so ridiculous." Aries said hanging her head.

"Uh…you want a tan?" Lucy asked.

"I've always been so fluffy wooly and pale." Aries said. "But sometimes I wish I was golden brown."

Lucy was still a bit flabbergasted by the request, and she wasn't sure how to fulfill it.

"I'm sure Natsu can fix you right up." Rizzo spoke up grinning.

"Yeah, no problem!" Natsu said grinning as well. "One tan coming right up! Fire Dragon: Roar!"

He let out breath of fire onto Aries, which had Lucy screaming in fright since she was certain her Celestial Spirit was being burnt alive. Yukino gasped as Happy stared with wide eyes. Rizzo just continued grinning knowing everything would be alright. Natsu stopped breathing fire onto Aries, and Rizzo gave a low impressed whistle at his handy work. Aries, who was sporting a golden brown skin tone now, stood there in a pose with a large smile on her face.

"Yes, this is just perfect!" Aries said. "I absolutely love it! Thanks so much!"

"Whoa." Lucy said flabbergasted. "I can't believe that worked, and she likes it."

"I'm not surprised at all." Natsu said. "I know what I'm doing!"

"Yeah, Natsu and I actually had a sun tanning job once." Rizzo said. "So he's had a lot of practice."

It was one of their earlier jobs when they were younger. The power went down at a sun tanning place, so Natsu had to use his fire to tan people. Rizzo made sure he didn't turn up the heat too much on the people while making sure everyone had the proper about of sunscreen, which would help prevent burning.

"She went golden brown without getting extra crispy!" Happy said looking relieved as well.

Aries just kept smiling with a happy flush on her now tanned cheeks as she couldn't get over her new tan.

"It's what I've always wanted!" Aries said. "I'm so happy!"

Lucy smiled glad to see that Aries was so happy since Lucy wanted Aries and all her Celestial Spirits to be happy.

"Good then I'm happy too." Lucy said as she raised Aries's key. "Now go show it off."

"Thanks again, Lucy." Aries said. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me."

She then gave her final farewell as she disappeared back into the Celestial World in a puff of pink smoke.

"Cool onto the next!" Lucy said as she raised Taurus's Key.

However, she paused her the smile from her face dropping as she gave a sigh.

"Hand on." Lucy said. "I've got a strong feeling that things are going to get kind of creepy."

"I think I know who's up next." Happy said.

"Huh?" Natsu murmured. "Who are you talking about?"

Rizzo just shook her head smiling as she returned to strumming on her acoustic guitar.

"Now, open: Gate of the Golden Bull, Taurus!" Lucy commanded.

Taurus, who gave a loud moo, appeared in front of Lucy with a big grin on his face as usual when he appears.

"Are you feeling lonely today, Lucy-san?" Taurus asked his owner. "Don't see how that could ever be true. Not with an amazing body like that."

"That's not quite it." Lucy said. "We were wondering if we could do."

Taurus suddenly gave a loud moo as his tail got a bit bent out of shape, which had Rizzo looking at him curiously. What was wrong with that muscle head bovine now?

"Oh, I can't believe my eyes!" Taurus said as he stared at Yukino.

Yukino leaned back looking a bit nervous and unsure of what to do as Taurus practically drooled at the sight of her.

"Uh, h-hello." Yukino said. "Can I help you?"

"Taurus, you're making her uncomfortable." Rizzo said. "Come on, bull man, try to reign it in."

Taurus turned around with his eyes turning into even bigger hearts as he looked Rizzo's body up and down. From how Rizzo was basically laying back on the grass with her elbows propping her up he got a full view of her bodacious bode.

"Mooo!" He exclaimed as he panted. "Who knew that I'd be seeing three utterly amazing female forms this close together?! It's really got me mooooving!"

Yukino blushed not sure how to react to Taurus's words as Rizzo gave him deadpanned look. She also absently wondered how Gray would react to Taurus panting over just the sight of her.

"Oh, I'm flattered, but…" Yukino trailed off not sure what else to say.

She's never been in this kind of situation before, so she was at a loss of what to do exactly.

"It's the gift that keeps on giving!" Taurus cried joyfully.

"Go home!" Lucy ordered, which sent Taurus right back to the Celestial World.

Rizzo shook her head wondering if any of the other spirits were going to be weird….most likely.

"I guess a look was good enough for the muscle cow." Happy said.

"That wasn't so bad." Natsu said.

Lucy just sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose since she felt a headache coming on, and she knew this was just the beginning.

"Oh, man, we're just getting started with these freaks." Lucy said.

"Don't worry." Yukino said. "There are only ten more of the golden keys."

Lucy sighed once more while wishing she could look at it like that, but she knew how her spirits could be.

"Hey, I have a request." Happy said getting the girls' attention. "Since this is _your_ thing, Natsu, Rizzo, and I are just kind of hanging out. So can we go home now?"

"Good idea." Natsu agreed. "I'm starving."

Rizzo blinked because she honestly hadn't thought of going home. She was enjoying her time up here.

"But you guys promised you'd give me a hand!" Lucy pointed out.

"But that was before we knew how boring it'd be." Happy said when cracks suddenly appeared underneath his feet. "So see ya we're— _Happy suddenly started falling down a hole that appeared_ —out of here!"

Rizzo jumped to her feet to run over to the hole to look down into its dark depths in worry. She hoped Happy wasn't hurt down there.

"What gives?" Natsu, who didn't seem worried at all, asked. "Did you decide to take some secret shortcut?"

Rizzo was about to tell Natsu she didn't think that was the case, but a bright light suddenly started coming out from the hole. As it was clearing up, Virgo popped out of the hole with Happy on top her head.

"That was so not cool." Happy groaned while feeling a bit sick.

Rizzo gently pulled Happy off of Virgo's head, and he curled into her bosom needing the comfort. She pet his head as Lucy smiled at Virgo.

"It's good to see you, Virgo, but we hadn't called for you just yet." Lucy said.

Virgo just pulled out a small blue book marked "The Punishment" to show to Lucy.

"Do you remember that punishment diary I was telling you about?" Virgo asked. "Well, I've been looking to add to it. So as soon as I heard you were gathering spirits, I rushed over just as fast as I could. Can you add to it, Princess?"

Rizzo sweat-dropped at Virgo's request, but it wasn't like she was surprised. She learned long ago that Virgo was a complete masochist.

"They're already taking about it in the Celestial World?" Lucy asked looking surprised.

She honestly hadn't expected news to travel that fast. Especially in a place where time moved a lot slower.

"Just what is it exactly that you want us to do?" Yukino asked.

"You're going to regret asking that." Rizzo said.

Yukino looked at the music mage curiously as Rizzo set Happy down onto his own paws.

"What I want is punishment." Virgo said blushing pink. "I've been bad, and I truly deserve your worst. So, please."

"This couldn't possibly be more wrong." Lucy said.

She didn't want to punish one of her spirits even if said spirit wanted to receive a punishment.

"Hey," Happy, who for some reason had Lucy's whip, began. "You'll probably need your whip."

"Would you please stop encouraging her?!" Lucy demanded.

Virgo looked at Lucy with eager and sparkling eyes as the blush remained on her face.

"I'm really looking forward to this!" Virgo said. "Now let's get to it!"

Lucy frowned still feeling that punishing Virgo was super wrong, but Lucy did say she'd give her spirits whatever they wanted.

"Uh…okay." Lucy said as she walked up to Virgo hesitantly.

Lucy raised up her hand which was in a loose fist towards Virgo's forehead with the unsure expression still on her face. However, Lucy took a deep breath to resolve her decision before she flicked Virgo on the forehead.

"That's so weak!" Natsu, Rizzo, and Happy exclaimed.

Rizzo knew Lucy didn't want to hurt her spirits, but Virgo was asking for some real punishment. Lucy needed to deliver on that if she was going to keep her promise to give back to her spirits.

"When she said that she deserved your worst _that_ wasn't what she meant!" Happy exclaimed.

"Guess I'll handle this one too." Natsu said as he cracked his knuckles.

"You already helped out, Natsu." Rizzo said. "Let me take this one."

"Don't you dare!" Lucy said sternly to the both of them.

Rizzo held up her hands in a placid manner to show she wouldn't do anything. Once seeing they weren't going to attack, Lucy turned back to Virgo with a guilty expression on her face.

"Sorry about that." Lucy said. "Is there something else that you want instead?"

Virgo made an odd sound as she bowed her head, which had the others looking at her curiously.

"…okay…" Lucy murmured not sure what was going on.

"Very impressive." Virgo said. "One flick of your finger is all I need. The pain is intense."

She then looked up with a big happy smile on her face as her cheeks were flushed and as her eyes sparkled.

"I feel it to my head to the tips of my toes." Virgo said.

Rizzo's eyes widened a bit as she wondered if Lucy's finger had more of kick behind it than she had thought.

"Is this Lucy's secret weapon?" Natsu and Happy asked in unison.

Lucy just started freaking out since she honestly didn't mean to hurt Virgo at all. She tried to apologize to Virgo, but the Celestial Spirit heard none of it since she was in bliss. A few seconds later she was gone after giving her final goodbyes as Rizzo tried to wonder how strong Lucy's finger flick really was.

"I need to remember to be on Lucy's good side if I don't want to get the finger." Happy said.

* * *

As Rizzo was back to lounging on the grass playing her guitar, Lucy and Yukino kept repaying the other spirits. So far Cancer has given Happy a funny haircut, and Capricorn read off poetry with Rizzo playing her guitar softy to set the mood for him. After those two, Scorpio kept his request something simple and easy for Lucy to fulfill.

Then Sagittarius tried to shoot an apple off Happy's head, but ended up taking a huge chunk of his puffed up hair off instead. After that Gemini turned into a towel-clad Lucy to frolic around, which completely embarrassed Lucy. Libra ended up squishing them against the ground using her power. Then just seconds ago Pisces came out, and they ate Happy…before finally spitting him back out.

"Can't wait to see what happens next." Rizzo said chuckling. "Loke and Aquarius are the only ones left. I'm sure they'll just be exciting as the last two. I'll probably laugh my butt off."

"Well, I do like to bring a smile to such a lovely lady's face." A familiar voice said from behind Rizzo.

She tilted her head back seeing Loke standing there as he was grinning down at her. She got to her feet while turning to the lion spirit.

"Hey, Loke." She said smiling. "Good to see ya."

"Good to see you too, Rizzo." Loke said.

Loke then turned to his owner as Lucy was surprised that another one of her spirits appeared without being called.

"Hey, Lucy." Loke said waving. "Killer job the other day summoning us all at once."

Lucy just blinked at Loke as Natsu walked up towards his friend and guildmate.

"Hey, how's it going?" Natsu asked Loke.

"Things are good." Loke said. "Nice work with those dragons by the way. That was really something else."

"Oh that?" Natsu asked grinning. "It wasn't a majorly huge deal or anything."

Rizzo shook her head at Natsu while pretty sure dealing with those dragons were a very big deal.

"Oh?" Loke asked.

Loke then turned his attention on Lucy and Yukino as he pulled a rose out of nowhere.

"I heard a rumor you two beauties were doing sweet things for us Celestial Spirits." Loke said. "And I have only one thing to ask of you, Lucy."

Lucy blinked wondering what Loke could want to ask of her. She hoped it wasn't anything weird.

"As you know time moves differently in the Celestial World than it does here." Loke said. "Even if you spend a few weeks without calling us it could just be a few hours in our world until we hear from you again. And while I don't mind coming to help you, Lucy, sometimes when you call I'm in the middle of trying to get Laelaps to go on a date with me."

Lucy knew he wasn't trying to make her feel guilty, but she kind of did since she didn't want to interfere with her spirits' lives.

"And Laelaps always turns me down saying we don't have time for dating since you could need us in a split seconds notice, which is true since we live in a world where time moves much slower." Loke said. "So what I'm asking is for permission to take Laelaps on a date in the human world that way we can have a few hours to ourselves. She can't refuse if she knows we have your permission, and that we can spend our time more leisurely."

Lucy smiled thinking it was sweet how much Loke was trying to do just to get a few hours with Laelaps alone. She's noticed that he's been trying to "woo" the dog spirit for a while.

"Of course." Lucy said. "You two take as much time as you want on your date. I want you both to be happy."

Loke smiled feeling very grateful to have Lucy agree to his wish. He's been planning to have a date with Laelaps for a while. Like before the hole Tenrou Island incident.

"Thanks, Lucy." Loke said. "I really appreciate."

Suddenly another blast of light appeared, and when it disappeared a frantic Laelaps was standing there.

"Hey, Laelaps." Lucy greeted chirpily. "Excited for your date—whoa!"

Lucy gasped as Laelaps latched onto her arm while looking at her with wide eyes

"Alpha, don't give in to his wishes!" Laelaps begged.

Lucy looked at Laelaps in confusion as Loke chuckled looking amused by Laelaps's frantic behavior.

"You don't want to go on a date with Loke?" Lucy asked. "Why? I thought you liked him."

"Well, I do—I mean, he's my friend. I mean…I guess he's kind of more than a friend." Laelaps stuttered. "Wait! That's not what I meant either! I just…I…"

She trailed off while glancing shyly over at Loke. He gave her a soft smile, which had her blushing. She looked away from him while grabbing Lucy's hand to pull her off to the side along with Rizzo who was confused why she was getting pulled along as well. Yukino followed as well when Laelaps shyly motioned her to follow. Once they were far off from the boys, Laelaps took a deep breath.

"I've never been on a date before." Laelaps confessed. "I wouldn't know how to get ready for a date…I don't even think I'd know what to wear. Not to mention I don't know how to act while on a date."

Rizzo was a bit surprised to hear that Laelaps has never been on a date. Rizzo found that kind of hard to believe since Laelaps was a beautiful girl.

"I know it has to be pathetic for someone my age to never have dated before." Laelaps said. "And I must look foolish acting like a nervous little girl."

Lucy reached out to take Laelaps's hands, which had the dog spirit looking up at her owner. Lucy smiled softly at Laelaps while giving her hands a squeeze.

"It's not pathetic." Lucy said reassuringly. "And I promise it's all going to be okay. Loke obviously cares about you, so I know he'll take things slow for you to make sure you're comfortable."

Laelaps, who squeezed Lucy's hands in return, felt a bit more reassured by Lucy's words as she nodded.

"And you don't have to act a certain way on a date." Yukino added. "Just be yourself since being you is what caught his eye in the first place."

Laelaps bit her lip supposing that Yukino did have a point. However, she still wasn't sure how to prepare for a date.

"If you're still worried about getting ready, I'll help you." Rizzo added grinning. "I'll even lend you some clothes. I'm sure I have something that isn't pink and green, and isn't completely rock and punk."

Laelaps's eyes widened at Rizzo's offer as the pinkette music mage continued to grin at her.

"Really?" Laelaps asked.

"Or course." Rizzo said winking. "Friends help each other out, right?"

Laelaps felt her nerves wash away as the three women in front of her gave her reassuring smiles.

"Thank-you." Laelaps said. "I really appreciate your kind words and help."

"It's no problem." Lucy said. "Now you go get ready for your date with Rizzo. And remember to have fun, okay?"

Laelaps nodded her head then let Rizzo take her hand to tug her along. After picking up her guitar case, Rizzo started leading Laelaps down the hill.

"Loke, you can pick her up at Fairy Hills in about two hours." Rizzo called over her shoulder.

"Alright." Loke called back. "I plan to take to take her to the café in the center of town, so nothing too fancy. But if you want to put her in some of the revealing clothing you wear, I won't complain."

"Leo!" Laelaps gasped while looking back at him with wide eyes.

Loke chuckled in amusement at her shocked expression and red cheeks as she blushed like mad. He really was looking forward to this date, and he'd make sure Laelaps had the time of her life.

* * *

"So you need help getting ready for a date, do you?" Erza asked as she sat in Rizzo's sitting area. "Then I shall gladly help!"

Rizzo, who was searching her closet, looked back at the redhead with a deadpanned look. Erza just happened to see Rizzo return with Laelaps, who was sitting on Rizzo's sofa, which is the only reason why she knew about the date now.

"The only thing you need to do to help us is maybe lend us some clothes options from your non-armor/non-magical collection." Rizzo said. "I'll take care of the rest, okay?"

"Of course." Erza said nodding. "I'll got pick out some of my best clothes."

Erza stood up while actually feeling a bit giddy since she never helped anyone get ready for a date. It felt like a normal thing to do between girlfriends.

"Nothing too fancy, Erza!" Rizzo called over the redhead as she was leaving.

Erza turned around to give Rizzo a thumbs up, which actually had Rizzo feeling more worried about letting Erza help out.

"She'll probably come back with ball gowns or something." Rizzo said as she shook her head then smiled over at Laelaps. "But don't worry I'll make sure you look great for your date without looking over the top."

"Thank-you." Laelaps said. "You're very nice."

Rizzo just chuckled then went back to searching her closet. Rizzo pulled out a few options from her closet then brought them out over towards her bed to lay out.

"Okay, I have a few outfits that I've never worn before." Rizzo said. "Mostly because there not my style, but I promise you that they're still cute."

Laelaps got up to come look at these outfits that Rizzo picked out. Laelaps said they were all either a dress or shirt and skirt combination. She wasn't one to wear skirts, but she'll admit that most of these were cute.

"I got most of these outfits from the girls." Rizzo said. "They're always trying to try and put different colors and styles into my wardrobe, so they'll buy me outfits sometimes. Any of them catch your eye?"

Laelaps looked at the outfits closely while wondering if any of them were really her. A spaghetti-strapped teal mini dress caught her eye, and Rizzo had paired it with a denim jacket that was cropped at the bottom, so it'd stop at Laelaps's bosom. Then Rizzo added white leggings that would stop at the ankles, and beside the leggings was a thin brown belt.

"Oh, that one, huh?" Rizzo asked smiling when she saw what Laelaps was looking at. "I think it'll look cute on you, and I have a pair brown boots I think will go great with it."

Rizzo then picked up the clothes to hold out to Laelaps who took them into her arms.

"You go change." Rizzo said then bit her lip. "Hmm, I'm not sure how we'll fit your tail through to make it comfortable for you though."

"I can take care of that." Laelaps said.

She glowed for a moment then once the light disappeared her dog ears and tail were gone. Her hair was even in a less wild state, and it fell down to the middle of her back.

"That works." Rizzo said. "Now you better get changed quick since we still have to do your hair and maybe a bit of makeup."

Laelaps nodded her head then went into the bathroom to change. As the door shut behind her, Erza reappeared with an armful of gowns. Rizzo gave her a deadpanned look as the redhead beamed at her.

"What did I say about nothing too fancy?" Rizzo asked.

* * *

Loke, who reverted to his human form, arrived at Fairy Hills a few minutes earlier than Rizzo had told him. He was actually a bit nervous for this date, which was something new for him. But at the same time he was very excited. Loke heard footsteps behind him, so he turned his head to see Gray walking up the path towards the dorms.

"Loke, what are you doing here?" Gray asked curiously when he saw the lion spirit.

"I'm here to pick up Laelaps." Loke said grinning. "I convinced her to go on a date with me, and Rizzo is helping her get ready."

Gray guessed he'd have to wait out here for Rizzo instead of climb through her window as usual since he didn't want to interrupt girl time. Rizzo might get testy if he does.

"Really?" Gray asked grinning. "I came here to ask Rizzo if she wanted to go out tonight too. Ever since the Grand Magic Games we've been so busy that we barely get time alone anymore. It's like there's not enough hours in the day."

"I know exactly what you mean, Man." Loke replied chuckling.

The two then heard the front door open, so they turned their heads to see that Rizzo was walking out. Rizzo grinned when seeing Loke who could partially see Laelaps behind the pinkette.

"You ready to see your date, Loke?" Rizzo asked winking.

"More than ready." Loke said.

Rizzo stepped to the side, so Laelaps could step through the door to come outside. Loke's eyes widened as he looked Laelaps up and down. The outfit she was wearing fit her beautifully.

"Whoa." Loke said as he gulped slightly.

Laelaps blushed at his stare as Rizzo stood back looking pretty damn proud of herself.

"Do I look ridiculous?" Laelaps asked Loke.

"No, you look beautiful." Loke said as he reached out to take her hand. "As always. Shall we go?"

As he led her away Laelaps blushed even more before glancing at Rizzo as if for help. Rizzo motioned her encouragingly forward. Laelaps nodded her head before facing forward again as she and Loke walked away.

"I'm sure tonight will be a night she always remembers." Rizzo said grinning then looked at Gray. "If you're looking for a date, I won't be ready for about two hours."

"Yeah, I was expecting as much." Gray said chuckling. "But I don't care how long I have to wait as long as you agree to join me for dinner tonight."

Rizzo smiled before grabbing his collar to tug his head down slightly to plant a kiss on his cheek.

"I'll always say yes to you, Frosty." She said with a loving look in her eyes.


	116. Contracts Broken!

Rizzo looked out the doors to the guildhall as the sky continued to look dark and ominous.

"This weather keeps getting worse and worse." Rizzo commented. "And it doesn't set well with me."

Mirajane came to stand next to Rizzo as they looked out together at what was happening. The eerie quiet in the guildhall wasn't helping either. Everyone was out on jobs, or in Nab's case hanging out in his room, so it was dead silent. The only ones in the guildhall were Rizzo, Mirajane, and Kinana.

"Yes, it all is worrisome." Mirajane agreed. "I don't think we've had a day without rain and storms for a while now."

As she was saying that the clouds opened up to let out a down pour of rain. Rizzo frowned wondering why this weather made her stomach churn. She usually liked the rain, but this time…it was bothering her. It made her feel uneasy. Rizzo just shut the door to the guildhall, so not to let the chill of the rain in.

"I kind of wish I took that job with Gray, Juvia, and Craylee." Rizzo said. "I'm starting to think Natsu, Lucy, and Happy won't be coming in today."

She's been waiting for them for hours now when she could have been elsewhere earning jewel on a job. However, she hadn't wanted to go with Gray this time around since she knew he'd be bringing down the temperature where he was going, and she didn't like the cold as she's mentioned so many times.

"It's probably best you didn't." Kinana said. "We wouldn't want you coming back with a cold."

Rizzo, who sat down at the bar, sighed guessing that was true. She hated being sick, so she'd avoid it if all possible.

"And it's probably best you didn't go with Jaser or Cana either considering they're trying to defrost the desert, so the wildlife there isn't affected." Mirajane added.

Rizzo could just picture Jaser all bundled up in his scarf that Cana got for him and shivering out in the desert right now. Jaser was used to the cold in some manner considering deserts could get in the negative digits once the sun goes down, but she knew snowy weather wasn't his thing. She was sure Reva and Rohan, who both had followed their prince on this mission, were freezing as well. However, she was sure Rohan's fire magic could help in the defrosting process.

"Well, I wish I would have went on some job." Rizzo said. "Because now the pickings are slim, and not worth my time even for a solo job. I just wish Natsu and the others would get here."

As if God himself was listening to her wish, the doors opened to the guildhall with Natsu, Lucy, and Happy hurrying inside out of the rain. Rizzo stood up to greet them as they looked around the guildhall in shock.

"The whole place is cleared out." Lucy said.

"It's weird." Happy said. "Where did everyone go?"

"It's like a graveyard in here." Natsu said.

He doesn't think he's ever seen the guild this quite before, and it actually didn't set well with him.

"That because everyone's out on jobs." Rizzo explained. "I've actually been waiting on you guys to see if you wouldn't mind me tagging along with you on a job."

Natsu grinned because that sounded fun to him, and without Gray and Erza around to keep him and Rizzo in check, who knew what they could get by with?

"Well, sorry for keeping you waiting." Happy said. "Lucy was taking her sweet time in getting ready."

"Shut-it, fleabag!" Lucy said.

She pouted wondering if Happy just had to tell Rizzo they were late because of her.

"Well, it doesn't matter now." Rizzo said. "At least we can go on a job now while everyone else is away."

"I can't believe this many people are away on jobs at the same time." Natsu said as he walked towards the bar. "I've never seen the place this empty."

Lucy couldn't believe it either. It was almost eerie how quiet the entire place was.

"Well, between this weather and the natural disasters folks have been hurting out there." Mirajane explained.

"So naturally the guild's been buried in job requests." Kinana added.

"Hey, I'm great at disasters!" Natsu said. "Let me at them!"

"Giddy up, man, I want to check out that request board!" Happy said.

Rizzo chuckled knowing they were going to be sorely disappointed when they saw there was barely any pickings left on the request board.

"This is perfect." Lucy said. "My Celestial Spirits were pretty much born to put nature in its place! They'll rock this! Just point me to a town that's overheated, and I'll have Aquarius flood the place with cool water."

"There was a place like that, but Juvia, Gray, and Craylee beat you there." Mirajane said.

Lucy pouted guessing she that was one disaster she couldn't help out with. She then blinked in confusion.

"Wait, I can understand how Juvia and Gray's magic could help, but what about Craylee?" Lucy asked.

"He's making the villagers clothes with special cooling thread, so they don't have to walk around half naked yet feel cool at the same time to face against the heat." Rizzo explained.

Lucy nodded her head because that made sense. Besides, even if Craylee wasn't needed there, she knew Juvia wouldn't willingly go on a mission with Gray alone.

"Okay, is there anywhere that needs to have repairs done?" Lucy asked. "Because I bet Taurus could rebuild an entire town singlehandedly."

"Yeah, there was, but Erza has it covered by now." Kinana said. "Breccan even went along to help out. Both said it should be a good workout for training."

Lucy sweat-dropped though wasn't surprised, she guessed. She could just picture the two know rebuilding the town all on their own with no one else's help. The two both had monster strength after all.

* * *

"Come on, men, get a move on!" The head foreman shouted to his men as they tried to drive wooden stakes into the ground. "Work like you give a damn! And if you need some inspiration take a good look at them."

The men turned around to look at Breccan and Erza, who was wearing her construction armor, as the latter was holding a large shovel.

"Dig for glory!" Erza said as she lifted the shovel high.

She then started digging as Breccan grabbed some of the extra posts that needed to be put into the ground. They weighed about twenty pounds apiece, which wasn't much. However, he was balancing ten on each shoulder as if they weighed nothing. He then tossed them into the air as if he was just tossing up pillows, and as they went up high, he jumped up after them. He took a deep breath then gave a shout as he kicked and punched each post without the use of his magic. The posts went flying down where they needed to be, and went far down into the ground as was needed.

"They're my heroes." The lead foreman said feeling impressed by their power.

"Yeah, mine too~" The other men said though they were mostly staring at Erza with hearts in their eyes.

Breccan landed on the ground on his feet a second later as Erza finished her digging. She stood beside Breccan while stabbing her shovel into the ground.

"Our work here is done." Erza said. "We'll assist the others now. I'm in your debt for exposing me to such an excellent work out routine."

"Yeah, thanks." Breccan, who had another cigarette between his lips, said as he grinned. "If you need any more help, let us know."

* * *

"Let's see here." Mirajane said as she was looking at the log book. "Oh yeah, Wendy and Carla are off helping a ship who got stuck in the open sea due to lack of wind. Laxus and the Thunder Legion went to protect a city with a broken lightning rod. Then Sven went on a solo mission to help the town that has been plagued by thick fog."

Lucy, who sat down at the bar, guessed most of the hard or well-paying jobs had already been taken. She sighed lightly as Kinana placed a drink in front of her.

"Are Elfman and Lisanna helping out as well?" Lucy asked.

"I heard they took a job to deal with some pests that have been plaguing a man's farm." Rizzo said as she sat beside Lucy.

"Yeah, my brother is probably scaring the spots off of some leopard boars as we speak." Mirajane added.

Lucy nodded then seemed to notice that one other member of the guild was missing, and he almost never goes out on jobs.

"Wait, is Nab out there too?" Lucy asked pointing over her shoulder towards where Nab usually stood in front of the board.

Rizzo snorted because that seemed like a silly question to ask because they all knew Nab never ever takes on job requests.

"He's read some scary books, and now he's afraid to leave his room." Kinana explained.

"Sounds like him." Lucy said sweat-dropping.

"I can't believe you even had to ask." Rizzo said chuckling.

Lucy shrugged since she had wanted to give Nab the benefit of the doubt, but it seemed as if that was pointless. Lucy then went over to the board with Natsu and Happy as Rizzo hung back since she knew what was on the board. And none of the jobs were really worth mentioning. She was just glad Mirajane spotted that one job earlier to be a backup job in case the others couldn't find anything on the board that interested them.

"But just about everyone else was able to find something that suited their abilities." Mirajane said as she continued looking through the log book.

"That wall was covered in flyers, but at this point the pickings are slim." Kinana said.

Natsu could see that for himself, and he was pretty disappointed with all that was on the board.

"Seriously." Happy said. "All the ones left are either gross or lame."

"Lawn work?" Natsu asked. "Book sorting? Tricks at a birthday party?! Who do they think I am?!"

"Don't knock those until you see this side." Lucy said.

Though book sorting didn't sound so bad. In fact, Lucy wouldn't mind doing it if the price was right. Though she knew that wouldn't please her two troublemaking, adventure loving pink-haired friends and a certain blue cat.

"This is your fault, Lucy!" Happy said. "If you hadn't spent half the day in the bathtub, we could have been wrapping up by now."

"I have a morning routine." Lucy said. "You might not care how you look or smell, but I do! Come on, Rizzo, you can't tell me you go without a morning routine."

"I do have one." Rizzo confessed. "But it's all about time management. If you want to soak for hours, get up earlier like I do."

Lucy pouted guessing there was no winning with these people. Rizzo just chuckled as she walked over to pat Lucy on top the head.

"Don't pout so much." Rizzo said. "I'm not mad or anything. As long as we can take a job together as a team, I'm happy."

Lucy smiled at Rizzo in return while glad one of her friends weren't griping at her.

"Besides, there's no need to worry!" Mirajane spoke up chirpily. "I saw a job that had Lucy written all over it, so I snagged it for ya."

As Lucy and Happy thanked Mirajane, who blushed at their praise, Kinana handed the flyer over to Natsu as he stood beside Rizzo.

"Take a look." Kinana said. "There's a little costal village called Sybillus that needs help with research. There's a pretty hefty reward too."

"Sounds legit." Natsu said. "Let's get a move on. If we make it back before Gray does, we can call him a slacker."

Rizzo shook her head in amusement while already picturing the fight that would break out the second Natsu started egging on Gray and calling him a slacker.

"Well, no point in just sitting around here." Rizzo said. "Let's get going."

* * *

Rizzo frowned looking around at the beach looking for this village. They had just finished their two hours journey here to come help research the celestial spheres to help with the disasters and weather, but….nothing was here.

"Lucy, I don't know how to break it to ya, but there's nothing here." Happy said.

"Yeah, I noticed." Lucy said.

Rizzo narrowed her eyes getting a bad feeling out all of this. Something didn't set right with her at all. Rizzo then stiffened when she felt as if something was coming.

"Get behind me!" She ordered Happy and Lucy.

The two didn't even have time to ask what was wrong before a giant sea slug popped out of the ocean, which had them screaming in fright. It tried to take a snap at them, but Rizzo shoved Lucy and Happy down to avoid the large slug's mouth.

"Run!" Rizzo said.

Lucy and Happy got up to quickly get away from the slug as Rizzo flipped back onto her feet. As her friends got away, Rizzo quickly formed a violin in her hands.

"Song of the Spinning Tops!" Rizzo said.

Large spinning tops went towards the sea slug, and it roared in anger as they hit against it. He thrashed around, and due to his rubber like body the tops bounced right off of it to go flying back towards Rizzo.

"Shit!" She cursed while stopping the song.

However, the tops kept going since Rizzo has been working on new magic that stays in affect even after she stops play. She's been doing that because she thought it'd help in battles. If her magic remains in place even when say if someone forced her to stop playing, she'd have a higher chance of winning the fight. However, now it was working against her.

"Rizzo!" Lucy called out in worry as she and Happy stopped a few feet away. "Don't worry, we're coming."

Lucy quickly go into the water while pulling out a certain water spirit's key to place into the water.

"Open: Gate of the Water-Bearer, Aquarius!" Lucy said.

Nothing happened after she called out for her spirit, which had her eyes widening in shock.

"Pop it open now!" Happy said Rizzo needs help.

As he was saying this, Rizzo got hit by one of the tops, which sent her skidding across the ground. Lucy called out her name in worry then tried to open Aquarius's door again, but with the same results. She tried begging, but nothing still happened. The sea slug then attacked them since Rizzo was temporarily out of the way meaning she couldn't stop it from eating her friends. Happy and Lucy screamed in fright before running away. Rizzo pushed herself off the sand while shaking her head.

"Okay, let's try that again." Rizzo said. "No ugly sea creature is getting the best of me!"

Rizzo flipped up onto her feet while looking towards the sea slug as it was chasing Happy and Lucy. Rizzo was confused as to why Lucy hasn't tried her spirits yet. Before Rizzo could get in on this fight, Natsu appeared above the slug with his fist on fire.

"Fire Dragon: Iron Fist!" Natsu shouted.

He went towards the slug, but instead of hurting it, he was eaten in one large gulp.

"Ah, he downed him like a roasted pepper!" Happy cried out.

Rizzo shook her head knowing she had to do something quickly before Natsu was digested or something.

"Alright, let's try this own for size." Rizzo said as she formed her violin again. "Song of the Phoenix's Rage!"

The sea slug was engulfed in hot flames that had it roaring in pain. As it was thrashing around, Natsu was shot out of its mouth. Rizzo just kept up her playing as the slug started shriveling up due to the heat. Behind her, Happy finally managed to pull Natsu's head out of the sand.

"I'm good!" Natsu said as hacked up sand before blinking. "Lucy, isn't using any of her Celestial Spirits? What's the deal?"

Happy didn't know how to answer since he was just as stumped as Lucy, who kept trying to call out her spirits, seemed to be. Natsu shook his head guessing they could worry about that later.

"Lucy, hit the sand!" Natsu said as he got to his feet. "Rizz, you too!"

Rizzo immediately stopped her playing to drop to the sand while pulling Lucy with her.

"Fire Dragon: Roar!" Natsu shouted.

He started feeling up the large sea slug, who had tried to eat the two girls, with fire as Lucy and Rizzo kept their heads down. Though Lucy did look back at the sea slug as it started to expand due to all the fire going inside of it.

"Eat your fill." Lucy said grinning.

"Lucy, Rizzo, run!" Happy cried out. "She's gonna blow!"

After those words left his mouth, Natsu stopped attacking, and the sea slug was sent flying into the air as it threw up the fire Natsu sent into it. It went high into the air while towards the ocean far away from them. Rizzo let out a huff then sat back on her butt as Natsu was walking over towards her and Lucy who was looking worriedly at her keys.

"Hey, Lucy, Rizz, you okay?" Natsu asked.

"For the most part." Rizzo said. "What about you, Lulu?"

She looked towards the blonde while seeing Lucy was just focused on her keys at the moment.

"My celestial spirits won't come." Lucy said. "I say the words then nothing."

Rizzo exchanged a concerned look with Natsu as they wondered what all this could mean.

* * *

"Open: Gate of the Ram!" Lucy commanded. "Come, Aries!"

Aries didn't appear, and Rizzo frowned as Lucy tried another key with no change. This was all worrisome. The spirits never ignored Lucy like this. Even Aquarius has always come when called. There was that one time Loke sent Virgo in his place, but he would never leave Lucy without any protection whatsoever.

"I'm sure they'd come if they could, Lucy." Happy said.

"All ten keys are broken?" Natsu asked.

"I don't think they're broken." Rizzo said. "More like the spirits are ignoring Lucy, which I find highly unlikely because they all love Lucy. Or something is happening in the Celestial World that is keeping them from her."

Lucy's expression turned even more worried because she didn't want anything happening to her spirits. She wanted to know they were safe and sound.

"I don't understand what's wrong with them." Lucy said.

"Maybe they're all out doing some important Celestial Spirit stuff." Happy suggested.

"I don't think any of their work would be more important than Lucy is to them." Rizzo said. "I hate to keep saying it since I know it worries Lucy, but something has to be wrong or they could be in trouble."

Lucy nodded while standing Rizzo wasn't trying to be mean, and she knew her spirits wouldn't just leave her high and dry.

"Rizzo's right." Lucy said. "Even if something was happening, they would give me some kind of word unless they absolutely couldn't. What could have happened?"

She just hoped done of them were in dire danger because she had no idea how to help if that was true.

"I can kind of picture Aquarius and Loke blowing you off, but Virgo and Aries wouldn't do that to ya." Happy said. "They take things too seriously."

That was true as well, which just had Rizzo even more concerned about what could be happening to the spirits.

"There's one way to find out." Lucy said. "I still haven't tried my silver keys."

She reached for them while wondering who to summon from her silver key collection. She finally pulled out two keys because there was two spirits she knew had to know something about what was going on. And that was the all-knowing Crux and the leader of the silver key spirits Laelaps.

"Open: Gate of the Southern Cross, Crux!" Lucy said then held out Laelaps's key. "And, open: Gate of the Great Dog, Laelaps!"

The two spirits appeared in bright light, and Lucy smiled when seeing she could summon two of her spirits at least.

"It worked!" Lucy said smiling.

"Yeah, you did it!" Happy added. "Long time no see, Grandpa Crux, Laelaps!"

Lucy then gasped when seeing the state the two of them were in. Both were covered in wounds, but Laelaps's had the worst of it.

"Grandpa Crux, Laelaps!" Lucy exclaimed as the two fell to the ground.

The others called out their worry as well as the three mages and Happy went to the Celestial Spirit's sides. Rizzo held up Crux with Natsu's help as Lucy took Laelaps into her arms.

"Whoa, are you two okay?" Natsu asked.

"I'm afraid not." Crux said. "Laelaps-sama has the worst of the injuries, so please worry about her."

Rizzo looked towards Laelaps as the dog spirit's body trembled uncontrollably in pain. Lucy had tears in her eyes as she looked down at Laelaps.

"Who did this to you two?" Lucy asked as she tightened her arms around Laelaps. "What happened?"

"Just tell us what their name is." Natsu said. "We'll take care of the rest."

"You can count on that." Rizzo said nodding.

Laelaps just coughed unable to speak, which had Lucy's eyes filling with tears even more. Whoever did this showed no mercy to Laelaps. It was like they used her as a punching bag.

"Something awful's happened." Crux said. "In the Celestial World."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Lucy asked.

"Lucy-san, heed my words." Crux said. "If that which has been set in motion isn't stopped then both the Celestial World and the Human World will end up completely—!"

Natsu sensed an attacking coming, and so did the weakened Laelaps who managed to get to her feet and grab Lucy.

"Watch out!" Natsu said as he grabbed Rizzo, Crux, and Happy.

He and Laelaps, who held onto her mage tightly, dodged the oncoming attacks though when they stopped Laelaps fell to the ground taking Lucy with her.

"Oh no, Laelaps!" Lucy said as scrambled to her knees. "Don't move too much you're hurt!"

Laelaps just huffed as she forced herself onto her knees in front of Lucy. She snarled sounding very much like a guard dog on edge.

"…Laelaps…" Lucy murmured then looked towards where the attack came from. "Who attacked us?"

"Maybe those moles had kids." Happy suggested.

Rizzo, who was holding onto Crux, highly doubted it was the sea slug who attacked them.

"I know that scent." Natsu said as he narrowed his eyes.

"Natsu, where's Grandpa Crux?" Lucy asked worried.

"I've got him." Rizzo said.

Lucy looked back looking relieved to see that Rizzo had Crux, and that he was safe. However, suddenly a whip made of golden light struck out to wrap around Crux and jerk him out of Rizzo's hold.

"Grandpa Crux!" Rizzo shouted while reaching towards him.

She almost managed to snag him, but he was pulled out of her reach, which had Lucy crying his name in worry.

"Lucy-san, please run while you can!" Crux said as he was held in the air by his captor.

"Shut your mouth!" His captor said.

Rizzo and the others gasped because they knew who the owner of that voice was. The glare of the sun shifted to reveal the person who attacked was none other than Virgo.

"The punishment for chatting up humans is severe." Virgo said.

At least Rizzo thought she was Virgo. She sure looked a lot like the masochist maid, but her outfit was different and her hair shorter. But everything else was the same.

"Who are you?" Lucy, who got to her feet, asked not wanting to believe it could be Virgo.

Laelaps stood up as well though she did stumble slightly. Though she kept herself firmly planted between Lucy and the enemy.

"The scent doesn't lie." Natsu said. "We know her."

"No," Lucy said shaking her head. "She would never hurt a friend of mine."

"I like to hurt things." Virgo said. "It's the best part of being the maiden, oh yeah."

Rizzo narrowed her eyes not understanding Virgo's sudden personality change. Crux and Laelaps seemed the same as ever, but Virgo has become was backwards twisted version that barely resembled the old her.

"Virgo." Laelaps snarled.

Lucy gasped as she looked to Laelaps then back to Virgo. Was she truly Virgo? Then what happened to her? Why was she so different?

"Please, help me." Crux said.

"Your cries of pain are giving me the shivers, old boy." Virgo said.

Yep, she was definitely different from the old Virgo because that one loved receiving pain while this one seems to enjoy dishing it out.

"Hey, let him go!" Natsu demanded.

"It can't be her, can it?" Lucy asked.

Rizzo was about to say she thought it was, but was interrupted as Virgo forcibly sent Crux back into the spirit world against his will.

"She forced the gate to close!" Lucy said in shock.

"You're next, Doggie." Virgo said. "I'll put you in your place."

Laelaps snarled at her once more, and Virgo just laughed not seeming scared in the slightest.

"Laelaps, is she really Virgo?" Natsu asked looking towards the wounded spirit.

"Yes." Laelaps asked. "She is Virgo the Maiden."

"But she's totally different." Happy said.

"I'll explain later." Laelaps said. "But right now you need to take my Master and run. This Virgo won't hesitate to harm her. In fact, she'd take pleasure in it."

Lucy couldn't believe it. Virgo would want to hurt her? But she and Virgo had a contract. They were friends.

"That doesn't sound like Virgo." Happy said. "Because the real Virgo wouldn't do this stuff."

Yeah, well, this Virgo didn't seem like the old one to Rizzo, which had the pinkette on edge.

"No, I'm sure of it now." Lucy said. "You don't even look the same, but you're her. Whatever happened you're still Virgo. There's no doubt about it. I know my friends."

"You've worked that out, have you?" Virgo asked. "Well done. I'll reward you with pain."

"That's now how her words work." Happy said.

Virgo then went in for the attack, which had Laelaps quickly grabbing Lucy to jump out of the way as Rizzo grabbed Happy before dodging with Natsu.

"You wanna fight me?!" Natsu asked as was in the air. "Let's go!"

"Don't forget about me!" Rizzo said as she landed on the ground in a crouch. "I'll end this fight fast if you clash with me."

Virgo just smirked not seeming worried in the slightest as she raised her hand up.

"Let's see what your guts look like." Virgo said then snapped her fingers. "Oh~"

It send multiple explosions at Natsu and Rizzo, who had set down Happy, which the pinkettes dodged.

"You ready, Rizz?" Natsu asked as his fist caught on fire.

"Oh yeah," Rizzo said as she formed her violin. "Time for some Natsu-Rizzo power moves."

The two got ready to attack while not planning to hold anything back. They'd beat Virgo back into her old self if they needed to.

"Stop fighting, please!" Lucy said as Laelaps set her down.

Natsu and Rizzo came to a skidding halt while looking towards their blonde friend.

"How come?!" Natsu asked.

"I have to deal with this myself." Lucy said as she turned to face Virgo. "I'm the one she made that contract with, so it should be who enforces that fact."

She then pulled out her whip to crack to the side as she looked up at Virgo who had a sinister grin on her face. Rizzo frowned not sure if Lucy should handle this alone.

"In that case, you must be Lucy Heartfilia." Virgo said. "I'm told that I used to be a slave of yours."

"Slave?" Lucy asked. "We were friends! What do you mean "told"? Don't you remember?"

"Virgo has lost her memories, Alpha." Laelaps said. "As has the rest of the Zodiac Spirits."

Lucy looked to Laelaps in surprise as the Great Dog spirit was keeping her eyes trained on Virgo. All the Zodiac were like this? None of them remembered anything?

"That's crazy!" Lucy said as she looked back to Virgo. "You and the others have forgotten that much?!"

"I'm bored talking!" Virgo said. "Let's get straight onto the pain."

She sent her whip at Lucy who went to counter with her own, but Laelaps picked her up again to jump out of the way.

"Laelaps, what are you doing?!" Lucy asked.

Laelaps didn't answer as she landed in front of Natsu and Rizzo. She set Lucy down in front of them.

"Alpha, I am sorry, but I cannot allow you to fight against Virgo." Laelaps said to Lucy. "She will show you no mercy while I know you would show that to her. Now isn't the time to falter in our attacks or judgement. She is a danger now to not just you, which means we have to deal with her."

"Deal with her?" Lucy asked. "What do you mean by that?"

"I will have to hit her with everything I have, Alpha." Laelaps said honestly. "She will get hurt, but so will I. It's something that can't be avoided in the fight to come. You have to be ready for what's going to happen."

Lucy shook her head not believing any of this. She didn't want her spirits to fight each other. Nor did she want to hurt them.

"If you beat her, will it turn her back to normal?" Lucy asked Laelaps.

"Most likely no." Laelaps said. "There is more to what is happening, but I can at least force her to retreat back into the Celestial World to give us time to regroup."

"But, Laelaps, you're already badly injured!" Lucy said. "And as yours and Virgo's Celestial Mage, I need to settle things!"

"No, Alpha!" Laelaps snapped.

Lucy was shocked silent, and Rizzo and Natsu and Happy even looked at her in shock. Laelaps never raises her voice at Lucy nor ever ignores her orders. Laelaps sighed while looking apologetically at Lucy.

"With the Celestial King missing and the Zodiac Spirits corrupted, I am technically in charge of the Celestial World because I am the leader of the Silver Keys." Laelaps explained. "It is my duty to restore order, but it also my duty to protect my Celestial Mage. It is my pride as a Celestial Spirit to do so. Please, understand."

Lucy felt tears in her eyes because she felt completely useless. Here Laelaps was covered in wounds, and the dog spirit was still ready fight and defend Lucy and bring the Zodiac Spirits back to their senses. Laelaps stared at Lucy a moment longer, and when no more protests came from her, Laelaps turned back towards Virgo who had surprisingly waited for them to finish talking.

"Please, look after my Alpha." Laelaps said. "Virgo may try to end her life as one way of "freeing" herself from her contract."

"You got it." Natsu said.

"But if you need backup, we're here." Rizzo added.

Laelaps nodded before raising her hand to catch Virgo's whip when the pink-haired spirit grew tired of waiting.

"Are you finished with your boring conversation?" Virgo said.

"You have my full attention." Laelaps said as she wrapped Virgo's whip slightly around her wrist, which drew blood. "It's time you get put in your place, Virgo."

Virgo narrowed her eyes seeming to be slightly angered by Laelaps's bluntly spoken words.

"My place?" Virgo asked. "Have you forgotten that you are beneath me, silver key?"

"I haven't forgotten you are indeed a golden key." Laelaps said. "But you've seem to have forgotten that I've beaten you in fights plenty of times!"

Laelaps then gave a jerk of the whip to pull Virgo into the air. Virgo gasped as Laelaps slung her around before slamming her into the ground. Lucy flinched hoping Virgo wasn't too badly hurt. Laelaps tossed Virgo's whip to the side ignoring the bleeding of her arm. Laelaps rushed forward while jumping at Virgo to plant both of her feet into Virgo's gut. Virgo went flying to crash into a large boulder that cracked around her body due to the impact. Virgo gagged spitting up saliva.

Lucy wanted to turn away as Laelaps appeared in front of Virgo to start repeatedly hit her hard with punches. The repeated attacks sent Virgo farther and farther into the boulder before shooting through the other side. Laelaps grabbed the back of Virgo's coat to jerk her to a stop, and hold her into place, so that Laelaps could kick her into the air. Laelaps jumped after Virgo to punch her back into the boulder, which nearly crumbled due to the abuse it was taking just as much as Virgo.

"This isn't right." Lucy said as Virgo got up off the ground to send her own attacks at Laelaps who tried to dodge the explosions. "They shouldn't have to be fighting like this."

Rizzo placed a hand on Lucy's shoulders as Laelaps was clipped in the side by one of the explosions. Laelaps fell to the ground while holding her now burning side.

"Don't think you've beaten me." Virgo said then through chains and cuffs at Laelaps. "I'll make you cry for me, mutt!"

Laelaps managed to dodge the cuffs, and get back into Virgo's face. However, before Laelaps could touch Virgo, a bright golden light appeared behind Virgo, and a hand shot out to grab Laelaps by the throat. She gagged as the hand started crushing her windpipe.

"Laelaps!" Lucy called out in worry.

Laelaps kicked her feet as her hands tried to pry away the hand clenching her throat. The light then died down to reveal the rest of Lucy's Zodiac Spirits, and that it was Loke who was choking Laelaps, which had Rizzo's eyes widening. Loke would never hurt Laelaps! He loved her! Or did he forget that too?

"Loke, what are you doing?!" Natsu asked. "Let her go!"

Loke tilted his head slightly at Natsu while not letting up on his grip around Laelaps's throat.

"Loke?" He asked. "Is that what you called me back when I was one of your pet spirits? Here me well, I'm as through with that name as I am with you."

Rizzo couldn't believe this. Loke really didn't remember anything. He doesn't even know he gave himself that name when joining Fairy Tail to be their guildmate. Before any of them even knew he was actually Leo the Lion.

"This can't be happening." Lucy said. "I don't believe it."

"We do not care if you chose to believe it." Loke said. "It is the truth. We will no longer serve you like this whelp decides to do. We will obtain true freedom from the shackles placed on us."

He held up Laelaps higher in the air, and Rizzo grit her teeth together knowing they had to do something.

"Loke, let her go!" Natsu snapped. "You're hurting her, man!"

"Yeah, and you're like totally in love with her!" Happy added. "You're always flirting with her."

"Silence, Cat!" Loke said. "My former self might have loved this woman, but it would be beneath me to ever care for a mutt on a leash."

Natsu growled while ready to kick Loke's ass for just that one comment especially when seeing the tears that were entering Laelaps's eyes. Laelaps was one of his friends just as were the rest of Lucy's spirits, and he wouldn't put up with this. However, before he could do anything, Laelaps managed to attack by using Sirius's power as she kicked Loke in the chest. It sent him stumbling backwards we he released her.

Laelaps then turned away from the other Zodiac Spirits to run towards Lucy and the others. Laelaps picked up Lucy who gasped at being lifted. Rizzo was surprised next as Laelaps picked her up with her other arm to throw the pinkette over her other shoulder as Lucy was on the other.

"We need to retreat for now!" Laelaps ordered. "Happy, grab Natsu!"

Laelaps then took off running with Happy doing as he was told. Natsu complained about leaving before he could kick butt, but Happy didn't let him go. As they ran for it, Laelaps knew she would need more help if she wanted to get things back to normal. Luckily there was a Celestial Mage in the area that had some of the other strongest silver keys. With them Laelaps could turn the tides of this battle in their favor.


	117. Librium

Rizzo sat around the guildhall with a few of the others who had come back from their jobs. Gray was sitting beside her—half naked as always—with his arm around her shoulders. Lucy was sitting at the front of the table looking at her golden keys sadly with Yukino standing beside her. Laelaps was sitting on the ground leaning against the bar as Wendy was trying to heal her.

"Can you heal her, Wendy?" Lucy asked looking towards the tiny Dragon Slayer.

"I'm trying, but healing a Celestial Spirit is different than healing a person." Wendy said. "Their own magic somewhat counteracts my magic just slightly."

Lucy nodded her head as she looked to Laelaps who was completely unconscious. The second they had made it to the guildhall to safety, she had collapsed from exhaustion, and hasn't woken up since. Yukino and Reva, who had returned with her brother, Jaser and Cana earlier, looked towards Lucy with sympathy since it couldn't be easy knowing her Celestial Spirit was hurt. They too would be as concerned as her if they had to see one of their own spirits like this.

"Why is this happening?" Lucy asked as she looked back towards her keys.

Reva stepped up to place a hand of comfort on Lucy's shoulder, and the blonde did appreciate the gesture.

"I can't claim to know exactly what's happening, but a situation such as this one troubles me to say the least." Yukino said.

Makarov, who had returned from that council meeting he had been to, hummed thoughtfully as he sat on top the bar.

"And the first sign was them not answering when you called?" Makarov asked.

"Yeah." Lucy said while not looking up from her keys.

Rizzo frowned wishing there was a way to cheer Lucy up even if just a bit. Or at least give her some hope though with this situation Rizzo couldn't blame her for being so worried.

"A contract between a Celestial Mage and their spirit is a sacred, unbreakable bond." Yukino said. "So this sort of thing shouldn't happen. It's unheard of. I'm afraid this means something extremely serious is going on."

"With them ignoring you and trying to hurt Lucy, something major has gone down. But what could it be?" Gray asked then looked towards Reva. "And none of your spirits have been affected, right?"

Reva pulled out her key pouch while opening it to reveal seven silver keys though Lucy noticed one of them was slightly different, and was decorated with a golden dragon on top. It almost reminded her of Laelaps's key that had a white dog made of ivory on top (I don't think I ever described Laelaps's key, so there's a small description XD).

"I haven't tried out any of my keys." Reva said honestly. "It sounds as if only the Zodiac have been affected, but I suppose I should at least try one to be safe."

"Yes, it would probably be for the best." Makarov said. "In any silver keys might have been affected, we need to know."

Reva nodded her head then pulled out one key to hold out in front of her as it started to glow.

"Open: Gate of the Wolf, Lupus!" Reva ordered.

Lupus appeared in a bright golden light, and once it cleared Lucy and the others got a clear look at the wolf spirit. He had messy silvery gray hair that reminded Lucy of the fur of an actual wolf. He had two silvery-gray furry ears sticking out from his hair, and a matching silvery-gray tall swaying behind him. His amber eyes had an animalistic sharpness, but also mixed with the look that could only be described as cunning. Lupus was a very muscular spirit. Not as much as Taurus's bulky form, but Lupus definitely wasn't hurting in the muscles department. He was tall as well with his shoulders nearly at the same height as Jaser's.

He wore a gray tunic like shirt that was opened near the top to show the top part of his chest where a tattoo could be seen sticking out. Over the tunic shirt he wore a black leather jacket with a high collar. On the back of leather jacket the words "Hungry Like a Wolf" were stitched into the leather in red cursive letters. He then had on black leather pants that had a black belt holding them up with a "W" shaped belt buckle to clasp the belt closed. On his feet were black motorcycle shoes that were made of the best leather the Celestial World had to offer. Finally one of his ears had a single silver hoop pierced into it.

"Whoa." Rizzo said with wide eyes.

That hadn't been who she expected to pop out of that light. She was thinking a more woodsy kind of spirit that looked more wolf than man was going to pop out. Looks like she was wrong. This spirits looked like the kind of guy she'd like to hang with. He's totally rocking the rebel look.

"Let's try one more for good measure." Reva said pulling out another key. "Now, Open: Gate of the Phoenix, Ankaa!"

The woman who appeared out of the light had a delicate figure with pale skin. She was thin looking almost willowy, and she was tall in height. She had flame colored hair as in it had a mixture of reds, oranges, and yellows. The ends even moved like actual fire as they fell down to her hips. Her eyes were a burnt orange color, and framed by thick black lashes. Her lips were a deep red rouge, and stood out against her pale skin. She then had feathers that went along her arms like wings, and they were colored like flames as well.

She wore a deep red gown that had an orange center, and had long flowing sleeves that had slits in them to allow her feathers to stick out. The sleeves were trimmed with gold, and nearly touched the ground. The gown reached down to her feet to cover her golden heels. Sticking out from the back of the dress were long flaming tail feathers that brushed against the ground beneath her. She had a gold choker around her neck that had a red gem in the center of it. Finally she held a gold colored fan that was tipped with red and orange feathers.

"She's so beautiful." Wendy murmured as she momentarily looked up from her task.

Ankaa looked towards her little master as she and Lupus stood side-by-side looking so different in comparison.

"You summoned, Mistress?" Ankaa said as she unfolded her fan to hold in front of the lower half of her face.

"Yes, Ankaa." Reva said. "I thank you and Lupus both for coming."

Ankaa dipped her head in respectful manner then glanced around curiously at the people in the room. Her eyes finally landed on Laelaps.

"Oh, Laelaps-sama, you have seen better days." Ankaa said as Lupus noticed the leader of the silver keys.

"Lae!" He exclaimed in worry.

He hurried to Laelaps's side while kneeling down beside her beaten body as Wendy continued to try and heal her. Lupus reached out to gently stroke her hair with his eyes hard when she didn't respond. As Lucy watched Lupus interact with Laelaps, she could see the love in the wolf spirit's eyes as he gazed at the unconscious dog spirit. Lupus then growled with his eyes flashing dangerously.

"That mangy feline did this to her." Lupus growled. "Beat her with his own two hands. I'll make him pay."

Lucy flinched when hearing that because it was hard knowing that Loke himself had hurt Laelaps. She knew Loke wasn't himself, but still to think he could lay a hand on Laelaps in anger or with the intention to hurt her….was very unsettling.

"Calm yourself, Wolf." Ankaa said coolly. "You need to control your emotions."

Lupus snarled at Ankaa in reply, but the fire bird just blinked at Lupus in return. She was obviously not concerned with his temper.

"Lupus, I understand you are angry, but please remain focused." Reva said gently. "Are the others alright? Have they been affected by what's happened? What can you two tell me?"

Lupus turned to look back to his master as she was looking at him softly in a caring manner. He sighed while turning away from Laelaps.

"It's just the Golden Keys who have seem to be affected," Lupus asked. "However, we don't know by what. They were fine a few hours ago in the Celestial World, which would have been a week or so in this world. I remember that cat Leo and Laelaps returning to the Celestial World after their _date_."

Lupus spat the word out as if it was poison, and Lucy was even more convinced that Lupus had a thing for Laelaps, which is why he hated Loke so much. She absently wondered if the two ever bumped heads over Laelaps. Ankaa shook her head at Lupus as she helped herself to a stool at the bar. She perched there with her legs crossed looking as graceful and humanly beautiful as the bird she is.

"They gave a big announcement that the unity ceremony would finally come to pass." Lupus said looking displeased. "I thought we put that to rest a few millennia ago."

Lucy frowned in confusion while wondering what Lupus meant by a unity ceremony, and that it would finally come to pass. Whatever it was sounded like a big deal.

"You and I both know that the unity ceremony was never full called off." Ankaa said. "It had been a ceremony that was always planned to pass as degreed by the Celestial King and the stars themselves."

Lupus growled with a displeased look on his face, but for the most part he ignored Ankaa to keep talking.

"But once again Leo didn't keep his word, and he and the rest of the Zodiac went AWOL." Lupus continued. "It's been a battle ever since. Lae ordered the weaker silver keys into hiding and the rest of us into protecting what we can of the Celestial World and to find answers. We haven't been able to do so."

"And I searched far and wide for answers." Ankaa added. "Others are still searching, but we are slightly scattered due to our leader being harmed and out of commission."

Rizzo thought this was getting more and more complicated, and they needed someone who did know what could be going on.

"I don't know what's happening either, but when I see Loke again, I'm gonna beat some manners into him." Natsu said.

"Why don't you take us back to the beginning, Lucy?" Makarov asked. "Maybe we can figure out where things went wrong?"

Lucy looked down at her keys seeming so troubled by all that is happening, and the worst part was not knowing what to do. Lucy then sighed as she explained what happened on the beach and what Laelaps told her as they were racing towards the guildhall.

"They want total freedom?" Makarov asked once she finished.

Ankaa stiffened slightly with her eyes widening, but she remained silence as the humans kept talking.

"But you have such a good relationship with them." Gray said.

"Yeah, they all love you, Lucy." Rizzo added. "They're your friends."

Lucy nodded her head slowly because she thought they were her friends too, but something had them doing this. Was it their true feelings? Did they truly think they were her slaves?

"Loke is like the head honcho of all the Zodiac spirits, isn't he?" Happy asked. "Maybe he's just being super rude and trying to stir up trouble some kind of trouble."

Natsu went to agree, but Rizzo cut in before anyone else could even open their mouths.

"No." Rizzo said firmly getting everyone to look at her. "Loke may be a Celestial Spirit, and he may be acting differently now…But he bears the mark of Fairy Tail. That means he's our family, so we shouldn't doubt him like this, or place the blame solely on him. Something has warped his mind, so he can't even remember his days as a member of our family. Something took that from him, and twisted his thoughts. It should be our duty as a member of his family to bring him and the rest of the Zodiac back to their senses and restore our shared memories with them! Especially the ones about Lucy!"

Lucy looked at Rizzo gratefully as the pinkette gave her guildmates a firm stare.

"Here we look out for our family." Rizzo said. "And right now Loke needs us. If it were the other way around, I know Loke would do whatever he could to help us."

Lupus looked at this human curiously as he remained crouched down beside Laelaps. He has never heard of a human referring to one of his kind as family. Especially a human who isn't a Celestial Mage with a contract to said spirit. Yet this woman claims Leo the Lion as her family. It is something unheard of. He glanced towards Ankaa seeing that she seemed intrigued as well by this human.

"Very well said, Rizzo." Erza said smiling. "Loke is a member of this family, so we must do whatever we can to help him and the other Zodiac."

The others all nodded in agreement, and Lucy mentally shook herself knowing she had to focus.

"Alright," Lucy said. "First we need more information, so I'll summon Grandpa Crux again."

She pulled out his key while knowing if anyone knew anything about what was happening it'd be him.

"But when you summoned him earlier, Virgo beat him then forced his gate to close." Happy pointed out as Lucy stood up.

"I know he'll find a way." Lucy said as she held out his key. "Open: Gate of the Southern Cross, Crux!"

Instead of Crux appearing, Horologium popped up out of the golden light, which had everyone confused.

"Wait, what?" Lucy asked. "I summoned Crux not you."

" _'Coming here is extremely dangerous, so I had this gentleman bring me,'_ he says through continuous snoring." Horologium said as the others finally noticed Crux was inside the clock man.

Rizzo smiled just glad to see that Crux was okay because she had been worried about the old cross guy.

"Well, the others may have ripped him up a bit, but a least he gets to sleep it off." Happy said.

"The poor man." Sanjū, who was standing beside Happy, said as she looked at the elderly cross sympathetically.

After waking Crux up, and having him sit around on top the bar, the group gathered together to hear what he had to say. Everyone was so focused on wanting to know what was going on that no one greeted Team Shadow gear as they returned. Erza even shushed them when Levy asked what was up.

"Grandpa Crux, can you please tell us what's going on exactly in the Celestial World?" Lucy asked. "We know all the Zodiac have seemed have been altered and suddenly started a rebellion. And we hear that the silver keys are in finding or fighting."

"That is true about the rebellion and the fighting." Crux said. "There was no reason given for any of it. Lupus-san, Laelaps-sama, and a few of our stronger silver keys have been trying to protect us weaker ones from the Zodiac spirits who are running amuck in the Celestial World. We weaker keys have to keep running for our lives, and try to avoid the fighting at all costs, so to not get pulled into the chaos of battle between the Zodiac and the stronger silver keys."

Lupus, who was standing beside his tiny master, frowned with his arms crossed over his chest. He and Ankaa both actually needed to return soon to help continue on with the fighting. However, he also wanted to stay near Laelaps until she was better since she is the leader of the silver keys and technically the ruler of the Celestial World until order is brought back to the Zodiac and the King is found.

"Well, what about old mustache face?" Natsu asked.

"Can't the Celestial Spirit King restore order somehow?" Gray asked.

"He could if any of us knew where he was." Lupus cut in. "But we don't, which means until he is found or until Leo comes to his senses or both, Lae is the ruler of the Celestial World now."

"However, she is too injured to help us now." Ankaa said. "She'll need plenty of rest before she can take command again."

Lucy looked to Laelaps in concern as Wendy continued to try and heal the wounded spirit.

"Leo the Lion is the official leader of the Zodiac spirits, so we assume he is acting under his command." Horologium said.

"That's an obvious statement." Lupus asked. "But Leo or any of them aren't in their right minds at the moment, so he isn't being a good leader."

"For once I can agree with you." Ankaa said. "Though doing so leaves a bad taste in my mouth."

Lupus grunted in agreement, and Reva sighed wondering if the two would ever get along.

"And he had the nerve to pretend he didn't know who we were." Happy added.

"Happy, I don't think Loke did know who you were." Sanjū said. "His mind has been altered, remember?"

Happy went "oh" as he remembered though still was a bit confused about all this.

"All Loke wanted to talk about was gaining true freedom." Natsu added.

Rizzo noticed how Crux seemed to stiffen slightly when Natsu said that, which had her tilting her head curiously.

"Librium." Crux said getting their attention.

Ankaa frowned behind her fan guessing her earlier fears were true. However, she was hoping they weren't.

"What does that mean?" Lucy asked.

"Old man, you don't really think they plan to use the actual Librium ceremony, do you?" Lupus asked frowning. "There have been plenty of spirits who have been unpleased with their masters before, but it never lead to the Librium."

"None of those spirits, who were unpleased, could probably tell you how to perform the ceremony thought." Ankaa pointed out.

This had Lucy even more curious about what this Librium was about since it sounded important.

"I brought this with me." Yukino said as she brought a book out from her cloak. "I had a feeling this book had something to do with all this."

As Happy asked what it was, Lupus's brow quirked since he didn't know such old writing still existed in this world. He hasn't seen it in ages anyway.

"Would you mind if I take a look?" Levy asked.

Yukino handed it over without a fuss, so Levy started quickly skimming through it.

"Now let me see here." Levy said. "This seems to be a magic book written in ancient maridizein. Quite a few interests on Librium. Reading through this I think it's more of an encyclopedia instead."

"We can always count on you." Makarov said.

That was true. Whenever it came to stuff like this, Levy was all over it, and had it figured out in no time.

"Let me ask you something," Jet said as he and Droy were eating. "How did you know to find this specific book?"

"Well, I did a little research on my own, and came across this title." Yukino said. "But that's about as far as I've got. I thought someone here might be able to help me find out more."

Well, Rizzo isn't much for researching ancient tombs, but she isn't lacking in the intellectual department. Though she knows brain wise she probably can't compare to Levy's mind.

"I must admit I wasn't aware that such ancient writing still existed in the human world." Crux said getting their attention.

"That's funny, old man." Lupus said. "I was thinking the exact same thing."

Reva blinked up at Lupus wondering how much he knew about this Librium, and if it was something that should worry them.

"But I can tell you the word Librium refers to a certain ritual the Celestial Spirits can perform." Crux said.

"It's a ritual?" Erza asked.

"What all do you know about it?" Happy asked.

"Not much." Lupus said. "Which is how I think the Kings likes it, so none of us perform it. But anyway, what we do know is that it's a ritual that is supposed to give us spirits this freedom that that fleabag Leo spoke of when we kept ranting about cutting the chains of all spirits from their Celestial mages."

Reva frowned because she would never want her bonds with her spirits cut, and she didn't even think of what held them together as chains. They were held together by their bonds of friendship. Ankaa, who moved to stand behind Reva, placed a gently hand on Reva's shoulder as if to assure her their bonds of friendship were fine.

"This part looks important, you guys." Levy said as she continued reading. "It says here that the Librium requires a Celestial Globe to free the spirits from their chains."

Lucy placed her hand on her key pouch as Reva and Yukino both seemed bothered.

"From their chains?" Lucy asked. "Is that really how they feel about it?"

"It can't be." Yukino said. "They're our friends."

"You…are…our friends."

Lucy and the others gasped while turning towards Laelaps who was finally away, and looking a bit better. Laelaps forced herself into a better sitting position as Lucy quickly dropped to her knees besides Laelaps.

"Don't push yourself too hard, Laelaps." Lucy said. "You're still hurt."

Laelaps didn't listen to Lucy as she sat up quickly to pull Lucy into her arms. Lucy gasped as her head rested against Laelaps's bosom as Laelaps held her tenderly like a mother would her child or an older sister would hold her younger sister.

"You are someone very precious to us, Lucy." Laelaps said using Lucy's name for the first time since they made a contract. "We love you dearly. Please, never doubt that."

Lucy felt tears well up in her eyes before she held Laelaps back tightly while sniffling. As Laelaps comforted her master, Rizzo's hands clenched into fists. She didn't care what it took, she and the others would fix all of this for Lucy and for the Celestial Spirits. Fairy Tail would fight for their friends.

* * *

Rizzo let out a sigh as she walked with Breccan, Craylee, and Jaser. Sanjū was flying beside them as the siblings, who were down one brother, were trying to dig up any information they could on the Librium and anything else that might be important.

"I'm starting to wish that I went with Natsu to the Celestial World." Rizzo said. "Because so far looking for information is boring, and isn't really turning up anything that could help us."

And they've been looking for hours. The team who went to the library were probably already done doing what they needed to do. Hell, Rizzo was sure that Gray's team was doing better than them. Rizzo whispered she could have leave been with Gray. It seems like they never go on jobs or missions together anymore. Man, she never thought she'd be one of those girls who missed their boyfriend like she is now, but it seems like she turned into one of them. She feels ashamed.

"I know looking for clues and information isn't easy, but we need to keep looking." Breccan said. "We might need to spread out even more to find out what we need. We were told to stick closer to home, but doesn't mean we can't spread out a bit more. Rizzo, I want you to go to the south of Magnolia to the little port town to see what you can dig up. I'll take north, Craylee will take east, and Jaser will go west. Understood?"

"Yeah." Rizzo said. "Just be careful. If we get too close to the truth, we might run into trouble."

"Right." Jaser and Craylee said nodding.

The siblings then parted ways knowing they needed to hurry up and look for anything that could help them. Rizzo didn't like this part of the job, but she had to do what she could to help Lucy and the others. She just hoped they were okay wherever they were now. Though something told her that Lucy's group might have already run into trouble.


	118. The Challenge is Given

Laelaps growled in frustration as she had to sit back and watch the others fight. After searching the library, the group came to a town south of Magnolia. They ran into Princess Hisui and her loyal servant Arcadios along the way, and the Princess had explained it was the Eclipse project that changed the Zodiac spirits. Laelaps had wanted to be upset with her for messing with things she shouldn't have, which resulted in horrible consequences. However, she had bit her tongue since the others had tried to tell her it was okay.

Hisui later explained she made keys that could force the gates closed of all the Zodiac. After that, Pisces had shown up to take the keys. Laelaps was going to bury them then test out those keys, but Lucy had ordered her to stand down because of her injuries, so now she had to watch Yukino, Levy, and Reva fight Mamma Pisces as Natsu handled the son. Polaris hadn't helped them much, and Levy's script magic was a bust as well. Now Reva stepped up to take her turn.

"Alright, I'll give it a shot." Reva said as she held out one of her keys. "Open: Gate of the Lynx, Elvashak!"

"I'm here!" The lynx spirit called out as she appeared in golden light.

Elvashak had light brown hair that she had cut in an A-line style with the long side going down to her shin. Sticking out form the top of her head were cat years that were tipped back, and had fur sticking up at the tops of the ears to form a furry tip. She was very tiny in size like almost the size of a child. She was also tanned skin, and had long feline like claws on the tips of her fingers. There was a small tail sticking out from her behind that looked as if it belonged to a lynx, and it was tipped black like her ears.

She wore a dark brown crop top that stopped high above her bellybutton. She then had a tanned scarf going around her neck that looked old and worn. She also wore tanned daisy dukes that had brown suspenders attached to them to go over her shoulder. She had on yellow stockings on as well that went past her knees. She had matching yellow fingerless gloves on her hands that went up to her elbows. Finally on her feet were brown boots that went up to her knees, and where laced up with yellow laces.

"Elvashak, take her down!" Reva ordered.

It was a bit odd for Reva not to have her brother backing her up, but Rohan had been asked to help with some of the natural disasters still happening. However, she still has her spirits who she knows she can trust.

"You've got it!" Elvashak said winking. "Meow~"

She jumped towards Momma Pisces while delivering a well-placed kick on her lower jaw. Momma Pisces let out a cry of pain as she fell backwards. Elvashak landed in a crouch on the ground before making a pawing motion with her hand.

"This kitty has claws!" She said then attacked again.

She continued with a serious of super strong melee attacks that kind of reminded Lucy of Loke's style of fighting. However, Elvashak wasn't using any magic. Just her bare fists and feet.

"Whoa, look at her go!" Levy said. "That's one pumped up kitty!"

Elvashak was then swatted away by Momma Pisces's tail, which sent her crashing into the ground. Elvashak skid across the ground, but stabbed her claws into the ground to bring her to a skidding halt. She then flipped back onto her feet.

"I'm not down for the count yet, Fishy." Elvashak warned her. "By the time I'm through with you, you'll be sushi on a platter."

"What a naught little kitty you are." Momma Pisces said. "Someone wasn't raised right when growing up."

"I didn't have a mom, ya old hag!" Elvashak snapped losing some of her composer. "Now take this, Cross Star Slash!"

Elvashak slashed her claws in a cross like motion with a cross shape of light heading right wards Momma Pisces. The attack it with several cuts appearing on Momma Pisces.

"Oh!" She exclaimed looking angry. "That is the last straw! Time to put the kitty in time out."

She attacked while taking a bite out of Elvashak, which had her crying out in pain.

"Elvashak, no!" Reva called out looking worried.

"I'm sorry, Reva." Elvashak said. "I failed this time around."

She then disappeared back into the Celestial Spirit world as Reva grit her teeth together while glaring at Momma Pisces.

"Time to end this." Momma Pisces said before melting into the ground.

"Oh, crap, I didn't know she could melt into the ground." Levy said. "There's no telling where she should attack from next. Should we start running or what?!"

Yukino just pulled out a key while calling forth Deneb the White Swan spirit. Deneb appeared a moment later looking as dark and gloomy as ever in Laelaps's opinion.

"You could have asked nicely." Deneb said as he looked away while noticing Levy's stare. "I know what you're thinking, _'A White Swan spirit with black wings'_ —it all you can do not to laugh, isn't it?"

As Levy denied his claim, Laelaps shook her head while feeling more aggravated by the second. She needed to be fighting right now. Not let others do it for her.

"Deneb, please detect where Pisces will attack from then strike her down quickly." Yukino ordered.

" _'Long time no see Deneb. How have you been?'_ Oh, me? I'm fine thanks for asking." Deneb mocked.

Before the girls could apologize to him, Laelaps marched right over while grabbing his ear. He whined like a child as he looked at Laelaps who was looking at him sternly.

"We don't have time for this, Deneb." Laelaps said in a firm tone. "Now do your job as a Celestial Spirit by doing whatever it takes to protect your master."

Deneb was about to make a comment about how Laelaps could do it herself since she was the strongest amongst the silver Celestial Spirits. However, he took in the wounds on her body that haven't completely healed as of yet.

"…Yes, Laelaps." Deneb said.

Just then Momma Pisces appeared behind Levy, Yukino, and Reva, which had them whirling around. Deneb sprang into action while making a triangle around Momma Pisces. It sent her flying while crying in pain as she crashed into the ground. Deneb landed on his feet as Levy clapped.

"Wow, that was amazing." She said.

"Truly." Reva added nodding.

"Tch, don't patronize me." Deneb huffed before vanishing.

Levy and Reva blinked wondering what they did wrong this time to upset the spirit.

"He's a little on the moody side." Yukino said looking apologetic.

"Look out!" Levy cried out suddenly. "Momma Pisces is back!"

Laelaps got ready to counter against the shark spirit's attack, but it didn't appear if she needed to before two people hit Momma Pisces. One being Arcadios who hit her from the side, and the other being—!

"Rizzo!" Lucy shouted looking relieved.

The pinkette, who had her boot dug in deep into Momma Pisces's back, grinned while waving over at Lucy. Rizzo flipped off of Pisces to land beside Arcadios.

"Oh how rude!" Momma Pisces hissed.

"Well, I'm not here to be polite." Rizzo said as she cracked her knuckles. "I'm here to kick ass. Hey, Arcadios, I can handle this one. You should worry about protecting the others."

Arcadios looked down to Rizzo as she narrowed her eyes at Momma Pisces. She was obviously ready for a fight.

"Are you sure you do not need aid?" Arcadios asked.

"Nah." Rizzo said as she stepped forward. "I'm good."

Levy ran up to Arcadios while placing her hand on his armored arm, which got his attention.

"Trust me, you don't want to be near Rizzo once she decides to do a one-on-one battle." Levy said. "Especially when she's looking like that."

Levy pointed at Rizzo who lost the smirk from her face. She looked dead serious now with a hard glare sent at Momma Pisces.

"I still don't know exactly why you Zodiac Spirits have gone crazy, but I'll beat some sense into all of you until you remember every precious memory you've ever had with your mages." Rizzo told them. "So prepare yourself, Shark, things are about to get rough."

Rizzo formed her guitar as her magic started to build. It was obvious that she was serious about this fight.

"Seriously we need to move!" Levy said making a run for it.

Laelaps and Arcadios hurried back to the others as well as Rizzo started playing her guitar.

"Song of the Wild Things." Rizzo said as she quickened her playing.

Three large beasts with fangs and claws appeared while letting out roars. They charged at Momma Pisces to start slashing away. The spirit took the damage while hissing at the beasts. She tried to fight back, and while she did knock one back the other two moved to restrain her movement as much as possible. The third one got back onto its feet while hitting Momma Pisces hard to send her crashing into the ground.

"Someone is asking for a spanking." Momma Pisces said as she picked herself up.

She was about to attack, but Natsu appeared and hit her hard with a fire dragon wing attack. It sent her crashing into the distant mountains as everyone cheered at Natsu's arrival. Well, Rizzo was pouting.

"Thanks, Natsu, but I totally had that one." Rizzo said.

"Heh, sorry." Natsu said as Happy set him back on the ground.

Rizzo shook her head before letting her magic dispel, so the guitar disappeared from her hands.

"By the way, I stole back those keys." Natsu said grinning.

Rizzo's brow quirked wondering why a case of keys would be so important. Also why were Arcadios and Hisui here to begin with? She felt so lost. As the others discussed the keys, Rizzo suddenly got a bad feeling that something bad was about to happen. She turned her head seeing both Pisces coming their way.

"We've got fishes inbound!" Happy said.

"Man, you would have thought they learned their lesson." Natsu said frowning.

"Well, if they haven't let's try to drill it into their heads again, eh, Natsu?" Rizzo asked.

"Oh yeah." Natsu said grinning. "Let's show them what our teamwork can do."

Rizzo nodded her head as the two mages of Fairy Tail stood side by side with the others behind them.

"Don't worry." The son said. "My mom's not angry at all."

"Why do I get the feeling that that's a lie?" Rizzo asked sweat-dropping as she formed her violin.

"Because it is." Natsu said. "Now are you ready?"

Rizzo nodded her head while starting to play a upbeat tune as Natsu took in a deep break.

"Fire Dragon: Firecracker Roar!" They both shouted in unison.

The attack went flying towards Momma Pisces who had her own roar to send at them. The two attacks hit, and Rizzo and Natsu were shocked when they just canceled each other out. A Natsu-Rizzo power move was that easily canceled?!

"No way." Lucy said surprised as well.

They didn't have long to think about it since Momma Pisces came crashing down on them. Laelaps grabbed Lucy to dodge as the others jumped out of the way as well. Natsu covered Rizzo with his body to shield her as the pinkette held onto Happy. During the chaos the keys were stolen by Pisces (the son).

"Got it!" He said as Momma Pisces rose into the air to fly away.

"He stole them all over again!" Happy said from the safety of Rizzo's arms.

Natsu growled in aggravation as he sat up with Rizzo doing the same. He glared after the pair not believing their luck.

"I'm sick of that jerk." Natsu said in frustration.

"Since you asked us to we'll take these off your hands." Pisces said. "Cool? Cool!"

"Totally not cool!" Rizzo shouted as the two disappeared in an instant by zooming away.

She narrowed her eyes while standing up with Lucy's help when the blonde hurried over. The others took a moment to collect their bearings, and it was even explained to Rizzo why those keys were so important.

"Sorry, Princess." Lucy said.

"It's fine." Hisui said. "I won't let this stop us. I've made those keys once before. The second time should be easy."

"I admire your spirit, Princess." Arcadios said. "And I would like to say that I owe you a sincere apology."

Hisui looked at Arcadios in confusion since she didn't understand why he needed to apologize.

"An apology for what?" She asked.

"I realize it was presumptuous of me to do so," Arcadios began as he suddenly pulled out a pumpkin head to pull out a case. "But I thought something like this might happen, so I switched out your keys with fake ones."

The group looked at Arcadios in shock as he opened the case to reveal twelve keys.

"Wow, so they didn't swipe the real keys after all!" Happy said as Rizzo continued to hold him, which he didn't mind.

"You're a Wiley old guy." Natsu said grinning.

Rizzo hummed in agreement while just glad that things weren't as bad as they had thought a moment ago.

"Since we have the closer keys we just need to figure out where the Astro Spiritus is." Lucy said.

"Then we can stop the Librium ritual." Yukino said.

"Which reminds me." Hisui began. "There was another reason why we were on our way to Fairy Tail earlier. We know where the Astro Spiritus is."

"For real?" Lucy asked then started to turn towards Laelaps. "Isn't that great, Lae—! Hey, where is she?!"

The group looked around noticing that a certain dog spirit wasn't in the area anymore. This had Lucy panicking since she had no idea where Laelaps was, and it wasn't like her to just return to the Celestial World without giving word.

"Laelaps!" Lucy shouted.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Alpha." Laelaps said as she walked through the world between the human world and the Celestial World. "I must put things back in order. I am the current ruler of the Celestial World. It is my duty to set things right."

Laelaps sniffed the air as she looked around the large area with tall ancient buildings. Loke's scent was all around this place. He had to be near. She left Lucy about an hour ago in the human world, and it had taken her quite some time to get into this realm without alerting the Zodiac spirits. She would strike hard and quick against Loke, and do whatever it took to defeat him. Once the leader was out of the way the others should be easier to defeat.

"Though I've never beaten Leo in a fight." Laelaps said. "He always won no matter how hard I tried."

-FLASHBACK-

 _Laelaps huffed as she remained knelt on the ground in the Celestial World. It has been a while since anyone has owned her key, so she spends most of her days sparring against the other spirits. She gotten through most of the Zodiac spirits with victories though Scorpio and Pisces, who had to restore to their true forms, had given her some trouble. Then Aquarius had wiped the floor with her, but Laelaps will get a rematch. Now she was about to be defeated against._

 _"Hah, you really made me have to fight, Laelaps." Loke said as he was looking just as exhausted from where he sat._

 _Laelaps just frowned because it seemed she was no match for the leader of the Zodiac. She had even called upon the power of Sirius, and she still lost the match._

 _"We should do this again sometime." Loke said as he stood up. "But right now I've got a hot date to get ready for."_

 _He told her goodbye, and as he walked away, Laelaps looked down to the ground with her earrings drooping. She was hoping if she fought hard enough to prove how strong he was…she would have gotten his attention. However, he still wanted nothing to do with her even if the stars decreed their union many millennia ago._

 _"I just have to try harder." Laelaps said looking up in determination._

-END OF FLASHBACK-

And today Laelaps would give it her all to defeat her opponent even if it meant having to use that forbidden technique that the Celestial King decreed that no Celestial Spirit were to use. It might be her only way of winning this fight. And she had to win this fight to save the Celestial World, and to save him. She had to save Loke. Because after so many years of distance between whether it be the hate she once felt or the uncertainty she had felt, they were together again. Or at least they had been until all this happened. But this time she would fight much harder to keep them together. This time she would not allow herself to given into despair. Especially not after Loke said he was ready for the unity ceremony…something she has been wanting for many years.

-FLASHBACK-

 _"Hey, Laelaps," Loke began._

 _Laelaps looked towards the lion spirit as the two of them sat outside the small café that Loke had taken her to._

 _"I just wanted to apologize." Loke said looking her straight in the eye. "For walking away during the unity ceremony."_

 _Laelaps's eyes widened when he mentioned it before looking away from Loke._

 _"That was a long time ago." Laelaps said. "There is no point in bringing it up."_

 _"Yes, there is." Loke said. "And I know it's hard to talk about, but we need to have this conversation."_

 _Laelaps bit her lip while keeping her eyes away from Loke. However, he reached out to gently grasp her chin to turn her back towards him._

 _"I made the worst mistake of my life back then." Loke said. "And I've made a lot of mistakes in my life. I was young and stupid and decided I didn't want to be in a commitment, so I passed up the chance of being tied to you for all these years."_

 _Laelaps couldn't believe she was hearing this. When the Celestial King had decreed their union to all the Celestial World, Loke had rebelled against it instantly. Saying there were too many beautiful women out there that he wanted to get to know, and that he wanted to have his space. The Celestial King wasn't going to let him out of the ceremony, but Laelaps had given her consent to set him free of the unity ceremony. For many years she had felt hurt and bitter towards Loke, and not even Aquarius talking trash about him or Aries giving comfort could lift her spirits._

 _However, she had distracted herself from the pain by working as hard as possible on becoming strong and being the best kind of spirit she could be for her mage. Through the years she had made contracts with mages much like Loke, or cruel mages who treated her horribly. After having a horrible incident with one of her past masters, Loke had found her broken and questioning why she even made contracts or even tried. He had extended his hand, and helped her pick herself back up._

 _After that they had started an odd friendship, and the feelings she had had for Loke were rekindled though she had told herself not to be completely pulled into his charm. She always told herself that if she did that she would be heartbroken again. However, she soon learned it was too late when Loke actually started to give her the attention she had wanted from the very beginning. And now he was saying he had made a mistake back then? Could it be true?_

 _"I want to right that mistake." Loke said. "I've been trying to show you that for a while, but I guess I haven't gotten by point across, which is why I decided to be direct."_

 _Loke took Laelaps hands into his own, which had her cheeks warming slightly._

 _"Laelaps, would you do the honor of uniting my celestial light with your own?" Loke asked. "And bring both golden and silver keys together?"_

-END OF FLASHBACK-

Her answer had been yes instantly, but then this all happened. But she wouldn't let what's happened be the end of it. She would fight. Laelaps then stiffened when two new scents entered her nose.

"Natsu, Happy." Laelaps said.

They both entered Loke's domain, but she had no idea how they managed to do that. Unless they reached the Astro Spiritus then entered through the gates. It means Laelaps didn't react fast enough. She has to hurry before her master and her friends are in danger. Laelaps hurried while sensing Loke was up ahead as well. She burst through the woods while seeing Natsu deflect Loke's dark fire attacks.

"Let's get one thing straight." Natsu said. "There's no way I'm letting you guys forget about Lucy. I just couldn't stand seeing her go through that kind of pain."

Loke just smirked then got ready to attack, but Laelaps knocked into him to send him tumbling to the ground.

"Laelaps!" Happy cheered. "You're okay!"

"Where have you been?" Natsu asked. "Lucy's been worried about you."

Laelaps looked down feeling guilty for causing Lucy worry since she doesn't like causing trouble for her master.

"I don't want my master or her friends getting hurt in this battle." Laelaps said. "I must take care of this as soon as possible without risking any humans. I will beg for forgiveness later, and if Alpha decides it isn't enough, she can do with my key what she sees fit. Until then I will bring the Celestial World back in order. No matter the cost."

"You bring back into order?" Loke asked as he stood. "You don't have the power, Laelaps the Great Dog. You are just a silver key! What can you possibly do?"

"You're about to find out." Laelaps said as she narrowed her eyes at Loke. "As leader of the silver celestial spirits, I challenge you—Leo the Lion—for the title of leader of the golden celestial zodiac spirits. It is a formal challenge that you cannot ignore because you are bound by the laws of the stars that declare any challenge made by one of the two leaders of the stars must be respected and responded to. The only way a challenge can be declined is by a third party who disagrees with the reason the challenge is given."

Loke growled in aggravation as his hands clenched into fists. He couldn't believe this woman had to gall to try and control him. However, he knew that what she said was true, and the consequences to not abiding by the laws of the stars was not something he wanted to face. If he did, he and the other zodiac spirits would never reach their goal of absolute freedom.

"What say you?" Laelaps asked while getting into a fighting stance. "Will you fight me? Or do you object my challenge? You know the consequences if you do."

"Yes, I do." Loke said. "And you know what will happen if you lose to me? Are you ready for death, Laelaps?"

Happy gasped when Loke asked that as Natsu's hands clenched into fists. Things really couldn't be coming to this. This was all wrong, and Laelaps had to know that. However, instead of backing down, Laelaps looked to Loke with a calm and accepting expression.

"I have made peace with what may come." Laelaps said then narrowed her eyes. "If there are no objections, I hereby declare the start of—!"

Before she could finish her words, Natsu ran forward while punching Loke in the face.

"I have plenty of objections!" Natsu roared. "I won't let this battle happen, you hear me?!"


	119. Fairies vs Spirits

Coco: Hello, everyone, I just wanted to inform you that after this post it might be a while before I post anything for a while. Today I learned my grandfather, who has been in and out of the hospital lately, might just have a few more days until he passes. The doctors say if he continues not eating, there is nothing they can do except make him comfortable for the time he has left. If things don't change by tomorrow, we were told we might have to say our goodbyes. So if you don't hear from me for a while it means he passed, and it might be some time before I post again. I'm sorry since I don't want to let any of you down. But I do hope you like this chapter.

And sorry for the many typos. I honestly didn't feel like proof reading at all.

* * *

Laelaps watched in surprise as Loke hit the ground after taking that hit from Natsu.

"Natsu, what are you going?!" Laelaps asked. "If I can defeat Leo in this battle, all will return to normal for our world and yours!"

Natsu turned around to face Laelaps while walking forward, so to grab her upper arms, which had her stiffening in surprise. He stared her head in the eyes with such a fierce expression that it had her unable to look away.

"And if you lose, you die?!" Natsu demanded. "There's no way I'm letting one of my friends put herself in such a situation."

Laelaps looked at Natsu in shock. Did a human, who wasn't even her master, refer to her as a friend? Of course, all the people in Fairy Tail have only been kind to Lucy and her spirits, but to call a spirit their friend…it was so surprising.

"Friend?" Laelaps murmured.

"That's right." Natsu said. "You may not be human like me, but you are my friend and Lucy's friend. If you were to die, what do you think that would do to her?"

Laelaps lowered her head while knowing Lucy would hurt from her death because Lucy was such a loving person.

"I have to bring order back to the Celestial World." Laelaps said. "It is my duty to do so."

"I can understand that, but what you need to realize is that you're not doing this alone." Natsu said. "You have friends who are here to help. Put your trust in us. I promise we will fix things and save the Celestial World."

Laelaps stood there with her head down as her shoulders shook. She sniffled slightly, and Natsu smiled when seeing she understood. He then turned to face Loke as he was picking himself up.

"Okay, Laelaps," Natsu said. "Let's do this."

Laelaps wiped at her eyes before looking forward with determination in her eyes as she stood beside Natsu.

"Right." She said nodding. "Everyone, I wish you good luck."

* * *

SOME TIME EARLIER

Rizzo narrowed her eyes as the dust cleared from their little tiff with the Eclipse Spirits. After some of the others had arrived to help, there was a small scuffle, but now the dust was clearing. As it cleared, it revealed all twelve of the Zodiac were standing before their now opened doorways.

"If you really want to stop us, follow us in." Loke said. "We'll show you just how far we'll go for true freedom."

The spirits then melted back through the doorway, which had Rizzo gritting her teeth.

"Loke!" Lucy called out.

The lion spirit and the others ignored Lucy's call as they all passed through their gates.

"Where are they going?" Natsu asked while about to rush after Loke. "Come on, Rizz!"

"Right!" Rizzo said.

Rizzo went to hurry after her pinkette friend while ready to snap Loke out of it even if it took force. Rizzo had Loke have had a few spars in the past, but this time was different. This wouldn't be a friendly match between guildmates or friends. This fight would be serious.

"No, wait!" Hisui called out.

Natsu came a skidding stop with Rizzo who nearly ran right into him, but Gray managed to snag the back of her jacket to keep her from hitting Natsu.

"How come?" Natsu and Rizzo asked in unison as they looked back at the princess.

They were ready to get to the butt kicking part of this mission, so to knock sense into the Zodiac Spirits.

"I will give a key to each one of you." Hisui said as Arcadios opened the case that held the keys. "By using them you will be able to close each of the spirit's gates by force. This is the only hope we have to stop them now."

"Then give me Loke's." Natsu said.

He would make Loke remember Lucy if it was the last thing he did. It wasn't just that though. He could swear he was picking up the slightest hint of Laelaps's scent coming from Loke ran off. However, he wasn't 100% sure, and he didn't want to get Lucy's hopes up, so he's going to remain quiet until he knows for sure.

"Please, let me deal with him." Lucy begged.

"I know you mean well, Lucy, but there is no way he's going to listen to you." Natsu said then held up his fist. "But this might just change his mind."

"I know that he's lost his way, but he's still my friend, so don't take it too far." Lucy said.

She then looked to Rizzo as the pinkette placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You know he won't, Lulu." Rizzo said gently. "None of us would ever take a fight too far with one of our friends, which is why you can trust us not to hurt any of them for real."

Lucy nodded her head in understanding while knowing there was no way around these fights. It was as Laelaps said. Lucy then bit her lip while hoping Laelaps was okay wherever she was.

"Take this.' Hisui said stepping up with a key. "It's the Lion's key. We're in the rift between our world and theirs. It's uncharted territory, so please be careful."

"I will." Natsu said as he took the key. "Let's go, Happy!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy said.

He and Natsu then went through Loke's gate as they others went to take the rest of the keys from Hisui. Erza nabbed Sagittarius's key while Lucy grabbed Virgo's key. After Cana took Scorpio's key, Elfman took Taurus's key for himself. Gray took the key for Cancer, and since Yukino wanted to somehow deal with at least one of her spirits, she took Libra's key from the case. Gajeel and Lily decided to take on Gemini since there were two opponents meaning they could each get one spirit to handle. Once Wendy had ahold of Aquarius's key, Levy took Capricorn's key into her own hand. Reva then took Pisces's key while Rizzo snagged the last one, which belonged to Aries.

"Thank-you, Princess." Lucy said. "I give you my solemn word we will not let you down."

"We can't afford to fail." Hisui said.

"Well, then its good that member of Fairy Tail don't know the meaning of the word fail then, huh?" Rizzo commented winking.

The others felt more relaxed at the pinkette's jesting and even allowed a small smile to appear on their faces.

"Alright, are you ready?" Erza asked.

"Yeah!" Everyone echoed.

Rizzo and the others quickly separated while heading for the different doors. Rizzo ran through Aries's door while quickly surprised when she was suddenly in a desert of some kind. She looked around with a frown on her face. She then frowned while quickly feeling the heat.

"Man, it's so freaking hot." Rizzo said. "I'm good with the heat, but this is ridiculous. If this is what the Rajasthan Desert is like, I don't see how Jaser, Reva, and Rohan stand it."

She was starting to wish Reva had taken Aries's key inside, but she supposes there was no changing things now. Rizzo shook her head before looking around again.

"Aries, where the hell are you?!" Rizzo shouted. "I don't have time to stand around here baking!"

She then paused waiting for some kind of reply, but there wasn't one. It looked as if Aries wanted to play hide-and-seek. Rizzo didn't know how when there was like nowhere to hide.

"This is going to be a pain in an ass." Rizzo already decided.

Rizzo kept grumbling to herself as she trudged forward hoping to find Aries soon. It wasn't as if there was a place for her to be hiding. There was nothing but sand for as far as the eye can see, and none of the dunes were tall enough for someone to hide behind.

"Once I get my hands on that sheep, I'm going to immediately knock some sense into her." Rizzo said. "She was so much better before. Her wannbe badass routine is just sad, so the sooner she's back to normal the better."

Rizzo then looked up at the sky thoughtfully as she wondered what Gray was having to deal with right now. She bet Cancer wasn't making him walking through a damn desert trying to find him. In fact, Rizzo was sure she'd just love to trade out with Gray right now.

"But Frosty is useless in this kind of weather." She said sighing. "Well, whatever he's dealing with, I'm sure it's better than this."

* * *

"Not what I was expecting." Gray said

He then looked towards Cancer as the crab was dancing and humming in place.

"Alright, let's do this." Gray said.

He'd turn this crab into a side dish in no time. After Gray forces his gate closed, it shouldn't take any time at all to get things done with the rest of the spirits.

"I thought the cool one would want to dance, so let's get down and set this floor on fire." Cancer said while thrusting his hips.

"Huh?" Gray asked.

This crab wanted him to dance? He came here to kick his ass not have any fun. Cancer struck a pose as Gray continued to look at him in confusion.

"Yeah!" He said. "Let's boogie, man! Shake me down. I wanna prance! I gotta move! It's time to dance."

Gray turned away from the guy with a disturbed expression on his face. Why did he always get stuck with the weird ones?

"What they heck have I done?" Gray asked. "Anything but this I could have dealt with."

"Oh yeah!" Cancer said while striking a pose.

* * *

Reva tilted her head as she looked at the beach she was on. Despite the somewhat gloomy weather it was a nice place. Something she hadn't been expecting in the slightest. Reva was then suddenly hit, which sent her flying into the water. She splashed down while quickly trying to collect her bearings. She then stiffened when seeing Momma Pisces in front of her.

"Very good!" Momma Pisces said as she clapped. "You're a very good swimmer."

Reva then whirled around when sensing someone before her, and saw Pisces (the son) was there.

"What up, girl?" he asked. "Come on, let's have some fun in the water."

Reva frowned knowing she was going to have to be careful with how she handles things here. She did know how to fight without her spirits, but in the water like this…she might have to rely on them only. But she know she could trust them, which is why she had no worry. And if worse came to worse, she could always use that technique. Reva was then surprised when the two started swimming away from her.

"Hey, where are you going?" Reva asked. "It's two against one right now! You could totally strike if you wanted."

She was ignored as the two continued to swim away. She frowned while not liking the fact that she was being ignored. Well, if that's how they wanted it. Reva quickly pulled out one of her keys. Which one of her spirits would be better for a water battle? Ankaa was out of the question, and Elvashak would be pouting about wet fur for a month. Like any typical feline she can't stand the water.

Orion's arrows wouldn't travel well in water, which leaves him out of the question as well. In all honesty Cam was useless in full out battles since his nature was more of espionage. Trying to put him in an actual battle would honestly do her more harm than good. That left Lupus, Andromeda, and Draco. Lupus might be slightly hindered by the water, but she knew he'd be able to hold his own in a fight. However, this fight was against Zodiac spirits, which meant Lupus would be at a disadvantage. The same went for Andromeda, and if she lost this fight, she'd be crying over it for who knows how long because she'd feel guilty.

That left Draco at her disposal. Draco was one she used in emergencies only though, but she was certain this counted as one. After all, she was certain none of her other spirits could beat Zodiac level spirits. Draco might be a silver key, but he was a special class of silver key, which meant he was her best bet in winning this fight. So with her mind made up, Reva reached for her key pouch.

"Alright," Reva said while putting out her silver key that had a dragon made of onyx wrapped around it with its front claws gripping the top making it looked as if it was perched on the key with its wings spread and mouth agape as if it was roaring. "Open: Gate of the Dragon, Draco!"

What appeared from the golden light wasn't a large fearsome dragon, but a young looking man. The man appeared to be in his early twenties. He had mocha colored skin, and a tall, muscular figure. He had a mess of dark blue hair on top his head that almost looked like the color of a night sky, and it fell down to his shoulders. His eyes were a sharp silvery-white like the color of a shining star. His eyes also had an older look to him as if he has seen much, which made him look older than what his physical appearance let on.

He wore a tightfitting black sleeveless shirt that hugged him to so tightly it was possible to see the outline of his muscular torso. He then had on white sleeveless vest over the shirt, and the vest stopped at his midriff. The collar was popped up high to go slightly above his chin. He also wore black pants that were rather puffed out until they tightened up around his calves to be tucked into his black combat boots that went to his knees. Around his waist was a white sash with the access material hanging against his right hip.

His summoning had both Pisces whirling around to look at Reva and her spirit in shock.

"It's Draco!" Momma Pisces shouted. "How does a little girl like her have an ancient Life Key?!"

The spirit and master ignored the zodiac spirits as Draco turned to glance at Reva.

"Child, it has been a long time since you have summoned me." Draco said. "It must be a serious situation if I am here."

"I'm sorry for having to summon you, Draco, but the situation is indeed dire." Reva said. "Please, take down Pisces."

"As you wish." Draco said then faced Pisces. "Please, don't take this personally, but as my master's opponents, I will defeat you."

Pisces knew they had to hurry up and finish this opponent before the girl pulled out any other aces that were up her sleeve.

"Stay out of my way, old hag!" Pisces said. "I'll deal with her myself."

"Oh, why do you insist of calling me such horrible names, snookum?!" Momma Pisces asked. "It hurts!"

"Oh, shut up!" Pisces said as he swam towards Draco.

Reva frowned at how the son treated the mother while thinking it wasn't right. However, she kept her opinions to herself. She wasn't here for a lecture. Pisces was getting closer to Reva and Draco, but suddenly the dragon spirit was right in front of Pisces. Pisces gasped in shock then took a hard hit to the back to send him crashing into the sea floor.

"Snookum!" Momma Pisces cried out worriedly then glared at Draco. "Momma's mad now! I'll make you pay!"

She shot quickly through the water at Draco who looked at her calmly. Draco took a small breath before letting out a blast from his mouth that looked like a Dragon's breath attack. However, this wasn't made of any elements like other dragons seem to use. This breath attack looked to be made of pure star energy. The attack hit Momma Pisces while sending her flying up into the air above the water.

"Momma!" Pisces called out as he picked himself off the sea floor. "You're asking for it, man!"

He went to attack Reva instead of Draco, but the dragon spirit was quick to protect his master.

"Sorry, but this is where it ends." Draco said as he grabbed Pisces by the arm.

He spun around rapidly then tossed Pisces up to send him out of the water and into the air. He crashed down on the beach with his mother, and a second later Draco jumped out of the water with Reva in his arms. He landed on the beach in front of the fallen spirits then set his master down.

"Thank-you, Draco." Reva said then pulled out Pisces's key.

She knelt down in front of Pisces as he was glaring up at her while unable to continue fighting.

"I'm sorry for the rough treatment." Reva said as she held up the key.

"I'd…I'd run if I were you." Pisces said.

Reva just smiled gently before using the key to force the spirit's gate closed to send them back where they belonged. After that she let out a breath while standing up.

"I hope the others are doing well." Reva said then looked at Draco. "Draco, how things are in the Celestial World? Any sign of the Celestial King?"

"No." Draco said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "And the Celestial Council do not know what to do without a leader. They are waiting for Laelaps to return, but she's busy fighting on the front lines."

Reva frowned while knowing they had to hurry to set things right. Draco placed a hand on Reva's shoulder.

"I will return to the Celestial World to rejoin the council." Draco said. "Call when you need me, Master."

"Yes, thank-you." Reva said nodding.

Draco's face softened with a slight smile appearing on her face before he disappeared in a bright light. After he was gone, Reva started looking around.

"Where do I go from here?" Reva asked.

* * *

"Hey, hey, hey, let me show you what I'm working with, Man." Cancer said as he kept thrusting his hips. "This ain't the time to be standing around. We've got to get this boogie battle bumping."

"We've gotta do what?" Gray asked. "I thought you were joking!"

He had been seriously hoping so because he couldn't dance. He wasn't made for that.

"We're getting down." Cancer said. "You and me are gonna shake it to the rhythm and step to the beat because it's all about staying alive tonight."

As Cancer moved there were hearts appearing in the room on the large board. They were appearing under Cancer's name with none showing up under Gray's.

"You want me to dance with ya?" Gray asked.

"Move your feet to the disco beat." Cancer said. "I've got a feeling this is gonna be sweet."

Gray tried to copy Cancer's moves, but immediately realized he couldn't do something so ridiculous. He fell to his knees while hanging his head low as his hands kept him from completely face planting.

"I'm screwed." Gray said. "I've got such painfully made rhythm. I couldn't save a dance contest to save my life."

He was just so glad Rizzo wasn't here to see this. He'd never be able to show his face to her again.

"Oh, he's on his knees begging please, but he still looks cool." Cancer said. "Let's get it heated up. Let's get this place get this place a disco inferno. Time to put on your dancing shoes."

Cancer threw up a pair of red boots into the air, which had Gray wondering what the hell he had planned for those. Cancer sliced them up a second later, which only brought the two mages more confusion. He then somehow put them on Gray's feet.

"Did you just give me some shoes?" Gray asked.

"The best badass boogie boots!" Cancer said. "Once you put on those kicks, you're gonna keep dancing until your heart stops pumping out the beat! Of course, I gave them a little bit more style for ya!"

Suddenly shoes started to glow red, and Gray was surprised when his feet started dancing.

"What the?!" Gray exclaimed. "My feet are moving all by themselves!"

When his feet forced him to do the splits, Gray cried out in pain because his body wasn't meant to be in this position.

"That's just too funky." Cancer said.

A heart actually appeared under Gray's name after that though, which meant something had to be going right.

"Stop now." Gray begged. "I think I would rather die if it means keeping my dignity."

"Oh yeah," Cancer said as he shook his head. "That is such a far out thing for you to say, Man."

Gray ended up back on his knees with his head hung. He couldn't go on like this. He'd really rather die.

"No, I can't." Gray said. "I refuse to make a fool out of myself. It's a nightmare. I've gotta wake up, right?"

"It's real, and it's getting realer." Cancer said then held out one of his claws. "Cause you've got the feeling deep inside you burning a hole in your soul! It's gonna make you twist! It's gonna make you shout! It's gonna make you lose control! Free your mind and your rump will follow!"

"Say what?!" Gray asked.

Just what was this weird spirit trying to tell him? Why did Gray have to be stuck in such a situation?!

"I'm going to make you shake your money maker!" Cancer said.

Cancer sent a flying slash attach at his chest, and seemed to hurt Gray even if there was no physical would on the outside of his body. Gray cried out while clutching his chest.

"What did you do to me?!" Gray asked.

"I just set your spirit free, brother man." Cancer said. "I cut your heart wide open, so you could get rid of all that shame!"

"You cut open my heart?" Gray demanded.

He then felt this odd sensation like there were many different versions of him trying to break out.

"I'm feeling so funky." Gray said. "It's like all these weird versions of me are trying to bust out."

He then clutched his head knowing he had to try and get himself back under control before he made himself look even more ridiculous.

"No, stop it!" Gray ordered. "It's not me! It's not me!"

Suddenly he stopped screaming while looking up with a smile on his face, which would have anyone concerned. Suddenly he had a white fedora on top his head, and he was striking poses.

"Oh, I've got the dopest moves." Gray said.

"Can you dig it?!" Cancer asked. "Hey, DJ, bump up the jams!"

The "DJ" switch songs with Gray getting into it and dancing as if it was second nature to him. He was shocked with himself for moving so fluidly with the beat, but kept going while feeling no shame like the first few times he tried.

"Super fly!" Cancer said as he blushed.

* * *

Rizzo, who's been search the desert for Aries, paused with a small look of confusion on her face. She looked up at the sky in puzzlement.

"What's up with this feeling?" She asked herself. "I feel as if I'm missing something pretty cool right now…and slightly humorous."

She tilted her head since this feeling was really bugging her, and for some reason she wants to blame Gray for it. She shook her head while knowing she had other things to be doing. Like trying to find Aries who is still nowhere to be seen.

"Dammit, Aries." Rizzo cursed. "Come out and fight me, so I can kick your ass!"

Again there was no reply, which had Rizzo letting out a huff. She continued walking while not even sure where she was going. As she walked, that feeling kept prodding at her mind.

"What could possibly be going on?" Rizzo murmured.


	120. The Celestial Council

Rizzo paused once more in her walk while turning her head to look behind her.

"There's that feeling again." Rizzo said. "Just what did I miss?"

She then snorted knowing she couldn't stay focused on it. She had to finish what she came to do. Aries wasn't going to kick her own ass.

"Gees, it feels like I've been walking for miles." Rizzo said. "But nothing's changed. I can't even remember how long I've been out here, and the unmoving sun isn't helping me at all."

Seriously it hasn't moved one inch from where it is since she stepped foot here. Maybe the hot sun made her think it's been hours since she's arrived here. Or maybe time flowed differently here. She heard from Lucy that time in the Celestial World flowed much slower than in the real world. Maybe it was the case here too. But if that was true it didn't make her happy at all.

"I'm pretty sure the only way to get out of here would be to kick Aries's scrawny ass." Rizzo said. "But I already feel exhausted and haven't even gotten to the ass kicking yet."

In fact, she felt freaking dehydrated. She'd actually prefer to be somewhere cold right now. Rizzo finally came to a stop while having enough. She took a deep breath before moving her head up to face the sky.

"That's it!" Rizzo shouted. "Aries, get your ass over here! I'm tired of waiting on you! What are you—a coward?!"

She then let out a huff as she tried to look around for any sign of Aries, but there was still none, which had her growling in frustration.

"That little bitch is totally ignoring me." Rizzo said as her eye twitched in annoyance. "Fine, she wants to keep hiding? Then I'll just keep trying to hunt her down. Once I get my hands on her, it won't end pretty for her."

Rizzo started marching forward while ready to turn Aries into lamb chops. Though technically she couldn't because she promised Lucy. Rizzo kept walking along while taking her jacket off. She knew that exposed her arms and shoulder and partially her back, but she needed something over her head to keep the sun from frying her brain. She held if over her head to give her some shade, which despite the scorching heat felt amazing. Rizzo kept walking though paused when her eyes caught sight of an oasis.

"Tch, as if I'm falling for that." Rizzo said while trudging on. "Stupid mirage trying to fool me. As if."

She didn't have time for mirages or anything else of the sort. She had to work on finding Aries to get back to Gray and the others. As she was walking, she heard what she could have sworn sounded like a vehicle. She turned her head in enough time to see Aries, who was driving a magic mobile, shoot over one of the dunes while about to land in front of Rizzo.

"Crap!" Rizzo snapped as she stumbled backwards to avoid from being hit.

She fell backwards onto her butt with her jacket falling beside her. She coughed as Aries came to a halt, which sent sand in Rizzo's face. As the sand cleared, Rizzo glared up at Aries who was laughing at her.

"You look awful." Aries said. "Guess Miss I-Can-Handle-the-Heat, can't handle the desert's heat, huh?"

Rizzo just looked up at Aries who continued looking down at her as if she was trash.

"What's up?" Aries asked. "You gonna say something back? Or are just too tuckered out? You're not going to be any sport at all like this!"

She threw her head back to laugh as Rizzo's brow quirked. If the little lamb was looking for sport, why'd she hide away until Rizzo was as tired as she is now? Obviously those were just big words coming out of her mouth to sound tough. Rizzo then tilted her head.

"You know, I know you're supposed to be Aries, but I still find it hard to believe." Rizzo said honestly.

"Well, believe it!" Aries said. "Because you're looking at the one and the only Aries the Ram. I'm still pretty new to the Earth Land circuit, but in the Celestial World, I'm the fastest thing on wheels. Check this out!"

She turned around while crouching down to show Rizzo her exposed back after she moved her hair. Two different tattoos appeared there, and Rizzo gave them an unimpressed stare.

"Made this place so to get my tan on." Aries said. "And show off these hella cool shades. Badass, right?"

She looked back at Rizzo who was casually siting in the sand now with one leg stretched out and the other bent at the knee where she had one arm resting.

"Badass?" Rizzo asked. "Sweetheart, talk about the exact opposite. You're just a sad little poser who tries too hard. The Eclipse is super cruel if it's done this to you."

"How dare you call me a poser?!" Aries snapped. "I am legit! I don't care what you think!"

Rizzo ignored Aries's outburst as she gave the ram spirit an almost sympathetic look.

"What makes it really sad is that you were such a wonderful, nice spirit before." Rizzo added. "And don't get me started on your breasts size. Maybe it's the universe saying posers and wannbes have to be flat chested as punishment."

Of course, if that was true then Levy is being cheated because she is a wonderful person.

"What the hell you saying?!" Aries demanded then tried to calm herself. "Not like I give a crap! Now take it back before I casually break your legs."

Rizzo didn't seem too worried as she glanced to the side nonchalantly while not moving to get up.

"So I'm guess any interest the boys had in you went away along with your Double Ds." Rizzo said casually.

Aries growled in frustration before letting go of her anger while realizing just how to hit Rizzo back. She let out a chuckle as she smirked.

"I am parched." She said then reached for her canteen. "Glad I brought my trust canteen, uh-huh!"

Rizzo's head snapped towards Aries, which had the ram spirit smirking as she unscrewed the lid from the canteen. Aries tilted it back to take a few gulps, but what she didn't expect was for Rizzo to move so quickly when she seemed so exhausted seconds go. Rizzo hit Aries in the gut causing the ram to let go of the canteen and spit out her water. Rizzo caught the canteen in one hand while Aries fell to her knees and clutched her stomach.

"How did you do that?" Aries gasped out. "I thought you were too tired to move."

Rizzo didn't answer at first as she took a nice long gulp of water from the canteen.

"I was feeling pretty worn out, but when you grow up with four older brothers like I did, you have to know how to strike to get what you want." Rizzo said as she grinned down at Aries. "No matter how tired you are, if you want something you take it, even if by force. Thanks for the water by the way."

Aries glared up at Rizzo who continued gulping down the water. Rizzo didn't drink it all though since she might need before later. Rizzo set the water down beside her jacket then picked up said jacket. Rizzo tied it around her waist while grinning at Aries.

"It's time to do what I came here to do." Rizzo said as she cracked her knuckles. "And you made me wait, so I'd expect at least some punishment if I were you, okay?"

Aries let out a growl of frustration before quickly getting back onto her feet to face Rizzo.

"Don't think I'm done for!" Aries said then made finger pistols at Rizzo. "Golden Horn Bomber!"

The horns on Aries had shot at Rizzo, and once they shot forward they were replaced, so to shot more. Rizzo dodged the attacks while flipping out of the way.

"Looks like you have some spring left in your steps." Aries said. "I guess you drinking that water will give me a fight after all!"

Aries fired more horns at Rizzo who dodged once more before landing on her feet.

"Trust me, this fight isn't going to last long." Rizzo said. "Mostly because I don't have the patience for it. Now, you ready to rock?"

Rizzo's violin appeared in her hands, which had Aries confused as to what she was doing.

"Rock?" Aries asked. "How you going to do that with a violin? That's totally not badass."

"Who said you can't rock out with a violin?" Rizzo asked smirking. "Now, let's see if we can cool things down a bit."

Aries narrowed her eyes wondering what Rizzo had planned as the pinkette continued to smirk.

"Song of the Ice Queen Skadi (Norse Goddess of Winter and the Hunt)." Rizzo said.

Multiple magic circles appeared around Aries who had no time to prepare. Icy winds started blowing from the magic circles to start swirling around Aries who was looking around with wide eyes. Icy particles started hardening and forming together in front of the magic circles. As the ice collected more and more ice spears started taking shape. After the spears formed, they shot at Aries who cried out in pain. Aries fell to the sand, and it looked as if she was already done.

"Well, that wasn't much of a fight." Rizzo said as she finished her song, and put way her violin.

She then walked towards Aries as she pulled out the key that belonged to Aries. She used it on Aries to send the spirit packing.

"It's finally over." Rizzo said then sighed. "But I still need to find my way out of there."

Rizzo shook her head then walked over to where she left the canteen. She picked it up, but left the water alone inside. She'd need it for later probably.

"Guess I better get started on trying to find the way out." Rizzo said then turned in a random direction. "Guess I'll go this way."

She started walking that way while guessing there was no other way to go. Well, there was, but it wasn't like she knew where they went. She just hoped the others were okay and having better luck than her on finding their own ways out.

* * *

Laelaps let out a huff as she tried to catch her breath. The battle between her and Loke has been going on for a while now, but the lion spirit wasn't even breaking a sweat. He hadn't even been phased when Natsu was still here to help Laelaps. However, the Dragon Slayer had been sent away in the middle of the battle. Laelaps wasn't sure what happened, but she would go find the Dragon Slayer once things were finished here.

"You should give up." Loke said as he glared down at the crouched Laelaps. "You are just a mere silver key. Scum underneath my boot."

He said this while harshly stomping down on top her head. Laelaps bit back a whimper as Loke continued to dig his hill into her head.

"Pathetic." Loke said while roughly stomping on her head again. "You are a traitor to your own kind by working with the humans. They've had us chained for so long yet you hold no grudges against them. They've treated us like pets, possessions, and slaves. Yet you'd willingly throw down your life for them. I don't understand it!"

He slammed his foot down into her head again will blood running down her forehead. He then kicked her in the gut to send her rolling across the ground. She came to a stop while trying to push herself up to her feet now that he had stopped pinning her to the ground.

"There were times where I didn't understand it either." She said as she stood up shakily. "Why were we contracted to work for humans when so many are just greedy and cruel? I asked myself that often."

"Then why do you serve them so willingly now?" Loke asked looking as if he really needed to know.

Laelaps just smiled slightly, which confused the lion spirit whose frown deepened.

"Because not all humans are evil." Laelaps said. "Not all humans only see us as slaves or possessions. Some treasure us as friends…as people dear to them. They would go out of their way…risk their own lives for us. Lucy Heartfilia is one of those rare humans."

Loke's brow quirked with a skeptical look in his eyes as he looked at the weakened dog spirit.

"For all my years of being a Celestial Spirit…I have only had two owners who loved me as a friend." Laelaps said. "Only two out of the millions of owners I've had ever treated me as an equal. But it's those people and people like them who I would gladly fight for. Who I'd lay my life down for."

"That is foolish." Loke growled. "Lucy Heartfilia might not be like all the others, but she still holds you in chains. You still have to do as she wishes as a slave! Putting yourself through all this pain…there has to be another reason!"

Loke didn't understand this woman at all. No matter how much pain he inflicts on her, she just keep fighting. Her body couldn't take much more until she's forced back into the spirit world yet she still holds on so tightly, so to continue fighting. This all couldn't just be for the Heartfilia girl. Loke was then shocked when Laelaps gave him a bright, innocent smile despite the current situation.

"Of course there's another reason." Laelaps said as she looked Loke right in the eye. "I'm fighting for you too, Leo. Even if you don't think so now, I'll always try to protect you…to keep you safe."

Loke glared at Laelaps not understanding her game. She couldn't be doing this for him. If she really wanted to help him, she would help him and the other Zodiac spirits break their bonds with humans permanently. Help them gain true freedom. Laelaps then stepped forward.

"Even if my body is ripped to pieces, I will continue fighting." Laelaps said. "Even if all my bones are broken, I will push forward. Until I cease to exist I will keep going. That is the promise I make to you, Pussycat."

Loke stiffened while feeling as if that ridiculous nickname was meant to mean something to him. He then winced when images flashed through his head. Images of him and Laelaps. Tender moments with Loke, who looked a bit different than he does now, holding Laelaps or smiling at her gently. Moments where the two shared sweet words. The last image was of the two sharing a gentle kiss as Loke was holding Laelaps to his chest.

"What does this all mean?" Loke said as he clenched his head. "What are these images?...Are they my memories? That can't be!"

"Leo, what's wrong?" Laelaps asked in concern as she stepped forward.

Loke snapped his head to glare at her, and a second later Laelaps was hacking up blood as Loke's hand was sticking through her chest.

"I won't be stopped!" He snapped as he glared into shocked eyes. "I don't care what you once meant to me!"

Laelaps just reached forward to gently brush the tips of her fingers against Loke's cheek. Blood was smeared against his cheek, but he barely flinched. However, his eyes widened when Laelaps smiled at him before her hand dropped with her falling unconscious. She slumped forward into his body, so he removed his hand from her chest. He held her in place for a moment as he stared down at her. He felt a stirring in his chest that had him feeling uncomfortable. He then scoffed as he let her drop to the ground. Her body started to glow as it was being pulled back into the Celestial World. She dispersed with many glowing orbs floating up into the sky to disappear once they got so high. Loke reached out to gently caress one of those orbs.

"I will not be stopped." He spoke in a surprisingly kind voice. "Not even by these feelings. Farewell, _Poochie_."

Loke turned away while walking towards one of the man ruins in his area. It was time to end things once and for all.

* * *

Draco, who was sitting on his spot on the Celestial Council, looked up when sensing something. Draco ignored the council as he stood up from his seat. None of the arguing spirits seemed to notice his movement since they were too preoccupied with their arguing.

"She's back." Draco said getting all those gathered to shut-up. "I say enough with this _debating_. Our temporary queen has returned. It is up to her to make these decisions."

A voice was cleared, which had Draco cutting his eyes towards the one who made the noise. The one who cleared their throat was a young woman who had ginger colored hair with black streaks. On top her head were two round ears that were orange as well though tipped black. Her eyes were wide and jade green in color with her pupils like slits. She was pale in skin tone with a perfect complexion. A long tail swayed before her with it being the same color as her hair while being striped black.

"Do you have something to say, Councilwoman Tigresa?" Draco asked.

"I do." She replied as she rested her chin on the back of her hand. "After everything that has happened, do you really think Laelaps is the spirit to lead us?"

Draco narrowed his eyes at the tiger spirit as there was some murmuring of agreement amongst the ranks.

"She is the leader of the Silver Keys." Draco said. "Next in line for the throne to our world if our king and Leo the Lion are unfit to rule or unable."

"Yes, yes, we know that." Another voice cut in. "What we are asking is if Laelaps herself is unfit to rule us? Considering her actions thus far I do not think it is best to leave the power of rule in her hands."

Draco looked to the speaker, which was a thin, lanky spirit with snowy white hair. He had long white rabbit ears sticking out from on top his head with one standing up straight while the other flopped forward slightly. His eyes were pink in color and framed by dark lashes. He had three whiskers on each cheek that moved as he twitched his nose.

"Who else would you suggest to rule us until things are settled, Usagi?" Draco questioned. "Hmm? One of you?"

He gestured to the councilmen and councilwomen, and no one answered as they glanced around at each other. Tigresa and Usagi exchanged a glance one last time before Tigresa returned her gaze to Draco.

"We suggest you take leadership, Draco." Tigresa said. "Not only do you sit on the Celestial Zodiac Council, but you are a life key as well. You were a strong being when you were alive. Also very respected by all. So respected that the Celestial King himself offered you a place amongst the stars."

Draco frowned while remember his past life. The life when he was indeed living. He had ruled over the skies and many actually worshipped him because he had been the first of his kind. It was men who gave him his name, and ever since that day all his kind went by that name…the name of _dragon_.

"Laelaps is a life key as well if you've forgotten, Council." Draco pointed out. "And the leader of the Silver Keys _and_ a member of this council. I believe that qualifies her much more than me to lead us until things are set right."

By the displeased looks on the council's faces, Draco knew they didn't agree with his words.

"I will only answer to her until she and the humans, which includes my master settles things." Draco said firmly. "Anyone here brave enough to go against our queen step up now."

He let his silent threat hang in the air, and he was certain the council members got the message since none of them spoke. However, Tigresa looked as if she was very tempted to say something. But a quick glance from Usagi had her holding her tongue.

"Now," Draco said as he backed up towards the exit. "I am going to aid Laelaps-sama, and bring an end to this madness. If you all want to sit here and argue about it all, be my guest. You would mostly likely only get in our ways if you did try to help."

He turned on heel to leave after that, and he didn't need sensitive hearing to hear the council's voices as they once again started debating once the door shut after him. Draco sighed knowing the council could be completely useless at times. They were some of the oldest and most powerful Celestial Spirits yet they were only good for debates and decision making. However, the latter only happened if they actually managed to agree on something, which was usually almost never.

"Useless." Draco grumbled under his breath as he kept moving forward.

He couldn't keep Laelaps waiting for long. He could sense her weakened state, but was certain she would recover quickly. And he knew once she did, she would be ready to plan their own strategy of attack. It was time for all those Celestial Spirits who could fight to bring order back to their world…by any means necessary. Draco paused in moving while knowing there was something else he needed to take care of.

"Hey, Cham." Draco called out looking to the side. "You managed to catch all that, right?"

It was silent for a moment as Draco continued to seemingly look at nothing. However, soon a figure materialized against one of the pillars along the path. A young man appeared, and dropped down from his position against the pillar to stand in front of Draco. This man was Cham the Chameleon, and he was one of Reva's seven Celestial Spirits. He tended to work alongside Draco and dig up information on the council in case it was needed.

Cham was an odd looking fellow due to his dark green skin that looked to be made up of lizard scales. He then had large green eyes that shifted from side to side rapidly as if he couldn't just focus on one thing. He also had deep green hair that stuck up messily on top of his head. His long tongue was sticking partially outside his mouth, and it curled up at the end. He had long gangly limbs as well that went along with his tall lanky body. Sticking out from behind him was a long green lizard tail that curled up at the end much like his tongue.

He wore red tropical shirt that he left open to reveal his surprisingly toned torso. He had the collar popped up high that the top of the collar reached up to his chin in height. He then had on tanned cargo shorts that had an abnormal amount of pockets even for cargo shorts. The shorts fit him loosely, and were held up by a worn out brown belt that looked as if it could fall apart at any moment. On top his head was a straw hat, and resting on the rim of that hat was a pair of dark sunglasses.

"I caught everything." Cham said as his eyes shifted around rapidly. "It seems as if the council are getting scared. It's like the first Eclipse Fiasco all over again."

Draco snorted because that was all too true. The first time the Eclipse was used the council had gotten all bent out of shape, and nothing like this had even happened back then. Nothing on this scale even happened the second time the gate was opened. Makes Draco wonder what was different this time around. He supposed it just has to deal with the fact that dark magic can only be used so many times before something bad happens on such a large scale.

"As long as they remain out of the way, I do not care." Draco said. "Now, I need you to report to our master. She and her friends must know that time is running short, and that Laelaps-sama has been forced back into the Celestial World. Whatever they are going to do…has to be done now."

"Understood." Cham said as he tilted his head to the side. "I will go immediately."

Cham disappeared once more, and Draco knew he could trust the chameleon spirit to deliver the message. Now, he just had to worry about Laelaps and hear what she has to say. What she chooses to do will either save this world or send it into ruin.


	121. Trinatest

"This place keeps getting weirder and weirder." Rizzo said as she walked with her friends.

She had managed to meet up with the others, but now they were in like some cave looking place. It certainly was weird.

"Tell me about it." Gray said as he walked alongside her.

He had her hand in his while just glad they were together again. He had just went through hell, and didn't even want to think about it. The only good thing about going through all that was that he finally was reunited with Rizzo.

"Anyway, do we have a destination?" Gray asked looking at the others.

Erza just hummed in thought while not sure how to answer Gray's question since she had no idea where they were even at.

"I'm catching a faint whiff of Salamander over there." Gajeel said.

Rizzo glanced back at Gajeel wondering if he could really smell Natsu, and if that was true…where was he? And where were Lucy and the others too? Were they okay?

 _"There's nothing you can do now, but watch, you pathetic humans."_ A muffled voice said from above.

Rizzo looked up with the others wondering who was speaking and whom she was speaking with.

"Anyone else hear that sinister voice?" Erza asked.

"I do." Rizzo said holding up her free hand. "Any way to shut it up? Cause I don't like the sound of it."

"You and me both." Cana said frowning.

But it wasn't like they knew how to get to the owner of the voice to shut her up, but Cana was sure Rizzo would get tired of it soon enough. Which would lead to the pinkette tearing up the place until she found the owner, so to shut the owner's trap.

"Whoever it was…it came out of nowhere." Levy said glancing around.

"Didn't sound like any spirits I know of." Gray added.

Reva tilted her head to the side while not recognize the voice either. She wondered who it could be.

"That would be Ophiuchus." A voice pipped in from the back of the group.

The group jumped before whirling around to see who spoke. However, there was no one there. Reva blinked while certain this voice she did know.

"I wasn't the only one who heard that, right?" Levy asked looking a bit freaked out.

"We all heard it." Elfman said.

"And it sounded a lot closer than that other voice." Gajeel added frowning. "I'm also picking up a funky scent in the air."

He raised his nose slightly while taking a whiff. His nose scrunched up while not liking the smell invading his nostrils. It smelled slightly reptilian.

"Are you saying I smell bad?" The voice spoke up once more in an airy tone. "That seems a little rude, doesn't it? Besides, you don't smell like a flowerbed yourself."

Gajeel's brow twitched while wanting to get his hands on whoever was speaking. Reva smiled while certain she knew who was here.

"Cham," She spoke out getting everyone to look at her. "Where are you? Show yourself."

Rizzo was about to ask Reva if she hit her head or something because no one was here. However, she soon jumped when a tall, lanky green dude appeared behind Reva. He tapped the tiny woman on top the head, which had her turning around. Her smile widened as she looked at him.

"Little Master." Cham greeted then blinked up at the others. "Greetings, humans. I am Cham the Chameleon. Pleasure to meet you all."

He waved at them slightly, and Levy kind of waved back in a slight daze. She knew many Celestial Spirits didn't exactly appear human, but this one seemed a bit…odd.

"One of your spirits?" Erza asked.

"Yes." Reva said nodding. "Cham isn't really a spirit I use for combat."

"No, my skills are better for espionage missions." Cham said as he looked around the area randomly as if he couldn't keep still. "And I have much to tell."

This had everyone's attention as they looked towards the tall green spirit. He kept looking around the area, but Rizzo had a feeling he was more focused than he appeared.

"I have come from spying on the Celestial Council." Cham said as his tail swayed behind him.

"Celestial Council?" Levy asked. "What's that?"

Cham looked towards Levy with the bluenette leaning back slightly since his eyes on her made her feel slightly uncomfortable.

"The Celestial Council is a group of governing Celestial Spirits." Cham said. "They are made of the original twelve Zodiac spirits."

The group's eyes widened since they had no idea there was more than one group of Zodiac Spirits.

"There is the Rat, the Tiger, the Ox, the Rabbit, the Rooster, the Dragon, the Pig, the Horse, the Dog, the Snake, the Goat, and the Monkey." Cham said. "Not all necessarily in that order. However, they are the first Celestial Spirits in existence after the Celestial King, of course. They ruled over the Celestial plane as the Twelve Zodiac Spirits. However, a new Zodiac was born, and the original Zodiac given a more background role as they were named the Celestial Zodiac Council."

While the others were shocked, Reva was not. She knew about all this after all since Draco taught it to her. He explained what the council was, and how members of the council also had their own tasks and different titles. Like Laelaps, who was the Dog Zodiac, now being the leader of the Silver keys, which had been a cut in her power, so to keep things balanced between the gold and silver keys.

"Okay, so this council is made of really old, important spirits." Gajeel said. "We get that, but what does that have to deal with things now?"

"The council is growing nervous due to all that is happening." Cham said. "They are looking for a way to quickly resolve the matter. They are also rethinking who should lead us during these desperate times. Earlier they had even tried to strip Laelaps-sama of her title as temporary queen of the Celestial World."

Rizzo frowned because none of that was good. If they were ready to put someone new in charge things were worse than they thought. Not only that but it could mean bad things were coming Laelaps's way.

"Do you know where Laelaps is now?" Erza asked. "None of us have seen her for quite some time."

"After being defeated by the Eclipse Leo the Lion, Laelaps-sama was forced back into the Celestial World." Cham reported.

Gray grit his teeth together because things were getting worse and worse. They needed to find a way to end things.

"Right now she is being looked to by Draco the Dragon." Cham continued. "Once she is well, she will decide what will happen from then on out. But in the meantime, I have been told to tell you to do whatever you can with the time you have. The more Ophiuchus is wounded the higher chance of success. Better act quickly because the ceremony is starting."

After those words left his mouth, the voice from earlier could be heard again chanting something.

"What was that?" Gray asked.

"I don't know." Gajeel said. "But it was creepy."

"It sounded like an incantation." Erza said. "The Librium?"

She looked to Cham to confirm this, but he was too busy looking up at the stone ceiling.

"Things are starting to pick up." Cham said. "There isn't much time at all. Laelaps-sama, I hope you are ready for battle."

* * *

Laelaps walked ahead of Draco with only one destination in mind. There was one building in the Celestial World that could give her the power she needed for the next large battle.

"You know this idea of yours…it won't end well for you." Draco spoke up behind her.

"I am well aware of that, but this is not the time to pull out punches." Laelaps said. "None of us will be able to face _him_ even as a group. This power…my stored energy…it is the only hope we have now."

Draco frowned knowing what she said was true, but what she had happened was suicide. No spirit has ever been so desperate to unlock _that_ power before. Not even the Celestial Spirit King would ever use it. Using that power was like asking to die.

"I know what I'm doing." Laelaps said as Draco remained silent. "And while I know I am forfeiting my future, I will not waver. I will save them. I will save us all."

"Of course, my queen." Draco said as he bowed towards Laelaps. "I will remain at your side for this battle until the very end."

Laelaps turned to look at her old friend with a grateful smile on her tired face.

"Thank-you, old friend." Laelaps said.

Draco's face softened as well with his lips turning up slightly into a small grin.

"There is nothing to thank me for." Draco said. "We have been friends for many years. It is only natural for friends to help each other in their hour of need."

Laelaps nodded in agreement before stopping in front of the large structure in front of them…the Celestial King's palace. Laelaps looked up at the large doors while knowing it was no or never. She stood there a moment with many thoughts running through her mind as she thought of what she must do.

-FLASHBACK-

 _"Natsu, what are you going?!" Laelaps asked. "If I can defeat Leo in this battle, all will return to normal for our world and yours!"_

 _Natsu turned around to face Laelaps while walking forward, so to grab her upper arms, which had her stiffening in surprise. He stared her head in the eyes with such a fierce expression that it had her unable to look away._

 _"And if you lose, you die?!" Natsu demanded. "There's no way I'm letting one of my friends put herself in such a situation."_

 _Laelaps looked at Natsu in shock. Did a human, who wasn't even her master, refer to her as a friend? Of course, all the people in Fairy Tail have only been kind to Lucy and her spirits, but to call a spirit their friend…it was so surprising._

 _"Friend?" Laelaps murmured._

 _"That's right." Natsu said. "You may not be human like me, but you are my friend and Lucy's friend. If you were to die, what do you think that would do to her?"_

 _Laelaps lowered her head while knowing Lucy would hurt from her death because Lucy was such a loving person._

 _"I have to bring order back to the Celestial World." Laelaps said. "It is my duty to do so."_

 _"I can understand that, but what you need to realize is that you're not doing this alone." Natsu said. "You have friends who are here to help. Put your trust in us. I promise we will fix things and save the Celestial World."_

-END OF FLASHBACK-

Laelaps knew Natsu and Lucy and the others were fighting hard now, and knew Natsu asked for her to have faith in them. Which is why she was feeling so much guilt now. Laelaps then bit her lip as her eyes started to water.

-FLASHBACK-

 _Laelaps hurried to Lucy's side just as Hibiki fell back unable to move any longer._

 _"La…Laelaps." Lucy murmured. "I…I don't think…I can do this."_

 _Laelaps smiled softly at her master then got behind her to put her arms around her._

 _"Don't worry, Alpha." Laelaps said. "I am here to give you the power I have, so you can perform this spell. Besides, you're more powerful than you think. Just calm down your mind."_

 _As Lucy was feeling the last of the spell download, she felt a warmth spread through her along with new strength. Was this…Laelaps's magic? The space around her filled golden like and celestial bodies as words started flowing through her lips as if she was in trance._

 _"Most stars far and wide that embody the heavens." Lucy said. "By thy radiance reveal thy form to me. I implore you, oh Tetrobiluos—ruler of the stars—let your unrestrained rage flow with the 88 heavenly bodies shining! Tramamentria!"_

 _Lucy cast the spell at Angel with Laelaps pouring in her magic into Lucy, so the spell would be at full power. Angel was blasted with the spell that sent her flying and crashing into the water, which snapped Lucy out of her dance. In fact, she jumped when it happened._

 _"Uh, did I win?" Lucy asked._

 _She then blinked at the arms around her shoulders. She glanced back see Laelaps smiling at her._

 _"Good job, Alpha." Laelaps said. "I knew you could do it with a little push."_

 _Lucy then noticed that Laelaps was starting to disappear much like Loke had earlier as her body started to turn to stardust._

 _"Oh, no, Laelaps, are you hurt?!" Lucy asked._

 _"No, I just gave you so much of my power that my body can't hold form here anymore." Laelaps said. "I'll be fine. Just take care of yourself, Alpha."_

 _Lucy felt tears in her eyes when realizing that once again one of her spirits came to her aid when she needed it most. Lucy turned around to hug Laelaps, which slightly surprised the dog spirit. Lucy then pulled back to smile at Laelaps._

 _"Thank-you, Laelaps." Lucy said as the dog spirit was almost gone._

 _Laelaps gave Lucy another smile before finally completely vanishing, so to return the Celestial World where she would get well needed rest._

-END OF FLASHBACK-

Laelaps was going to miss all those times with Lucy. Her master was so kind to her. And saved her from her last owner who treated her so poorly. But Laelaps wouldn't just miss her master, but the members of Fairy Tail who treated her with kindness as well. Like Natsu trying to save her from getting herself killed. Then Rizzo had helped Laelaps prepare for her date with Loke. Erza even tried to help even if she wasn't that good at it. Cana treated Laelaps as if she was a part of the guild back on Tenrou Island, and even fought alongside Laelaps against members of Griamore Heart.

Then Laelaps would miss her fellow Celestial Spirits. She would miss spending time with Aquarius as the water spirit was bad-mouthing Loke to make Laelaps feel better, and Laelaps would miss the times when Aquarius also gave her dating advise. Many didn't think Aquarius took notice in the lives of her fellow Celestial Spirits—besides Scorpio—but there have been many times where the blue-haired spirit has comforted Laelaps over her broken-heart. Of course, Laelaps would miss Aries who was like a little sister, and Virgo who always said or did the silliest things that has put many people in a good mood.

She'll miss hearing Capricorn's poetry even if she never understood half of it. She'll miss listening to music from the human world with Scorpio who likes to listen to the most wicked and newest releases. She'll miss the games Gemini likes to play, and miss how Pisces likes to move merrily through the sky with large grins on their faces. She'll miss Sagittarius's quirky personality, and she'll miss Taurus's flirty attitude since it always made her laugh. She'll miss Cancer trying to give her a new hairstyle even when she tells him she doesn't need one. She'll miss the times she's danced with Libra. But most of all…she'll miss Loke.

-FLASHBACK-

 _"Hey, Laelaps, thanks for what you said back there." Loke said._

 _Laelaps blinked curiously while wondering what the heck he was talking about. She then tilted her head guessing he meant what she said before leaving to help Lucy._

 _"Don't mention it." Laelaps said. "I only said what was true. However, if you really want to thank me, can we go on a walk later?! I really long walk."_

 _She looked at Loke hopefully as she held his arm with her tail wagging behind her. Her big golden eyes sparkled at the thought of a walk. As a dog she really loved going on walks. Loke chuckled in amusement as he smiled at her._

 _"Sure." Loke said. "Just a lovely stroll together sounds great."_

 _He put his arm around her to pull her close, which had her eyes widening and her cheeks burning. He cupped her chin while tilting her head up at him._

 _"Sending time alone with you is something I enjoy." Loke said. "And afterwards, we should have a picnic…just the two of us."_

 _"I think you have the wrong idea!" Laelaps said._

-END OF FLASHBACK-

Laelaps chuckled thinking of the many times where Loke made her blush with his flirting. Even if it had embarrassed her at the time, those were precious moments to her. Ones she would never forget. But she has to let go of the memories, and the precious people within them. She had to do this to save them all. Even if some wouldn't agree.

"Natsu, Lucy, please, forgive me for what I am about to do." Laelaps whispered before pushing the doors open.

She walked through the doors while knowing there wasn't much time and that Lucy and the others were still fighting. She must hurry before the king makes his appearance.

* * *

After hearing that the Spirit King was a part of this entire coup, Rizzo frowned as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"This really is very complicated." Rizzo said. "And with how things are escalating we don't have much time."

Erza hummed nodding in agreement since they were certainly running out of time and options. There was more and more noise happening outside, which didn't set well with the others. The noise became louder and louder as time passed with Ophiuchus explaining all what was planned by the Spirit King. This was all getting worse. It seemed as if they made things worse by fighting the Celestial Spirits. They made things much harder on themselves and the spirits. Rizzo cursed while punching the pillar beside her.

"Dammit." Rizzo cursed. "Looks like we have a mess to clean up and as usual it's our own mess."

Usually she didn't give their mess-ups or messes much thought, but things were different than this time. What they've done could lead to the end of the Celestial World.

"Time to move." Erza said.

"Yeah." Gray said nodding.

Soon the sound of fighting could be heard from above, which had the entire place shaking. Rizzo knew it had to be Natsu's doing as he was battling Ophiuchus. Well, if he was fighting, so could she. She just know what to start hitting.

"This doesn't bode well." Erza said.

"Things must be getting rough out there." Lily said.

"Thank-you for stating the obvious, little kitty." Cham said as he suddenly appeared beside Lily in a crouched position.

Lily jumped while leaning away from the slightly disturbing spirit. However, Cham wasn't even looking directly at the Exceed. He was just crouched beside Lily while looking forward.

"Your friends have started battling Ophiuchus." Cham said as he turned his large eyes onto Lily.

Lily leaned away even more wondering why the chameleon spirit had to get so close.

"That's just another reason not to be standing around waiting!" Elfman said.

"Let's get moving." Cana said. "Natsu and Wendy are gonna need some backup."

Rizzo agreed with that whole-heartedly, and really wanted to get her hands on this stupid snake charming spirit.

"Yeah, but which way should we go?" Gray asked. "We can hear their voices, but there's no telling where they're coming from."

"Then we just start busting the place up until we find them or they find us." Rizzo said as she held up her fist.

Gray sweat-dropped while sure that was a bad idea since they could cause the entire place to cave in. Not only that they might end up actually hurting themselves or Natsu's group if they're not careful where they're swinging their magic.

"Let's just pick a direction and start moving!" Gajeel said growing agitated.

"Uh, maybe we should all try to calm down." Reva suggested sweat-dropping.

She knew they were all ready to get this over with to help their friends, and she was too. However, they all needed to try and keep their heads straight.

"Hey, check it out!" Levy suddenly cried out.

Rizzo and the others glanced towards the bluenette who had silently been reading her book for a while.

"Did you find something useful?" Erza asked.

"It has to do with the word trinatest." Levy said.

Rizzo blinked while not even sure what that word meant. Was it important or something?

"Trinatest, huh?" Cana asked. "Okay, what about it?"

"I had the entire passage translated except for that word." Levy said then looked up at the group. "But I think I've got it now!"

Well, that was good, Rizzo supposed. She just hoped that one word could help them figure out how to stop Ophiuchus and the Celestial Spirit King because they were running out of time.

"Trinatest means trinity." Levy said. "And in the context of this ancient language, trinity is comprised of parent, child, and spirit."

Rizzo hummed as she cupped her chin thoughtfully. Would understanding this trinity help them in the end?

"Which spirits?" Cana asked.

"What are you saying?" Erza asked.

Rizzo started piecing things together in her mind as she tried to think of who could fit those three categories.

"The parent's Ophiuchus." Levy began. "And the snake—No, Astrius Spiritus itself must be the child, which means spirit—!"

"Must refer to the shining light pouring out of the Celestial Globe!" Erza and Rizzo interrupted in unison.

Rizzo then frowned because she never wanted to finish someone's sentence with Erza again. That just felt odd.

"Yeah, that would make sense to me." Levy said.

"So what does that have to do with anything?" Elfman asked.

He was completely lost, and honestly didn't see how this would help any of them in the end.

"The three are much stronger when they're united." Levy said. "So it seems the only thing to stop Librium now is to destroy each piece of the trinatest at once."

"Understood." Erza said. "We might not be able to find Natsu, but we can still assist him. We'll leave the snake charmer and the globe to his team, and deal with the serpent of Astrius Spiritus ourselves."

"You want us to fight the thing we're standing in?" Cana asked. "How would we even start?"

Rizzo grinned while cracking her knuckles as she stepped forward looking ready to go.

"Simple." Rizzo said. "We do what Fairy Tail does best, and start causing destruction. If we're inside the beast, let's just tear it up from the inside out."

Gajeel grinned seeming to like the sound of that, and the others all soon started smiling as well.

"Now, let's show this snake how Fairy Tail gets things done." Rizzo said.

"Yeah!" The others all shouted in agreement before separating to get started on the causing destruction part.

As they got to work, Reva turned towards Cham as the Chameleon spirit was crouched over to the side still just looking around.

"Cham, I want you to return to the Celestial World." Reva said. "Keep your eyes on what Laelaps has planned. If we know what she has in mind perhaps we can back her up."

Reva then went to help her friends as Cham remained where he was for a moment.

"I believe I do know what she has planned already." Cham said to himself. "And if I'm right…Laelaps the Great Dog will soon be no more."

He disappeared after that while doing to do as his master asked of him. He was of no use here anyway now that he has passed along his message. As he disappeared, Reva and those of Fairy Tail went to town on destroying stuff. Elfman, who was in his lizardman form, let out a roar as he attacked the walls around them that tried hard to fight back.

"Let me help you!" Reva said. "I may not have physical strength, but I have a spirit who can easily take these walls down. And he has a friend."

She pulled out two keys from her pouch while holding them out in front of her.

"Open: Gate of the Wolf, Lupus!" Reva ordered. "Open: Gate of the Lynx, Elvashak!"

The two spirits appeared a second later, and didn't even have to be told what to do. They immediately started fighting the wall as it tried to attack their master.

"Stupid wall." Lupus growled. "Do you really think you can beat me?!"

He let out a howl with it being like a Dragon Slayer's breath attack. The gust caused by his howl punched a large hole into the wall they were fighting.

"Whoa, talk about manly." Elfman said grinning. "Now let's keep going."

As they continued beating up the wall, Rizzo and Gray stood back to back as the walls around them moved trying to keep them trapped and separated from the others.

"Why does this make me think of some kind of trap?" Rizzo asked.

"Because it's the Eligitory Dungeon Trap." Gray said grinning then put his hands together. "Well, guess what! There isn't a trap in this world that can put an end to the two of us!"

Gray froze all the walls around them in place, and even though it was cold Rizzo stood straight while knowing what she had to do next.

"Good job, Frosty." Rizzo said as a guitar made of her magic formed in her hand. "Now leave the rest to me."

Rizzo slammed down on the cords of her guitars with the loud, powerful chords causing the frozen walls to shatter and fall into pieces.

"Yeah, that's the way!" Gray said with his grin growing.

"Can't celebrate too soon." Rizzo said. "We have more to destroy, and I don't want the others having all the fun."

As she was saying that Gajeel and Lily fought together to take down some of the spikes that were trying to skewer them. Cana used her cards to cut a way through, and Levy brought out her solid script magic to drill through the rock. Erza caused her own destruction as she reequipped into her Heaven's Wheel armor. She took out a large chunk of rocks, and Rizzo wasn't about to be outdone.

"Well, looks like I need to step things up a notch." Rizzo said as she formed a violin. "Song of the Dancing Firecrackers!"

She played an upbeat tempo with many fiery orbs appearing around the cave. They all exploded and each explosion caused another chain of explosions sounding like many popping firecrackers.

"Whoa, watch it, Pinky!" Gajeel said. "You trying to light us all up?!"

"Sorry." Rizzo said while not looking that sorry. "Just trying to get things done."

"Whatever!" Gajeel snapped. "Just watch it."

Rizzo laughed before she continued on with her music, and more explosions happened. Gray continued with the demolition, and soon he opened up a hole in the roof.

"Looks like things are going well." Rizzo said as she paused in playing to stand next to Gray. "And what a romantic view of the stars, huh, Frosty?"

She asked his jokingly, and Gray chuckled in amusement. He was just glad they were getting somewhere. Rizzo then glanced backwards as the others continued destroying things.

"Well, we better keep working." Rizzo said. "Everyone here is working their butts off, so we better too. Now, Song of the Wild Things."

Her monsters appeared while completely busting up the place. Soon the floor was dropping out from underneath them, but the group didn't pay any mind. They just kept on destroying whatever was in their sight. As they worked, Rizzo could sense a great magic power forming above.

"Things are start to come to an end." She said. "Okay then one last push."

She wasn't the only one to sense this. Erza did as well, and she quickly destroyed more of the Astrius Spiritus while knowing it was time to give the final blow.

"Gray, time for a little teamwork." Rizzo called over to her frosty boyfriend.

"You've got it, babe." Gray said as he put his hands together.

The two started building up their magic with the air around them turning colder.

"Frozen Blizzard Dance!" They said in unison.


	122. Joining the Stars

Laelaps, who was sitting on her temporary throne, opened her eyes when sensing something.

"They defeated the trinatest." Laelaps said. "But he's still coming."

Laelaps stood up with her now silvery-white hair falling down past her waist. Her eyes were also silver in color now and her body had a slight glow. She looked down at her hand.

"This power." Laelaps said. "I feel it humming into my very depths. This is truly the power of the supernova. With this…I will be able to defeat the Spirit King."

There was then a roar that shook the entire palace. Laelaps looked forward knowing the battle has come. Laelaps went to step forward, but paused when Draco appeared behind her.

"Laelaps-sama, I am here to report that Horologium has deflected." Draco said. "Instead of going along with your wishes, he has went to fetch the humans…your master more specifically."

Laelaps frowned because she didn't want Lucy here when it came time for the battle. She didn't want to face the others once they realized what she sacrificed. She then sighed.

"It's alright." Laelaps said. "Things can't be changed now that's for certain, and I know why he's doing this. He merely wishes to save me even if it is too late to turn back."

Draco nodded his head while not surprised Laelaps wasn't upset. He didn't plan for her to be. He merely wished to warn her that she would soon have to face her master. The roaring then became louder, which meant there wasn't a moment to spare.

"Let's go, Draco." Laelaps said.

"Yes, your majesty." Draco said. "The humans are already within the Celestial World. We should see them soon."

* * *

Rizzo looked around with the others at the Celestial World with her eyes wide. She's never been here before, but based on some of the things Gray and Lucy told her about it…this wasn't what she was expecting. The place was dark and unwelcoming. It wasn't bright and colorful like Lucy had explained it at all. And this wind…it could cause some issues.

"Is this it?" Hisui asked. "It's barren!"

"This wind could be a problem." Erza said.

"It's nothing like the world we visited last time." Juvia said.

And it had her worried about all the other spirits who weren't in sight. Last time they had been everywhere and were so warm and welcoming. No there was no trace of them. She hoped they were alright.

"Why don't we ever go somewhere that rains fish and has a nice litterbox?!" Happy asked.

He would love to go to a place like that, but he doubted that'd ever happen. He just wasn't that lucky.

"Lucy-sama!" Horologium called out as he flew past the group. "Time is flying by!"

"Ah, Horologium!" She cried reaching towards him.

However, it was too late as he was swept away by the crazy wind. Lupus frowned looking at his fellow spirit go, and even if he wanted to help, he remained with Reva whom he was holding in his arms tightly as she sat on his lap. Lucy then stiffened as she looked forward with the others. Rizzo's eyes widened as she saw the large figure before them that was drawing in the planet like orbs around them.

"Looks like we found what was making all that noise." Gajeel said.

"Great, now what the hell is it?" Lily asked.

Rizzo had a feeling she knew exactly who was in front of them right now, and it didn't set well with her.

"Um, it's manly." Elfman said.

"It's the Celestial Spirit King." Elvashak spoke up as she helped Lupus keep Reva safe. "This is what the Eclipse Gate did to him."

The group gasped while turning to look at the two silver keys who remained protectively around their tiny master.

"…No way…" Lucy whispered with shocked eyes.

"That's the Celestial Spirit King?!" Hisui asked in surprise.

She never picture the Celestial Spirit King to look like the beast that was in front of them. It was like something out of someone's nightmares.

"How disturbing." Arcadios said.

"What happened to him?" Lucy asked. "He doesn't look anything like he did before."

"Yeah, well the Eclipse kind of warped his body along with his personality." Lupus said.

He then growled hoping that whatever Laelaps had planned worked, and that she'd show up soon because things were looking grimmer and grimmer by the second.

"Check it out!" Cana called out pointing. "Around its head thing."

The group looked closer at the orbs around the Celestial Spirit King's head to see that within those orbs…were the twelve Zodiac spirits.

"There's no mustache!" Happy exclaimed not seeming to notice what everyone else did.

"That's not what she's pointing at!" Carla snapped.

Happy blinked in confusion as Lily shook his head and sighed. He knew Happy could be a bit slow, but this was ridiculous. Where was Sanjū at a time like this? She could usually get Happy to focus if she needed to.

"I see them!" Gray said. "The Celestial Spirits are in those orbs!"

"Oh no." Yukino said.

She wished there was a way to get to them. She was so worried about not just her spirits, but the others as well.

"Does this mean the spirits are being held captive?" Wendy asked.

"Ah, Loke!" Natsu exclaimed when seeing the lion spirit.

"Don't worry." Lucy said. "We'll get you out of there, I swear!"

The wind then picked up roughly and suddenly again, which had the others trying to keep their footing. Rizzo and the rest then watched as the Celestial Spirit King—or rather Celestial Spirit Beast—sucked down the Zodiac Spirits as if they were just a little snack. Once he swallowed them the wind was gone, and he just stood there a moment.

"The wind is gone." Lily said.

"I guess he's full." Gajeel guessed. "He stopped pulling things in once he swallowed the Celestial Spirits."

Rizzo wanted to hit him for saying things so bluntly because that was kind of insensitive to say in front of Lucy and Yukino. However, she resisted the urge since now wasn't the time to pick a fight with Gajeel.

"No…they're gone?!" Lucy asked saddened.

"Don't worry." Natsu said as he stepped forward. "We can get them back once we take him down."

"Natsu's right." Erza said. "This is not the time to be disheartened."

Though she could understand Lucy's feelings since the younger mage loved her spirits so deeply.

"Let's go!" Erza ordered.

Everyone gave a shout as the Fairy Tailers and Yukino charged forward. Lupus and Elvashak kept Reva back since without them she wasn't much of a fighter. It'd be best if she remained with Hisui and Arcadios. That way if anything dangerous happened around the princess, Reva and her spirits would be close by to help. Lucy stayed back as well while certain she'd only get in her friend's way if she tried to help now. Gray and Rizzo were the first to attack with their two separate attacks, but the beast didn't even blink. Rizzo landed on one of the small planets with Gray while frowning.

"Doesn't look like he even noticed us." Gray said.

"Then let's hit him harder." Rizzo suggested.

However, before they could the Celestial Spirit Beast backhanded the planet they are, which destroyed it and sent them flying. Rizzo cried out in slight pain as she and Gray soared through the air before crashing into another planet.

"Attacking in smaller groups won't work." Erza said as she held two swords. "We need to strike at once with one well timed barrage!"

The others quickly prepared to do just that while wanting to end this as quickly as possible. They had friends to save and a world to boot. Everyone then attacked in unison. Even Rizzo and Gray who managed to get back onto their feet. The attacks all hit the beast with a large and bright explosion happening because of it. The light died down and the smoke soon cleared, which revealed the beast was completely unharmed.

"You've got to be kidding!" Happy said. "That didn't even hurt him at all?"

This guy was obviously tough, and it'd take a lot of power to put him down in this fight. He slouched over for a second before raising his head to give a mighty roar that made the entire Celestial World seem to shake. It slouched once more while crossing it arms out in front of it.

"I think it's about to counterattack!" Erza warned. "Stay on guard!"

Its shoulders started to bulge out, which had Rizzo wondering what it planned to do. He suddenly jerked back while letting out an even louder roar that sent the mages flying from where they were. Rizzo gasped while almost flying past Gray who had managed to grab some rock. However, he grabbed her wrist while tugging her closer to his body. She reached out to wrap her arms around his torso.

"Don't let go!" He shouted over the roaring as he put his arm around her waist.

"Wasn't planning to." Rizzo retorted sassily.

If the situation was different, Gray probably would have rolled his eyes at her or told her to watch the attitude. But now wasn't the time. The roaring soon stopped with the others able to catch their bearings.

"All that just from one swing?!" Carla asked shocked.

"It looks like everyone is okay though." Wend said.

However, she was proven wrong when she looked to the side to see Natsu and Happy eating a whole lot of dirt. She stands corrected.

"Don't falter now." Erza said. "Keep up the pressure!"

"Right!" Everyone else replied.

Rizzo wasn't ready to give up anytime soon. As long as she continued to keep moving, she wasn't about to stop fighting. As the mages attacked, Hisui wondered if this thing even had any weaknesses. It had to, right? It couldn't just be invincible. Everything has a weakness. They just had to find it.

"We can't let it get off another swing like that." Gray said as he and Rizzo rushed forward to attack. "Let's take out its arms!"

"Don't know how well that'll work, but let's give it a shot!" Rizzo said.

She and Gray jumped forward to attack the beast, but it suddenly pointed its finger at Rizzo. Her eyes widened as she gasped when its finger started to glow red.

"Rizzo!" Gray shouted as he landed on another planet.

Rizzo was hit by the light with her body flying up into the stars. Everyone was shocked when seeing their friend had literally joined the stars as a constellation.

 _…I'm sorry…everyone…_

Those were her last fading words until she seemed to become no more, which had her friends looking horrified.

"I don't believe it." Carla said. "She's a constellation!"

"That light changed her!" Wendy said with her eyes tearing up.

"RIZZO!" Gray called her name loudly.

Natsu remained in the sky with Happy with his entire body shaking as his head was bowed. Happy looked at his friend in worry when a growl seemed to leave his lips. Natsu then looked up looking positively livid.

"Mustache-face, you're going to pay." Natsu snarled. "No one messes with Rizz and lives to tell about it!"

Before Natsu could rush forward with his own attack, Elfman and Cana tried to attack themselves. However, they were hit by the bright red light, which sent them into the stars like Rizzo.

"Oh no." Lucy said. "Is this what happened to Loke and the others when we closed their gates?"

Were their guildmates doomed to the same fate as the Zodiac spirits? Was there any way to change them back?

"He won't get away with this." Natsu growled as his hands clenched into fists.

He wouldn't let the beast get away with harming his guildmates. Especially Rizzo. The only person madder about the situation than him was Gray who turned to glare towards the Celestial Spirit Beast.

"How do we turn them back to normal?" Wendy whimpered.

"By making that Celestial Freak feel the wrath of Fairy Tail!" Gray said.

"Not much of a plan, but it's our only option." Hisui said.

Gray didn't care if there was a smarter way to go about this. He just wanted to beat the living hell out of off the Celestial Beast to save not only his guildmates, but his girl as well. There is no way he'd leave her in the sky as a constellation. He'd save her no matter what he had to do.

"If we live long enough to carry it out." Arcadios said.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Lily, who had been carrying Gajeel, was shot by the light as well. Gajeel gasped as he dropped towards the ground while Lily became a constellation with the others.

"Lily!" Gajeel shouted. "Dammit!"

He couldn't believe he let his friend be taken down like that. He should have been more on guard. Gajeel then stiffened while looking over his shoulder to see the beast was aiming at him now. However, before he could be hit, he was suddenly shoved out of the way by Levy. She smiled and winked at Gajeel despite the situation.

"Saved you." She said before the light hit her.

She was soon in the sky as well, which had Lucy calling out her name in worry. Not Levy too. Gajeel growled as he stood up while clenching his fists.

"Idiot, why couldn't you mind your own business?" Gajeel asked her even while knowing she wouldn't reply.

Wendy, who was tired of her friends being hurt, tried to attack the beast on her own. However, it proved a bad mistake since she and Carla were soon hit by the beam as well. Wendy let out a scream before she was silenced while becoming a constellation.

"No way!" Natsu said.

"Carla, come back!" Happy cried.

He couldn't be the feline of his dreams was just turned into a constellation, and there was nothing he knew to do to help her.

"Man, that stupid light makes it impossible to get near him." Natsu complained.

"I have to avenge Carla." Happy said. "Let's go!"

"This is for our friends!" Natsu said.

He went to attack, but the beast sent out those beams of light like rapid fire. Natsu and Happy were forced to duck for cover as were the others.

"Crap, we can't catch a break here!" Gray growled.

"He's forcing us to play nothing but defense." Erza said frowning.

This was getting them nowhere, but it wasn't as if they could move. One wrong move, and they'd be stuck in the sky along with their guildmates. That wouldn't save anyone, or finish this battle. Suddenly there was another scream, which had Lucy gasping.

"Yukino!" Lucy shouted.

Yukino soon joined the others amongst the stars, and she wasn't the only one. Reva was hit by the beam as well, which had her spirits shouting her name in concern.

"Master!" Lupus howled.

"Master Reva!" Elvashak cried then suddenly slumped over. "I don't feel too good all of a sudden."

Lupus growled feeling weakened as well as he dropped to his knees unable to stand.

"Oh no," Lucy said. "Are they being affected by Reva being turned into a constellation?"

She watched as the two spirits fell unconscious on the ground while looking a lot paler in color.

"You guys!" Lucy called out to them.

They didn't answer as they remained laying on the ground. Arcadios and Hisui was then in danger as a blast of light went at them directly. Arcadios tried blocking it with his sword, which did hold of its affects for a few moments. And before anyone could give them aid, they too joined the rest amongst the stars.

"This can't be happening." Lucy said.

It felt like a horrible nightmare that she wasn't waking up from. It didn't matter how much she wanted it all to be a dream…she knew it wasn't, which was the scariest thing of all.

"That's it!" Natsu said. "I'm putting your light show out of business."

There was suddenly another roar that didn't belong to the Celestial Spirit King that had the entire group looking up. Lucy gasped when a large black dragon was soaring through the sky. However, this one was different than Acnologia. It was covered in blue and white markings that made it look as if it a dragon of the sky since it was covered in what looked like stars. It also had a longer snout than Acnologia, and honestly, it was bigger than the black dragon they knew so well.

"It's a freaking dragon!" Natsu exclaimed.

"I really hope we don't have to fight it too." Gajeel griped.

They had enough on their plate as it is. They couldn't add a dragon on top of that. Especially a dragon that was bigger than any of the other dragons they've seen.

"No, I don't think it's here to attack us." Lucy said.

"How do you figure that?" Gray asked.

Lucy just pointed silently as tears started to enter her eyes. Her guildmates turned to look where she pointed to see someone was standing on the head of the dragon. The tears started rolling down Lucy's cheeks as she recognized the figure on top of the dragon. She might look a bit different now, but Lucy would know her anywhere.

"Laelaps." Lucy said. "She's here and she's alright."

Natsu grinned while glad to see the dog spirit. When Loke appeared when they were first dealing with Ophiuchus, he hadn't said what happened to Laelaps. Even when Natsu demanded to know what happened, Loke said nothing and ignored Natsu's questions all together. But seemed as if Laelaps was okay. Laelaps seemed to say something to the dragon, which growled in reply. Laelaps jumped from its head to go to the others as the dragon circled around to face the Celestial Beast. The two roared at each other before clashing in battle. The dragon threw the beast as easily as Natsu would a ball, and the beast crashed down onto another planet.

"Whoa!" Natsu said grinning. "That dragon has some serious power."

"It's crazy." Gajeel said with wide eyes.

Laelaps landed on the same small planet as Lucy with the blonde running towards her.

"Laelaps, you're alright!" Lucy said while throwing her arms around the dog spirit. "I was so worried. I didn't know what happened to you."

Laelaps put her arms around Lucy though said nothing in return as the blonde cried into her shoulder. Lucy didn't need her to speak though. Lucy was just glad she was safe. Lucy finally pulled away while smiling at Laelaps.

"I am sorry it took so long to return to you, Alpha." Laelaps said. "I went ahead to try and defeat Leo to end this all before it came to this. I failed, and had to come up with another plan for this situation."

Lucy blinked wondering what Laelaps had in mind. The others quickly gathered around to hear Laelaps's plan as the dragon fought the beast.

"You know of a way to beat him?" Erza asked.

Laelaps nodded her head before looking towards the Celestial Spirit Beast as it howled at Draco in anger.

"There is a power that the Celestial Spirit King has kept locked away in his palace ever since the beginning of the universe." Laelaps said. "Or rather there is an object he has in his possession that helped him balance the power amongst the stars."

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked. "Balance?"

"You see, when a new Celestial Spirit is born, a portion of their power is locked away within them." Laelaps explained. "It's a power that could be dangerous to the spirits themselves because it is unstable. The power grows over time the longer the spirit lives sometimes to the point where the seal within them breaks because it can no longer contain the burning power within."

Lucy frowned because that didn't sound good at all. It sounded as if that would be bad on the spirit. It fact, it sounded fatal to the spirit.

"This power is known as Supernova." Laelaps continued. "It has the same power if not more than your Etherion Cannon your council has at their disposal."

"Say what?!" Gray asked. "Really? You all walk around with that kind of power inside of you? Why not use it more often?"

Natsu was wondering that too. The Celestial Spirits could kick some total ass with that kind of power.

"Because using that power is a onetime deal." Laelaps said. "Once the power is unlocked, a Celestial Spirit may only use it once and for a small period of time. Also the power has to have time to wake up from its dormant state."

"Well, that's kind of lame." Natsu said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Lucy shushed him since this wasn't the time for his silly little comments. They needed to learn Laelaps's plan then help in anyway they can.

"I unlocked the dormant power within me before you all arrived." Laelaps said. "And I have been waiting for it to awaken completely, which is why I didn't arrive here sooner with Draco."

She glanced towards Draco as he was pinned by the Celestial Beast. However, he soon shoved it off of him before biting down on its neck to pin it in return.

"It should just take a few more seconds." Laelaps said as she looked down at her hand with her fingers twitching slightly as the power shifted unstably underneath her flesh. "Once it is ready, you all must get away from here. This power is unstable. If you get too close, you will get hurt or worse you will be killed."

Lucy frowned because she didn't want to leave Laelaps alone in defeating the beast. She wasn't the only one unpleased with this plan either. Natsu was frowning as well with his eyes narrowed. Laelaps was trying to take all the burden onto herself again, which had him wondering if there were things she was leaving out from what she was telling them.

"You needn't worry." Laelaps said as she looked towards the mages. "Once the power is completely awakened, I will have twice the power as the Celestial Spirit King. It should only take me a few moments to defeat him. Once that is over, things should return to normal, and everything will be balanced again between the stars and the human world. The Zodiac Spirits will also return to normal."

"I see." Erza said. "You seem to know what's best to do. We do not wish to get in your way. We will fall back."

"If you think that's what's best." Gray said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "But what about our friends who got turned into constellations?"

"They will return to normal as well." Laelaps assured Gray.

Gray nodded his head while glad to hear that. He wanted Rizzo back as soon as possible.

"Thank-you for all you have done." Laelaps said as she started walking past the mages. "You all…are the kindness humans I have ever known and have had the pleasure of calling friends to the Celestial Spirits. I hope…you can forgive us for the trouble we have caused you."

"There is nothing to be forgiven." Lucy said as she smiled gently at Laelaps. "We did this because we're friends, and friends help each other when in need."

Laelaps, who was shedding a few tears silently, smiled while keeping her back to the mages.

"Yes, I suppose that's true." Laelaps said keeping her voice steady. "Now please, get back while you can."

"Right." Erza said. "We'll leave things to go. Let's move back, everyone!"

Gray, Gajeel, and Lucy went to follow after Erza immediately, but Natsu remained in place for a second.

"Hey," He said to Laelaps.

She tilted her head towards him to let him know she was listening, but she didn't turn around. She didn't need him to see her tears.

"Everything is going to be okay after this, right?" Natsu asked.

Laelaps knew he was really asking if she would be okay after this. He obviously wanted to know if she was planning another suicide plan. Laelaps bit her lip knowing the next words to come out from them would be a lie.

"Of course." Laelaps said. "Once all this is over things will go back to normal. And we can all go on that picnic on Star Hill as you and Rizzo planned."

Natsu was silent for a moment before a grin pulled across his face since he took her lie.

"Great." Natsu said then laughed. "Then give him hell, Laelaps."

"Right." Laelaps said nodding.

Natsu hurried after the others when Laelaps suddenly felt a surge of power. She gasped while clutching her torso, which was burning as if her entire being was on fire. She fell to her knees as her eyes widened at the pain.

"T…This power…!" She gasped out. "It's…it's like nothing I've ever felt before!"

She could already see why this power was locked away. There was no way a spirit could live with it burning through them all the time. Their bodies wouldn't be able to take it. Laelaps hunched forward with her head pressed against the ground.

"It's like every cell in my body is on fire!" She cried then grit her teeth. "But I have to endure it. I have to control this power!"

She forced herself back into her kneeling position as her entire body started to glow brightly. She huffed forcing herself into a standing position as her body started to shift. Lucy gasped from where she stood with the others as Laelaps body started to contort and shift. She grew large with her white hair starting to cover her entire body. It took a few moments, but soon a large white dog that was about half the size of the Celestial Spirit Beast stood where Laelaps had. It reared its head back and howled, which brought the dragon and the beast to a standstill. Laelaps turned her eyes on the beast with her lips curling back into a snarl. Power radiated off of Laelaps, and it almost scared Lucy with how much her spirit was giving off.

"Laelaps." Lucy whispered.


	123. What It Means to Go Supernova

"Whoa, she looks totally awesome!" Natsu said with wide eyes.

He couldn't believe how badass Laelaps looked down with her new appearance. He had no idea she could transform like that.

"Now isn't the time for that, Magna Breath!" Gray snapped.

However, Natsu didn't seem to hear them, which had Gray growling in aggravation. Gray then just let out a huff since he didn't feel like dealing with Natsu at the moment. Gray looked towards the sky where Rizzo's constellation was. He hoped she was back to normal soon. He looked back to the fight as Laelaps let out another howl and charged towards the Celestial Beast by jumping form planet to planet. The dragon quickly got out of the way while letting Laelaps jump onto the Celestial Beast.

It let out a roar as Laelaps bit down into its neck with her sharp fangs. As the beast tried to fling her off, the dragon moved backwards over the others. The dragon's body glowed before it shrunk down to the size of a human. It dropped down with the mages with a man landing in replace of the dragon. The man looked sickly pale with dark bags under his eyes as he huffed.

"Are you alright?" Erza asked the man.

She didn't know exactly who this man was, but he had to be an ally if he came to help them fight against the Celestial Spirit Beast.

"Well enough considering my master is now part of the stars." He said as he remained crouched down.

Lucy looked towards the dragon man in shock as he bowed his head taking deep breaths.

"Your one of Reva's spirits?" Lucy asked.

"Yes." He said. "I am Draco the Dragon. I wish I could be of more help, but I'm at my limit until my little master is restored to normal. We have to leave it to Laelaps-sama now."

Everyone looked back to the fight between Laelaps and the beast as it managed to get a hold of Laelaps. It tossed Laelaps away, and she crashed into one of the planets. Lucy gasped in worry for the large white dog while sure that had to have hurt her. However, Laelaps managed to get to her feet quickly. She let out another howl, but this time a bright white light shot out of her mouth. It hit the Celestial Beast so hard it put a whole in its torso. The backlash of the attack destroyed several planets, which had the mages realizing it really was a good thing they moved away.

"Amazing." Erza said as Laelaps jumped back at the beast to claw at its back, which left deep gashes. "She really does seem to have the same level of power as the Etherion."

The others didn't comment as they watched Laelaps hit the beast with one of those light blasts. It put another whole in it, and made it roar in pain. It reared back digging its fingers into her side. Laelaps snarled in pain before jerking away from its grip. A large gash was left in her side, but instead of blood…light poured out and her body seemed to crack around the wound as if she was made of glass.

"That isn't good." Draco said as he watched the fight as well. "The power is already burning through her body. If she receives another wound like that, things will be over before she can finish the beast off."

The mages looked at him sharply as he watched the fight while Laelaps managed to rip one of the beast's arms from its body.

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked. "What do you mean it'll be over?"

Draco frowned knowing Laelaps didn't wish for her friends to know of this, but they would find out at the end of this fight anyway.

"There is a reason using the power Supernova is a onetime thing for us Celestial Spirits." Draco said. "It's because the power is so great it burns up the host from the inside out. The power is unstable and the host's body cannot handle such unstable power. Eventually the body won't be able to hold up, and it'll be ripped apart and explode. In other words, the host dies once using this power."

"What?!" Lucy asked with tears entering her eyes. "That can't be! Laelaps wouldn't use such a power!"

Natsu's hands clenched into fists as he watched the battling Laelaps who kept putting holes in the beast with her power. She lied to him. Things wouldn't go back to normal…she'd be…she'd be gone by the end of this if things continued like they are now.

"Laelaps-sama chose to use the power willingly." Draco said to Lucy. "She is a ruler of her people even if only temporary. In her eyes, a queen should do whatever it takes to save her people and their way of life. Not only that, but Laelaps has always been a guardian. Someone who protects and fights for others. She's never known how to be anything else. No matter how many times she was hurt over the years, it didn't matter to her because she was doing what she saw as her life purpose. She was the same way during her life in the human world."

This caught Erza's attention as she looked towards the weakened dragon spirit.

"She once lived amongst humans?" Erza asked.

Draco nodded his head as he finally just sat down on the planet knowing there was no more he could do.

"She was once a dog of Kei." Draco said. "This dog protected the people of the island admirably for her entire life. She fought against invaders, hunted for the humans, and chased away any dangers. This dog never lost a battle or lost her prey. The people of Kei saw Laelaps as a hero of the people and revered her. The Celestial Spirit King saw her greatest even when she was just a simple dog living on a small island nation. And when she died, he offered her a place amongst the stars, so she could continue looking out for the human race."

Lucy had no idea some constellations had living lives in the human world. She didn't know it was possible.

"If the Celestial Spirit King gave her such an honor, why is she throwing it away now?" Gray asked.

"Our king appointed her as a protector of our realm, and she's doing what she things will do so." Draco said. "To her she isn't throwing away his gift. She's repaying him for it by saving his life with the life he gave her."

"I don't care!" Lucy said. "I…I can't just let my friend die! We have to stop this before it's too late!"

She had to find a way to save Laelaps before it was too late. Lucy couldn't imagine going home safe and sound without Laelaps. It wouldn't feel right. Lucy couldn't live knowing one of her precious friends were dead after sacrificing herself.

"It is too late." Draco said shocking the mages. "The moment she unlocked the Supernova within her, she became a ticking time bomb. It's only a matter of time before her body can no longer contain the Supernova. Even if you all go to aid her in battle now, the is no way to reverse the Supernova."

Lucy let out a sob as she dropped to her knees. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. This all couldn't be true.

"No." Lucy said crying. "No, this can't be happening. Please, tell me this is just a nightmare."

Erza knelt down beside Lucy to hug the blonde who continued to cry. Natsu growled as his body shook. He thought he had convinced Laelaps that moves like this weren't the way to go. That they could put things back in order by working together. Why did she do this? Did she really think it was the only way? Even if it was…she shouldn't have chosen this path.

"She knew you would be upset with this news." Draco said as the fight continued. "She wanted to hold off you knowing for as long as possible, but I thought you needed to know before…it happens."

"No…no…no." Lucy said shaking her head. "Please, please, there has to be a way to save her!"

Lucy would do anything to save Laelaps. She didn't want this. She didn't want to lose Laelaps. The roar of the beast had the group looking back to watch as Laelaps put a whole right through its chest. Dark light suddenly started shooting out of its body, which had Laelaps jumping backwards onto another planet. The light blasted out of the beast causing a small explosion before it started falling backwards. It suddenly crumbled away turning to a pile of rocks on top the planet.

"It's over." Draco said. "The Celestial World is safe now."

This didn't bring any happiness to the mages who knew this wouldn't be ending happily.

"Laelaps." Lucy whimpered as the dog, who looked weak all of a sudden, jumped over towards the rocks.

She dug around for a bit before she reached down to gently grasp something in her jaws. She pulled out the Celestial Spirit King himself from the rumble before carefully setting him down. Laelaps turned her large, furry head towards Lucy and the others with a sad look in her eyes. A look that tried to express how sorry she was.

"Laelaps." Lucy said as she stood.

Laelaps then turned away from the others while heading away from them, which had Lucy stumbling after her a few steps.

"No, Laelaps, come back!" Lucy begged. "Don't go! Please!"

Laelaps didn't listen, so Lucy desperately thought of a way to get the dog spirit back to her. Lucy reached for Laelaps's key thinking it might help. She didn't know what else to do after all. Lucy held out Laelaps key while pointing it towards Laelaps.

"Laelaps, come back!" Lucy said while trying to pour her own power into the key. "Come back!"

Lucy then gasped when seeing the key was glowing with cracks starting to appear in it.

"It's time." Draco said as he bowed his head. "Her body is at its limit."

Lucy dropped back onto her knees as she clutched Laelaps's key in her hand. Lucy looked to Laelaps who was a speck in the distance now. A large explosion then happened that shot white light through the Celestial World.

"LAELAPS!" Lucy wailed as the white light blinded everyone.

Once the light died down, the Celestial World was back to normal with everything as it once was. The mages paid it no attention as Lucy looked down at the stardust in her hands that was once Laelaps's key. Lucy cried with her tears hitting the dust dampening it.

"She's gone…she's really gone." Lucy sobbed.

The others didn't know what to say as the blonde continued to cry over Laelaps's death.

"Hey, everyone!"

The group looked up seeing all their friends who had been trapped in the stars were heading their way. Despite the situation, Gray grinned broadly when seeing Rizzo was alright. He stepped towards her while catching her in his arms when she jumped at him.

"Frosty." She murmured as she buried her head into his shoulder.

Gray never thought hearing that nickname would make him so happy, but it did. Especially when he thought he might not even hear her voice again.

"Draco, you're here." Reva said to her spirit. "Where are Lupus and Elvashak?"

"They were blown away during the battle, I believe." Draco said. "However, since things are back to normal, they should be fine wherever they are."

Reva nodded with a smile on her face because that was good to hear. She never wanted any of her spirits to be harmed. The others greeted each other and talked about how it was nice being back while not noticing Lucy's tears at the moment.

"I'm so glad everyone's back." Erza said getting their attention. "However, sadly, we did lose one friend during this battle. So it is not the time for celebration."

The others were confused, but then looked to Lucy who was still sobbing on the ground.

"Lulu?" Rizzo murmured while moving to kneel beside her.

Rizzo was going to ask what was wrong, but Lucy answered before Rizzo or any of them had to ask.

"She's gone." Lucy said. "Laelaps sacrificed herself for all of us."

Eyes widened in shock when Lucy said that before Rizzo saw what Lucy was holding. Was that…parts of Laelaps's key? Did it shatter?

"I'll never see her again." Lucy sobbed before falling into Rizzo. "Never ever."

The pinkette hugged Lucy gently as the blonde still carefully and protectively held the only thing she had left of Laelaps. Wendy whimpered as her own tears started to form. Reva and Yukino felt like crying as well while not even wanting to think about what Lucy was going through. Hisui's hands clenched into fists while feeling so much guilt for the pain Lucy had to be feeling. If she hadn't done what she did, none of this would have happened. Lucy wouldn't be crying right now, and a Celestial Spirit wouldn't be dead.

"And what of the other spirits?" Wendy asked. "Are they all alright?"

After asking a few of those Nikola spirits appeared while seeming curious of the visiting.

"It's the other Plues." Happy said pointing.

"Hey, what's up?" A familiar asked from behind the group.

The mages all turned their heads with their eyes widening when seeing all the Zodiac, who looked back to normal—minus Ophiuchus— walking their way.

"There they are!" Lily said pointing

Lucy felt more tears roll down her eyes at the sight of them, and while she was happy to see her other friends okay, her sadness over Laelaps being gone grew. How was going to tell Loke that Laelaps was gone? How would she be able to face him and the other spirits once they learn she was too weak to protect Laelaps?

"Pisces, Libra!" Yukino called happily as the Zodiac spirits reached them. "You're all back to normal."

The spirits smiled happy to see their masters, but Lucy's spirits soon noticed their master was in tears.

"Hey, Lucy, what's up?" Loke asked walking towards her. "What's wrong?"

Her other spirits started gathering around as well—even Aquarius—as the mages all grew somber again while looking down. Loke crouched in front of Lucy with worry in his eyes as Rizzo continued to hold the blonde. Loke looked to the pinkette for answers since Lucy just continued sobbing over the sparkling dust in her hands.

"Loke, do none of you remember why we're here?" Rizzo asked looking into his eyes. "Or what has happened over the last few days?"

Loke frowned in confusion wondering if he and the other spirits missed something important.

"What do you mean?" Loke said. "The last thing I remember is returning to the Celestial World with Laelaps, and now all of a sudden you're all visiting."

When Laelaps's name left his lips, another sob traveled through Lucy making her entire body shake. Draco frowned looking at the Zodiac spirits while having a feeling that what's happened has long been forgotten in their memories.

"Princess, have we upset you in some way?" Virgo asked as she tilted her head to the side.

Lucy shook her head silently as the tears continued to roll down her cheeks at a steady pace. Rizzo finally let out a sigh as she looked at all the Zodiac.

"It's a long story." Rizzo said.

"Which will be explained at a later date." Draco cut in.

Loke looked towards the older spirit as Draco remained sitting on the ground with his master at his side.

"Old man Draco." Loke said. "What do you mean? What happened? Why is our master in tears?"

He asked this with narrowed eyes to show he wasn't budging until he got his answers. Draco sighed though supposed there was no point in hiding it.

"The Celestial World was in complete chaos and on the verge to collapsing just seconds go." Draco said. "The Eclipse Gate had warped things not on in the human plane, but ours as well. It made our world dark, and if it wasn't for these brave mages and Laelaps-sama, we all would have perished."

The Zodiac all stiffened with their eyes widening. They couldn't believe their ears. If this all had really happened, why didn't they remember it?

"You all were changed the most." Draco continued. "Your personalities were altered, and you were bent on seeking true freedom even at the cost of your lives and the survival of the rest of our lives. To prevent the end of our world and the human world, Laelaps-sama called upon the power of the Supernova."

Loke was stunned completely silently as the rest of the Zodiac gasped in utter shock.

"Bu-but t-that power is fatal!" Aries said. "Laelaps knew that!"

"Laelaps-sama would never do something so foolhardy." Capricorn added.

The dog spirit was far too intelligent to use such a power when knowing it'd end her life.

"She was desperate." Draco cut in. "You all and even the Celestial Spirit King himself were leading our world to ruin. She saw the only way to save us…to save all of you was to use this power to defeat the Celestial Spirit King who had become beast without thought."

This stopped any words leaving the Zodiac as they tried to digest Draco's words. Aries sniffled as the words seemed to finally drive home. She covered her face with her hands as a sob left her. Capricorn put a consoling hand on her shoulder as he bowed his head. Laelaps was an honorable and gentle spirit, and she would be sorely missed in his opinion. Gemini sunk down to Taurus's shoulders while both looking disheartened by the news of their friend's passing. Virgo stood there silently with her hands clenching the front of her dress. She didn't cry nor did her expression change, but her clenched hands showed how upset she was.

"Laelaps, you stupid girl." Aquarius said actually looking like she might cry.

Laelaps was a dear friend to her. Someone she actually talked to about her worries of her and Scorpio's relationship. And Aquarius had always enjoyed the time the two spent together even if sometimes they bickered.

"She…she's gone?" Loke finally spoke up.

Lucy lifted her head to look at Loke as he looked down at the ground with his body shaking. Loke lifted his head partially with the tears rolling freely down his cheeks.

"That can't be." Loke said. "She can't be dead. She can't…"

Loke punched the ground hard causing it to crack from the force. He hit the ground again and again as he continued to cry.

"No, no, no!" He shouted. "She can't be gone! She…we finally repaired our relationship. I finally managed to have her forgive me completely for my past mistakes. I finally managed to confess to her properly. This can't be how things end! Not after I promised her we'd be together forever!"

Loke's friends all felt their hearts clench in sadness for his pain as he bowed with his head pressed against the stone path. Loke let the tears roll as Laelaps's smiling face appeared in his mind. They were finally going to complete the unity ceremony. In the human world, the unity ceremony could be seen as two people getting married. Loke wanted that. He wanted it badly. He wanted to say he and Laelaps were tied together as one, and that she was his to love for all their eternity. She's the only woman he as ever thought about sharing a life with. She's the only woman who he could love truly and completely.

"I'm sorry." Lucy said through the tears.

Loke finally lifted his head to look at Lucy as she continued to hold onto the remains of Laelaps's key.

"So sorry." Lucy said. "I…I was too weak to fight alongside her, so I couldn't save her. I failed her…I failed all of you. I'm sorry. I don't deserve to hold your keys in my possession. I don't deserve to be a Celestial Mage."

She was ready to give up her keys, so they could find proper owners. She was ready to give up being a mage. She didn't think she deserved to be one if she couldn't even protect one of her closest friends. Loke wiped at his eyes before looking Lucy right in the eye.

"Don't say that." Loke said. "You tried your hardest to help us all. You've always treated us with love. Laelaps fought and protected her mage as any of us would, so it's not your fault."

Her other spirits seemed to nod in agreement as they all stood around her. Lucy sobbed more while wondering how they could so easily forgive her.

"B-but Laelaps." Lucy whimpered.

"Do not shed tears, my old friends." A deep, familiar voice said.

Everyone looked up as the Celestial Spirit King himself appeared before them. Yukino and Hisui both gasped when seeing the king himself there. He was nothing like they imaged.

"Your majesty." Lucy said.

"Shards of memory." The Celestial Spirit King said. "Tattered recollections of a black and vile dream, and the few bits of cogent thought that remained…slipped my mind a few minutes ago. I suppose that's part of getting older"

"Well, he almost remembered." Happy said.

It seemed any of those who had been directly affected by the Eclipse had completely forgotten all that happened.

"However, I need no memories to sense that your arrival and the destruction of my black dream are intertwined." He continued to speak. "And in the place of whatever evil you've removed the white wind of rejuvenation now soars through my world. The specifics are of little consequence. Let it suffice to say I am deeply in your debt, and I intend to repay every last one of you. Including, my old friend, Laelaps the Great Dog. I ask you take care of her once more, Lucy Heartfilia."

Lucy was about to ask what he meant when he held out his right hand. Laying in his palm was an unconscious Laelaps whose appearance returned to normal. She looked a little worse for well, but she was in one piece. And Lucy could swear she could see Laelaps's chest rise and fall as she breathed deeply as if she were merely sleeping.

"La-Laelaps!" Lucy cried happily with her tears becoming those of joy.

She then gasped looking down at her hand when seeing Laelaps's key was once again in once piece.

"I found her adrift amongst the stars." The Celestial Spirit King said. "And while her body was mere stardust, I was able to give her physical form once more."

He moved closer to the others while kneeling down to place Laelaps with the others. Loke quickly stood up while opening up his arms. He carefully took the sleeping dog spirit from the king's hand to hold against his chest. He stared down at her peaceful expression for a moment before he smiled.

"You're okay." He said leaning down to press his forehead against her. "You're okay."

Lucy quickly got to feet to check on Laelaps as the others smiled. Rizzo was glad to see things did work out in the end. They didn't lose one of their friends after all, and the Celestial World was once again safe. Lucy touched Laelaps's arm gently with Laelaps starting to stir, which had Loke pulling back slightly. She opened her eyes with them landing on Lucy first.

"Alpha." Laelaps murmured then turned her eyes up on Loke. "Pussycat?"

"Hey, Beautiful." Loke said. "Miss me?"

Laelaps just stared up at his face for a long moment before tears entered her eyes. She smiled at Loke as the tears leaked down her cheeks.

"Yes." Laelaps said then moved to put her arms around his neck. "Don't leave me again, Leo, please."

"Whatever you want, Poochie." Loke said as he nuzzled the side of her neck. "I'll stay with you forever."


	124. 413th Part 1

Coco: Okay, guys, the next two chapters come from Juvia's 413th Episode. It was just so long, I had to cut the one chapter into two XD

* * *

As Rizzo prepared for the day, she hummed to herself. After the incident with the Celestial Spirits, things had once again become peaceful. Rizzo and the others paid witness to Loke and Laelaps's unity ceremony, which was like marriage before the Celestial Spirit King had sent them back to Magnolia where it was like time hadn't bugged an inch. Rizzo went back to taking jobs, which there were plenty of, but actually relaxed just the other day as she helped Natsu look after little Asuka.

It had been a nice break from the mage work though they had taken a few small time jobs. It had been fun though. Now as for today…well, Rizzo wasn't sure what she would. Perhaps take another job, or something else entirely. She'd just have to wait and see.

"Time to start another day." Rizzo muttered to herself as she stepped out of her closet.

She had on a white corset top that stopped above her midriff. Over her top was a neon green leather vest that stopped below her bosom. Then she had on black fingerless gloves that went up to her elbows. On her legs were pink stockings, finally on her feet were black combat boots that had pink laces. She let out a yawn then went to leave her room. After stepping out of her room, she saw Juvia hurrying in her direction.

"Oh, Juvia, good-morning." Rizzo said as she raised her hand.

She then blinked curiously when Juvia latched onto that hand for dear life while looking at her intently.

"Rizzo-chan!" Juvia exclaimed. "Juvia needs your help."

Rizzo blinked again as she wondered what Juvia needed her help with, and why Juvia looked as if this favor could lead to life or death.

"Juvia needs to find the perfect gift for Craylee-sama!" Juvia explained.

"The…perfect…gift?" Rizzo asked.

Juvia nodded her head vigorously as she continued to hold on tightly to Rizzo's hand.

"May I ask why you're getting him a present?" Rizzo asked.

"Juvia wishes to give Craylee-sama a gift for our 413th Anniversary!" Juvia explained.

Rizzo was once again confused since she had no idea what Juvia meant by their 413th Anniversary.

"It's been that long since Craylee-sama saved Juvia from the rain." Juvia explained as she blushed.

Rizzo "ah-ed" while finally understanding what Juvia meant by their 413th Anniversary. Rizzo then smiled thinking it was sweet that Juvia wanted to celebrate today even if some might not really understand its significance.

"So you want my opinion on choosing the perfect gift for Craylee, huh?" Rizzo asked.

"Yes, yes, please!" Juvia said.

"Honestly, Juvia, Craylee is the hardest person to pick a gift for." Rizzo said. "My brothers and I have given him sewing kits, new magic thread, new needles, new clothes, and new fabrics. This all seems like something he'd want, right?"

Juvia nodded her head because those things really sounded like something her beloved would want. He is always sewing and making new clothes and such.

"He hated all those things." Rizzo said. "Apparently, he doesn't want things he'd buy for himself anyway."

Juvia hung her head seeing that buying her beloved a gift had gotten even more complicated.

"Craylee is a complicated creature." Rizzo said in a sage like manner. "He is still an enigma to this very day."

"Yes, Craylee-sama is a complex man." Juvia agreed as she smiled. "But his mysteriousness is one of the things Juvia loves about him the most. He just keeps surprising me."

Rizzo chuckled because most wouldn't see it like that. Most get annoyed with how much of a paradox Craylee always seems to be.

"Well, how about we ask a few others what they think?" Rizzo asked.

"Yes!" Juvia said. "Take a poll! Erza-san and Wendy-san suggested this as well. Will you help Juvia?!"

"Sure." Rizzo said nodding. "Let's go see Levy first."

Juvia nodded her head then practically started dragging Rizzo down the hallway just as Sanjū was walking out of her and Rizzo's room. Sanjū watched the bluenette drag off her roommate while wondering what was going on now. Sanjū blinked then decided she wasn't awake enough to ask and hear the probably ridiculous answer Juvia would give her.

"Tea first." Sanjū decided as she nodded.

She turned to start heading towards the kitchen where she could make herself from fresh tea.

"Sanjū-san~!"

Sanjū stiffened with her eyes widening as she turned her head to see Juvia had heard her, and turned around to head in her direction while pulling Rizzo along.

"Oh, Juvia, good-morning." Sanjū said as the bluenette and pinkette stopped in front of her.

Juvia smiled at Sanjū while finally letting go of Rizzo who straightened her clothes now that she was released from Juvia's hold.

"Sanjū, Juvia is sorry to bother you, but I wish to ask you something." Juvia said. "If you could gift a man with a gift, what would you give him?"

"A man?" Sanjū asked.

"Juvia wants to get the perfect gift for Craylee, so she's asking all the girls in the dorm what'd they gift someone." Rizzo explained. "So think of it this way, if you were going to give someone you are in love with a gift, what would you get him?"

Sanjū blinked before she started to feel her fur start to warm up as a certain panther-like Exceed entered her mind. She had no idea what to get Lily. Maybe a sword polishing kit. Or kiwis. Would he like kiwis? Why was she even thinking about this? It wasn't as if she had feelings for Lily.

"Hey, Sanjū, you still with us?" Rizzo asked.

Sanjū snapped out of it while seeing that Rizzo was crouched in front of her with the pinkette's hand waving in front of her face.

"Oh, yes, sorry." Sanjū said then cleared her voice. "Um, well, I don't know what to say since I'm not in love…obviously."

Juvia let out a forlorn a sigh while hanging her head. She really hoped Sanjū would think of something since the pink feline was so smart.

"Oh yeah?" Rizzo asked. "So you weren't just thinking about Lily?"

Sanjū blushed darkly with her pink fur actually turning a bit red in tint, which had Rizzo grinning in amusement.

"I was doing no such thing!" Sanjū denied. "Now if you excuse me, I have tea to make."

Sanjū marched off with Rizzo lightly chuckling since she knew she was right. Sanjū had been thinking about Lily.

"Well, let's get to Levy then." Rizzo said as she stood up. "She's probably rearranging her books again as we speak."

Rizzo started heading in the direction of Levy's room with Juvia following right after. Rizzo reached Levy's room while giving a knock.

"Levy, it's me and Juvia." Rizzo called out as she started opening the door. "Mind if we come in?"

"Nope, come on in." Levy called back.

Rizzo opened the door fully while stepping into Levy's room with Juvia following after. Juvia's eyes widened as she looked around at the tall selves that were full of nothing but books.

"It's really amazing what you've done with your room." Juvia complimented. "Looks like half a library in here."

"It's more of a practical thing than a decorating choice, but thanks." Levy said as she flipped through another book before putting it away. "What can I do for ya?"

Levy then pulled out another book to flip through as Rizzo was skimming one of the shelves.

"Well, Juvia has decided to get a present for someone, but I want it to be perfect." Juvia explained. "So if you could have any gift, what would you want?"

"Books." Levy said without missing a beat. "Studying these ancient tombs, I rarely have enough reference materials as I need. If you gave me an encyclopedia on the history of Bosco, I'd swoon."

Rizzo sweat-dropped though guessed she and Juvia shouldn't be surprised by Levy's answer.

* * *

"I'm sorry I just can't decide." Cana said then held up a wine bottle. "Between wine and liquor~"

She then took a large gulp of wine as Rizzo shook her head. She really didn't understand how Cana could drink so much.

"Somehow that doesn't surprise Juvia." Juvia said.

"Yeah, doesn't surprise me much either." Rizzo said with a sigh. "And, Cana, where'd you even get the wine at this hour?"

Rizzo was sure any wine/liquor joints in town weren't open this early, and Cana probably hasn't even left the dorm since she got up this morning.

"Snagged it from the kitchen cellar!" Cana said then held out the bottle. "Keep your mouths shut and you can have some."

"Oh, thanks, Juvia would love to, but I better get back to this whole gift thing." Juvia declined as nicely as possible.

Rizzo just pushed the bottle back towards Cana using her pointer finger as she sighed.

"You know I don't drink." Rizzo said.

Cana just shrugged then took another jug form the bottle, which had Rizzo shaking her head. She then left the room with Juvia right at her side.

"I guess Laki is next." Rizzo said then glanced at Juvia. "I warn you now…you will see many horrors while in Laki's room. I suggest you don't make eye contact with her if she's making another one of her _playthings_."

Juvia gulped wondering what kind of horrors could be in Laki's room. Rizzo led Juvia to Laki's room, which was actually below Fairy Hills in the basement. Rizzo took the steps down then stopped in front of the closed door. Rizzo took a deep breath then knocked on the door.

"Laki, can I come in?" Rizzo called out.

The only answer was the door slowly swinging open, which had Juvia scooting closer to Rizzo for protection. Rizzo stepped into the room with Juvia holding onto her arm. Juvia looked around with wide eyes when seeing all the wooden torture devices littering the room. Rizzo spotted Laki over in a dimly lit corner working on something, which had her frowning. Great Laki was making a new toy, which meant the wood-make mage would want to use it on someone.

"If you're busy, Laki, we can come back another time." Rizzo said.

"No, it's alright." Laki said. "How may I help you?"

Juvia noticed that Laki's voice had a slightly creepy undertone compared to how she usually sounded, which had Juvia feeling a bit more freaked out.

"Juvia's asking all the girls in the dorm what they'd want as a gift, or what they'd give someone they were in love with." Rizzo explained. "You got any ideas."

Laki gave a slightly creepy chuckle, which had Juvia clutching onto Rizzo's arm by now as the pinkette was grimacing. Rizzo really didn't like visiting Laki. The lilac-haired woman can be really creepy while in her natural element.

"I suppose I could think of a few." Laki said almost sounding cryptic.

Rizzo frowned really wondering if Laki was going to be difficult. She was always like this when working on her toys.

"Spit it out." Rizzo said frowning.

"If you're looking for an offering that will make men thrash around in the feels, look no further." Laki said. "In my experience, life's greatest pleasures bear the tint of pain."

Rizzo wondered if Max felt the same way about this as Laki did. Of course, the two aren't together…officially, but let's just say Rizzo has seen things happen during a usual Fairy Tail event between Max and Laki and a broom. Rizzo had been pretty shaken up by it, so she had pretended not to see it and never spoke of it to anyone.

"Juvia's not sure I agree." Juvia said.

"Yeah, not everyone is a masochist, Laki." Rizzo added. "And Craylee for certain doesn't want to be feeling the pain…he might like to dish it out though."

Rizzo took on a thoughtful look while knowing her brother does have a bit of a sadistic side. However, she didn't know if his slight sadism went into the "kinky" stuff. Honestly, she didn't want to find out, so she's going to stop thinking about it immediately. Juvia, however, couldn't stop thinking about it now that Rizzo mentioned something. Juvia had a deep blush on her face as she imagined Craylee as a dominant and slightly cruel lover.

-JUVIA'S FANTASY-

 _Juvia, who was in her underwear, was laid out on a wooden torture table with her legs and arms tied down. Her limbs were stretched out painfully far, which had her whimpering._

" _Craylee-sama, Juvia is hurting." Juvia said with tears collecting in her eyes._

 _Craylee let out a deep chuckle while stepping into the light to look down at Juvia._

" _And you're going to hurt for a while longer." Craylee said as he let his fingers ghost across her pale skin, which sent shivers down her spine. "Seeing those tears honestly gets me excited, so I'm going to make you cry for a bit longer, Juvia. Then we can move onto the baby making. You want that don't you?"_

 _He then tightened the ropes on her wrists, which had her wincing in pain a bit._

" _Y-yes, Craylee-sama." Juvia gasped out. "Juvia wants to give Craylee-sama many babies."_

-END OF JUVIA'S FANTASY-

"Punishment…Craylee-sama…babies…" Juvia muttered as she continued blushing.

Rizzo looked at Juvia with her brows furrowed while not sure if she wanted to know what the bluenette was thinking about now.

"It takes an opened mind to please your man." Laki continued speaking. "With a piece like this the possibilities are endless."

Laki then looked back at the two women as Rizzo was trying to snap Juvia out of whatever she was fantasizing about. Rizzo stiffened when seeing the glint in Laki's eye.

"Well, thanks." Rizzo said. "You've given us a lot to think about, so we better get going."

Rizzo hurriedly pushed Juvia out the door before anything else creepy could happen. Once the door shut behind them, Rizzo let out a sigh while leaning against the door.

"I think I just lost a few years of my life by going in there." Rizzo said to herself.

* * *

Rizzo and Juvia both gave a sigh as the two of them walked through one of the halls in Fairy Hills. It seemed as if they weren't going to get any good advice here.

"Maybe we should ask Mira." Rizzo said. "She's like the love guru. Or maybe Bisca. She is happily married after all, so she has to know how to make a man happy. Or maybe Amarante. She and Laxus are in a happy relationship."

Well, Amarante was on cloud nine, and Laxus was just…well, Laxus. It was hard to tell what he was feeling. It wasn't like he was treating Amarante any differently than before they became an official couple though Laxus claims things haven't changed from how they were seven years ago, and technically there was no big change or announcement. Well, he did give Amarante a bit more affection in public, which kind of led everyone to assuming that they were official.

"You're in a happy relationship too, Rizzo-chan." Juvia pointed out. "What would you get Gray-san as a present?"

Rizzo paused in walking to look up thoughtfully. Juvia paused as well to look at Rizzo.

"Gees, that's actually a really hard question to answer." Rizzo said. "Getting a present for Gray would be so different than getting a gift for Natsu, and not because they're two different people. More like there's more pressure to find the right present for Gray since he's my boyfriend."

"Yes, Juvia completely understands." Juvia said nodding in sympathy.

Rizzo scratched the back of her head while really trying to think of something for Gray. What would she get him as a present? Something he could keep for a very long time? Or something like food, which he could only enjoy for a short while. Whatever she got him she'd want it to show how much she loves him.

"Well, I have no clue." Rizzo said. "Anyway, we should probably think of someone else to talk to for advice."

"Yes, but who do we ask now?" Juvia asked.

Rizzo and Juvia sighed once more while starting to walk down the hallway. As Rizzo was passing by a window, she saw Amarante outside sitting on one of the large tree branches in the tall oak tree by Fairy Hills.

"Hey, it's Amarante." Rizzo said.

Juvia turned her head seeing Amarante for herself. Rizzo jumped back in surprise when Juvia zoomed over to the window to quickly lift it open.

"Amarante-san!" Juvia called out.

Amarante turned her head to look at Juvia curiously as Rizzo was straightening her clothes.

"Yes, Juvia?" Amarante asked.

"Can Juvia ask you a question?" Juvia asked.

Amarante blinked then nodded her head. Juvia stepped back as Amarante jumped from the tree branch to land on the windowsill. Amarante sat down on the windowsill with one leg pulled to her chest as the other swung back and forth outside the dorm house.

"Amarante-san, if you were going to get Laxus-san the perfect present, what would you give him?" Juvia asked.

"The perfect present for Laxus?" Amarante asked.

"Yeah, Juvia is trying to take a poll to find out what the perfect present would be for Craylee." Rizzo explained.

Amarante nodded in understanding as she smiled. She thought it was cute how hard Juvia was trying to get something to make Craylee happy.

"Well, I'm not sure if this will help you out, but I'd get Laxus a new sound pod." Amarante said. "Actually, I already bought him a new sound pod because unfortunately his old one fizzled out after many years of use."

"Man that is so sad." Rizzo said while actually tearing up. "The end of a sound pod is truly a tragedy."

Rizzo doesn't like it when any ally of the music world fizzles or dies. It's just really sad.

"And I actually managed to find one of the older models since I know he prefers them." Amarante added as her smile widened. "But I don't think a sound pod is what Craylee would want. Maybe something to do with sewing."

"Nope, I've tried that before." Rizzo deadpanned. "He'll just complain."

Amarante laughed lightly while actually not that surprised to hear that. Craylee is a complicated guy.

"Well, sorry, that I was of no help." Amarante said.

"No, it's alright." Juvia said. "Thank-you for trying, and Juvia hopes that Laxus-san likes your present for him."

Amarante thanked her before turning her head when a door started opening down the hall. Juvia and Rizzo looked as well as Evergreen was coming out of her room.

"Evergreen-san, hey!" Juvia said while heading over towards her.

As Juvia went to speak with Evergreen, Rizzo remained beside Amarante while the older woman remained sitting on the windowsill.

"So is Juvia the only one planning to get her other half a gift?" Amarante asked Rizzo. "Or are you thinking of something to give Gray?"

"I haven't given it any thought." Rizzo said shrugging. "When Juvia asked me straight out what I'd give Gray, I wasn't all that sure what to give him."

"Giving a gift to your other half is always hard." Amarante sympathized.

Rizzo guessed gift giving was just something a lot harder than most people make it out to be.

"Rizzo-chan, let's go to the guildhall." Juvia said while running back over to her. "Evergreen-san gave Juvia a wonderful idea!"

"Alright." Rizzo said as Juvia took her hand to pull her along. "I guess going there couldn't hurt."

* * *

Rizzo sat on the back of the bench Natsu and Happy were sharing as the two of them were stuffing their faces. Juvia had asked them what they wanted seconds ago, but they didn't stop eating.

"What kind of present would you like?" Lucy, who was sitting across from them, prompted Natsu.

Natsu paused long enough in stuffing his face to turn towards Juvia while holding up his plate.

"I'd want to get more food." Natsu said.

"More specifically more fish." Happy added as he turned around as well.

Rizzo snorted in amusement as her best friend and Happy continued to gorge themselves.

"Juvia doesn't think a gift of fish would please my darling Craylee-sama as it would you." Juvia said as she sweat-dropped.

Craylee really wasn't one to stuff his face, so food didn't seem like the logical choice.

"Everyone loves fish, trust me!" Happy insisted.

"The key is that you give him a stupid amount of it." Natsu added as he was chewing around a piece of meat he had shoved into his mouth. "Like enough for five people!"

Rizzo reached forward to pull the bone out of the meat before Natsu could choke himself on it.

"Just because your life revolves around food doesn't mean that his does." Lucy pointed out.

"I've got to agree with her, Natsu." Rizzo said.

Natsu shrugged his shoulders as he continued to munch happily on the meat in his mouth. Since he and Happy didn't seem like they'd be much help, Juvia turned to the table on her other side, which had Elfman and Gajeel sitting at it.

"What kind of presents would you guys like to receive?" Juvia asked.

The two men turned to look at Juvia as she mentally prayed they had good ideas.

"What? If I could choose from anything?" Elfman asked then struck a pose as he sparkled. "I'd want a man!"

Rizzo frowned with her eyebrow twitching. Elfman was being as clueless as always. And didn't he realize how some people could take his statement?

"I'd take a white suit and a slick guitar." Gajeel said as he grinned. "Toss me a red rose to bite into, and we're good."

"I see you're keeping it classy." Rizzo said. "And a good guitar does sound like an amazing present."

Gajeel grinned glad someone saw it his way. Of course, Rizzo was someone who appreciated music just as much as him, so they have a very good understanding when it comes to anything music related.

"Craylee-sama would look incredibly dashing with a setup like that." Juvia said as she blushed.

"Yeah, rock star isn't really Craylee's thing." Lucy pointed out.

Sven and Breccan nodded in agreement as Jaser just was stuffing his face full of food.

"What about you three?" Juvia asked as she turned to the three men. "What would you like?"

"Food." Jaser said without missing a beat. "Wait, nope, I'd want sand. Like a really big jar of sand."

Jaser was practically drooling as he thought about this large jar of sand he mentioned. His friends sweat-dropped while shaking their heads at his expression.

"Hmm, it honestly wouldn't matter to me what someone got me." Breccan said as he pulled out a cigarette. "I'd just be happy that the person thought of me and cared about me enough to get me a present especially if that person was my significant other."

He glanced absently at Mirajane as he said this, which had her blushing. Rizzo smiled at the two of them thinking they were so adorable. She's just glad the two were finally together. All her brothers seemed to be finding their other halves, which was obviously making them happy. Well, almost of all of them. Rizzo looked to Sven as she was thinking this. She was sure Freed and him were attracted to each other. She just had to find a way to push them together.

"Same goes for me." Sven said as he smiled. "Though I guess I'd be more partial towards something that was homemade or handmade from the person giving me the gift."

"Homemade?" Juvia asked.

"Sven has the right idea." Mirajane said something. "If you give him a gift you've put yourself into, he'll know it's from the heart. You want to show him how you feel, right? Nothing says love like a handmade gift."

Rizzo's smile widened while guessing that made perfect sense to her. Besides, Craylee is always making things for others, so she's sure he'd love it if someone made him something for a change.

"How do you handmake a man?" Elfman asked. "That doesn't make any sense."

"Yeah, but a handmade guitar—think I'd be pretty into something like that." Gajeel said.

Rizzo nodded in agreement while thinking off all the handmade instruments she'd gotten from Clyde over the years.

"Would you guys keep it down, please?" Lucy asked. "She's confused enough as it is."

Rizzo pat Juvia on top the head as the bluenette stood there looking more troubled than when they got there.

"You know what's always handmade?" Natsu asked as he held up some meat. "Food."

"Would you stop yammering about food?!" Lucy asked.

She then gasped when a lightbulb when off in her head. Rizzo's face lit up as well when an idea came to mind.

"I think he may be onto something." Mirajane said. "Remember that cake made the other day? I don't know about you, but it sure made me happy."

"Craylee might not love to gorge himself, but he does have a small sweet tooth even if he'll try to deny it." Rizzo added as she winked.

"Cool!" Juvia exclaimed. "Juvia will just bake him a cake!"

She had a big smile on her face as she said this since she was so glad that she finally knew what to do to give Craylee the perfect gift.

"Think you can make one by yourself?" Lucy asked looking a bit worried.

"Well, yeah, how hard can it be?" Juvia asked. "It's just a big pastry! And Rizzo-chan will be there to help Juvia!"

Rizzo bit her lip wondering how this was going to go. She did know how to bake. In fact, it was one of her past times that didn't involve music, but she's never taught someone else to do it. She wasn't sure how well she'd be as a teacher.

"Don't forget to save a few extra bites for us, okay?!" Happy asked as he and Natsu looked excitedly at Juvia.

"Out of the question!" Juvia said. "Juvia intends to spoon feed him every last bite!"

"Not sure how he'd feel about that, but guess you can always try." Rizzo said. "And don't worry, Natsu, Happy. I'll bake a cake for the two of you."

He and Happy cheered then shared a high five while totally stoked at the thought of eating one of Rizzo's homemade from scratch cakes.

"Alright, we better go and get started." Rizzo said to Juvia.

"Yeah!" Juvia said. "Let's seize the cake!"


	125. 413th Part 2

"Okay, Juvia, I've gotten out all the ingredients." Rizzo said. "And here's one of my cake books that I had bought in town. If you just follow the instructions, you'll be fine. I'll get started on the cake I promised Natsu and Happy while you start on the cake for Craylee. If you need help, just ask, but I'm sure you can do it all on your own. I have faith in you."

"Alright." Juvia said nodding. "Thank-you for helping, Rizzo-chan."

"It's cool." Rizzo said. "What are friends for?"

Juvia smiled at the pinkette then went to get started on the cake in the recipe book Rizzo had given her. Rizzo went over to her own little set up work station where she had her own ingredients set out. She was planning to make a red velvet three tier cake. It sounded like a lot, but considering that Natsu and Happy were sharing it, it was the right amount. Rizzo grabbed her sound pod to place over her ears, and once she got the music started, she got to work. She hummed to herself while swaying to the music as she worked. Juvia watched her for a moment while feeling awed at how easy Rizzo made it look as she was mixing everything she needed together.

"Rizzo-chan is amazing." Juvia said then shook her head. "Juvia needs to get started on my own cake for Craylee-sama! And I won't fail because Rizzo-chan has faith in me!"

Juvia got started on her cake while following the direction down to the letter. She put in the ingredients she was told before grabbing the whisk.

"Now, Juvia needs to mix them together until it gets froppy." Juvia said then started mixing.

She whisked away with a big smile on her face as Rizzo finished with her cake batter. Rizzo pulled out the three different sized pans she'd need to pour the batter into as Juvia continued to whisk away. As Rizzo was putting her cake into the oven to bake, Juvia frowned a bit in concern while thinking the mixture wasn't doing as it was supposed to.

"That's odd. Why isn't it all froppy yet?" Juvia asked. "Should Juvia ask Rizzo-chan for help?"

Juvia looked after at Rizzo, who was still humming along to the music, as she was getting started on making the icing. Rizzo had a content smile on her face as she worked, and Juvia decided she didn't want to break Rizzo's concentration, so she continued on trying to make her mixture froppy. However, after only succeeding in getting the white substance on her face, she gave up while sighing forlornly. She wiped the batter off her face then sat down at the small table.

"Juvia couldn't even get the dumb thing started." Juvia said then glanced at the Craylee plushy she had brought into the kitchen with her. "If you had been here to see my failure…"

-JUVIA'S FANTASY-

 _"Are you seriously telling me you cannot even manage to bake a cake?" Craylee asked as he frowned down at Juvia. "I am utterly disappointed."_

 _He shook his head while turning away from Juvia to walk off into the sunset that was setting behind the large desert rocks in the distance._

 _"Please, just give Juvia one more chance!" Juvia begged._

 _"Sorry, Juvia, but I cannot stay with you any longer." Craylee said while not even glancing back at her. "I thought we could have had a life together…but it appears I was wrong."_

 _Juvia felt like sobbing when seeing that Craylee was getting farther and farther away from her._

 _"Juvia is begging you!" Juvia cried out. "Don't leave!"_

-END OF JUVIA'S FANTASY-

"Juvia will never let that happen!" she yelled.

She then quickly put her hand over her mouth as she glanced back at Rizzo to make sure she didn't disturb the pinkette. Juvia let out a sigh of relief when seeing Rizzo's music prevented Rizzo from hearing Juvia's outburst.

"But what can Juvia do?" Juvia asked.

She then grabbed her Craylee plushy to hold it up into the air as if it had the answer.

"Love overcomes all barriers!" She said then set the plushy down to hold her fist up in determination. "Even total incompetence! There has to be a something! Come on!"

She freaked out for a bit longer before she was struck with a brilliant idea, which had her smiling.

"Wait, Juvia figured it out!" Juvia said. "Sure, Juvia sucks with a whisk, but I've got other talents Juvia can use for this! Water Nebula!"

She used her water magic to mix her mixture into a frop, and she didn't stop there. She used her magic to prepare everything. Rizzo wasn't aware of it at all since she had her back to the scene, and her music drowned out all the noise behind her. Rizzo finished her icing while going to check on the cakes. She bobbed her head to the song she was listening to as she opened the oven. As she crouched down to look into the oven clearly, Juvia was using her water whip to beat out the bubbles from her batter.

"Looks like they're ready to come out." Rizzo said as she smiled at the cakes.

She got them out one of a time carefully as Juvia continued wrecking the kitchen to try and bake her own cake. Rizzo was letting her cakes cool as she wondered if she wanted to add anything special to her cake. Like fruit for something. Maybe not fruit. Maybe she could get some white chocolate to cut into pieces to sprinkle across the icing. Though she wasn't sure if there was any white chocolate in the entire kitchen. She had bought some, but the girls here do like to sneak into the sweets. She being no exception.

She went to check to see if there was any white chocolate as Juvia threw her batter into the oven to bake. As it was baking she hurried to make the icing, which meant the kitchen was about to be even more trashed. The destruction soon continued as Rizzo, who was still oblivious to all the destruction happening around her, found some white chocolate in the fridge, which had her grinning. She went back to her work station to quickly chop up some white chocolate into small, thin pieces that it almost looked shredded.

Once the white chocolate was all chopped up, Rizzo went back to her cake, which was cool enough to put the icing on. She quickly iced the cake while making sure it all looked smooth and even. She grabbed the white chocolate next to sprinkle on the three layers. Juvia was getting her cake out of the oven thinking it was baked (it totally wasn't). She went to put on the icing as Rizzo finished sprinkling on the cut up white chocolate. Rizzo then looked at the last chunk of white chocolate that she hasn't used yet.

"I'm sure I can use that to make something." She said.

An idea came to mind, which had her smiling. She grabbed the chunk of white chocolate and a knife to start craving a shape out of it. She continued to hum to the music as Juvia was putting the finishing pieces on her cake. Just as she was doing that Wendy, Carla, and Lucy ran into the kitchen. They're eyes widened when seeing all the destruction that happened due to Juvia cooking.

"What happened?" Lucy asked.

Juvia smiled at them while beckoning them over to look at her cake, which she was very proud of.

"It wasn't easy, but Juvia did it!" Juvia said smiling.

The girls all sweat-dropped while pretty sure that Juvia didn't do it at all considering the state of the cake.

"Yeah, I wouldn't be so sure about that." They said in unison.

Juvia looked worried as she grabbed her Craylee plushie to hug to her face in comfort.

"Really?" Juvia asked. "So where do you think Juvia went wrong?"

She hoped it wasn't a big mess up. Like she hoped it was just something she could easily fix right up.

"I guess the good news is that anyone could see that you worked really hard on it." Lucy said to lessen the blow of Juvia's mess-up.

"The bad news is that you spelled lovely with an "r"." Wendy added.

"So bad." Carla said not sugarcoating it.

"I'm a failure!" Juvia cried.

She held her Craylee plushy close in hopes of comforting herself, but holding the plushy of her beloved close after failing just made her feel worse. Juvia fell to her knees to look down at the ground in despair.

"Hey, looks aren't everything!" Wendy said in hopes of cheering Juvia up. "Who knows? Maybe it taste delicious!"

Wendy stuck her finger in the icing before placing it in her mouth. Her lips puckered up as her eyes clamped down shut.

"So sour!" She cried.

"Whoa." Lucy said.

"I didn't use any ingredients that weren't in the cookbook." Juvia said as she stood up while holding her Craylee plushy close.

Wendy just laid her head on the table as she tried to get past the sour feeling in her mouth.

"You've got a special kind of talent then." Carla deadpanned. "Color me impressed. Now, if you managed this I wonder what Rizzo managed to do."

"Oh, yeah." Lucy said as she turned to look towards Rizzo. "Hey Rizzo—!"

Lucy gasped when seeing the masterpiece Rizzo had made as Rizzo was placing the Fairy Tail emblem, which she made of white chocolate on top of the top tier of cake. Rizzo smiled at her handy work then took her sound pod off her ears to place around her neck. Lucy knew the others said Rizzo could bake, but she didn't know Rizzo could bake something that could be called art because it looked so good.

"Holy cow!" Lucy exclaimed. "That looks amazing!"

Juvia and Wendy nodded in unison as they gawked at the cake. Rizzo turned around at Lucy's shout with her eyes widening when she saw the state of the kitchen.

"What the hell happened here?" Rizzo asked.

Carla sweat-dropped wondering if Rizzo really had no idea of all the chaos happening behind her the entire time she was in here.

"Rizzo-chan, Juvia failed!" Juvia said as she waved her arms up and down. "My cake was a disaster!"

Rizzo blinked while turning to look down at the cake that Juvia had managed to make. It looked awful if Rizzo was going to be blunt about it. Rizzo just sighed though pat Juvia on top her head. It seemed baking Craylee a cake was out of the question. Juvia sat down on one of the barrels next while looking totally defeated.

"What does Juvia do now?" She asked as she held her Craylee plushy close.

Lucy just picked up her cake to look at it more closely. Was it really as sour as Wendy made it out to be? Lucy took a bite of it, and winced at how sour it was.

"Juvia can always cook something else I guess." Juvia said.

"Please, don't." Carla said. "I'm not sure the kitchen could endure."

It was already missing two walls, and a lot of the cooking equipment had been broken as well.

"Tell you what, we'll fix things up around here." Wendy said. "You just focus on coming up with another gift idea. That sound okay?"

"But Juvia is back where I started." Juvia said. "Totally clueless."

Rizzo scratched the back of her head not sure what to suggest for Juvia to try.

"Why don't you go back to the clothes thing?" Carla suggested. "Try something simple like an accessory."

"Thank-you, Carla!" Juvia said. "Juvia thinks she will give it a try! Rizzo-chan, can you help?"

"Um, I guess, but it doesn't seem like I've been of much help at all." Rizzo said. "But I do know how to knit scarves. My grandma taught me how when I little."

"Great!" Juvia said as she jumped up. "Let's get started!"

* * *

Rizzo sat on one of the chairs in the sitting area in her bedroom knitting away at the dark gray scarf she was knitting. Juvia was knitting a red one as she sat in the chair across from Rizzo. Juvia had quickly picked up the technique on how to knit a scarf, so Rizzo didn't have to instruct her much. Rizzo finished the scarf while frowning just a bit. It seemed she was getting a bit rusty at knitting because the scarf was far from perfect.

"Guess I'll just live with it." Rizzo said to herself. "It's not like I'm giving it to anyone."

"Why not give it to Gray-san?" Juvia asked.

Rizzo looked at Juvia curiously as the bluenette finished knitting Craylee's scarf, which looked a lot better than the scarf Rizzo had knitted.

"Well, it seems like a pretty useless gift for an ice-make mage." Rizzo said. "I'd doubt he'd wear it."

"You don't know unless you try, Rizzo-chan." Juvia said smiling. "Besides, Juvia thinks Gray-san would be happy with any kind of gift that you give him."

Rizzo bit her lip not all too sure, but she supposes it doesn't hurt to just give it to him.

"I guess you're right." Rizzo said. "Anyway, if you're done, shall we head to the guildhall, so you can give your gift to Craylee?"

"Oh, yes!" Juvia said as she jumped up. "Juvia has done it this time, and this time it's perfect!"

* * *

Juvia and Rizzo walked into the guildhall, and Juvia was holding the bag that she had the scarf inside close. Rizzo was just holding hers casually to her side as she looked for Gray. She frowned when not seeing him. Actually she hasn't seen him all day. Of course, she has been rather busy. However, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"Hey, what's up with you?"

Rizzo blinked then turned around to see Craylee, who just walked in, looking at her with a quirked brow. To anyone else it might seem like he wasn't really interested to hear the answer, but Rizzo could see the veiled concern in his eyes.

"Oh, it's nothing." Rizzo said. "But you need to speak with Juvia. She has something for you."

Craylee's brow seemed to quirk even more in question, but before he could ask Juvia ran up to him.

"Craylee-sama, Juvia made you something!" Juvia said.

"Made me…something?" Craylee asked.

Juvia nodded her head then pulled out the scarf she had made for Craylee. She held it up to him to see as Rizzo stepped back out of the way.

"It's our 413th anniversary, Craylee-sama!" Juvia said. "Juvia hopes you like the present I made you!"

Craylee silently took the scarf to look at it with a critical eye. Rizzo hoped he didn't go all "professional" on Juvia, and point any flaws there might be in the scarf. However, she was surprised to see Craylee give a tiny smile.

"I suppose it's quite well done considering you don't professionally knit." Craylee said as he put it around his neck. "I am sure it will keep me quite warm."

Juvia's smile nearly looked as if it'd split her face in two as she beamed up at her beloved.

"Thank-you, Juvia." Craylee said.

He pat her on top the head, which had her blushing happily. She doesn't think she's ever felt so overjoyed.

"Ah, you're welcome, Craylee-sama!" Juvia said.

Rizzo smiled at the pair of them as Juvia hugged Craylee tightly, which had him sighing a bit though his tiny smile remained on his face. As Rizzo watched them, she thought back to Gray. For some reason the worry feeling kept eating away at her. She needed to check on him. Even if this feeling might be bogus, she'd rather check to be just in case. Rizzo quietly snuck out the door of the guildhall while deciding to check Gray's house for the ice mage.

"Gray, I hope this feeling is nothing." Rizzo said to herself.

* * *

Rizzo walked down the street towards Gray's house as it was getting dark outside. She frowned noticing that the temperature dropped a bit. She then looked up at the sky noticing the dark clouds.

"Shit, it looks like it's going to storm." Rizzo said. "And since the temperature is so cold I bet it's going to be snow. I need to hurry before I caught out here in it."

Rizzo hated being sick, so she avoids getting sick as much as possible. She hurried along while thinking about actually crashing at Gray's place. It depended on how cold it was by the time she got to his house. As she was walking along, she saw a familiar face heading in the opposite direction as her.

"Lyon." She said. "Hey."

Lyon looked up to see her as well, and the two of them came to a halt in front of each other.

"Oh, Rizzo, hello." Lyon greeted. "Were you just on your way to Gray's house?"

"Yeah, I was." Rizzo said nodding. "Are you visiting him?"

She honestly couldn't think of any other reason why Lyon would come to Magnolia. Especially without Sher and Triton.

"Yes, I was trying to pay him a visit." Lyon said. "But he wasn't at home."

Rizzo frowned with that worry feeling starting to grow in her chest. Was Gray alright? And where was he?

"Is everything alright?" Lyon asked when seeing her expression. "Did you need to see Gray for something?"

"Well, it's just…I haven't seen him all day." Rizzo said. "And earlier when I went to try and find him at the guildhall to give him this gift, I got this bad feeling that has me worried about him. I just feel as if…he's really sad right now."

Lyon looked at Rizzo with wide eyes while wondering if her feelings for Gray were so strong that she could sense how he was feeling even when they were apart.

"Anyway, if he isn't at home, I'll look somewhere else." Rizzo said. "Thanks for telling me, Lyon. See you around!"

Rizzo hurried off to find Gray while not seeming to hear Lyon call out to her to get her to stop. He watched her go with worry in his eyes. He hoped she didn't end up finding Gray. Because he was sure her feelings would be hurt if she did.

* * *

Rizzo let out a sigh while still not finding Gray, which was worrying her even more. That and it was getting even colder and darker, and she already felt like she was freezing. Just then as she turned a corner she saw Gray coming around another, which had her smiling.

"Gray, there you are!" She said while jogging up to him. "Where have you been?"

Gray looked surprised to see Rizzo heading towards him. However, he then looked to the side not really in the mood to see anyone. Not even Rizzo.

"Uh, just felt like taking a long walk." He said.

Rizzo bit her lip seeing that something really was bothering Gray just as she had thought. She then looked down at the bag in her hands, which held the scarf she made. Would giving him something make him feel better? She guesses it's worth a shot.

"I, uh, have something for you." Rizzo said as she reached into the bag to pull out the scarf. "I know you don't get cold, but I don't know how to knit anything other than a scarf. And I had to show Juvia how to knit one, so she could make one for Craylee. And since I had made one, I decided I might as well give it to you."

She held it up for Gray to see, but he was already walking past her as if she hadn't spoken.

"You should get home before it starts storming." Gray said over his shoulder. "You and I both know you don't do well in the cold."

Rizzo turned to watch him go with the worry in her chest swelling to the point that it was painful. Rizzo moved before she really knew what she was doing to grab Gray's hand.

"Gray, wait!" She said.

"What the hell?!" He snapped while jerking his hand away from hers.

She stared at him with wide eyes since he's never reacted like that when she's grabbed his hand before. Not even back when they used to argue all the time.

"What is it?" Gray asked frowning at her.

"I…Are you alright, Gray?" Rizzo asked. "You seem so sad…Did something happen today?"

Gray stiffened with his eyes widening as he looked at Rizzo's concern face as she held the scarf to her chest.

"I'm fine." Gray said as he frowned once more. "Just…don't worry about me, and leave me alone."

He went to walk away again, but Rizzo dropped the scarf as she hurried to grab his hand again.

"Gray, you're not fine!" Rizzo insisted. "Please, tell me what's wrong. Let me try to help you. I can try to cheer you up."

"Stop bothering me!" Gray said as he pulled away again. "You can't cheer me up…not today. Now go home."

He walked past her again deciding to head in the other direction as it started to snow. Rizzo stood there with wide eyes. Gray hasn't brushed her off, or yelled at her like that ever since they've gotten together. How bad has she messed up to get him that angry with her? Rizzo stared at the ground while not even looking up when Lyon ran up to her.

"So you found him." Lyon said.

Rizzo lifted her head finally to look at Lyon as she silently nodded her head to answer his question.

"I guess I should explain Gray's behavior." Lyon said as he sighed. "You see…today is the day that our Master Ur died."

Rizzo's eyes widened when hearing that, and she now understand why Gray seemed so sad.

"She did?" Rizzo asked.

"Yes," Lyon said. "I take it you know about how Ur died."

"Yes." Rizzo nodded. "She sacrificed herself to seal away Deliora."

Lyon nodded his head as the snow continued to fall around the two, which made the air even colder. Rizzo felt tears enter her eyes as she felt so much guilt for bothering Gray. She should have left him alone when he first tried to brush her off.

"Thank-you for telling me, Lyon." Rizzo said. "I'll leave Gray alone for now…until he's ready to speak with me."

Lyon looked at Rizzo sympathetically when seeing the tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"I guess I should get going." Rizzo said. "See you around, Lyon. Take care."

"You too, Rizzo." Lyon said.

He then watched as Rizzo walked away while leaving the scarf behind her. Rizzo stuffed her hands into her pockets while looking up into the dark night sky as the snow fell. She hoped Gray would be alright…and that he could forgive her for bothering him. She walked through town trying to get her mind of things. She soon found herself at the edge of the small canal that went through town, and despite feeling so cold, she sat down on the snowy steps as tears leaked down her cheeks. She sat there silently for a moment as she continued to look up at the snow as it fell.

"Rizzo, what are you doing out here?"

Rizzo turned her head seeing Erza taking a seat beside her on the snow covered steps.

"You're going to get sick." Erza said then frowned when seeing the tears. "Rizzo, what's wrong?"

Rizzo, who dropped her head to look down at her lap, bit her lip as more tears leaked down her cheeks to fall down to her lap.

"…It's Gray…" Rizzo said.

* * *

Gray let out a breath seeing it in front of him due to the cold temperatures. He sighed as he paused in walking to look down at the snow covered ground. As he stood there a memory from a long time ago, bubbled to the surface of his mind.

-FLASHBACK-

 _Little Gray stood beside Lyon in the snowy climate while shivering tremendously. Lyon was smirking at him since the cold wasn't bothering the silver-haired mage as much as it was Gray. Suddenly a scarf was put around the two, which had their eyes widening._

 _"You boys look cold." Ur said as she smiled at them. "Here this oughta warm you up a little bit."_

 _She tightened the scarf around the two of them, and Gray nearly instantly felt a lot warmer._

-END OF FLASHBACK-

Gray's eyes widened as he came out of the flashback while instantly remembering the scarf Rizzo had tried to give him. He turned back while rushing towards the place where he had left Rizzo behind after brushing her off. He had to go back and get that scarf…then he had to apologize to his girl. Gray got back to the place where he left Rizzo. He looked around for the scarf not seeing it, but he knew it was mostly buried under the snow.

He dropped down to his knees while digging through the snow to find the scarf. He found it eventually, and his hands were a bit red from the digging. He didn't care about that though. He picked up the scarf as he stood up off the ground. He wrapped the scarf around him while noticing how quickly it warmed him up.

"Whoa, this scarf is freaking warm." Gray said.

Gray then looked up knowing there was something else he needed to do.

* * *

Rizzo sat in her bed with the covers around her as she held a cup of hot coco in her hands. After Erza coaxed her back to the dorms, she and Cana both hurried to get Rizzo warmed up. After making sure she wasn't in danger of hypothermia, they left Rizzo alone in her room. Even Sanjū thought the pinkette could use time to herself. Rizzo let out a sigh before looking down at the warm brown liquid in her hands.

"I guess I really messed up this time." She said.

She set the mug to the side while going to lie down to try and sleep things off. However, one of the windows to her dorm room opened up, which had her pulling her covers even closer. Her eyes widened when Gray came through the window. He quickly shut it behind him then turned towards Rizzo.

"Gray." She whispered.

Gray didn't answer at first as he hurried to her. Once he was at her bed, he sat down while quickly pulling her into his arms to hold her closely. Rizzo's eyes widened as he held her tightly, and was even more surprised when seeing the scarf around his neck.

"Gray?" She murmured wondering what had gotten into him.

"I'm sorry." He said as he continued to hold her tightly. "I'm an idiot and a shitty boyfriend. I shouldn't had snapped at you like I did. I shouldn't have left you alone back there."

Rizzo remained silent as Gray buried his face into her pink locks. So he wasn't mad anymore? Rizzo pulled back slightly to look up at him as he gazed down into her eyes.

"Gray, are you going to be okay now?" she asked still worried about him.

Gray mentally cursed while knowing he didn't deserve the woman in his arms. Even after treating her so badly, she still only cared about how he was feeling.

"Yeah." Gray finally said. "And it's all thanks to you."

Gray leaned in to kiss her lips passionately as he pulled her even closer to him. Once they parted, Gray gazed down at her softly.

"I hope you know that I love you." Gray said as he caught her hand in his.

He kissed her fingers. He was glad to feel that her fingertips were warm since he was worried she might be freezing cold from earlier.

"Just as much as I love you." Rizzo said as she smiled up at him.

Gray's smile widened, and he leaned in to place a soft kiss on her plump lips once more. Today was a sad anniversary, but if Rizzo remained with him, he knew he could get past this day every year in happiness with her at his side.


	126. Is the Pied Piper Rising Again?

Rizzo let out a content hum as she remained curled up in bed with Gray. She had stayed the night with him since she didn't want chancing Erza walking in on them at the girls' dorm. Rizzo and Gray didn't do anything besides share the same bed and cuddle in Rizzo's case, but she was sure Erza would have made a big deal about it. Rizzo liked these little sleepovers Gray and she started after the scarf incident that was nearly two weeks ago.

"You ready to get up?" Gray asked chuckling.

Rizzo was shaking her head before Gray even finished talking, which had him grinning in amusement.

"No." Rizzo said pouting as she curled up even closer to Gray. "I wanna stay put."

She was too comfortable to move. Gray chuckled once more before moving, which had Rizzo whining. She opened up her eyes to glare at Gray, but it wasn't scary considering she was pouting. Gray reached out to move one of her curls out of her face. He was just realizing that her hair was getting a bit longer. Even the razor downed sides. It made him wonder if she was going to let her hair grow out completely. She had cut her hair pretty short when they were younger, but when she had first arrived to the guildhall she had had really long hair. So long it had nearly reached her waist. She looked good either way, but he wouldn't mind seeing her hair long again.

"We need to get to the guildhall." Gray said as he sat up. "We've been swamped with work lately, remember? There could be jobs waiting for us."

Rizzo's pout deepened though she did practically roll out of the comfortable bed. She stood up while musing her already messed up hair. Gray got up behind her just wearing his boxers, but considering the first few nights she stayed, he tried to remove them it—he liked sleeping nude—was improvement. Of course, Rizzo wasn't wearing much either. Just a pair of her lace panties and one of Gray's shirts.

The first night she decided to sleep like that Gray had gotten so red in the face it wasn't funny. Though now…he liked seeing her in his shirts. He didn't know why, but it made him almost proud to know such a woman like Rizzo was wearing his clothes and not some other guy's. It almost showed that she was his.

"Fine." Rizzo said. "But I'm taking my time getting ready like I do every morning. I will not be rushed just because someone might need help. I don't care how important the work might be."

Gray, who had found some pants to pull on, snorted because he expected no less from her. He just kissed her cheek before heading towards his kitchen to start making some coffee. He'd probably make them some breakfast too. The last time Rizzo tried she nearly burnt down his apartment, so it was agreed she wasn't to set foot in the kitchen unless it was just to bake.

Now Gray wasn't some chef or anything, but from having to cook for himself so long he did have decent skills when it comes to whipping up some good. As he got started in the kitchen, Rizzo grabbed some spare clothes she brought to put in his closet, which she complains is too small all the time.

"You really need me to expand your closet." Rizzo grumbled as she grabbed her clothes. "There's not even enough clothing space for your clothes."

It was kind of true considering it was rather small, and he did have more clothes than some people might think. He just has trouble keeping them on.

"I don't think my landlord would approve of you making changes that call for demolition of any kind." Gray said from behind the kitchen counter.

Rizzo sighed wishing he'd just let her go ahead and demo that closet to make a bigger and better one. However, he understood where he was coming home. It wasn't as if he lived in a place like Fairy Hills were the girls could add on as much as they want as long as they were willing to pay extra rent. That's how Rizzo did it. Though she has downsized a b it since she got rid of all those instruments. Though she did keep her very large room, bath, and closet. The rest of the space was walled up, and they managed to make three whole rooms out of the free space.

"Fine, but the second we get our own place I am making sure it has a huge walk in closet." Rizzo said as she headed for the bathroom.

Gray grinned liking the sound of them having their own place. It wouldn't be anything too extravagant. Just a decent sized, cozy home that'd be perfect for them and any future children that might pop up. Gray chuckled as he ran his hand through his hair. He never thought he'd ever think of a future with a wife and kids, but Rizzo brought out these thoughts in him. Being a father didn't sound too bad as long as the kids were his and Rizzo's, which would make them perfect.

"Well, I'm going to soak for a bit." Rizzo said poking her head outside the bathroom. "If you need in, the door will be unlocked."

She shut the door before Gray could comment. He turned slightly red at the thought of seeing his girlfriend soaking in his tub naked. He's noticed she's been more comfortable about him seeing more and more of her body. She did walk out of his bathroom just the other day only in a towel that barely covered anything. It was like she was trying to coax him into taking _that_ step in their relationship. And there have been many times where he's nearly done it. It's just he keeps holding back for reasons he wasn't even sure about. He sighed knowing he had to get over whatever doubts he had if he and Rizzo were going to take their relationship farther. Besides, can't be any future kids if Gray and Rizzo never…Gray blushed just thinking about it.

"Dammit." He cursed slightly at getting flustered.

He shook his head while focusing on getting breakfast ready for the two of them. He also needed to make sure the coffee was ready since Rizzo couldn't function right without it. Though it was pretty cute watching her stumble around and whine about not being able to function without the caffeinated liquid.

As he continued with his task, he heard Rizzo humming from the bathroom. That was something he liked to hear in the mornings too, her humming. It was something he has gotten quite used to, and he's certain his mornings wouldn't be as pleasant if she wasn't here to hum or be here in general.

"Maybe these sleepovers could be a permanent thing." Gray mused to himself.

* * *

Rizzo and Gray walked hand-in-hand into the guildhall to see it buzzing as usual. Some of their friends seemed to be missing, so Rizzo guessed they were already out on jobs.

"Hey, Gray, it's been a while since we've been on a job together." Rizzo said. "Maybe we can find one we can tackle."

Gray grinned at her as he gave her hand a gently squeeze, which had her smile widening.

"Sounds like a plan." Gray said.

However, before they got too far, a hand was placed on top of Rizzo's hand, which had the two pausing. Rizzo blinked before glancing back at Gajeel the one who had his hand on top her head.

"Hold it there, Pinky." Gajeel said. "You can spend time with your boyfriend later. We've got a job to do."

Rizzo frowned in confusion before her eyes widened slightly. He couldn't possibly mean they were requested to go on another job together.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Rizzo said as she swat his hand off her head. "The last time we worked together we couldn't get along."

Gajeel rolled his eyes at her attitude, which had her already ready to knock him around a few times.

"Tch, obviously." Gajeel said. "But the old man already said we're going together and that's that."

Rizzo turned towards Makarov as he was drinking at the bar with Laxus and Amarante.

"Master, please tell me this is a joke?!" Rizzo asked. "If this rusted piece of iron and I have to go on another job together, I'm going to bury him and leave him to die!"

Makarov looked away from his ale for a moment to look at the pair as Rizzo was pointing at Gajeel who was glaring down at her. Laxus rolled his eyes wondering if those two would ever get along. They reminded him of back when Rizzo and Gray bickered. It was like Gajeel became her new bickering partner.

"As if you could do that, pipsqueak." Gajeel scoffed. "Now you better not hold me back during this mission like the last one."

When Rizzo turned to glare at Gajeel everyone else knew what would be coming after. The two would probably jump each other at any second, which could cause the guildhall to take a bit of damage. Probably some of them too if they weren't fast enough to get out of the way.

"What was that, Gajeel?" Rizzo growled. "You want me to kick your ass right here and now?!"

"What'd you say to me, punk?!" Gajeel demanded as he narrowed his eyes.

The two butt heads growling at each other like two dogs fighting over territory or something. This had many in the guild shaking their heads and sighing. Gray just stood back knowing better than to butt in. The last time he butt into one of Rizzo's fights, she had gotten so pissed, it was scary.

"Bring it on, Pinky." Gajeel said. "It's about time you get put in your place."

"My place, huh?" Rizzo asked as she held up a fist. "Funny I was just thinking about saying the same thing to you!"

Before either of them could really get into it, Laxus, who was asked by Makarov, cut in. He pushed Gajeel back while lifting Rizzo up off the ground by the back of her jacket.

"Oi, Thunderbolt, who told you to butt in?!" Gajeel growled.

"Laxus, put me down!" Rizzo said as she kicked her legs.

They both went ignored as Laxus continued to hold Rizzo up off her feet. She frowned wishing he'd just put her down already.

"Both of you cool it." He said giving them looks that dared them to argue. "You're being stupid. Let it go and get your job done."

Both just shot glares at each other with a promise between them that they'd kill each other later. This had Laxus sighing before looking to the side.

"I hope you have better luck keeping them in line." He said.

Rizzo frowned in confusion, and forgot about Gajeel's ugly mug for a moment as she turned to look to see Lisanna standing there smiling.

"I'm coming too." Lisanna said smiling.

Rizzo's eyes widened slightly as she continued to look at Lisanna in confusion. Lisanna was tagging along too? This had to be the weirdest combination ever as a mage team up. Rizzo didn't know what the hell this client was thinking.

"Lily and I will be joining as well, of course." Sanjū said form where she stood with the older Exceed. "After what happened on the last mission you took with Gajeel, I am not about to leave you unsupervised."

Not that being around last time had helped much, but Sanjū still wasn't going to make poor Lily and Lisanna deal with the two stubborn mages on their own.

"This sucks." Rizzo said frowning. "Where are we going anyway? And what's the job?"

When seeing she was calmed down and ready to listen, Laxus dropped her back onto her feet, which she landed on easily. He continued to stand there just in case another squabble broke out.

"You'll be going back to Acacia Town, Rizzo." Mirajane said as she popped up beside the pinkette.

Rizzo jumped slightly before turning to the older girl as Mirajane was reading some official looking papers that Rizzo guessed were the request forms. Her brow then quirked when Mirajane mentioned her old town.

"A musical instrument maker named Mr. Clyde von Butterscotch requested you to come." Mirajane continued while not noticing when Rizzo flinched at Clyde's name. "He said the issue has to deal with a young mage named Conway Sinatra—!"

"Con?!" Rizzo cut in. "You mean that little snot Con?"

Some of Rizzo's guildmates blinked at her curiously while wondering if she knew this guy.

"You know him?" Mirajane asked.

"We all do." Breccan said from behind the bar.

The mages turned to look at Breccan as he was cleaning some glasses that had been used today.

"I can't believe he's still running around Acacia Town." Sven said from where he sat with Wendy and Carla.

"I can't believe we didn't run into him when we were training there for three months." Jaser said. "You'd think if he knew we were in town, he'd come looking for Rizzo."

Gray frowned wondering if Rizzo had another admirer he'd have to deal with. Why can't people just leave _his_ girl alone?

"Perhaps he hadn't been there when we were." Craylee said shrugging. "He might have returned after learning we had been there for a bit."

And they probably had just missed each other in passing, which was fine with Rizzo. She didn't want to deal with that snot.

"Just back up a second, would ya?" Gajeel asked looking irritated. "How do you know this guy?"

Rizzo sighed though she supposed she should try to explain their relationship with Conway Rouge.

"He was this little kid back in the town." Rizzo said. "He was a few years younger than me, and had really looked up to my family for our magical abilities. He tried many time to join our guild. However, Granddaddy Roscoe turned him down because his parents weren't alright with the idea. Granddaddy said he wouldn't go against Con's parents' wishes. However, if Con wanted to join when he was older, and could make his own decisions, the doors would still be open for him."

Roscoe was a fair man who tried to give any mage or aspiring mage a chance in the guild. However, he didn't let children who had parents join if the parents weren't okay with the fact. Rizzo had permission to be there being the granddaughter of the guild master. Breccan, Sven, Craylee, and Jaser had nowhere else to go, which is why they were able to join at so young.

"Con didn't like waiting, but agreed to Granddaddy Roscoe's terms." Rizzo continued. "But after that he followed me around everywhere trying to pick up my family's music magic."

"He was like a leech." Craylee said remembering times where Conway was literally attached to Rizzo.

Rizzo frowned remembering all those times her brothers had to pull Conway off of her. It hadn't been fun times.

"One day I got really angry with him and told him he didn't deserve to be in the guild if he was only going to mimic others." Rizzo said. "It was kind of mean to say, but I was angry at the time. After that he left me alone for a few days, but showed back up a few weeks before the end of Treble Chambers to declare he'd learn and develop his own kind of music magic to show he was just as good if not better than my family. Hadn't heard from him since then."

She shrugged since she hadn't really been thinking of him either. In fact, she had nearly forgotten all about him.

"And now he's re-surfaced in Acacia Town." Rizzo said. "Did the… _client_ say why he wanted us to deal with Conway?"

"Yes." Mirajane said nodding. "Apparently he's started up a gang of other mages known as the Siren Call. They aren't an official guild, and not really a dark guild either. They're more of just a gang of bandits who steal and sale merchandise. They haven't stolen anything from the town, but they have set up base there. Mr. von Butterscotch wishes for him and his gang to be taken down and removed from the town. Apparently he's worried about what could happen to the town with a group of bandits leaving there."

Rizzo sighed while certain Clyde's more worried about the town's reputation more than anything else.

"Alright." Rizzo said. "Better get ready to move out as soon as possible. If we keep him waiting, I won't hear the end of it. Gajeel, Lily, Lisanna, meet Sanjū and me back here in half an hour. Reedus, please have cart ready for us by then."

"Oui." Reedus said nodding.

He pulled out his easel and canvas quickly while ready paint them a cart to use. As Gajeel and Lisanna left to pack, Rizzo frowned while knowing this job was going to be a pain in the ass.

"I'll see you when I get back." Rizzo said as she looked up at Gray.

He nodded his head then accepted the kiss she placed on his cheek. She left the guildhall after that with Sanjū.

* * *

"Hey, Rizzo," Lisanna began.

Rizzo glanced over at Lisanna as the two of them, Gajeel, and their Exceed companions walked through Acacia Town towards Clyde's shop.

"I was just wondering something." Lisanna said. "You seem to know our client personally. Is he someone from your past?"

Rizzo frowned at the mention of Clyde as she thought of the small plush, toy rabbit. She hasn't missed him much over time, and honestly she could live without seeing him for a few more years.

"Let's just say he'd known me since I was born." Rizzo said. "He's a very old friend of the family actually."

"Really?" Lisanna asked. "How old is he exactly?"

Rizzo blinked trying to think of how old Clyde would be. He was a toy from her ancestor Tatia's childhood, and it's been a hundred years since the making of the town. Well, over a hundred years, but not much.

"Eh, I'm not sure, but he's north of 120 I'm pretty sure." Rizzo said shrugging.

Lisanna's mouth dropped open in shock since she hadn't been expecting that. This guy was actually older than Master Makarov. Might even be older than Master Mavis. She could just picture some wrinkled, hunched over elderly man who nearly looked as if he'd be at death's door at any second. Gajeel was picturing the same thing while frowning.

"And he just refuses to die." Rizzo added underneath her breath.

Gajeel heard her while the others didn't, and his brow quirked wondering what Rizzo had against this client. Was he some kind of pain in the ass?

"So he was around when the town was created, right?" Lisanna asked.

Rizzo nodded her head as she looked out the carriage's window. Clyde was technically one of the founders of the town along with Raoul, Caspian, Tatia, Avish, and Lambert.

"Let's just go talk to him already." Gajeel said. "I want to get this over with."

Rizzo shot Gajeel a look though before she could even tell him to shut-up, a voice interrupted her.

"You fool!"

Rizzo jumped at the familiar voice right into Gajeel's arms with the Iron Dragon Slayer grunting in surprise at suddenly holding the pinkette.

"What the hell?!" He snapped. "What's gotten into you?"

Gajeel looked around for whatever caused Rizzo to jump while not seeing anyone around. A voice was cleared rather haughtily, which had him, Lisanna, and Lily, who was in the air with Sanjū, looking down. They all blinked when seeing the toy rabbit standing there.

"Uh, is this the little guy who just spoke?" Lisanna asked as she crouched down.

"Lisanna, don't get too close." Rizzo warned.

She then let out a squeal when Gajeel dropped her unceremoniously to the ground. She groaned rubbing her sore backside before glaring up at Gajeel.

"Dick." She hissed.

Gajeel ignored her as he looked down at the toy rabbit. This was the thing that scared Rizzo? Didn't seem scary to him, but he knew Rizzo wasn't some wimp or coward. That he knew for sure.

"He's a cute little guy." Lisanna said smiling.

"Looks ratty to me." Gajeel said as he as he crouched down as well.

Lily nodded along as he dropped down to the ground to stand beside Gajeel. Before Sanjū could warn them that they were too close, Clyde sprang into action.

"Silence, fools!" Clyde snapped while quickly hitting all of them with his cane.

They all cried out while holding their aching heads. Well, Sanjū, who was now resting on Rizzo's shoulder, supposed it was too late for a warning.

"Hmph, I see you have brought plus three with you, Rizzo." Clyde said as he turned to the pinkette who was still on her butt.

Rizzo's brow quirked wondering what he was talking about. Shouldn't be just plus two because of Lily and Sanjū? Rizzo then looked towards Lisanna who smiled sheepishly.

"Master actually asked me to come along." Lisanna said. "I didn't have anything to do, and after what happened when you and Gajeel went on a job last time, he thought another person to the group wouldn't hurt to keep the peace."

Rizzo blinked while guessing that made sense. Lisanna had been the one who kept her and Gray from killing each other as kids, and stopped Rizzo several times from just going all out with Erza.

"Let's forget about the unwanted babysitter." Gajeel said glaring. "And get to the part where I kick this rabbit's ass!"

Gajeel went to reach for Clyde, but Clyde smacked Gajeel's hands away with his cane.

"Keep your grubby hands off of me, you ruffian." Clyde said then adjusted his top hat. "Now, Rizzo, I hope you realize this isn't the time to play around!"

Rizzo sighed while moving to sit Indian Style on the ground while scratching the back of her head.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." She said looking at Clyde. "But I don't see the big deal. I mean, if Con is really the one causing trouble, it shouldn't take much to kick his ass."

Clyde whipped his cane in front of her, which had her flinching backwards. He didn't hit her, however, so she relaxed slightly. Though she was confused by not getting hit.

"Take this seriously." Clyde said in a stern tone without sounding like his usually haughty self.

Rizzo frowned at his tone while actually concerned by this. She's never seen him so serious before.

"Conway isn't the same brat from your childhood." Clyde said. "He's much stronger and capable. He's developed his own form of magic as he swore he would, and this magic…is frighteningly like the Pied Piper."

Rizzo stiffened at that familiar name as Sanjū frowned. Gajeel frowned in confusion as he and Lily exchanged a glance. They had no idea what the Piped Piper was. Lisanna, who didn't know either, tilted her head to the side. Rizzo then narrowed her eyes with anger contorting her face.

"If it's like the Pied Piper then it really isn't his own form of magic." Rizzo said as she stood. "But I am going to kick that punk's ass for even playing around with that kind of magic!"

That kind of magic ruined people's lives. It got the entire guild of Treble Chambers wiped out. Not only could Conway hurt someone with that kind of magic, but he'd only bring misfortune to himself.

"Don't worry, Clyde." Rizzo said as she looked at Clyde with determination in her eyes. "I'll stop him and beat sense into his thick skull!"

Rizzo took off running not really having a true destination in mind, but she supposed starting at Conway's old home would be the right start.

"No, you fool!" Clyde shouted. "Come back here!"

Rizzo didn't listen as she continued running while turning down another street out of sight.

"Rizzo, wait for me!" Sanjū called out while hurrying after her friend.

As she disappeared around the corner as well, Clyde sighed wishing Rizzo hadn't inherited that Sweeney brashness. He didn't have time to warn her about the exact nature of Conway's magic.

"Excuse me." Lisanna began.

Clyde turned towards Lisanna as she and Gajeel, who was glaring at Clyde, looked down at him. Lily was there as well while standing in front of the stuffed, animated rabbit.

"Just what is the Piped Piper anyway?" Lisanna asked. "Is it something dangerous?"

Clyde sighed as he adjusted the hat on top of his head. He turned to walk away, which had the three frowning in confusion.

"Come along." Clyde said. "It is a very long story, and I find long stories go well with a warm cup of tea."

* * *

In the tunnels of the mountain in the Forest of Raoul, sounds could be heard deep within. Men went about putting stolen goods in the tunnels they were using for storage. They had a good haul from the last town they robbed. Soon there wouldn't be much room left for the stuff, which is when the real fun would start. Besides, the noise of the men working, there was humming as well. At the opening in the cave that faced the ocean, a man stood there with his hands in his pockets.

He looked to be in his early to mid-twenties, and he sandy blonde hair that was cut in an uncut fashion with the hair on top of his hair slicked to the side with the ends spiked up. He was on the tall side probably standing about six foot at the least. He wasn't overly muscular though he was toned. His skin was tanned as well, and there was a scar running from the bottom of his left eye down to his jaw then past it to go halfway down his neck.

He wore a simple white tank-top under a black leather jacket that had "Siren" sewed into the back of it. He then had on dark washed jeans that were tucked into black combat boots. He had a necklace around his neck that had a guitar pick hanging from it. The pick had a treble clef on the front, and on the back was a name engraved. The name of the owner, which he wasn't. However, he's been holding onto pick for a while now. While wanting to return it to the rightful owner. It's been nearly 13 years since he's last seen this pick's last owner. But a gut feeling told him he'd see her again soon.

"Rizzo." He murmured as he paused in his humming. "The time when we meet…I will have restored the guild we both had loved so much. Treble Chambers will be reborn."


	127. Return of Caspian!

"Rizzo, do you even know where you're going?" Sanjū asked the pinkette as she followed alongside the running wizard.

They had tried Conway's old place, but it didn't even look as if anyone had been living there in years. When Rizzo asked where Conways' parents were, one of the villagers said they had died nearly four years ago in an accident. After that Conway had just disappeared until his recent returning.

"I can think of only a few other places Con might go besides his house." Rizzo said. "That's what's left of the old Treble Chamber's, and the section of caves in the mountain."

Sanjū nodded supposing that made sense to her. Looks like Rizzo wasn't just running around blindly after all. However, Sanjū wished Rizzo would have waited for the others though the pink feline did understand Rizzo's rush. After everything that happened with the Pied Piper, it's understandable while Rizzo would want to take care of things before they could spiral out of control. Sanjū just hoped Conway hadn't gone dark. She hoped he was just misguided, and that things didn't have to turn into a big fight that would leave Rizzo in pain emotionally even if they won the fight.

"Rizzo, if he's using magic like the Pied Piper, how do you plan to fight off the side effects?" Sanjū asked.

"I don't really have a plan." Rizzo confessed. "I'll worry about that later. Right now I'm just worried about finding him."

Sanjū sighed hoping Rizzo did think of something before she started a fight with Conway. Rizzo rounded a corner with her run coming to a completely and sudden stop. Sanjū had to quickly put the brakes on her flying while looking at Rizzo in concern. After being in such a hurry, why would the pinkette suddenly stop? Sanjū looked to where Rizzo was to see they had reached where Treble Chambers had once stood. The building had been rebuilt, but it obviously hasn't been used since the first building had been burnt down. It was more like a memorial than anything else.

"Clyde must have done this." Rizzo said as she looked at the place.

Sanjū didn't say anything as she watched Rizzo. Would the pinkette be able to step inside? It might not be the old Treble Chambers, but it was still the place where she grew up before moving to Fairy Tail. It was still the place where she and her family had called home for generations. Rizzo took a deep breath before she started walking towards the building. Sanjū landed on the ground before her then went after Rizzo. Rizzo made it the gate just outside the building, and pushed it open to let herself inside. She walked right up to the door while opening it quickly before she changed her mind. She stepped inside while looking around.

"It looks exactly the same." Rizzo said. "It's like the attack and the fire never happened."

Sanjū looked around while noticing some things looked familiar to her. She had been so young when she was here, which hadn't been for long since not long after she hatched, Devil's Lament destroyed the guildhall. If the bass level was the same then the upper and lower levels should be as well.

"Sanjū, can you check upstairs for any clues?" Rizzo said. "There's something I need to check down below."

"Sure." Sanjū said with her wings appearing on her back.

Sanjū flew off to check upstairs, which had the spare bedrooms Rizzo used to bunk in with the boys when they didn't want to go home. It also had Roscoe's old office and a few storage rooms as well. Something might be hiding up in storage that could be useful. And while this didn't really have anything to do with the mission since Conway obviously wasn't here, Rizzo had something she needed to check down below. Rizzo went behind the bar in the building to the trapdoor hidden under an old rug that even had been replicated and placed exactly where the old one had been.

Rizzo moved the rug to the side then grabbed the latch to the trap door. She opened it up with a small gust of cool air coming up from the secret stairway that led into a stone passageway that led to the underground rooms and chambers. It was where Treble Chambers had stored a lot of guild secrets back in the day, and kept documents on the history of the guild and its founding. Rizzo knew most of the guild's history, but there was still some stuff even she was unaware of. And as the last of the Sweeney bloodline, she needed to learn the rest of it before it could be completely forgotten.

"Well, no point in turning back now." Rizzo said to herself.

Rizzo slipped into the trapdoor before shutting it behind her. Things were pitch black at first, but magic torches hanging on the walls came to life with their burning flames casting light on the staircase and down the corridor below. She started down the staircase, and when she reached the bottom, she noticed a door at the end of the corridor that was slightly cracked. There was flickering light coming from inside as if from a fireplace, and she would have sworn she heard soft music coming from inside. Someone was down here…

* * *

At Clyde's home and workshop, the rest of the team was having tea and cakes as the rabbit was explaining all about the Pied Piper.

"So this thing basically controlled people the second they heard its melody." Lisanna summarized.

"And this piper was inside of Rizzo until it was removed and destroyed seven years ago." Lily continued.

Clyde nodded his head before he took a sip from his teacup. Gajeel frowned wondering how a stuffed animal could even drink tea. Wasn't his stuffing getting soaked or something?

"And this siren magic you mentioned Conway having, is basically the castor style form of the Pied Piper." Lisanna said. "Meaning, Conway has the power to control others with the sound of his voice."

"Control them, yes." Clyde said. "But it's more than that. His voices pulls you in. It makes you drawn to him and adore him, so you wish to do his bidding. The Pied Piper enslaved the body more than the mind while forcing people's bodies to move how the performer wished them to do. With Conway's musical voice, you almost feel inclined to do as he wishes as if you're making the decision to want to follow him."

"Just like a siren calling in a sailor to drown." Lisanna said.

This was one scary magic, and Lisanna was almost afraid to go against this guy. He could make any of them turn on their teammates at a moment's notice. What would they do then when they were forced to fight each other? Gajeel and Rizzo would fight each other voluntary any day of the week, but even they knew when to pull together to help the other out.

"Well, I'm not about to be drawn to some dude." Gajeel said. "So I'm not all that worried about this wannabe singer boy."

"Good, keep that in mind when you face him, Delinquent boy." Clyde said while pointing his cane at Gajeel.

Gajeel's brow twitched at being called a delinquent as Lily sweat-dropped. The Exceed supposed that was a fitting nickname for Gajeel. However, the Iron Dragon Slayer obviously didn't seem to like it.

"The major flaw in Conway's magic is that it messes with the mind and not the body." Clyde said. "And before you ask idiotic questions, let me explain."

Lisanna and Gajeel, who had their mouths open, closed them, which had Clyde scoffing at how easily predictable they were. Lisanna blushed in embarrassment as Gajeel rolled his eyes. This rabbit was getting on his last ever-loving nerve.

"The mind is stronger than the body if a person has the will to make it so." Clyde said. "If you want to resist being swayed by Conway's musically velvet voice, you have to make sure your will to stick to your decisions and your guns because that will save you. He cannot sway you if you are too stubborn to give up on what you believe—what your goal is."

Lily nodded because that made sense to him. They just had to make sure they were stubborn enough to resist being swayed by someone else who has their own plans and agendas. People do that everyday. They have to fight to stick to their own believes as others try to sway them to something else. Lucky for them, the members of Fairy Tail as are stubborn as they come. Rizzo and Gajeel being some of the most stubborn mages in the guild.

"It won't be easy." Clyde said. "This won't be like ignoring someone on the street who wants to persuade you to buy cookies or some other garbage. So I suggest when facing Conway to focus on one thing or one person. Thing of them or it the entire time. Let them be your anchor, and you should be able to defeat Conway. However, do remember there are other members of his gang who will be there to distract you, and while they try to throw you off, Conway will look for any opening he can manage to find his way inside your heads with his voice. This battle will be a hard one, which is why I wish that foolish girl hadn't run off on her own. She is too much like Raoul it's unbearable."

Lisanna frowned remembering Rizzo was out there on her own, which wasn't good. Well, she had Sanjū, but that didn't make Lisanna feel better. It only worried her even more. Anything could happen to those too. Lisanna's hands clenched into fists before she stood up with determination in her eyes.

"Don't worry." She said to Clyde as she headed for the door. "We'll find Rizzo and Sanjū. We'll tell her what you told us, and make sure we take down Conway and his men. Let's go, Gajeel, Lily."

Lisanna then marched out the door after opening it, which left her other two guildmates behind. Gajeel groaned in annoyance then got to his feet.

"Great, now the pipsqueak is ordering us around." Gajeel said to Lily who followed alongside him. "The women in the guild are so annoying."

He did keep following after the white-haired girl, however, with Clyde watching them go until the door swung softly shut behind them. Clyde let out a sigh then took another sip of his tea.

"Rizzo, will not be happy when she hears of the person who really summoned her here." Clyde said. "Not happy at all."

He didn't seem too concerned though as he set his tea to the side while hopping down from the table he had been sitting on.

"I hope this plan of yours works, Caspian." Clyde said. "And that I did not make the foolish decision of trusting you after everything that has happened."

Clyde then looked to a photo he kept on the front desk in the shop. It was a photo of five young mages. One of them you would recognize as Raoul. He was in the middle of the picture with a large grin on his face as he had one arm around Tatia who stood in front of him. He had his head leaning down to press his chin on top her head, which brought an annoyed look to the brunette's face though she kept facing the camera as she held Clyde—himself—in her arms. Sitting at the feet of Tatia was a man with ginger colored hair that stuck out from underneath a top hat, and on his shoulder was a real, living white rabbit that had a stupid look on its face in Clyde's opinion. Those two were Lambert and his rabbit/assistant—Flop.

Then on the left side of Raoul was Rizzo and Mavi's great-grandfather Avish. A monk-like mage who practiced the same magic as Mavi though had used it to free souls from their griefs and show them enlightenment. Then finally on the right side of Raoul was Caspian—his dearest friend. He had a light look in his red eyes and a grin on his face as he laughed at Raoul's antics as the picture was taken. The founding members of Treble Chambers. Once they were all so close—like a family until one of them betrayed the others disrupting that family. Tatia and Raoul were gone, and may Clyde's young mistress rest in peace—he didn't care what happened to that country bumpkin she regretfully married.

Lambert had died not long after the tragedy of Treble Chambers. His poor old heart just couldn't handle the news of his beloved guild being burnt to the ground along with its members, so he had literally died of a broken heart. Avish had long since separated himself from the world by returning to the temples in his homeland. That had happened once he finished Mavi's training. And the boy had not taken long to learn. Avish chose him to inherit their family's magic because Mavi showed such great potential as a spirit mage. Then Caspian…was he dead or alive? Neither? Not even Clyde was sure how to answer that question. But what he did know was that Caspian was no ready to give up on life completely just yet, which had the old stuffed rabbit worried about what the man had planned.

"Rizzo, do be careful." Clyde said with a look of worry actually appearing on his face.

* * *

Rizzo walked carefully down the corridor towards the cracked doorway as the symphony music poured out from it. She didn't recognized the piece, but it was beautifully done. She didn't have time to figure out the composer, however, since there were more pressing matters at hand. She had to figure out just who was inside Treble Chambers' hidden tombs. She crept closer to the door to peek inside. She couldn't really see the person inside since whoever it was, was sitting in a chair faced away from the door and towards the fire. However, she could see it was an elderly person based on the wrinkled hand setting on the arm of the chair. Just who was this person?

"Are you just going to stand outside the doorway all day?" A voice called out to her. "Some might find that as a tad creepy."

Rizzo jumped since she thought she hadn't been noticed. She then blushed with her brows furrowing at being called creepy. She hesitated a moment longer before guessing there was no point in trying to hide now. She slowly pushed the door open before walking inside. She walked over to the chair while getting in front of it to see who sat inside. She didn't recognize the man at all.

He was definitely old—like older than Makarov old. Yet still seemed to be in good fit and health like Master Hades had been. He had silvery-white hair that was tied into a low ponytail that came over his shoulder. His red eyes seemed tired. As if he went through too much in his long life, and just wanted to find peace yet couldn't. He was also very pale—almost as white as the dress shirt he wore. If he wasn't slouching in a sea, Rizzo was sure he'd be taller than her if he stood up. Maybe as tall as Gajeel.

"Who are you?" Rizzo asked narrowing her eyes. "And how did you know about the underground tunnels?"

The man chuckled as he crossed one leg over the other in the seat looking perfectly at ease.

"I helped build the tunnels, so I believe I know them better than you do, child." The man said.

Rizzo frowned. He helped build these tunnels? Was he an old member of Treble Chambers? He couldn't be a founder because besides Avish all the founders were dead. Some died before Rizzo had a chance to meet them. Raoul and Tatia died rather young as did many in her family. Though she knows Raoul of course since the made his presence known within her soul during the Pied Piper incident. Lambert died after Treble Chambers fell because it heart couldn't take the grief. Then Caspian…well, Rizzo took care of Caspian seven years ago.

"My dear, have you really already forgotten me?" He asked. "We met nearly seven years ago. Though I was in a different body at the time."

Rizzo's eyes widened with an image of the Caspian of seven years ago entering her mind. He had gone by Lucifer to his followers, but Lucifer had actually been gone a long time ago with Caspian residing in his body. However, Rizzo destroyed that body. There was nothing left, so how was Caspian here in front of her.

"That's not possible." Rizzo said. "I…there was nothing left of your body once I finished my spell."

Caspian chuckled again while standing up, which had Rizzo stepping backwards quickly. She didn't care if he was an old man at the moment. She knew how powerful someone like him could be. Hades being a prime example.

"You destroyed Lucifer's body that's true." Caspian said as he turned away from her to pour himself a bottle of scotch, which had been resting on the table beside him. "After you did that, I returned to my true body, which I had sealed away to keep it from decaying after all these years of going unused."

Rizzo's hands clenched into fists. This man…this man—how could this be right? After everything he'd done, he's still alive?! Rizzo was about to manifest her guitar to take him out while his back was turned. However, before she could, Caspian turned around and raised his hand. Rizzo stiffened up feeling as if there were chains wrapped around her body.

"Now, now," Caspian said. "There's no need for you to start wrecking the place just to attack me. Now sit."

He pointed to the chair, and large chains wrapped around her to keep her in place. Her heart pounded in her chest wondering if she was really at the mercy of this man who killed so many before her.

"I don't want to fight, Rizzo." Caspian said. "I'm quite sick of it after being forced to do it for so long. I would actually like to thank-you for what you did. After you burned away that body, I was set free from the dark magic cast on me a hundred years ago."

Rizzo paused in her struggling to look at Caspian in confusion. Dark magic? What was he talking about? She then narrowed her eyes at him. Was he trying to get her to lower her guard by lying to him?

"Though I suppose I let the dark magic in because I was weak and let my jealousy towards my friend overwhelm me." Caspian said. "Though I had no idea some of Zeref's fanatics would be hanging around in our little town."

"Zeref?" Rizzo asked.

Caspian nodded his head then downed his scotch in one gulp. Rizzo glanced at the bottle seeing it was near empty, and when she looked to the fireplace she saw shattered glass here and there. How much has this guy been drinking?

"His fanatics approached me when I was drowning my sorrows at a bar." Caspian said as he poured himself another glass. "As you can see, my drinking habits haven't exactly improved over the years."

He waved the glass at Rizzo then took another gulp. He set the glass down after that while letting out a sigh.

"Those mages offered everything I ever wanted." Caspian said. "The recognition I wanted for my work on the Pied Piper. To be known as Guild Master to Treble Chambers instead of the Guild Master's flunky. To have Tatia love me instead of Raoul. They even told me they had a large collection of mages ready to follow me."

"And let me guess, you jumped at the chance to get all those things?" Rizzo said with a snide expression.

Caspian chuckled bitterly as he paced around Rizzo's chair as if he couldn't stay still. His movement made Rizzo nervous, but she refused to show it.

"That's what you'd like to believe, isn't it?" Caspian asked. "That old Caspian Turpin is just as vile as the story you were told as a child would suggest. Bah! That story is mostly fiction. It has so little facts. No one knows the real story unlike us, isn't that right, Raoul?"

Rizzo blinked in confusion then noticed Raoul standing before the fireplace. He had a serious expression on his face as he looked to his friend who came to stand beside the chair Rizzo was being forced to sit in.

"Granddaddy Raoul, what is he talking about?" Rizzo asked.

Raoul looked down with a troubled look in his eyes before he looked to Rizzo.

"The truth is, Rizzo, everything you know about what happened a hundred years ago was a lie." Raoul said. "One I swore Tatia to tell before my death. It's a story about how two friends were forced to fight each other. And how one of them suffered a fate worse than death."

Raoul looked to Caspian as he said this, which had Rizzo turning her head up towards him. She looked at him with wide eyes. He's been suffering all this time? He wasn't doing any of this because he wanted to? That means all those years of having to hurt his own guildmates…Rizzo couldn't imagine a worse torture then that. She would have lost her mind if forced to hurt anyone from Fairy Tail let alone her best friend and the one she loved.

"Then what really happened?" Rizzo asked. "What caused our guild so much grief?"

Caspian and Raoul exchanged a glance before Caspian let Rizzo go from the magic that bound her.

"It's a long story, child." Caspian said as he moved to sit on the settee in the room. "And definitely not a happy one."

"I don't care!" Rizzo said. "I need to know. I need to know the true story. It's time to stop lying. Do you really want to be hated by the people you share even an ounce of a connection with for the rest of your life?"

Caspian looked at Rizzo seeing that Sweeney stubbornness shining in her eyes as she had them narrowed at her. Caspian then held out his hand towards Rizzo, which had her blinking.

"Then come here, little one." Caspian said. "And I will show you exactly what happened all those years ago."

* * *

"Are you sure this is where she is?" Lisanna asked looking up at Gajeel.

The Iron Dragon Slayer lifted his nose to the air while taking a few whiffs of it.

"Yeah, I recognize her smell." Gajeel said. "No doubt about it. Pinky and Sanjū are inside this building."

He pointed to the old guildhall that had Treble Chambers across the opening. Looks like someone restored it because he heard stories of it being burnt to the ground thirteen years ago.

"I wonder why they decided to come here." Lisanna said.

Gajeel shrugged his shoulders. He didn't known. Besides, Rizzo and Sanjū's scents, everything else was stale as if no one else has been here in years. Well, there was one other scent as well, but it wasn't as fresh as the other two's were.

"I guess we'll have to go in to find out." Lily said.

He wanted to be reunited with Sanjū as soon as possible since he didn't like her getting too far away on dangerous jobs like this. Just as he was thinking about her, said pink Exceed came flying out of the building with a troubled look on her face.

"Gajeel, I need your help!" Sanjū said. "It's Rizzo! She's disappeared! I can't find her anywhere!"

Her words had the group stiffen while wondering what could have possibly happened to the pinkette. Was she in trouble? Did someone take her? Just then an earthshattering scream came out of the guildhall that had everyone's hearts stopping.

"…Rizzo…" Lisanna murmured then started running forward. "Rizzo!"


	128. VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE

Hello, my faithful readers! I know you were probably wanting an update, but this is just a note to let you know that I'll be rewriting this entire story. I know I've gotten pretty far, and just a few more chapters would bring us to the last arc before the time skip. But after finishing Fairy Tail and seeing how it ended, well, I guess I just got the urge to look back at my own work. I felt like things were too inconsistent and that I could have wrote other things better. Now, I still love the story, and hope I can still put out updates like I did when I first started writing about Fairy Tail a little over a year ago. A lot is going to be different, but the original characters I created that you came to love will still be in the story even if slightly altered.

Even Rizzo will be getting a few changes and upgrades. Instead of carrying around that old guitar case like in the beginning, I have decided to make Rizzo's music magic more like Erza's equip magic. So Rizzo just stores her musical instruments and other equipment in a separate dimension like Erza does with her weaponry and clothes.

Also, Rizzo's brothers will already be a part of the Fairy Tail guild at the start of this story. Instead of them being presumed dead, they will have joined the guild when Rizzo did at the fall of Treble Chambers. I decided to do this after completely reworking the Pied Piper Arc, which will show up later on in the rewrite, so to give time for the readers to become reacquainted with Rizzo and her brothers.

I will also be changing the magic of a few loved characters like Breccan, Sven, and probably Amarante. I just feel like the prior two weren't as fleshed out as I would have liked them. Or that I didn't work out their magic well enough. I kind of have an idea of what I want Breccan's magic to be, and think it'll work better for someone who came from a guild like Shadow Undertaker.

I hope to add more of my own story arcs as well. Like, maybe go to Rajasthan to stop the civil war, or lengthen the little chapter one-shots I did for Rizzo's brothers into full arcs to add more to the story.

I'm not sure if I'll keep some of the OCs you see later on in the story. Like all of Devil Laments group, but we'll see by the time I reach the newly thought out Pied Piper arc.

Gray and Rizzo probably won't get together as quickly this time around either. And the other pairings in the story will remain the safe, if you're worried about that.

Anyway, that's all I need to announce. If there is anything you wish to suggest for the rewrite or any questions you have, please feel free to leave a review, or message me. I promise not to might. Until next time, guys!~

-Coco


	129. REWRITE UPDATE

Hey, Everyone, the new chapter for my Fairy Tail story is up! It's similar to the first chapter of this story, and there for a bit some things will be very similar. However, original arcs (even just mini) will be added in between canon arcs and you'll start seeing major changes then. But anyway, I hope you enjoy the first chapter of my rewrite of this story, which is now known as the Song of the Fairies :D

-Coco


End file.
